Page 52 of Alpha
“Why has it stopped?” I asked, because I couldn’t hear a single thought. Not even his.
“I’ve got everyone in my pack keeping their thoughts to themselves at the moment, at least until you get used to it. They’re only allowed to contact me if there is an emergency,” he explained as he caressed my hand in his.
“You guys can control what thoughts are projected to the rest of the pack?” I asked.
“Yes.”
It was probably a good thing because it would be weird for other people in the pack to hear private thoughts that didn’t concern them. I’d definitely have to learn how to do that.
I glanced down at our hands. I loved the way my hand fit in his.
“And you brought me to my house,” I said.
“Yeah, I didn’t want to take any chances so we brought you here. The farther away we are from the pack, the less intense the thoughts are, so if someone slips up it won’t be as traumatic for you,” he explained.
This whole werewolf thing was going to be more difficult to get a handle on than I’d previously thought, but I was up for the challenge.
“If I’d had any idea…” he started. I could see he felt responsible for what had happened, but I didn’t blame him. I was okay and there were no lasting effects.
“I’m fine,” I assured him. “You didn’t know it would happen.”
“But it’s my job to take care of you,” he said softly, like he’d failed me in some way. I reached out and caressed his cheek. I couldn’t help the intense flutter I got in my stomach at the thought that I meant so much to him. It made me happy and possessive of him.
“I’m big enough to take care of myself, you know,” I chipped back. It was still hard trying to balance this intense connection we had as mates and my need for my independence. I understood his need to keep me safe, because I felt that same need for him.
But I didn’t want to turn into one of those girls who couldn’t be without a man. To me there was a big difference between wanting and needing someone. I wanted Cade in my life but I didn’t need him and I wanted to keep it that way.
“Yeah, I know,” he said, glancing down at our connected hands.
“What time is it?” I asked.
“Late, you’ve been out for a while,” he said. “I was so worried I even brought Curtis with me so he could keep an eye on you. I also brought a few others to help protect you.”
“It’s fine,” I said, waving off his concerns.
“I hope you don’t mind, but they’ve all kinda moved in until you can manage the mind-link. Once you’re able to manage, we’ll move back to my house,” he said.
“It’s fine.”
I was glad to be home, even if he and some members of his pack had invaded it. Everything had happened so quickly that I hadn’t really thought about packing up again and moving in with him. At least now I had time to get used to the idea.
“You know, I need to learn how to protect myself,” I mumbled to him.
“Yeah, I know. That’s why I dragged Hank along,” he revealed with a smile, knowing it would make me happy.
“Really?” I asked, a little surprised, but the corners of my lips were already tugging upward in a smile.
“Yes, really. You need to learn how to protect yourself. With the rogue after you, I can’t take the chance of leaving you defenseless. I’m going to make sure you won’t need to use it, but it will make me sleep better at night knowing that you can.”
“Thank you,” I said as I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his lips. The feel of his lips against mine kick-started the butterflies in my stomach. Touching him, in a way, was comforting and volatile at the same time.
He pulled his lips from mine and held my face.
“The training is just to help you defend yourself; it doesn’t mean I’ll allow you to fight,” he spelled out.
I could feel my temper rise.
‘Allow me’? Who the hell does he think he is?
