Page 11 of Pregnant By the Alpha Wolf

I pause for a moment, flashing her one of my best smiles before adding. “I’m not creasing this linen by scrunching it up. And I don’t want Rian touching me. I have a luna now.”

She rolls her eyes, but she doesn't look away as I shrug off my shirt. I’m not even sure she realizes she’s doing it, but I feel her desire rolling off her in waves. It’s intoxicating, and I find myself leaning in closer to her.

“Will you take my blood? Please,” I ask softly, holding out my arm.

Her cheeks are flushed again as she looks at it, clearly struggling with her own intentions. But eventually, she takes a deep breath and nods. Her hands tremble slightly as they brush against my skin, tying the tourniquet and holding my arm firmly, and I can feel the heat radiating off her body. The scent of her arousal is overwhelming, making it difficult for me to think straight.

"Rowan," she whispers, her voice hoarse with desire as she uses the needle to expertly take a small vial of blood expertly from my vein.

The sensation is strangely euphoric for my vampiric beast, unlike anything I've ever experienced before. As she moves to put the vial away, I reach out and gently grasp her wrist, pulling her back toward me. Her heart races under my touch, and I can feel the softness of her breasts pressed against my chest as I lean down to whisper against her neck. "I admit," I murmur against her skin, "that was more enjoyable than I expected. I don’t know why I resisted so long."

Just then, there's a knock on the door, and Rian pokes his head in. "Sorry to interrupt," he says sheepishly, "but the team is having a meeting about the samples."

Willow pulls away from me suddenly, blushing even more furiously than before. She clears her throat and addresses Rian, “Of course, I’m coming.”

Rian clearly senses the charged atmosphere in the room and looks between us. Rian is one of the few members of the Nicholson pack whose vampire is also quite dominant, and the mix of blood and sensuality in the room will activate his senses.“Rian, walk with me for a moment,” I tell him, pulling my shirt back on as Willow practically flees the room.

He follows me as I storm through the lab's entrance, allowing the bracing cool air to hit my body even as I finish buttoning my shirt. I turn slightly, and Rian is watching me with a smirk on his face.

“Did I interrupt?” he asks.

“What. Do. You. Think?” I snap, but even my anger doesn’t wipe the satisfied smirk from his face. I step closer to him, and for the first time, doubt enters his eyes.

“I apologize, of course.” He bows his head slightly but still chuckles. “I hope she’s taking everyone’s blood if this is the effect, though.”

Seeing red, I punch him before I even know what I’m doing. My wolf surges into the fight before I can pull him back. Rian hits the ground and stays down, his hands raised in surrender. “You will treat your luna with respect. You will treatmewith respect. Do not make me any enemy today.”

Rian is the son of one of my oldest betas. A friend was killed by hunters, and Rian took his place. He has my automatic respect, but my wolf and vampire are steeling for a fight. Willow’s proximity and the intimacy of the blood draw have created a perfect storm of possessiveness.

“I understand, Rowan,” he replies, far more seriously than I ever known him to. “You have my word. I understand now.”

I nod, and he backs away, returning to the lab.

He may understand now, but I’m not sure I do. I haven’t fought over a girl in centuries, if, indeed, ever before.

Chapter 7 - Willow

Setting up the new lab takes longer than I imagined. I thought once the boxes were unpacked and my files were in order, we’d be able to get started properly. But it turns out that too much of a good thing can actually slow progress. The new PCR machines that Rowan had installed are incredible, and the genetic sequencing will be a lot faster…once we know how the machines work. It’s not like we can bring in outside help, so there has been a lot of trial and error and false starts over the last two weeks.

The technicians, including Rian, have been outstanding, though. Talking things through with Forrest on the phone has helped me troubleshoot. I’ve also had more time to research the Völva in Rowan’s extensive library with help from his medic, Sara. It’s hard when we don’t always know what we’re looking for, but already, I feel like we’re making progress.

Sara is a lot like me. She seems to enjoy working with facts and takes comfort in finding order in chaos. Her bedside manner is probably a lot better than mine, though, and I can see how popular the pretty brunette doctor is in her pack. But, although she’s been very keen to help, I don’t miss the way she steers our conversations and research away from specifics about their pack. At first, I reasoned it was because we had so much to get through, but now I see it’s a pattern.

I have also noticed that there is a delay between samples being processed and me receiving the data. At first, I thought people might not be recording the data properly, but then I realized only the initial Nicholson pack data had taken a while to upload. I still don’t even have a clear picture of where the pack elders are even from or family structures. When I mentioned it to Rian, he looked decidedly sheepish and madeseveral excuses that all rang false. I didn’t call him out at the time because I didn’t want it to appear as though I was looking to cause problems, but it’s clear the pack is either slow to trust me or deliberately trying to withhold information. Which only intrigues me more.

When I mentioned Sara’s evasiveness and the data issue to Rowan over dinner, he dismissed it as the pack simply needing more time to trust me; that has been his answer to everything when I’ve raised questions, which I don’t get much chance to do, as I hardly see him. That’s not quite true—he’s always near. I can feel it when he’s near. I turn and find him watching me from the gallery in the lab or his shadow passing an open door. But the only time I’mwithhim is when we share dinner in the evening. He seems to guide the conversation, steering me through tales about the pack’s history and his travels. A sprinkling of information keeps me intrigued, and they sometimes make me laugh but tell me nothing of substance. He continues to tease me, emotionally and intellectually—it’s like a dance, and I don’t know which way is up. Then, as soon as we’re finished, he goes for a run in the forest for hours. I don’t even know when he returns, and he’s gone again by morning. There have been no more crepes.

That’s also not quite true, though. It’s not the only time I’m with him. I dream of him every night. I think I did before I even got here, but now it’s getting out of hand. I’ve never been with a man before, yet the dreams are so realistic that I genuinely feel like I can touch him. I close my eyes and wait for him to appear. I know it’s not real, and seeing him during the day makes me cringe and think of how my mind behaves at night.

If he only knew.

I can’t even ask anyone if this is normal. I wouldn’t even know where to begin. I’ve had dreams before, but these are different; they feel too tangible. I’ve even started researching whether a Völva’s dreams mean anything. But so far, no leads. I feel a bit ridiculous, even considering that my horny dreams mean anything more than being infatuated with Rowan. It’s even more ridiculous when he clearly doesn’t feel the same—he flirts, but I’m sure he’s simply teasing me. I’m small, I have no wolf, I’m curvy…and awkward at times, while he is a mountain of a man, formidable, exuding sex appeal that makes my lower stomach clench every time he turns his magnetic gaze directly toward me.

I am totally lost in thought when I hear the PCR machine begin uploading.

“Fingers crossed,” I mutter, hoping I’ve finally gotten the uploading sequence right after multiple attempts.

I spin my chair back to the screen and move one of the ancient texts off the keyboard, almost knocking my coffee all over my files. I steady it, rolling my eyes, knowing I’m only being clumsy because my sleep has been so interrupted, and my brain seems hardwired to only think about Rowan.

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