Page 33 of Frost and Fate
After their meal, the couple lay back on the couch. Nova stared at Darren’s flat hard stomach. Where on earth did all that food go? The metabolism of lycans was truly enviable. A clearing of the throat broke her out of her thoughts. Darren was staring at her, a smirk on his face.
“You want a better look?” He slowly raised his shirt, revealing those sexy abs. Nova bit her lip. She could feel heat rushing through her body. Darren leaned closer, placing a hand on either side of her shoulders. “Or maybe that pizza wasn’t enough to fill you up.” He let a hand slip down between her thighs.
Nova melted. This was going to be a long night, and she was looking forward to every single second of it.
ChapterSixteen
Darren made his way to Gideon’s office with a knot in his stomach. The overwhelming joy of finding a mate began to wane with every step that took him closer to the Alpha. Mates were celebrated, coveted. Under usual circumstances the Alpha should rejoice for every pack member who found their chosen mate. Plus, Gideon and Darren were close friends. They had grown up together. But these were not the usual circumstances for finding a mate.
Gideon had asked Darren to watch Nova, to get to know her, for him, the Alpha, not for Darren himself. The Alpha had been courting her. He had even kissed her. Well technically Nova had kissed Gideon first, a move Darren now attributed to Nova trying to make him jealous. Well played. He knew now those soft lips would never touch another’s. His wolf swelled with pride.
He reached the office and found Gideon scrawling on a stack of documents.
“Darren. Come on in. I think today we need to—” He stopped writing and suspended his hand. Gideon slowly set down his pen and looked up at Darren. Deep-blue eyes began to glow softly. Darren stiffened under the scrutinous gaze. Was it possible Gideon could sense the change in Darren and his wolf? “Do you have something to tell me?”
Darren’s throat went dry. “Ulric.” He felt using the Alpha’s most formal title may help to soften the blow. “Nova and I are mates.”
Gideon did not move or speak, but the air around them grew heavy. Silence hung between the two like a slowly tightening noose.
“I know you had intended on claiming her for yourself but fate intervened and—”
“You’ve already mated her? Fully?” asked Gideon.
“I have.”
A weight pressed down on Darren’s chest as the Alpha’s wolf seethed beneath his calm human facade. Gideon slowly rose and closed the space, leaving merely inches between their faces.
“You intentionally claimed and mated the intended mate of your Alpha?” A hand shot out at lightning speed, closing around Darren’s throat. The growl that resonated from within Gideon’s chest was deep and dangerous. It demanded submission. “I heard the offhanded remarks about you and Nova. I chose not to believe them because I trusted you. Now I learn I was the fool all along.”
The edges of Darren’s vision blurred. He wrapped his hands around Gideon’s wrist in an attempt to pry him loose. The grip only tightened more. One hand. That was the power of an Alpha. It took one hand to render a full-grown lycan helpless. Gideon had never forced such power upon him before. “Please. It was fate—” Darren choked out. Even if he had wanted to fight for his life, his deep lycan and hierarchical instincts condemned it. The Alpha was in control. Always.
An inky darkness filled his sight as his lungs expended the last of their oxygen. Nova’s gleaming silver hair and stormy grey-green eyes stared back at him from the abyss. With a sudden burst of relief there was light and air again. Gideon released his grip and Darren stumbled toward the back of the chair for support.
When Darren found his voice again, he wheezed out, “She is my chosen mate. It was fate and nothing could have prevented it. Not even the interest of an Alpha. Please try to understand.”
The intensity of Gideon’s eyes began to soften. He took in a slow, deep breath. “I understand.” He clasped Darren on the shoulder. “Congratulations, my friend. You deserve this happiness.”
“As do you.” Darren felt the air around him shift from anger to sadness. “Your mate is out there. I’m sure of it. You will have what I have, but it will not be with Nova.”
A dry chuckle escaped Gideon’s lips. “It makes sense why my wolf never took to her. The damn thing has been unbearable recently.”
“Give it time. She’s out there.”
“We will see.” The air of the office lightened significantly.
“Are we good?”
Gideon nodded. “We’re good.”
ChapterSeventeen
The following morning came too soon. Darren had planted a quick kiss on her sleepy lips before slipping out early to meet Gideon. Nova was so content with Darren that she found it easy to forget all about the Collectors and the turmoil they caused. About an hour after Darren left, she got up to use the bathroom and found a small wrapped package on the sink. She opened it and gasped at what she found inside. A note read,‘For my silver-haired goddess. It belonged to my grandmother. I can’t imagine a better use for it than brushing through those beautiful locks. -Darren.’
Sitting next to the note was an antique silver hairbrush. Ornate Lily of the Valley flowers wound their way up the handle and onto the back of the brush. It was so beautiful. She gently ran the brush through her unruly silver hair. The sweet gesture melted Nova’s heart. She ached inside, already missing Darren’s presence. A few minutes later there was a knock on her door. She opened it to find Aria. The gorgeous lycan had her arms crossed and one eyebrow raised.
“I just saw Darren downstairs and he was smiling.” She waited for a response from Nova and when the Celestial said nothing she added, “Mr.I’m so serious all I do is smolder all the timewas smiling! You better tell me what’s up right this second.”
Nova bit her lip, then smiled. “Maybe he looked happy because he found his mate.” There was a brief moment of silence between the two women before a shrill squeal of excitement tore from Aria’s lungs.
