Page 27 of Alpha Scorned

Her eyes rolled back in her head and a beautiful scream of pleasure ripped from her throat. Her body went rigid, and I stared down at her as she cried out my name, milking me with her internal muscles. My balls tightened and I didn’t stand a hope in hell of holding back. I needed this too much. Her canines descended too, both of us wanting to seal our claim. Mastering that need was agony, but we weren’t ready. I felt it as surely as I knew that we would be one day.

The muscles of my lower back clenched and pleasure detonated through my body. I roared her name. Nothing else existed except for my soulmate as I emptied myself inside the haven of her body. I kept moving slowly as the spasms of pleasure settled, and I looked down at her flushed features, panting hard. Carefully, I lowered her legs and then cupped her hot face in my hands. My heart constricted as we stared at each other in silence. Around us just the sound of a clock ticked, nothing else. Somehow we hadn’t woken Devon.

Lina’s fingers grazed over my buttocks and my dick twitched. I pushed into her and she groaned at the same time I did. Yeah, my body would be ready to go again very soon.

A veil descended over her face and her gaze dropped away from mine. My stomach clenched. “Are you okay?” I asked gently.

Her lips were swollen and soft, and it was impossible to resist kissing her. She kissed me back, but I felt her emotional withdrawal. It was like a punch in the gut. There was still something in her past, something beyond her physical scars that was causing her to pull away from me.

When I pulled back she nodded. “I’m fine.”

Hiding my scowl at those two words was hard. People who said they were fine were invariably not ‘fine’. But I couldn’t force her to talk to me. All I could do was hope she’d come to trust me enough to tell me.

Hiding my disappointment, I slowly pulled out of her warmth, instantly missing it. Without another word, I bent down and scooped her into my arms. “Your bedroom?”

She didn't protest at my need to hold her close and care for her. In silence, I lowered her to sit on the edge of her bed, and then wandered into her en suite and switched on the shower. She watched me intently as I took her hand and guided her into the warm water. Squeezing some shower gel into my palm I washed her gently, thoroughly exploring every beautiful inch of her lithe, fit body. We didn’t speak, just explored with our fingers and mouths and cared for each other.

I made love to her again under the warm spray, this time from behind, holding her close and rolling my hips against the round globes of her backside. I made her come twice and she was boneless and exhausted by the time I'd dried her off and carried her to bed.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d cuddled with a lover. It wasn’t something I did. I always left, or insisted the other person did. But at that moment, I couldn’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be. I held my mate close as she drifted off, tracing circles on her back until she relaxed against me and her breathing became slow and even. Twice in the night I woke her, unable to suppress my desire. I needed her with an urgency that was frightening. Each time I wanted to sink my fangs into her neck and claim her, but each time I stopped myself. I was still convinced I hadn’t gotten to the bottom of why she’d rejected me, and until I knew the truth, I was terrified that she would change her mind, that she might walk away again. But even that fear wouldn’t make me claim her without being sure it was what she truly wanted. My wolf grumbled. Despite my physical contact with Lina, he was unsettled. He wanted me to be happy, to claim the woman who was our mate, but he couldn’t reach her wolf spirit and he didn’t understand why.

I lifted up on one elbow and contemplated her beautiful face. She was relaxed in sleep, no shadows under her eyes, her face unmarked by worry or anxiety. She was stunning. I gently brushed some strands of her rich red hair from her cheeks, a suspicion forming. Being connected to Connor came with perks, one was being powerful enough to push my wolf spirit into another shifter if I chose. It took a few minutes to make my decision but I had to know. My wolf’s spirit pressed against her, knowing her defences would be lowered by sleep. Nothing. Only a solid wall that prevented us from touching her soul. I wouldn’t force my way in. Instead, I traced my fingers lightly down her cheek then snuggled in closer, wrapping my arms around her, and pulling her back against me until I was touching her softness everywhere I could. I grazed my lips against her neck and inhaled her scent, now mixed with mine. My chest squeezed. My wolf rumbled his agreement with my thoughts. I’d just worked out what was causing her anxiety, at least I thought I had. But my Lina needed to know that she could trust me—always. And invading her soul without an invitation was a violation I wouldn’t commit.

