Page 16 of The Alpha's Bounty
I cut them off with, “Fine.I’m coming.”
I hang up, toss the phone on the table, and look at Mina.She’s still flushed, breathing a little fast.My bear wants to drag her stay in this bed and finish what we started, but I can’t.Not yet.
My bear disagrees, but I ignore him.
“Come with me.”
She looks wary, but nods.“Where are we going?”
I grab her some clean clothes from my dresser and pass them to her.Her clothes are dirty from her time on the run.I planned to wash them today, and order whatever else she might need—a winter jacket, boots, a hat, mittens, and a scarf.Probably some sweaters.I make a mental note of that as I grab my own clothes from the dresser.
But that will all have to wait for now.
“I need to go into town to handle some pack business,” I explain.
She nods, looking unsure, but choosing to trust me.It makes me feel about ten feet tall.Make me fall in love with her even more.
Mina heads into the bathroom to change, and I pull on my clothes before grabbing her backpack and heading downstairs.I open the washer and go through her things.As I thought, she has far too little to survive the coming winter months.
“There you are,” she says, her eyes darting to her bag.
“I was starting laundry.Thought I’d do yours, too.”
She smiles.“Thanks, but you don’t have to do that.I can do it later.”
“It’s not a bother.We’ll let this run while we go into town.”
I start the washer, then take her hand.“Come on.We’ll grab breakfast in town.”
I lead her out to my truck and help her into the passenger seat.
“You drive?I figured you would shift and run everywhere,” she comments as we head down the road.
“Usually, I do, but it’s chilly this morning, and I didn’t want you to be cold.Plus, my clothes are kind of big on you.You’d be tripping the whole way if we walked.”
She snorts a laugh.“Yeah, good call on that.”
I grab her hand, intertwining our fingers as we make our way into town.The first stop is the bakery.We load up on Adeline’s baked goods.I grab a coffee, and Mina orders a hot chocolate.Then we head to City Hall.
I’d hoped to spend more one-on-one time with my mate today, but I’m stuck putting out fires and handling disputes for most of the day instead.
First on the agenda is a dispute over a property line.I check in with the other Alphas, and we go over a briefing about the cult north of our land.Then I have to break up a fight between some tourists at the bar.
It’s non-stop.
I keep Mina close all day, showing her the main parts of town and introducing her to people without explaining too much while handling my Alpha duties.She’s quiet, but I feel her eyes on me, and the heat between us only grows.
By the time we sit down for dinner at the diner, the mating heat is almost unbearable.I know that Mina feels it, too.She shifts in her seat, crossing and uncrossing her legs, and the scent of her arousal hits me like a punch.My fingers tighten around my fork.
“What is this?”she whispers.
Her hard nipples are clearly outlined beneath my shirt.My bear and I lick our lips.
Fuck.
I glance around to make sure no one can hear us.“It’s the mating heat.I should’ve explained it to you last night.”
“Mating heat?”
