Alpha Awakening - Adam (La Patron's Den Book 2)

by Sydney Addae

  “I’m so happy you’re here with me. It means a lot, baby.” He brushed his lips against hers.

  Delicious shivers rippled up her spine. The room rolled back and it was just the two of them. She loved being the center of his attention like this, reveled in it often.

  “That’s why I’m here. I like it when you’re happy.” She smiled and kissed him again, fisting his shirt in her hand, keeping him where she wanted him.

  They broke apart on a gasp. “You’re so damned beautiful.”

  “You picked out the dress,” she said. Adam had seen the sleeveless, fitted wine colored dress and bought it home for her to wear. He’d been right. It fit her curves and the color looked great against her skin.

  He brushed her hair from her face and kissed her forehead lightly. “It’s just a dress. You make it beautiful, boo. You make it all work.”

  “Thanks,” she murmured, face warming as she stroked his cheek. He looked so handsome in his dark suit, and collarless shirt. His jet black wavy hair gleamed beneath the lights giving him a rakish air. He could be a pirate of old come to life.

  “Want to go outside for a quickie?” He waggled his brows with a devilish smile.

  “Nope. Not moving from this seat until it’s time to go.” She lightened her grip on his hand only to have him tighten his on hers. He kissed the back of her hand and winked at her before looking around the room.

  Little by little she became accustomed to Adam and his friends open views toward sex and relationships. The first time he grabbed and kissed her in a sexual manner in front of Jarcee and Tomas, she’d been mortified. Sex was private, and after a long discussion on different upbringings and expectations he conceded to her wishes. All nudity between them happened behind closed doors.

  But he touched, kissed and loved on her any and everywhere. That was their compromise. The only way to handle her shyness was to fall into his gaze and focus on her mate. Otherwise, she’d be constantly fighting a losing battle.

  “Is it me or do some of these guys seem more hostile than normal?” Tomas asked Adam.

  Adam shrugged and didn't answer.

  “When are they going to start?” Tomas asked to no one in particular.

  “When they do,” Jarcee said, sprawled in his seat next to Adam.

  Matt and Davian sat, smiled at her and spoke to Jarcee and Adam. “The Director of the League just arrived. Should be starting soon.”

  Bella smiled and watched the women strut around the room with the panache of runway models. Most looked better than professional models. Without Adam’s goofy looks when he gazed at her, she would feel downright dumpy.

  “Hi Tomas,” a beautiful, redheaded female strode to the table in a clingy, short black dress that left little to the imagination.

  “Sasha,” Tomas said.

  Based on the way he said her name and the way she looked at Adam, Bella knew this was yet another woman her mate bedded at one time. It was getting old. Did he have sex with half the women in Italy?

  “Hi Adam,” Sasha said, a smile lifting at the corner of her mouth.

  “Sasha this is Bella, my woman, my mate,” Adam said plainly.

  “I heard you were mated. Congratulations.” She looked at Bella with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Hello Bella. I’m Sasha.”

  “Hi,” Bella said and waited. It seemed every woman who’d been with Adam wanted to make sure she knew about it.

  “Do you like football?” Sasha asked, surprising her.

  “Yes. Adam’s been teaching me about it.” Bella looked at him and winked. Adam pulled her close and kissed her.

  Breathless, Bella inhaled deeply when they separated and leaned into him. Eyes closed, she forgot Sasha and was surprised when the woman spoke. “If you’d like to get together sometime, go shopping or sit together at the games, let me know. Once again, congratulations to both of you. Finding your mate is a dream come true.” She waved and walked off.

  Stumped, Bella simply watched her walk away. “Was she serious?” she asked Adam.

  “Probably. We’re mated. Everyone knows you’re the only one for me. Mates are the gold ring in our world. We all want to find that one person,” he said watching her.

  “I thought she’d be jealous like the others.”

  Adam frowned. “Jealous? What others?”

  “The women who told me about the sex you had with them and how much fun you were,” she reminded him.

