Page 150 of Lonely Alpha

“Kiara,” he breathed my name.

I turned to him, watching hesitance flit across his face, his tongue darting out to lick his lips. His jaw set and he released me, but again my eyes threatened a waterfall.

He cursed and swept me close to him, leading me over to the couch where we could sit down. I was tucked to his side, my head on his shoulder. I curled my legs up under me and sniffled.

“The crying isn’t on purpose,” I said. “I’m just… emotional.”

“You’re about to go into heat. It’s natural.”

His arm tightened around me, and I could have sworn I felt his lips ghost across the top of my head. “My emotions are manipulating you. I wouldn’t fault you if you just let me cry it out.”

“Leighton would kick my ass if I let you go off and cry by yourself.”

“She wouldn’t know,” I countered. “And if she found out, I wouldn’t let her hurt you for it. I know you don’t really like me.”

“I like you.”

My laugh was a little hollow. “You don’t have to lie to me. I ruined my chances with you the second I stabbed Ambrose.”

I let myself continue to cuddle up to him—I wouldn’t have this for long, and I wanted to take advantage while I could. Mercury kept me close too, almost seeming opposed to letting me go. We were silent for a while, but breathing together was enough to calm my hormones.

When I felt confident I wouldn’t immediately burst into tears, I tried to get up.

He held fast, not releasing me from under his arm. As much as I wanted to stay cuddled, he didn’tneedto anymore. It wasn’t fair to expect him to comfort me forever.

“I’m fine now,” I said, clearing my throat slightly. “I can go back to the nest.”

A flare of his aura split the air, accompanied by a growl.

It should have been terrifying, considering how close he was to me and how unhinged it sounded. My whimper wasn’t because of fear, though. No, it was because slick was flooding my core and that tight feeling of need was again clutching my ovaries.

“Or I can stay here,” I whispered. “If you want me to.”

“Stay,” he muttered.

I swallowed down my arousal and nodded. It was surprisingly easy to relax back against him. His scent blanketed me, not helping my body calm down after his outburst. Mercury’s fingers absently stroked my arm, and I wished the skin was bare so I could feel the slight scrape of his nails and the softness of his long fingers.

My ability to stay still didn’t last long. I got bored, anxious, twitchy. Every time I shifted he held me closer, preventing me from leaving his side.

With my body unable to fidget, my mouth began to spew words instead.

“You said you like me. Why?”

He heaved a sigh. I’d been avoiding looking at his face—from my position at his side, it was easy to curl up and stare at his knees instead. Now, I strained my neck to peer up at him.

His jaw was twitching, turmoil roiling in the depths of his eyes. Stubble brushed across his cheeks, but it didn’t look natural on him. I got the sense he was usually meticulously clean shaven. His hair was messy too, twined into a single French braid that had strands falling out in a chaotic manner.

“Let me ask you something, little omega,” he said, ignoring my question. “Why did you mark Dash and Ambrose?”

I flushed.

Had it been rude to place a temporary claim on his packmates when I knew he didn’t like me? Absolutely. Especially since I hadn’t even asked the packmates in question before doing it.

I’d been running on a combination of instinct and desperation.

Asking Leighton for the bond had been desperation to escape Tobias, at first. Biting the Loranger pack had been desperation to take a piece of what they had, before anyone else could.

I wanted to be a part of the casual affection they had for each other, despite the problems they clearly also harboured. Being around them felt like having the kind of companionship I always wanted, but had been denied by my father. Whether we ended up sating my sexual desire for them or not, I needed to be near them.

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