Alpha Eyes (Alpha Eyes: Book 1)

Chapter 7

A week passed, and I enjoyed every moment with Adrian. Daddy kept a tolerable distance from our newfound relationship, still needing Adrian for Beta duties while not asking any questions. It was a weird dynamic in the house for a while, especially at mealtime when the three of us sat around the table. Let's just say that trying to keep a neutral face when my mate puts a hand on my leg under the table is extremely difficult.

I knew Adrian really wanted me to move in with him and finish the mating process, but I was still terrified. Mating was a serious deal, not just in that it was a point-of-no-return but that it would trigger my body to prepare to conceive a little wolf pup. I wasn't ready to be pregnant, let alone be a mom! Adrian would probably say something totally sappy sweet to put all of my fears to rest, but I needed a little more than flowery words to convince me.

After the first night apart, Adrian adopted the habit of sneaking into my room to kiss me awake in the morning. I allowed him this since I still held back on the whole night. He seemed content enough with the arrangement, even if his kisses lasted a little longer and reached a little deeper each passing day.

We'd eat breakfast together before he escorted me to my training. I came to look forward to his searing, toe-curling kiss as he said "until later." He refused to say goodbye, claiming it was a final saying and not an early morning saying. Ada stopped ogling my mate after two days and several fierce growls from both of us. That didn't stop her from peppering me with questions I didn't want to answer. I kept the glow of the mornings with me to ward off her annoying voice.

When Adrian's weight gently pressed me into the covers, I yawned awake and squirmed in his hold. His lips found mine a second later, and my senses burst into full alert. We lay wrapped in each other for a moment before I tasted something different in his kiss. I pushed on his chest until he pulled away. Something off darkened his eyes.

"What's wrong, Adrian?"

He swallowed and pursed his lips for a moment. "I didn't want you to start the day with bad news." He rolled to the side and ran his hand over his face.

I sat up and hugged my knees to my chest. "How bad?"

"We don't know yet," he admitted. "Your father took a group of hunters to the border very early this morning, and we haven't heard anything since."

"Why didn't you go?" It didn't seem right that the alpha would leave his beta behind on a border patrol.

"He... He wanted someone in authority with the pack in case..." He swallowed the rest of the sentence and swung his feet to the floor. For a long time, he sat with elbows on his knees and his face in his hands.

I shook off the shiver that skittered up my spine. 'In case' scenarios were never good, especially when it came to the pack. Daddy always prepared for the best and planned for the worst. If he left his beta behind on a mission, he must have believed that he might not make it back.

Adrian turned towards me and grabbed my hands. "If anything had happened to him, we would have known. Let's go about our day and stay positive. Okay?"

Sometimes I forgot that he could hear my thoughts. It made some private conversations with myself quite awkward, but I hadn't learned to put up a block yet. It wasn't fair when he blocked me out when I couldn't block him. He claimed it was for my safety.

I didn't tell him how many times I'd eavesdropped on his 'private' talks with Daddy. Both of them thought I was blissfully ignorant of pack dealings. They only saw the happily-soon-to-be-mated girl that I showed them. As soon as they went behind closed door and whispered, I broke all rules of etiquette and turned my werewolf senses on high. I stood with my ear to the wall for hours, soaking up everything I could hear.