by Eva Harper
The Alpha was at my door, opening it for me before I even looked up. I slid my feet out and stepped out of the car. I slung my bag over my shoulder stepped away so that he could close the door.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” the Alpha said quietly, grabbing my hand firmly and pulled me forward. He seemed less tense than our previous meeting, which gave me hope that he wasn’t going to be a callous mate.
“What about my-” my voice dissipated quickly, looking back at my father, who was being helped by two large men.
“I’ve got it.” The Alpha didn’t look down at me and kept leading me towards the women standing on the grass. “Mom, this is my mate, Sloane Calder.”
My face paled at the mention of his mother. I hadn’t imagined that I would be meeting his family so soon after arriving, nor did I imagine that his family would be so cold to me.
His mother looked pristine with a white collared shirt tucked into tan, tailored pants. She nodded as she looked at me. I self-consciously reached up to fix my hair under her harsh gaze.
“What is your rank?” her cold voice snapped.
I stuttered momentarily before forming intelligible words. “My father.” I motioned to him. “He’s the Beta of my pack.”
“I didn’t ask for your father’s rank, I asked for yours,” she corrected.
“Beta,” I said uneasily, warningly. Her tone was unsettling; it wasn’t the maternal protectiveness I was prepared for, it was something much more condescending.
“Good,” she acknowledged and turned to speak to the woman standing next to her.
I looked up at the Alpha, whose lips were pursed and unhappy. He noticed my attention and smiled quickly. “Come on,” he told me, the fake smile still masking his discontent.
“But my father,” I began to say, looking back to him. He stood by the passenger side of the door, speaking on the phone.
“Go and say your goodbyes.” He allowed me to go, releasing my hand.
I walked over to him swiftly and waited for him, tapping his foot, to hang up his call. He pressed the end button and slipped it into his pocket. “The Alpha wants me to say goodbye,” I said awkwardly.
He nodded and looked down. “I’ll tell your mother you said goodbye,” he said and turned to get in the car.
“Dad,” I blurted out, confused. He turned. “You aren’t even going to hug me? Tell me, goodbye?”
“You’re a grown woman now, Sloane,” he said coldly. “Go to your mate.”
He climbed into the car and reversed. The tires were only inches from my feet. I felt the Alpha’s presence behind me as I watched the car disappear behind the trees.
“Sloane,” he whispered. I wiped the tear that fell from my eye and turned to him.
“Let’s go,” I told him, harsher than I intended.
“Sloane,” he repeated softer, trying to gain my attention.
“Show me the damn packhouse,” I growled through clenched teeth. He hesitated and then walked forward, not bothering to grab my hand this time. I followed him, weakly trying to keep myself from crying.
We walked through only one wing of the house, although there looked to be four of them altogether. He pointed out the kitchen and main ballroom as we walked. We came to a grand set of stairs that led up to his personal wing.
“This is my room,” he pointed to a thick, black door. He paused and looked at me strangely before he opened the door.
It was a large room; thick gold accents hung on the walls and ceiling. The room was practically coated in luxury. A four-poster bed took up one wall and, on the opposite, a stone fireplace burned with a warm orange glow.
The Alpha stood behind me, and I could feel his eyes on my back. I turned around and slowly lowered my bag off my shoulder. He reached his hand and took it from me, placing it on a table near the door.
“Where is my room?” I bit out.
“You’re standing in it,” he replied dryly.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I chuckled incredulously. His expression didn’t change. “I’m not sleeping in here with you.”
“You are,” he demanded. “I’m not joking, little wolf.”
“Yeah, I can see that,” I shot back bitterly, my lip curling in distaste.
“Have I done something to offend you?” he asked, with a kind tone, but I knew it was only covering his annoyance.
“No, it’s fine.”
He stopped himself from rolling his eyes and opened the door to his bedroom again. “I’ll be back, stay here,” he barked as he left. His footsteps disappeared from the hall, and I kicked the door shut with my foot and locked it.
“‘Stay here,’” I said mockingly, face crunching up and eyes rolling in my head. “Asshole.”
Sparks Ignited
The Alpha didn’t return as quickly as I thought he would. I paced the room, bored, and began pretending I was walking on a tightrope to amuse myself.
My sister and I had a small tightrope in our backyard when we were little, just above a trampoline that caught us when we fell. Isla was the only one to ever make it all the way across. I nearly laughed at the memory until the door clicked open.
The Alpha stood in the doorway with a key dangling from his fingertips, staring at me in confusion. I froze, standing on the tops of my feet and holding my arms out. I sunk to the flats of my feet and looked away from him in embarrassment.
His eyes were fixed on me. “Having fun?” He smirked, strolling into the room with my bags in his hands.
“You got my stuff,” I said, cursing myself at how eagerly observant I sounded.
“I’ll clear out some room in my closet.”
I didn’t even look up from where I was rifling through my bags. “No need,” I said wistfully.
“No?” he asked cautiously.
“No.” I turned and smiled with a snarky attitude. “I’ll take them to whatever room I assume you were gone for hours preparing for me.”
He snorted and shook his head, returning to his closet.