  He chuckled. “Baby, they weren’t jealous just like Sasha’s not jealous. That’s not how we’re wired. In their minds, they were sharing information, but not because they want me. The moment I met my mate, that chapter in my life closed. Everyone knows that,” he stressed. “Good times and sex is fun, something shared. That’s all it was. I promise it wasn’t out of jealousy.”

  “Mates don’t get jealous?” She knew he didn’t like her around other men and had been very vocal about it. It took a while for him to be comfortable with Jarcee, Tomas and his dads around her in the same house. They’d finally meshed well.

  “Mates are in a different book altogether. For instance, Sasha and Diego have been dating for a while. From what I heard she broke it off for whatever reason.” He snorted. “He’s probably not the best example because he was a jealous asshole over her. But normally it’s just sex. No reason to get pissed if the bitch wants to try someone different. That’s never the case with mates.”

  She smiled and ran her thumb over his lips softly.

  “A mate would kill someone over his or her mate and not get in trouble according to pack law. The connection between those two goes bone deep over time. It’s almost like a merging of energies, something sacred that no one should interfere with,” he said seriously. “No one comes between mates, no one. Not even Alphas.”

  “You made that clear at the Order when daddy gave his opinion on when we should leave and where we should live.” She touched his cheek with her fingertip. He’d become her heart in such a short amount of time. “You embarrassed me,” she teased. They’d discussed his high-handed behavior before and he remained adamant that he was within his rights.

  “That wasn’t my intention.” He leaned back as the waiter placed some type of meaty appetizer in front of him.

  “Daddy wasn’t thinking straight. He didn't really want me to stay and care for him.” Her father had sent her two large bouquets of flowers this week with sweet notes to let her know he appreciated and loved her. She kept one in their bedroom and the largest one in the living room.

  Adam snorted.

  “Nor was he kicking you out the house… well not after the Priestess explained we were mates and what that meant.”

  “I’m not going over that again. The important thing is we’re together and that’s all that matters to me.” He took a bite and moaned. “Taste this.”

  She took a bite and agreed. “It is good.” They all settled in to eat, listen to a few speeches, receive awards and then the players congregated in the front for a team picture. Bella, Jarcee, Davian and Matt remained at the table, watching the photo session.

  “We’re leaving after this,” Adam said watching her.

  She smiled. “Okay. You’ve been patient and stayed this long.”

  He smiled. “Finally, you recognize I’m a patient man.”

  Happy, she nodded and watched him as he returned to the table. He didn’t sit. Instead, he extended his hand and she took it. Jarcee stood and walked behind them as they left the hall.

  Bella yawned. “I’m tired.”

  “I know, that’s why we’re leaving before the dancing starts. You’ve had a long day getting ready for all this. Now it’s over. Early training starts next week, we’ll both be going to bed early,” he said, squeezing her hand.

  When they arrived home, he helped her undress, stripped out of his clothes and stepped into the shower with her. “Let me wash you,” he said picking up her sponge and liquid soap.

  Too tired to talk, she nodded and stepped into the shower, welcomin
g the pebbles of warm. “Nice,” she whispered as she closed her eyes as the heat soaked into her skin. She leaned against the cool tiles while he lathered her sponge. The fresh scent of strawberries rose in the steam of the shower.

  He kneeled in front of her. Streams of water beat over his head in steamy rivulets as he took one of her feet, washed it and then the other. With a gentleness that brought tears to her eyes, he took his time and made sure every part of her was clean. Boneless and yet inarguably aroused she squeaked when he carried her out of the shower, dried her with a big, fluffy towel and lay her beneath the sheets.

  Sleeping nude had been another compromise she’d made. Since she woke every morning naked, it made no sense to go to bed dressed.

