Chapter 54: A Night on the Town

ALEXANDER

He was running late to his own ~celebration~.

Alex had tried to tell Maya that today wasn’t the best day for a party, but she had insisted. He could have put his foot down, but then she had played her trump card; Olivia. She said it would be good for her.

Help her feel more a part of the pack, get to know everyone, find her place.

How could he refuse? He knew she had been thrown into this. He had wanted this transition to be smoother, but that damn beta had forced their hand.

In a way, he was glad. She was his now.

~But~.

But he hadn’t had the chance to prepare her for this life.

It didn’t help that he was dealing with the damn attacks, ramping up security, strengthening the boundaries.

At this rate, they would need to grow the pack a bit. Of course, growing the pack meant they needed more space, resources, money... it was a never-ending cycle. ~No~. He wasn’t going to think about this now.

He could worry about it tomorrow. Now he needed to focus on her.

Things should have happened differently.

He should have been with her before her heat and their mating marks shouldn’t have happened the way they did.

It was too late to change it now.

He hadn’t been able to give them some private time, to enjoy each other’s bodies in their own little world. No, he hadn’t been able to plan for any of it. And she was still in the dark about so much.

What would happen next, how things would change… He’d always been so focused on his pack, he hadn’t considered how torn he would feel.

Part of him wanted to devote all his time to her, to keep her close and never let her out of his sight.

The other part of him felt the pull of his duty to his pack. Sometimes, being with her was enough to satisfy the alpha in him. Little by little, she was embracing her wolf side, the omega within her.

Taking care of her and guiding her satisfied his instincts. Enough that he was managing, even if he wasn’t doing a stellar job.

~He couldn’t keep this up~.

“Beer?”

Alexander looked up, meeting Jason’s eyes.

He blinked for a moment, the word taking a moment to register. “Yeah, thanks.” He accepted the already opened bottle and took a long drink.

“Everyone seems pretty happy.”

The party was in full swing, everyone being a bit rowdy, eating and drinking. After everything that had happened, and everything he had asked of them, the least he could do was let them relax and enjoy some downtime.

No worries, no patrols; just some well-deserved time off. Nothing more.

“Yeah.”

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

Jason shrugged. “I saw her neck.”

“It had to be done, right?”

Jason ran his hand up the side of his neck, tangling his fingers in his hair. “When you answer like that, I feel like a jerk.”

Alex took another swig of his beer. “Don’t. I was going to do it. I ~had~ to do it.”

“Yeah, but—”

“Stop.”

“Al—”

“Stop.”

And Jason fell silent.

“She’s mine, she had already bitten me. We were a ticking time bomb.”

Sooner or later, he would have lost control and she would have probably felt ~something~ at some point, maybe even the urge to bite him again, thinking it hadn’t been enough. A bond should never be left incomplete.

This was for the best.

He’d make it up to her. She didn’t know what they had missed out on, the intimacy, the privacy. She wasn’t aware of it. This was okay. He didn’t need it. And she seemed happy.

He had spotted her easily.

He could find her with his eyes closed now. One look into the crowd, and she stood out. She was in the back, chatting with Maya and Carla. Seeing the mark on her neck filled his chest with pride.

He wanted to rush over there, pull her away, and take her somewhere private. He knew this was for the sake of the pack’s morale but—~God~.

Alex’s gaze drifted down to her midriff, hidden beneath a crimson tee, and he couldn’t help but envision her with a rounded belly. More complications were the last thing they needed.

They had to strengthen their bond first, but damn if the thought didn’t excite him.

He’d always assumed he’d have offspring someday, but the idea of a family of his own hadn’t truly resonated until he met her that fateful night.

His primal instincts, the wild wolf within him, yearned to see his petite omega barefoot and expecting.

He shook his head, refusing to entertain the thought. She wasn’t ready for that.

Even if it was potentially their future.

“Okay then. I’ll leave you to your girl.”

Jason didn’t voice it, but Alex could tell he was relieved; it would alleviate some of the pressure. Not all, but a portion.

He drained his beer and set the empty bottle on a nearby plastic table. No sooner had Alex taken a step towards Olivia than her head jerked up, her eyes scanning for him.

He suppressed a smirk; the bond was beginning to work. It would aid them, it would aid her. He could only imagine the emotional whirlwind she must be experiencing.

She needed to let go.

She needed to relax.

Perhaps he had a solution.

As he strode towards her, she mirrored his actions. Her chat with Maya and Carla was momentarily forgotten as she started walking towards him.

He tried to suppress the pride swelling in his chest, but it was a futile effort.

“Hey,” he greeted, reaching out to stroke her jaw with his thumb. “Enjoying yourself?”

She smiled. “Yeah, it’s nice. Last time I was just a spectator.”

Right. When he’d been nudging her in the right direction. Even though it hadn’t worked. “Not drinking?”

Her expression shifted, her head pulling back as she hunched her shoulders.

“I didn’t want to—just in case,” she gestured vaguely, “You know.”

“Can I get you anything else?”

She shook her head. “Water’s fine.”

He watched her fiddle with her hands, her toes curling around her flip-flops.

She wanted to ask something, but she was holding back. Why? “What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing. Why?”

“Livy, we’ve been over this. If you have a question, just ask.”

She straightened her shoulders, thrusting her chest forward.

“Are you...staying?”

“Do you want me to leave?” he teased.

She shook her head. “No, I meant, maybe you have other obligations—or something. For the pack.”

A twinge of guilt pricked his chest, but he brushed it off. She’d been hesitant to ask because she feared he might leave and that would let her down.

He was finally getting the responses he’d hoped for from her, but he couldn’t revel in them. He had to make things right first. He had to lighten the load on his pack. The mark on her neck would aid in that.

He leaned in, resting his head on her shoulder. She remained still as he nuzzled the mark he’d left, and then he felt her shoulders relax. She carried his scent now.

It was subtle, like a thin layer enveloping her, but it was there. It soothed him to know she bore his mark.

This was ridiculous. Everyone else was unwinding and here he was, indulging in tender touches.

He couldn’t devote all his time to her, but he could give her tonight. “Got plans?” he murmured against her skin.

She shook her head.

“Grab some food, I’ll handle the rest. Meet me by the side door.”

“Are we skipping out on our own party?”

“You bet we are.”

He planted a kiss on the mark and forced himself to pull away from her.

He winked at her before moving past her, scanning the tables for what he’d need to arrange a quiet evening for them.

This was as much for him as it was for her.

He needed to recharge before he lost his sanity. If he dwelled on her too much, he’d be incapacitated.

A small taste to keep his mind clear.

Then he’d rectify this mess and then he’d indulge.