Page 10 of Alpha's Choice
But above all, I felt a powerful pull toward him, and the thought of separating from him caused a physical ache in my chest. I slid into the car, catching his smile of satisfaction as he shut the door and went to the driver’s side.
My friends stood in front of the school watching the car pull out. I started to wave but faltered when I saw Kylie’s face. Why was she unhappy? Was it the man claiming to be my mate?
“I should have asked this before getting in the car. Who are you?”
He gave me a knowing grin. “The mate bond will make you do crazy things sometimes. I’m Alpha Tobias Parker.”
I swore my heart and brain stopped working for a minute. I have a wolf mate, and he was the Alpha. I learned from Tracy and Kelly that most people in the pack expected Kylie to be his mate. The rest assumed it would be Lisa.
“I thought Alphas only had wolves for mates.”
“Where did you hear that?” He shot a quick look over at me as he pulled the car into a large garage next to the packhouse.
“It makes sense. A human can’t be the Luna of a wolf pack.”
Tobias was at my door, opening it before I even had my seatbelt off. He held out his hand to me and I took it, feeling the sparks again. He laced our fingers together and stared at them in wonder, like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing and feeling. “Those sparks say the Goddess feels otherwise.”
Alpha Tobias led me through the front door of the packhouse and up the wide staircase. “The Alpha and Beta apartments are on the top floor.”
We reached the top landing, where there were two doors. He nudged me towards the left.
He entered a code on a keypad and took my finger, pressing it against the top of the screen. When it beeped, he released me. “Now you can unlock the door.”
He entered the apartment while I stood there, stunned. I had just met this man, and he essentially gave me a key to his home already. Most of my experience with dating was watching Gina, but this was not normal. I wished I had talked to my mom more about how things went when she first met Greg.
“Are you coming in?” He called out to me.
My body’s reaction to his voice was instant, and I moved towards it, but my brain lagged, so it took a minute before the view in front of me registered.
The outer wall was a series of floor to ceiling windows that showed a park-like view with a mix of trees and open spaces. Beyond the trees were rows of houses from the pack town. The wall opposite the window contained a sleek, oversized white sofa and a low coffee table.
The living room was open to a kitchen and dining area. To my left was a long hallway I assumed led toward the bedrooms. The area was open, bright, and exquisite.
The space looked lived in, keeping it from magazine perfection. A coat was draped over a chair, paperwork was stacked on the coffee table, and an open book lay on the couch.
Alpha Tobias was sitting on the couch, waiting for me. “Would you like something to drink? Did you have your lunch, or did I cart you off before you ate?” He shook his head, a blush staining his cheeks. “I should apologize for throwing you over my shoulder like that. It wasn’t my smoothest moment, but my wolf had us all wound up at the thought of finally finding our mate.”
Heat spread across my cheeks when I remembered being pressed against him for the first time. “It’s okay. Lora taught me how wolf mates are, especially when they first find each other. She wanted me to be prepared in case I saw it happen. I doubt she expected me to experience it firsthand like that.”
I hesitated, unsure how he would take my next words. “Alpha Tobias, I-”
“Tobias. You don’t have to call me Alpha.”
“I thought we’re supposed to always use your title.”
“Not my mate.”
“Oh. Well, I still don’t see how I can be your mate.” His expression darkened, and I rushed my next words. “Obviously, I feel the sparks, and I’m certainly drawn to you. You are a very attractive man. But shouldn’t you be mates with someone like Kylie? Everyone says she’d make a great Luna. I barely know what a Luna is.”
He took my hand, interlacing our fingers. “The Goddess knows what she’s doing.”
“I don’t even know if I believe in your goddess.” I closed my eyes, enjoying the feel of the sparks on my skin even more now that I was getting used to them. “I know wolves are serious about mates. But this is all new to me. And we just met.”
“What would help you feel comfortable?” He hesitated, as if wrestling with his thoughts. “I’m not going to lie. My wolf is ready to mark and mate you right now. Hell, I’m ready to mark and mate you right now. But you’re not.”
I felt my eyes widen further than I thought possible. “Definitely not.”
“So we’ll take things slower. My wolf and I have enough control to give you some time.”
