Page 20 of My Possessive Alpha

“I know it is,” I murmured gently, reaching out to carefully take her hand in mine. I gave it a light squeeze. “We may have jumped the gun a bit, but we can move at whatever pace suits you. We can take things slow. I don’t mind a bit.”

It was true. I didn’t want Lydia to think there was any rush or race to reach a certain point. We had time to feel things out and to better understand each other, regardless of the tether between us.

Plus, I liked the idea of getting to know everything about her. Enough time had passed for us to change, and so long as she let me, I wanted to learn everything about her again.

“That would help me a lot,” Lydia agreed, letting go of some of that hesitance. “With my parents suddenly springing their expectations on me, I didn’t really have the chance to think or breathe. But this is nice.”

“Those expectations don’t have to exist anymore. You can let them go completely.”

Her smile pulled at that, looking like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. “I didn’t like the odds of what Jack might do if I were to go back…Speaking of, what are we supposed to do about that situation?”

Mustering as much resolve and reassurance as I could, I slightly tightened my grip on her hand again as a silent testament to my dedication to protect her. “We follow this path ahead of us and decide what we want or don’t want, and we don’t worry about him at all.”

“But what if he tries to track me down?”

My heart squeezed at her concern, aware that it was up to me to temper her fears. With a gentle touch, I lifted her chin slightly with a finger and offered her a smug smile. “If he tries, then he’ll have to deal with me.”

Various thoughts moved through her eyes at once, yet Lydia’s worries seemed to ebb away the longer she looked at me, relaxing into the faint touch.

“It doesn’t matter what he does or doesn’t do. I’ll always be around to protect you, Lydia. Your safety is at the forefront of my mind, and I don’t intend to give that up. Whatever you want—say the word, and it’s yours.”

After a brief moment of silence while she contemplated my proposition, that relaxed smile grew, and she nodded for me. “All right, then. Take me to this pack of yours.”

I mirrored her expression, finding warmth and comfort in her acceptance.

I did my best to hold in how much it appeased me, regardless of how it put my heart at ease. The decision made me feel elated on the inside, much to my inner wolf’s satisfaction, but I didn’t want to seem far too eager about the fact that Lydia seemed accepting of our bond.

Remaining cool and collected on the outside, my chest was full of light and excitement for what was ahead of us.

After wishing for someone I could call my own and sulking over missing out on that kind of connection, it seemed my hopes had finally been answered.

Of course, I didn’t want to get ahead of myself, but it all felt like a step in the right direction, and I didn’t have anything to complain about.

Looking forward to showing her around, I grinned and reached for the tray as I stood from the bed. “As you wish.”

Chapter 12 - Lydia

Despite how quickly everything had changed and how well things seemed to be going with Sebastian, I was still somewhat on the fence about trusting him completely. He didn’t do anything wrong, but earning that trust would take time. As far as I could tell, he was more than willing to wait.

The thought of going to see his pack was daunting, too, given how we had initiated our bond, and that meant a change in dynamic for his followers. Still, I didn’t have any other choice.

I defied my parents and our alpha. I did the exact opposite of what was expected of me, and while I didn’t regret it, I knew it meant I couldn’t go back.

There was no doubting how severe those consequences would be, especially given what I had done with Sebastian, and I had no interest in facing them.

My parents hurt me by lying about Sebastian and pushing me to mate with our alpha, and I wasn’t ready to see them either.

The way I saw it, that bridge had been burned between us, and I couldn’t see a way for me to have both. Regardless of my lingering reservations, I made my decision, which involved maintaining my integrity. I was never after status or power, and I wasn’t going to give in to what my parents wanted.

That time was behind me, and as nerve-wracking as it was, I was prepared to continue on the path ahead of me.

It didn’t hurt that because of our new living and breathing bond, I felt more compelled to be around Sebastian. Being in his presence put me at ease, and that almost primal attraction I felt for him made it feel even more worthwhile every time. After getting a taste of our passion, it seemed impossible to give it up again, and no part of me wanted to.

Regardless of those changes, at least a shred of that old warning lingered in the back of my mind. I could still hear my parents’ voices trying to tell me never to trust Sebastian or his family. I always had to keep my guard up and do as they told me.

But at that point, I wasn’t interested. They hurt me enough already.

Shrugging that pesky thought away, I tried to concentrate on the present moment. I did my best to focus on the truths in front of me—Sebastian was being as sweet as ever and caring for me while it seemed like nobody else would.

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