Page 37 of Alpha's Fated Flame

"How are you feeling, baby?" I asked her.

"On top of the world," she replied dreamily.

I kissed her soft lips thoroughly. Her courage and inner strength amazed me to no end. She had faced so much trauma and was able to heal from it and walk away without a single thought to it. She had grown up unaware of her nature, but then fully accepted it without breaking her stride.

She looked so delicate from the outside but was made of steel from the inside.

We were so damn lucky to have her and I would make sure we were worthy of being her mates.

"You know, your family and friends are welcome here anytime you want. I want you to feel like you're home," I told her in earnest.

She bit her lip and looked away, her eyes filling with tears. "Jess is no longer my friend, and I'm not ready yet to forgive my parents for not telling me the truth about who I am. I still need more time."

I gently wiped away her tears, wanting to throttle the bitch who refused to help my mate in her time of need. I masked my anger and comforted Adrianna.

"Of course, baby. Whenever you're ready."

My knot released her, and I set her down gently on the soft cushions. I grabbed some wet towels Duncan had thoughtfully brought along with the ice cream and started wiping her down. I cleaned away the remnants of ice cream and chocolate syrup from her body.

She looked at me with her heart in her eyes and I felt such a strong desire to cherish and love on her.

The others returned, all the ice cream completely cleaned away.

"Are you ready to continue your tour, baby?" I asked her with a wide grin.

"Yes," she said happily, mirroring my grin and getting up. "But first, I'm gonna need some clothes," she said teasingly.

The others laughed as if she had told a world-renowned joke, and I smirked at them. They were vying for her favor so they could be next to mark her.

Killian quickly produced her dress and helped her into it, and Lucien held open the door. We made our way out, thanking the owner as we exited. Adrianna blushed cutely and couldn't make eye contact with the owner.

I chuckled.

Adrianna

It felt like I was doing a walk of shame as we left the ice cream shop.

Everyone probably knew what we were up to. My face was on fire and, thankfully, we left quickly and got back into the little golf cart. This time, Duncan sat in the front beside me and directed us to the next stop on our tour.

"This is one of my favorite places to be," he said shyly. "Besides being with you, of course." He added hastily, to my amusement.

We had stopped in front of a grand library, constructed in the likes of the Greek Parthenon, complete with white marble and statues. My jaw dropped at the magnificence of the building. It was clearly built with care and an artist's eye.

"I am a patron here. Many packs from around the country come to visit and read our extensive collection of books," Duncan continued on, bolstered by my amazed reaction.

We stepped into the cool, quiet interior of the library and the smell of books brought a wave of homesickness to me. Tears filled my eyes as memories flooded back to me. My dad used to take me and my sisters to the library every week when we were kids.

Kayden was right.

It was probably time to reach out to my parents and make amends. But for now, I blinked away my tears, determined to enjoy Duncan's portion of this, so far amazing, tour.

We passed by many book sections of the library, making our way to a long winding staircase that led to darkness above.

"Where are we going?" I whispered to Duncan, not wanting to disturb the readers sitting about.

"There is a somewhat private reading area I want to show you," he replied noncommittally.

Duncan took my hand and led me up the foreboding staircase. Killian held my other hand below, ensuring I kept my balance. I did not see where Kayden and Lucien went off to.

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