“I wasn’t joking,” I called back, my loudness dissipating with every word. He didn’t turn around. I rolled my head back and forth, trying to decide my next move and stalked forward.
I caught a shirt he had thrown behind his back.
“You really don’t need to do all of this,” I said somberly, my attitude now gone.
“Yes, I do.” He looked at me with a serious expression. “You need room for your things.”
He continued throwing things over his shoulders, clearing out a large section in his closet. I started folding some of his shirts and setting them against a table on the wall.
“What are you doing?” he asked, standing closer to me than anticipated. I shivered and set the shirt on the table.
“Folding.”
“I can see that,” he replied dryly.
“Then why ask me?”
“Sloane,” he growled loudly, pushing my back up against the wall of the closet. I looked up at him, frightened. “I understand that you’re upset about your father-”
“I’m not upset about my father,” I insisted loudly.
He pulled his hand back from its position on my arm and put it over my mouth firmly. “I understand you are upset about your father and that this is all new to you but, it's new to me too. It wouldn’t hurt for you to be a little cooperative.” He looked at me for a moment before peeling his hand off my mouth.
I wiped his germs from my lips with my hand childishly and fixed my shirt. He took a step back and watched me wearily.
“Well, can I at least ask you a question?” I said annoyingly.
“Of course,” came his gruff voice.
“What’s your name?”
“Excuse me?”
“Your name.” I looked up. He was staring at me, perplexed. “You never told me your name.”
His eyes widened, and he blinked his eyes to shake off the surprise. “Rush. Rush Weston.” His lip twitched upward as I nodded.
“It’s a nice name.” I n
odded, shrugging my shoulders indifferently. In all honesty, his name suited him, and it made me want to close the closet door to see how it would sound when I screamed it.
“Thank you,” he said sincerely, smiling at me. I tucked my hair behind my ear and peeked back at him. He was still looking at me, and it made me nervous.
I smiled awkwardly and shifted on my feet. “Is something wrong?” I wondered.
He smirked and shook his head, laughing at something I was unaware of. “Don’t worry about it,” he said casually and grabbed the stack of clothes I folded.
I followed him out of the closet and across the room to a dresser where he shoved the shirts inside. “I am worried about it.” I trailed after him, trying to move in front of him to see his facial expression.
Rush shook his head again and slid the drawer shut.
“Tell me,” I demanded, nearly laughing at my desperation.
“You really like to be in control of things, huh?” he wondered. I blushed and bit my lip but didn’t refute. He stepped closer, and my breath hitched. I leaned back as he bent towards me. “I do too.”
“Well then, I guess we’re going to have an interesting time here,” I said, laughing. His dark blue eyes lit up at the sound, and it filled my stomach with the feeling of popping bubbles.
“I like your laugh,” he told me, smiling softly. My cheeks flushed, and I smiled back. “Come on.”
He launched off the dresser he was leaning on and grabbed my hand. He walked quickly in front of me, out of the bedroom, and down a long hallway. I struggled to keep up with him and tripped over my feet multiple times.
“Where are we going?” I laughed loudly, stumbling down the stairs behind him. He cocked his head back and winked.
We ran past groups of people who stared at us as we passed. I noticed Rush’s mother standing near the front of the house with the two women who greeted us. I nervously raised my hand to wave, but Rush pulled me quickly behind him.
She glowered at me and whispered something to the woman next to her. I stared behind me, slowing down my steps, and watching the women laugh rudely. I didn’t notice Rush had stopped running until I was being hauled off the ground and thrown over his shoulder.
“Rush!” I shrieked loudly. He held onto my legs firmly and kept walking off into the woods. I lifted my head and tried to look around us. “Put me down!”
“No can do, pretty girl,” he called back. He walked at a much more leisurely pace after he threw me over his shoulder.
“Please?” I called. “I can’t see where we’re going.”
“Will you let me worry about that? You don’t know where we are anyways,” he pointed out. I huffed, and he chuckled. “Just enjoy the view.”
“All I can see is your ass,” I grumbled.
“Don’t act like you don’t like it,” he said cheekily and squeezed my thigh. I yelped and grabbed his waist firmly. “I’m not going to drop you.”
“You say that so confidently,” I chewed out and flicked my hair out of my eye. Rush let go of my legs, and I slid down his back, close to the ground.
When I thought my face was going to slam into the dirt, he grabbed onto my ankles and held me upside down. I jerked my head up and saw Rush’s face, upside down, laughing loudly.
“You aren’t funny,” I spat, eyebrows clenched together, arms hanging limply.
“I happen to think I’m hilarious.”
“Yeah, I can see that. Put me on the ground.” He reached down and placed his arm under my shoulders, cradling me like a child.
“Don’t be mad, pretty girl, I like your smile better than your frown,” he pouted, setting me upright.
“Well, then maybe you shouldn’t throw people around like they’re a sack of potatoes.” I yanked my shirt into its proper place and stalked away from him.
“Where are you going?” he called after me. I turned and glared but kept walking. “Sloane, come back.”
“No.”
“Please?” he sang.