She was still asleep when the first light of dawn peeped in between a crack in the curtains. I’d laid there awake, unwilling to miss even a moment of having her in my arms. But I needed to move. I had too much to sort out to stay there, wrapped around her soft and inviting body.

Careful not to wake her, I slipped from the warm bed and collected my clothes from the living room floor. Unable to resist, I peeked in at Devon. He was still out, his little fists thrown over his head. I rubbed my chest. He would soon be my son. I swallowed hard. At least, that’s what I hoped. Last night everything had seemed so simple, make love to my mate, and never let another male near her. In the cold light of day, it was far more complicated. She had to learn to trust me enough to tell me what was really bothering her. And I had to learn to trust her not to leave me when she got spooked by something from her past.

As quietly as I could, I left them both to sleep.

The fresh scent of the forest hit me as soon as I stepped out of Lina’s front door. It was heady and called to my wolf, but nothing could ever beat the scent of the ocean, not for me. I stood on the top step and cocked my head. Around me there were the sounds of voices and doors shutting, children shouting and people going to work—pack sounds. The town was quite sizeable, but there were very few trucks or cars on the newly tarmacked roads. Shane’s house, where we were staying, would take me a good twenty minutes to walk back to. As I set off, the scent of food filled my nostrils. My belly rumbled loudly. I’d spent hours enjoying my mate’s body, and now I was starving.

A few women stared at me and smiled before lowering their eyes. I couldn’t stop a satisfied smirk from stretching my lips. I guess my walk of shame was obvious without a shirt. I could make my clothes disappear and reappear as I wished when I shifted, but only Connor could use his power to make new clothes from nothing.

Lionel stepped from beneath the shadow of a nearby tree. He grinned widely and sauntered towards me, holding out a clean tee shirt.

I brushed off my exhaustion and grinned back. “Thanks.” I slipped the top on and pulled it down over my abs.

“Went well then?” He inhaled. “I can scent her on you. Man she smells good...”

I snarled.

He chuckled and slapped me on the back. “Relax. I’m just fucking with ya, brother.” He went quiet and glanced sideways at my face. “Seriously, are you good? Is she?”

He was asking if I was in control. I cracked my neck and inhaled deeply. The scratches she had marked me with last night had healed hours ago, but he was right, Lina’s scent clung to me. I smiled, a curious warmth invading my chest at the thought of smelling like her all day. I should go and shower before we got started on the day's investigation, but I didn’t want to wash her off me. I smiled widely, and despite the reason I was here, for the first time in months, I felt a deep sense of peace inside. My wolf. He was calm, contented. I nodded at Lionel. “Yeah, I think I am. Better than I’ve been for a long time. Just keep that Lucas guy away from my mate and me, and I’ll be even better.”

Lionel released a long breath. “Thank fuck for that. Did you claim her?”

“No. Not yet. We have stuff to talk about first. And I have a job to do. When I claim her, I need to be able to spend uninterrupted alone time with her. If any other male goes near her before the claiming lust has settled, I just know I’ll end up losing it. I’m not giving Rawson or Stone a reason to take me out.”

“Come on, man, you don’t really believe they’d do that, do you?”

I strode across the street. “I’m honestly not sure. I need to prove to them that I’m stable, and they need to prove to me that I can trust them by giving me that chance. I know I’ve pushed every one of my brothers to the edge of their tolerance, and for that I’m sorry.”

Lionel smiled and slapped my shoulder. “Apology accepted, brother.”

I exhaled. “Good. Now I just need to build bridges with Stone, and get Rawson to drop his challenge.”

“Right, well, once they know Selina and that little boy are attached to you, and you to them, taking you out is the last thing they’ll want to do. Even Rawson...” But his words trailed off as if he wasn’t that convinced.

---