Page 79 of Alpha's Unclaimed Mate

My breath hitches as her lips glisten with juice. Every rational thought is drowned out by the need to taste her.

“Uhm…I should go.” She suddenly gets up.

I immediately protest. “Why? No. Stay. Please.”

“I think you need rest and with me around,” she says with a smirk, her eyes twinkling, “that may not happen.”

I frown at her words until I notice the pillow on my lap has moved, and my raging hard-on is pretty obvious.

Damn! I feel like a schoolboy.

As she packs her bags, she places an ice box on the side. “This has a few juices, a sandwich, and two portions of salad. You’ll have to call a nurse to…”

“You’re not coming over for dinner?” I try to hide the hurt in my voice, but it just slips out.

She giggles. “Leon and I both will. But this is in case you get hungry before then, since you refuse to eat hospital food.”

I suck in a deep breath before saying, “Seren…”

She pauses, her back still turned to me. She knows me. And she knows what I am about to say.

“I love you. Can you consider…giving me another opportunity? I’ll not only protect you, but also love you with everything I have.”

I can hear my heart pounding wildly, but I manage to keep the shakiness out of my voice.

She is silent for a moment before she gives a smile. “Great timing, huh?”

I force a smile too. Nervously. And I admit I’m a base person, to ask when I know it’s hard for her to say no.

Her eyes are still guarded, but there’s an undeniable softness there. “I’ll…consider it.”

“Seren,” I say softly, my voice barely above a whisper. “Thank you.”

As the door shuts behind her, I glance at the old clock on the wall. I have to wait another five hours until she returns.

CHAPTER 29

SEREN

“Leon, sweetheart, you can’t keep sneaking back into Daddy’s room,” I whisper, crouching down to his eye level. “He needs his sleep.”

Leon pouts, his small hand still gripping the doorknob. His forehead scrunches up. “But I want to play with him, Mama,” he says, his voice quivering with the effort of holding back tears.

Since the attack, Leon has become inseparable from his father. And Theron coming home from the hospital has only eased his nerves a little bit.

“I know, baby. And you will. How about we go play in the gardens for now and come back later?” He glances at the door again. “Lana made bacon corn dogs. She said she’ll cut up two for you.”

“Okay,” he mumbles, reluctantly releasing the doorknob.

Some of the staff’s kids are already by the swings, and as soon as Leon spots them, he gobbles down his corn dogs and rushes over. I had four extra swings installed because Leondoesn’t like sharing his favorite one. The kids are starting to get along well, and seeing Leon playing with them makes me smile.

“Sage or lavender?” Lana asks from across the table, lifting the lid of an antique porcelain teapot. It reminds me of Luna Marie.

“Lavender, please, but only if you’re also having some,” I reply, hoping she’ll join me for a conversation. With Ella gone, I miss having someone to talk to at the estate. Lana usually leaves right after Leon’s eaten his snack.

She hesitates for a moment before dropping the dry sprigs into the pot, then looks at me with a glint in her eye. “Just wait here,” she says, dashing to the staff entrance at the back.

Less than a minute later, she returns with a plate covered by a cloche, placing it in front of me. “I heard you love blueberries,” she says breathlessly.

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