The Shy Alpha

Chapter Seven

A week later...

Alexa was now officially out of the hospital, her wounds having healed to the extent where her parents couldn't keep her confined to a bed anymore. She was desperate to see Hunter, she hadn't seen him since his revelation about being her mate, and she was scared. She wrapped her knuckles against the wooden door, her heart pounding now she was actually stood here. What would she say to him? How would she...

She stopped thinking when she heard the loud pounding of footsteps against the wooden flooring. Someone was rushing down the stairs? She took a step backwards, not entirely sure what to do... when the door was flung open, and she gasped as she saw Alpha Derek standing in front of her. Panting hard with beads of sweat dripping down his forehead, he looked like he'd just run a marathon.

"Alpha Derek!" Alexa shrieked, "What's wro...?!" He leapt forward and grabbed her hand, pulling her in towards the house and slamming the door behind her.

"Alexa my dear you have no idea how happy I am you're here..." he panted, holding her arms with his shaking hands. "Hunter hasn't been..." Before he could finish his sentence, a loud bang echoed from the rooms above them. Alexa squeaked loudly, her hands flying up to her mouth, covering her gasp. A powerful roar ripped through the air, making her eyes widen in fear. "Hunter hasn't been himself..." Before Alpha Derek knew what was going on, Alexa was rushing past him and up the stairs. "Alexa!"

He chased after her, but Alexa was fast, and had a good head start on her Alpha. Her heart was pounding against her rib cage, her breath coming out in short fast gasps. There was growling and the sound of bones breaking the closer she got to the attic. Alexa didn't know what she'd find, but knew she had to find Hunter. She suddenly stopped at what once was the large wooden door leading to the attic. It now lay in splinters on the floor, the hinges were barely dangling from the framework. She could hear something pacing within the confinds of the room, and slowly made her way towards the open doorway.

"Alexa...!" Alpha Derek whispered in a panicked voice, grabbing her hand and pulling her back slightly. She squeaked again, and as he opened his mouth to talk to her, they heard a loud snarl rumble from the attic.

"Hunter..." she whimpered, moving her feet towards the attic. Alpha Derek stopped trying to keep her in place, and slowly let her hand go. As Alexa made her way past the doorframe that had held her back for 12 years, she gulped down the large, painful lump in her throat and slowly walked through the corridor that led into the main space of the attic.

The first thing she noticed was the lack of any dirt, considering that Hunter lived up here for 12 years she couldn't imagine that he would get any enjoyment or motivation to clean. But it was utterly spotless, it smelt fresh rather than musty, and there wasn't a speck of dirt or dust to be seen. The smell of pine needles and cinnamon wafted through the air, and she knew Hunter was close. Another snarl broke through the silence that almost made Alexa stop in fear, but she carried on regardless.

"Hunter?" she called out quietly. "Hunter I'm officially out of the hospital now, I wanted to come and..."

She was silenced when a sweating, panting and upset Hunter appeared in front of her, having skidded round the corner. Gripping the wall tightly, his knuckles turning white from the pressure, his eyes stared hard into Alexa's, almost forcing her back a step. Hunter saw the confusion and slight fear in his mates eyes, and shot forward towards her before she had chance to run away. His arms tightly wrapped around her slim waist, pulling her close to his body. Her arms instinctively went around his shoulders, burying her head into the crook of his neck. A small giggle erupted from her mouth, and she smiled brightly into his skin. Hunter rubbed his face into her collarbone, inhaling her scent and committing it to memory. He had only caught glimpses of it before, as the wooden door that once guarded his attic blocked out a significant portion of her smell.

Ivan had been pacing his mind and the attic since he left her in the hospital, not entirely happy with leaving his mate in such an unhappy place especially after she'd accepted him as her mate. The memory of those words brought a smile to his face, but a twinge of fear into his heart. Ivan was more than happy to begin their relationship as normal mates would, but Hunter was more wary. He'd spent the majority of his life within these walls, only catching minor sightings of the life of a mated couple. He didn't have the first idea how to act with Alexa, or if she'd even want to be seen with the human part of her mate. Ivan was, in Hunter's opinion, the more charming and confident of the two.

Alexa slowly raised her head, lightly placed her fingers on Hunter's chin and manouvered his head so he was looking at her. She kept her smile on her face as he stared into her eyes, and gently stroked her fingertips against his cheek. She could see his eyes shifting from the dull brown to the excited hazel, and knew that wolf and human were working out who should be in control.

"Hunter..." she whispered, trying to get his attention. His eyes stopped shifting, and it was she knew it was his wolf looking back at her. "I take it Hunter has taken a backseat on this one?"

"Yes," Ivan nodded. "Unfortunately Hunter is not feeling confident enough to talk to you at the moment, my name is Ivan, my mate. We have spoken before."

"We have indeed... so your name is Ivan? I didn't think the male's gave their wolves names..." she queried.

Ivan shook his head, "no, it's not something that is normally done. Due to Hunter's experiences however, we both felt it necessary that I became a more prominent feature in his life. So to make life easier, we decided on a name to differentiate myself from Hunter. Does this bother you?"

"No! No of course not," Alexa confirmed, not wanting to upset her mate again. "It's just... don't worry about it..."

"No, Alexa you may ask of me what you wish," Ivan calmly spoke, he rested his forehead against hers, his heart quickening at being so close to her lips.

Alexa took in a deep breath before opening her mouth... "Is there any chance that maybe I could speak to Hunter?" Ivan quickly pulled back, his brow furrowing in confusion. "It's not that I don't like talking to you! But it's just... the last time I remember talking to Hunter without you present was 12 years ago... I just wanted to rekindle the memory..." Her head dropped slightly, looking down towards the ground. She felt incredibly guilty asking this of him, she loved talking to both sides of Hunter, but she definitely missed the human side right now.

She heard a slight chuckle from Hu...Ivan, and looked back up into his eyes. She saw humour in them, but also, buried deep... a sense of fear?

"I'm making him come forward... you're right, you do need to talk to both sides of your mate before submitting to us completely, and Hunter is just going to have to lump it. He's not happy with this, but I fully agree with you. Just... go easy on him okay?" Alexa nodded eagerly, happy to be given the chance to talk to Hunter properly. She watched as Ivan's personality retreated, leaving a scared and perspiring Hunter in his stead. His eyes widened as he realised what had happened, and she felt him pull his arms away from her body.

Before he could move away from her completely, she tighened her grip on him, and pressed her lips to his cheek, almost at the corner of his mouth. She heard him take in a sudden intake of breath, and she could almost hear his heart pounding frantically behind his ribs.

"Hunter, is that you?"

He nodded, and gulped deeply, before standing his ground in front of her.

"Alexa... you accepted me... why?"

"I thought that would be obvious?"

"No... I mean... I still don't fully understand..." he whispered, desperately reaching back into his mind for Ivan, praying he'd take control again. "Why would you want me?"

"Hunter you big oaf!" Alexa shrieked, slapping her hand against his shoulder. "I've always dreamed of you taking me as a mate... Hunter, I love you..." she hadn't meant to confess that! Her eyes widened in shock, and she tried to pull away from Hunter, but couldn't, as she found his arms having created a vice like grip around her waist. His eyes were darkening from lust, and this time Ivan had no control over him.

"My mate..." he growled, lunging forward and claiming her lips against his own.