I huffed and leaned against a tree. I felt his breath on my neck but didn’t move. He moved my hair off my shoulder and leaned down. His nose touched the crook of my neck, and I froze.
“What are you doing?” I breathed out.
“Don’t be mad at me,” he murmured just before he placed a small kiss. Whatever anger was in my body immediately disappeared.
“I’m not,” I assured him, leaning back into him.
“Good.” His arm slithered around my waist and pulled my back taut against his body. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back. His other hand reached up and traced the side of my forehead.
“Rush,” I said, not really knowing what I was going to say after it.
“Mm,” he responded against my skin.
“Where are we going?”
He moved and pressed me up against the bark of the large tree and leaned his head down. His arms were on either side of my head; I was trapped.
“Why do we have to be going anywhere?” His forehead touched mine. I spluttered out something as a response, but it was unintelligible. He smiled. “I like the effect I have on you.”
“You don’t have an effect on me,” I said half angrily, furrowing my eyebrows.
He continued to smile; his hand touched my cheek. “Don’t worry, you have the same effect on me, probably more so.”
My left hand reached up and stroked the side of his face, rubbing slightly over the stubble on his cheek. The feel of his skin against mine was more than pleasurable, it was insatiable. Finally, after moments of me silently begging, he bent his head down, and he kissed me.
I had never felt anything so warm as the way he made my body feel. The first touch was soft and gentle, and then, like a spark was ignited, his hand grabbed my hair, and his other arm lifted my waist from the ground.
His body held me against the tree. My arms desperately wound around his shoulders and held him closer. Our lips were crushing each other to a bruising, satisfying degree.
His arms left my body for a second and grabbed my thighs, throwing them around his waist. I clenched them as he moved away from the tree. His greedy hands pressed against my back as he walked.
He knelt and leaned his body over, laying me on the soft grass as he hovered over me. Our assault continued, gripping, pulling, tasting.
He finally let out a deep breath and pulled away from me. His chest heaved from the lack of air, but he didn’t move away from me.
“If that’s how you make things up to me, I want to fight with you every day,” I said honestly, squinting under the sun to see him. His smile was blinding as he leaned down and kissed me one last time.
Contention
We strolled back to the packhouse with his arm slung around my shoulders. A man was getting out of a car in front of the yard, and Rush straightened up as we approached him.
“Rush,” the man greeted happily, tugging a suit coat out from the seat next to him.
“Hey, Dad,” he said, forcing a happy tone over a sad look in his eyes. His dad noticed and closed the door.
“What’s wrong?”
“Mom,” Rush grumbled and rolled his eyes.
“Ah.” His father nodded his head. “I assume this is the mate, then?”
Rush nodded and breathed out a laugh. “Dad, this is Sloane. Sloane, this is my father, Hollis.”
“Lovely to meet you, dear.” Hollis pulled my shoulder in for a quick hug and released me. The connection Rush had to his father made me both optimistically happy and dreadfully jealous.
“Likewise, I can see where your son gets his good looks,” I said, grinning. Rush’s hand found its way to my waist, and he yanked me into his side. I nearly stumbled, and Hollis shot his son a perplexed look.
“She’s not your shadow, Rush, give her some damn space.” He laughed, shaking his head. Rush looked down, scorned, and chuckled. He didn’t release me, but his thumb began rubbing circles on my stomach.
“I like being close to him,” I confessed. Rush perked up,
his ears turning a sweet shade of red under his tan skin.
“You hear that, Dad?” He smirked. “She likes her mate best, unlike some people.”
“Your mother likes me,” Hollis shot back, his voice wavering in falsehood. “She’s just, reserved.”
“If that’s what you want to call it.” Rush looked down at me and kissed my forehead unexpectedly.
“I’ll see you later, Sloane,” Hollis said as he drifted into the packhouse with a briefcase and his suit coat.
“Goodbye, Mr. Weston,” I said charmingly.
The sun had begun to lower in the sky, sending a warm, honeycomb glow over the house. I stopped moving and stared at the sheer size of the building. Rush stayed by my side, admiring his home as well.
“It’s so big,” I said in awe.
“My grandfather built it with his brothers, it was meant to keep the whole pack inside to keep them safe,” he explained. “But now the packs a bit too big, and we don’t need to hide anymore.”
“I don’t believe that for a second,” I denied. He looked at me strangely but didn’t argue. I sighed. “I just think this is the calm before the storm. My father keeps saying its either going to them or us, but I think if we actually work together, we can fix all the bad blood. I don’t think it needs to end in a war.”
“If the humans want a war, then they’ll get one,” he promised sternly.
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” I said softly and leaned into him.
“You have nothing to fear.” He stroked my jaw. “Nothing will ever happen to you as long as I’m around.” I smiled and placed my hand on his chest. His warmth filled me, and I relished in the electricity that moved between my fingers and his chest.
He pulled me inside, and we took a few plates of food from the chef. Rush insisted that we eat in his room, away from the peering eyes of his pack.
We settled onto his large bed and ate our meal. I tried to eat quickly and silently, starving from the food I missed at lunchtime. Rush ate slower than me, watching me scarf down the entire plate in minutes.