  Several moments later, he slid in beside her, yawned and pulled her close. Sleep descended fast. No one in the house ever suspected the gas that had been pumped into the house before they arrived and continued as they slept.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  It was as if the Goddess had adjusted the colors of the world in the night, like She had opened Renee's paints and allowed them to resonate across the sky. Everything was brighter than normal. Towering trees were not just green but radiant florescent hues that burned themselves in Adam's retinas. Nearby houses surrounded the open field were as vibrant as if they'd been repainted with a master's hand and stood defiant in the muted rays that fell through the sky.

  The road that should be gray was a sleek river of orange with perfect paint lines and the street-lamps were blue.

  Adam frowned. In the back of his mind, everything seemed so right. But it was wrong - really wrong.

  The road changed, stretched into a large field green with white lines. People magically filled the stands. The noise blasted through the sound system sending him to his knees. He covered his ears as amplified, thunderous screams overloaded his senses.

  A hand, warm and firm, touched his shoulder. Adam looked up into the hazel eyes of his brother, David. “What's going on?”

  Adam stood shakily, glanced around the field and then back at David. “I'm not sure. Where are we?”

  “Not sure either. I sensed you needed me and reached out. Are you okay?” David asked.

  Adam tried to think through the fog in his mind. “I think so. We were…” He tried to focus and couldn’t. “Something’s not right.”

  “Hold on.”

  Adam sensed David’s merger and straighten. The colors, street and houses evaporated like smoke.

  “Wake up,” David said.

  Surprised he had been asleep, Adam’s eyes popped open. He lay on the grass in the middle of a large untended field. “What the hell….” He rolled over on his back and looked up at the dark sky. “How’d I get out here?”

  “Somehow you were drugged. Not sure how Jarcee let that happen,” David said in a curious tone.

  “Drugged?” Adam covered his eyes with his arm to try and think. How had that happened? He or Jarcee would’ve heard or scented anyone’s approach to the house and they hadn’t.

  “Yeah, strong stuff. We’ll need to let Matt and Dad know about this. Your beast is still sluggish,” David said. “Good thing Renee’s teaching a class and Jackie and Quinn are working in the clinic, otherwise they might’ve picked up your distress instead of me. They’d love to tease you about something like this.”

  Adam groaned. His sisters loved to poke fun at him when someone or something got the upper hand against him. They’d laid it on thick when they learned Bella was innocent and religious.

  Bella.

  Adam shot straight up and looked around. “Where’s Bella?”

  “You lost your mate already?” David asked.

  “Stuff it. We were in bed together.” Adam stood shakily and inhaled. Turning to the right, he walked a few feet and knelt beside her. They were both still naked and he had no idea why they were here.

  “I found her,” he told David. “She’s asleep. I’ll wake her.”

  “Wait,” David said. “There’s a reason you’ve been drugged and taken out of your bed to a field. Find out what’s going on first. Sleep may be the best thing for her right now.”

  Adam sat on the ground and pulled her onto his lap. He placed a kiss on her forehead and held her close. “Tomas spent the night with his dads at their hotel, Jarcee must still be at the house. See if you can reach him. I just need a moment to get my bearings.

  “Okay.”

  Moments later, David returned, “I don’t like this. Jarcee’s still out of it and I can’t wake him. Look around, do you see anyone or sense anything? There’s a reason you’re there alone with your mate.” David’s serious tone penetrated and cleared the remaining fog in Adam’s mind. His grip on Bella tightened as he stood with her in his arms.

  “I don’t recognize this place. It’s a big field in the country.” He glanced at Bella. Concern for her overrode his pride. “I’ll contact Alpha Barticus for a ride.”

  “Good idea,” David said.

  “Alpha Barticus?” Adam called through his link.

  Several moments later Barticus responded. “Is everything alright, Adam?”

  Adam explained what happened.

  “I recall a complaint not too long ago about someone using something like what you’ve experienced. The Trigs, a team you played against, claimed someone played a prank and kept them out of the finals.”

  “I remember Alpha Klink asking me and Tomas about it. I told him I didn’t have anything to do with that.” In the distance, Adam heard voices.

  “Someone’s coming,” Adam told David.

