Page 42 of Freeing My Alpha

Alpha musk crowds the room, making my knees weak. My core flexes with desire, heat striking me in the gut.

Oh, God. I want to tell him. Not soon. Not tomorrow. Now.

10

Lilian plugs her nose, darting for the door. She whispers as she brushes past me. “Leaving you to it, then.”

Our Luna hurriedly slams the door behind herself, leaving me alone with Noah. He swallows hard, taking in the full sight of me in my apron.

But he doesn’t seem to want to move.

“W-what’s wrong?” I ask.

Noah shifts his weight between his feet, his arms flexing and relaxing beneath his jacket over and over like he can’t decide how to exist. “I’ve never wanted anyone this badly in my life.”

His rough, quiet voice makes my heartbeat throb all the way to my groin. But Noah remains locked in place.

“Why aren’t you over here, then, Alpha?”

He clenches his jaw. “I don’t trust my obnoxious wolf.”

My shoulders loosen as his restless, adorable wolf nudges mine for attention. “Noah, nothing has changed there; that big, loving goofball won’t hurt me. I trust him.”

“Not like that. He won’t shut up about getting you pregnant.”

My breath catches, tempting me to stifle my desires again.

But my wolf steps in.

“Let me ask you something,” I whisper. Noah is listening, his full focus engaged on my eyes. I can hardly see straight as our pheromones erupt, calling out to each other. “How soon do mates normally have pups?”

Noah shakes his head, trying to blink away the haze—and failing. His eyes are a bright green, more electric than the summer grass outside the Community Center kitchen window.

“It doesn’t matter,” he mutters. “‘Normal’ doesn’t mean anything. You and I will go at our own pace, without any pressure from me about Lycan traditions.”

I shake my head. “I know. I trust you. That’s not what I mean.”

Noah’s eyes brighten into gold, his wolf letting me know how deeply this moment is hitting him too. “Then what do you mean?”

“I want to know what the Lycan expectation is. Not because I want to follow it, but I think Lycans are all instinct, and I want to know if what I’m feeling is— Is it ridiculous, or senseless, or weird, or—”

Biting my lips, I can’t bear to look at Noah’s tempting stare any longer.

“It’s not weird,” he rasps.

My eyes widen.

“They mate the second they meet,” he mutters. “I-I know you know that, but by mating, I mean... mating.”

It’s difficult for him to admit, fear trickling through our bond, and I know it’s because he doesn’t want to pressure me.

Noah shuffles his feet. “But we didn’t agree on trying so soon, so it doesn’t matter. And before you can say it matters because you can feel my obnoxious-ass wolf begging you for it, it still doesn’t matter.”

I rest one hand on my hip. “Oh, really?”

“R-really.”

“I disagree. What you want matters to me immensely. And I think I’m more wolf than either of us knew. And it’s not just your wolf. I think waiting is becoming pointless when we both want something now.”

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