Page 78 of The Alpha

She swallowed hard. Raina told her he was going through a lot, but didn’t elaborate. Pari closed the distance between them and lifted a hand to his shoulder. Before she could touch him, he turned around, eyes closed, and took in a long breath through the nose. “Kahtala Miah.”

“Bondrah,” she said without thinking.

He opened his eyes. They were a beautiful blue, with a hint of gray outlining his pupils. “Pari…”

“Hey,” she said, suddenly feeling shy.

He looked down at her with such longing, her heart leapt in her chest, as if it could reach him.

“Why do you look at me like that?” she whispered. “I don’t get it.”

“You don’t have to,” he whispered back. “Not yet. But you will.” He cupped her face with his large hand. “Your skin is so soft. And you are so lovely. It hurts to look at you, Kahtala Miah.”

Unable to help it, she put a hand over the one cupping her face. “Is that why you look like you’re in pain?”

He closed his eyes, threw his head back, and something between a growl and a moan escaped him. When he looked at her again, his eyes were bluer than before. “I… battle with myself.”

“Why?”

He looked into her eyes, his face a mask of agony. “I am your Bondrah, and you are my heart. But you do not understand what that means yet.”

“You said it,” she joked softly. “Seems there’s a lot of things I don’t know. But Raina said you can tell me.”

He drew closer. “I can tell you some things.”

She looked at the shimmering curtains. “Like what’s on the other side of those?” She started for them, but he blocked her path.

“No, my Kitten. You should stay here.”

“But why? Raina said it’s beautiful.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Yes, but there’s something else…”

She tried to peek past him. “What? I want to see.”

“Pari…” he said, his voice laced with warning.

She stopped. He’d not used that tone with her before. “Why can’t I see?”

His eyes got bluer. “Pari…” The warning tone was there again, and something else.

She always did have a stubborn streak. “What’s the worst that can happen?” She started for the curtain again, but before she could reach it, she remembered something. “Oh… wait…”

Too late. The curtains moved, and something pushed against them from the other side.

She backed up a step. “It… it’s that thing!” Pari looked left, then right, and couldn’t decide which way to run.

“Pari!”

She stared at him. The word was more a guttural growl, than speech. “Your eyes…”

His eyes were such a bright blue they glowed. “Come here, my heart.”

Her heart jumped again. It seemed more willing to go to him than the rest of her.

He extended a hand. “Come.”

Her eyes rounded. His voice was low, like it was when they were held prisoner. “Bondrah Miah…”

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