  “I’ll send transportation for you and Bella,” Barticus said.

  “Thanks.” After being reminded of the foul play done to the Trigs, Adam suspected he knew who was behind this but didn’t mention it to Alpha Barticus. He and David would handle this. He told David what Alpha Barticus said.

  “When are you bringing your mate home?” Tyrese asked.

  Adam inhaled deeply. Although he never would have called his older brother for help, he appreciated the support.

  “We’re thinking after I finish early training.” Adam straightened as he scented and heard over nine heartbeats heading toward them. “Incoming,” he said looking for a safe place for Bella.

  “How many?” Tyrone said.

  Adam shouldn’t have been surprised, but he was. David brought both twins, this was a first. “At least ten. Possibly the whole team.” He turned and ran into the tree line, searching for a place to leave Bella.

  “I’m merged with him,” David said, his voice calm. “Where can we leave our new sister?”

  “What’s nearby?” Tyrese asked. “I can’t see clearly.”

  “We’re in an open field. I could kill them for this alone.” His heart raced as he searched for a place of safety for his mate.

  “Trees? Can you place her in a tree?” Tyrone asked.

  “She’s still asleep,” Adam said sensing the strength of his brothers coursing through him.

  “That’s a problem and a blessing,” Tyrese said. “You’ll need to leave her at the foot of a tree and make sure no one gets close to her.”

  “I don’t want them to use tree branches to assist them in taking her.”

  “Good point,” Tyrese said.

  “How far are they from you?” David asked.

  “They chased me when I ran into the forest to find a place for her.” Adam placed Bella on a soft patch of grass behind him, a good distance from the trees.

  “Listen, remember your training?” Tyrese said. “When Silas merged with you guys and you were able to kick ass like some kind of mega beast.”

  Adam swallowed hard in remembrance of the pain from that merger. “Yeah.”

  “Well, we’ll give you a boost so you can morph into your two-legged beast. It’s the fastest way to kick those bitches’ asses and we’ll help increase your speed so they don’t get close to Bella.”

  “Do you know why they’ve gone through all this trouble to get their asses
whipped?” Tyrone asked.

  “I have an idea, but can’t get into that right now. I’ll make sure I’m right after this is over,” Adam said and took a deep breath as the full-bloods charged toward him. “Time to shift.”

  Incredible mind-numbing power slammed into him, blinding him with the pain for a few seconds as he morphed into his beast. Long talons split his fingertips. His head doubled in size as razor sharp teeth ripped through his gums. His grew taller, stretched his skin to the point it burned. His eyes glowed gold offering shimmering light on the field.

  The oncoming team slammed into each other trying to stop as horrified masks filled the faces of a few of them.

  The more courageous shifted into their wolves and circled him. By the time he had full control of his beast the whole team had shifted and were circling. One split from the circle and headed toward Bella.

  Adam saw red. He jumped and landed in front of the lone wolf who dared approach his mate and backhanded the wolf. It went flying toward its teammates and landed beyond their circle. Enraged, the team attacked.

  After the first attempt to seize Bella and the death of that fool, Adam became their primary focus. A few got close, took a swipe here and there, but with his brothers working in the background, Adam’s speed and ferocity was unmatched. His fist slammed into jaws, he kicked out with sharp toes, sliced and swiped repeatedly drawing blood.

  Ten minutes after the fight started, it was over. His challengers lay bleeding on the ground trying to get up. One by one, they showed him their bellies or necks.

  “They’ve surrendered,” Adam told David.

  “Shift to your black wolf so they see and know we’re not ever to be trifled with,” David said.

  Adam shifted to his wolf and walked slowly around the field making sure each of them recognized his status of “Black Wolf.” He sat on his haunches and waited. When the first wolf stood, Adam watched as wolf morphed to human.

  Slowly they all morphed to their human forms, except the one who went after Bella. Adam morphed and eyed the one he sensed was the team captain.

  “Why did you bring me here and attack me?” Adam asked.