Page 16 of Fated Alpha Protector

I'd just woken up.

No!

Panicking, I close my eyes. But my attempt to fall asleep again is futile. Groaning in the darkness, I reach for the lamp on the nightstand.

And as soon as I click the switch, light is shed on something I wasn't expecting to see.

Alpha Theo.

Chapter 6

THEO

“Good night, Alpha!” The Beta greets before leaving my side and heading up the stone path leading to his house.

The house he shares with the woman he loves. Though not fated, Liam shares a mate bond with Amelia that gives a fated mate bond a run for its money.

They’re strong together, and serve as a prime example of what a chosen mate bond should be like.

Still, I turn my face away and stare at the main house ahead. Between those walls, my sister remains oblivious to what her fate might be if I agree to the alliance.

Around me, the rest of the Nightwalker Pack don’t know their fates if I don’t go through with the alliance.

Then, there’s the question of the Blackclaw Omega who resides in the main house now. There’s something about her that I can’t quite place my finger on.

Something suspicious or alluring – I’m not sure. But it has me going upstairs when I enter the main house and passing her bedroom door.

There are noises from inside that have me stopping in my tracks. Faint sounds that have me pressing my ear to the door.

The sounds of Mia’s strangled cries from inside her bedroom alarm me enough to enter unannounced.

As soon as I do, I find her lying on her bed, a bead of sweat caught on her brows.

In the darkness of the night, I feel like a thief. Stealing the longest stare at the lone she-wolf who’d stumbled on Nightwalker territory. A deep, innate feeling much like instinct begged me to keep her here.

Though the girl is from Blackclaw, I cannot chase her away. There’s still a flicker of suspicion that hangs over my head. But I won't treat her the way she’d been treated in her own pack. I can’t turn her away.

My suspicion dissipates when Mia whimpers in her sleep. My eyes instantly flit to her face, where her lips part on an intake of breath.

Without warning, she stirs until she’s fully awake. It happens so fast, there isn’t time to escape when she suddenly reaches for the lamp on the nightstand.

I’m caught red-handed when the light illuminates the bedroom and Mia spots me. It’s the first time I’ve seen her since allowing her to stay in the guest room. Since she’s been able to clean up, not appearing dreary and worn out from being stuck in wolf form.

If I hadn’t noticed it before, I do now. Mia Alverez is beautiful.

“Mia…” I breathe, enthralled by the depth of her stare. I have no idea why she’s been moaning and whimpering in her sleep.

But I can only imagine why. It’s evident in the way her chest rises and falls as she pants. And the way her lips remain parted, eyes flitting to mine.

“Theo…” Mia whispers as she slides toward the edge of the bed.

I predict what’s about to happen before it does. Perhaps it’s because I’d gawked at her naked form a bit too long. Or that passing glance at her bedroom window as I headed out for a hunt with the crew.

Or maybe it’s hearing her seductive moans from outside her door. Either way, I’d felt an intense attraction toward Mia Alverez from the moment I discovered her across the river.

My only hesitation is that fated mate bond I’d been holding out for. That’s why I end up hanging at the side of the bed until she makes the first move. When she does, rising to her knees and pushing herself forward, I make no attempt to move back.

Instead, I’m frozen to the spot. Until her lips find mine, the plushness of her kiss imbues my desire for her.

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