Page 91 of The Alpha

He took a deep breath, then another. “I believe so.”

“What do you mean control?” Pari’s head swung to one, then the other and back again. “They’re bluer.” She took a step back.

Melvale’s eyes fixated on her, and he moved without thinking. “Oh, stab me, can’t you just behave…”

“What?” Pari snapped. “I’m not a child.”

“I wasn’t talking to you,” Melvale sang. He swallowed hard and tried to remain perfectly calm. “Pari…” came out gravelly and he bit the inside of his cheek to have something to focus on. If he lost control and the Alpha side of him took over, he was likely to toss Pari over his shoulder and march them all the way back to his quarters. That approach wasn’t going to go over very well if his guess was right.

“Brother, are you still here?”

Melvale slowly looked at him. “Y-yes.”

Markhel stepped toward him. “Your eyes are very blue.

Melvale faced him. “I am Alpha.” His voice was guttural now.

Pari’s eyes went wide. “Holy moly…”

His head snapped to her. “Kahtala Miah.”

She backed up a step, her jaw dropping as the words came out of their own accord. “Bondrah Miah…”

Markhel watched with interest. “She is the one person he cannot force with his power. Yet she responds. Interesting.”

“What does that mean?” Irene asked as she watched in fascination.

Markhel smiled. “She has met Alpha Melvale before. He has managed to begin a bonding of sorts.”

“And that’s good, right?” Polly asked.

“Yes, very good.”

Maida entered the dining room and stopped up short when she saw Melvale. “Oh my.”

Melvale saw her, recognized her, and his Alpha did too. “Mate of my Beta.”

“Melvale,” Markhel said, voice laced with warning.

He looked at him but said nothing. Instead, he gave his attention back to Pari. “Come, Kahtala Miah.”

Pari’s eyes filled with indecision.

Melvale stepped toward her. “Come.” His voice had softened, and she took a tentative step forward.

When she had closed the distance between them, he cocked his head and studied her. He had to be gentle with her. She was so fragile he could smell it. “I will never harm you,” he said. “You must know that.”

“Maybe not,” she said in a small voice. “But what about everybody else?”

Before he could think, he said, “You are my heart, what do you wish me to do?” And before she could respond to that, he was going down on one knee before her.

29

Pari stared at Melvale in shock. What was he doing? He looked like he was about to propose, but she knew this wasn’t that. “Why are you on your knee?” Okay, so she had to ask.

He at her, his blue eyes flashing. “You are Kahtala Miah,” he said simply. His voice was lower than normal, and she knew she was speaking with the part of him she met in the lab.

“What does that mean?”

---