Alpha Mate

XXI

Morgan Pov

When we got to the pack house last night, things were super awkward. I made Calum sleep on the couch like he used to because I didn't feel comfortable sharing the same bed as him after what happened.

Things were better this morning. The normalcy of our routine made the atmosphere comfortable once again. Calum kissed me on the cheek and left me in bed to eat downstairs before going to his office.

I continued to lay as I contemplated our situation. I couldn't so easily run into his arms and forget everything, but it seemed pointless to hold this grudge against him. There was still a wonderful future together in store for us and I wanted to be with him.

A while later, I left the comfort of my bed to get food. It was now during the odd hours that seemed too late for breakfast but also too early to be lunch.

Xavier was standing outside my door today and he followed me down the stairs.

I spotted Talia as soon as I entered the kitchen. She was scrubbing a few dishes from the earlier meal.

"Hey."

"Hey. Are you hungry? We've got some leftover food from breakfast. Or I could make you something new." Talia offered when she saw me.

"You don't have to cook something else for me."

"It's no problem if I do. But there's still some food set out on the table." She pointed to the direction of the dining room.

Sure enough, there were still several plates filled with food on the table. There were even a few other women in there eating what the men hadn't.

Joining them, I grabbed an empty plate and began filling it with pancakes and sausage links.

Talia walked into the room as I was finishing my food. "Are you excited for our date tonight?"

"Of course!" I smiled, not wanting to tell her what happened between Calum and I.

"Darren can't believe that we're going on a double date with the alpha and his mate. He thinks it's just crazy because he's been a warrior in this pack for seven years now and Alpha Calum has never spoken directly to him."

"Yes well, I've noticed Calum isn't very social with his pack members. But he's going on this date for me so I hope we can all have a good time."

"Tonight is going to be great. I know it." Talia assured me.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Was it difficult for you when you first met Darren?" I had been curious about this for a long time now. Calum and I's relationship hadn't gone as smoothly as I hoped it would and I wanted to know if it was normal for mates to have issues early on.

"I suppose. It wasn't easy for me to leave my family behind and Darren wasn't always too understanding when I told him I wanted to take things slow. Once we got through those initial issues everything was fine."

"Ok."

"Everything alright with Alpha Calum? You seem to be doing well together. You do have his mark now." Of course she had been perceptive enough to notice it. I almost forget about the stupid thing.

"Right-"

I stopped when a new presence entered the room. "Morgan. Can I speak with you?"

I turned to look at Lucas. It was odd seeing him again after the events of yesterday. But right now talking to him seemed more appealing than explaining myself to Talia.

"Yeah."

Lucas led me down several hallways before entering an empty sitting room. Xavier remained nearby the room because Lucas was no longer one of my guards and trusted to be alone with me.

"Why would you come back here?" Lucas must've heard that I left the pack yesterday.

"Because Calum's here."

"And look at what he did to you." He gestured to my neck. Self-consciously I covered the mark with my hand. "Did you want him to do that?"

"Not exactly-"

"See? That's what happens when you're with him. He hurts you and this time, he's taken it too far. I'm telling you, Morgan. You're too good for him."

"So what am I supposed to do?" I asked.

"Leave. Come run away with me and you won't have to deal with his shit ever again."

"I can't do that."

"Why not?

"He's my mate."

"Well, he doesn't treat you like a mate should. He won't even make you luna but if I were with you, I wouldn't hesitate to make you my queen. He can't be what you deserve, but I can." Lucas took my hands in his. I could see the pleading in his eyes. He wanted me to be with him.

"What about your mate?"

"It's you. It's always been you. Can't you see that we belong together? If we just get out of this pack, we can do extraordinary things together."

"No."

"No?"

"We don't belong together. The moon goddess destined Calum and I as mates."

"The moon goddess made a mistake. We need to get out of here before Calum does anything worse to you."

"Stop. I can't leave this pack. I'm meant to be the luna." His plan was so wrong. I could never go through with it. Not when Calum and the pack needed me. I may not have met many people here, but I already felt a responsibility for them.

"Fine. If you don't want to leave, I'll stay. I'll stay here for you and I'll figure out another way."

He left me standing there dumbfounded and alone. I hadn't expected him to say any of that. How long has he been thinking this way? It was absurd to think that he could be better for me than my actual mate. I hoped that this was the end of it. Maybe he could eventually see that we would never work out.

I exited the room a bit shaken up. A nagging part of me thought it would be a good idea to tell Calum what transpired with Lucas. The other part of me decided it was best if Calum never found out about it. Lucas wouldn't hurt me and Calum would go to excessive lengths that he'd regret later.

It wasn't much later that I started getting ready for dinner. It felt like I was in my closet for hours before I found the perfect thing. A tight fitted maroon dress that fell to mid thigh and dipped down to allow some cleavage to peek out. It was sexy without being too revealing.

During a long shower, I shave my legs and washed my hair out. Once I was done in there, I dried my hair and curled it into elegant waves. After that, I dressed and completed a full face of make up.

Stepping back into the bedroom, I found my handsome mate waiting for me in a black button down shirt and dark washed jeans. He flashed me a daring smile.

"Are you ready, Gorgeous?"