Mated To The Wrong Alpha
Chapter 29

Marla and Arthur had a long conversation in his office before dinner and she left the meeting looking rather subdued, her face tear stained. Ava wondered what had been said but wasn’t sure she should ask. She tiptoed past the office, peeking in the open door and saw Arthur sitting in his chair. He had his fingers steepled and his eyes closed. A troubled look was on his face, almost as if he were sad. What was he thinking? How was he feeling? There could be no doubt that recent events were weighing heavily on him, and she speculated that he probably felt everything was falling to pieces around him.

Hesitating by the door, she waged an internal battle. Part of her wanted to go in and offer comfort, or at least a listening ear, yet she wasn’t sure if it would be welcome. Perhaps he wanted to be left alone for a while without anyone making demands on him. Then again, maybe he was wishing he had someone to share with… Did he ever feel lonely? She realized how very little she knew about her mate. Arthur had allowed her small glimpses inside himself—she knew a few of his likes and dislikes with regard to food or music—but for the most part he seemed to be a very private man.

Feeling guilty, she reflected on their time together. They’d developed a physical relationship and she was comfortable with Arthur on that level, however their relationship outside the bedroom was superficial. She knew next to nothing about his background and hadn’t really made a great deal of effort to find out much about him. So far, she’d been worried about herself—her own feelings, her own insecurities—and hadn’t spent much time thinking about the inner workings of his mind, beyond the fact that as Alpha he felt responsible for the pack.

He did want some form of relationship with her—he’d said as much the other night—but she hadn’t pursued that conversation, which really wasn’t very fair of her. She needed to try to find out more about him, ask him some questions about himself…unless he didn’t want to have a heartto-heart talk. Lots of men weren’t into that. Her father certainly never opened up about anything, at least not since her mother had died.

Nervously, she hovered outside the office door. Should she go in or should she leave him be? The ringing of the phone, took the decision from her. Arthur reached for it and she walked away, relieved, yet also disappointed the moment was lost.

Arthur was in a better mood at supper that night, though it was hardly possible that he could have been in a worse frame of mind than the previous evening. He announced a call had come in saying the soil testing looked promising, and it seemed the environmental cleanup costs wouldn’t be as extensive as first predicted. Not only would this save the pack a lot of money, but they’d have even less reason to accept the offer from Northern Oil.

Everyone was happy about the news until Marla came in and the atmosphere tensed again. No one was quite sure how she and Arthur would interact, but Arthur addressed her civilly a few times, nothing special, just a ‘pass the rolls’ and ‘I’ve called about getting your apartment door fixed’ and the tension in the room began to ease as everyone realized that the two had reached a tentative peace.

“I’m going for a long, relaxing run after dinner to celebrate the good news about the oil spill,” Arthur announced at the end of the meal. “Anyone want to join me?”

Carrie patted her rounded tummy. “I think Junior and I will pass. I’m barely waddling as it is these days.”

“I’ll stay in and keep you company.” Helen chimed in. “I’m getting too old for late night runs.”

“And I’m on patrol tonight,” John said glumly. “I’ll be out already, but it won’t be for fun.” “That just leaves you girls.” Arthur looked at Marla and Ava expectantly.

Marla stared at her hands and responded quietly. “You and Ava haven’t had much time together lately. I’ve been monopolizing you quite a bit. Why don’t you two go by yourselves?”

“You’re more than welcome to come, you know.” Arthur seemed to be trying to let Marla know that all was forgiven.

“No, that’s okay. You two have fun.”

“All right.” He shrugged and stood, extending his hand to Ava. “Are you ready?”

“Well, I should help with the cleanup first…” She hesitated, looking at the table laden with dishes.

“Ava, go and spend time with your mate! I’ll help with this.” Marla made a shooing motion at the couple.

“Thanks, Marla. I appreciate it.” She smiled at Marla, while trying to figure out if an alien had somehow abducted the other woman. Maybe the incident with Ryne had brought her to her senses.

“No problem. That’s what friends are for and besides, I know how much you enjoy being out in the woods.”

Arthur ruffled Marla’s hair by way of thanks and tugged at Ava’s arm, leading her outside.

A blue-black dome arched overhead dotted with twinkling white lights and the occasional grey shadow of a cloud as it drifted slowly across the night sky. There was still enough illumination from the crescent moon to allow Arthur and Ava to see easily as they crossed the lawn towards the woods. Good night vision was one of the bonuses of being a werewolf, Ava thought as she easily stepped over a large stick that would have likely tripped anyone with less acute eyesight.

The night was extremely quiet. Frost had killed off all the insect life, so there were no comforting chirps or fluttering wings to fill the silence, only the soft sound of their feet moving across the ground. She felt the familiar frisson of unease as she walked beside her mate. It was just the two of them and silence lay heavily between them. She darted a glance at Arthur curious if he felt it too, but he seemed lost in thought. Should she start a conversation? A number of trivial topics crossed her mind and were quickly dismissed as too cliché. Once again, it was being brought home to her that she only had a physical relationship with Arthur. Tightening her lips, she resolved to try and build some depth into their life together.

Pausing at the edge of the tree line, Arthur cocked his head and listened carefully, then sniffed, testing the scents that drifted by. As she waited for Arthur to finish checking the area, she acknowledged the crispness of the air. It bit at her nose, cooling her cheeks and ears. She didn’t mind the temperature however. It was yet another perk of her wolf-like genetics.

“The patrols have been here recently.” Arthur announced. “The area is secure, so we can safely run.” With that he shifted into the form of a sleek black wolf and she quickly followed suit.

The change to wolf form always made her feel exhilarated. Her senses were heightened and she could feel the latent strength of her muscles. Stretching first her front legs and then her back, she raised her muzzle to the sky, squinting up at the moon and sniffing the air. An exciting blend of scents assaulted her brain: other wolves, plant life, rabbits and squirrels, but most importantly, Arthur.

There was something about being in wolf form that made their bond seem stronger and hope fluttered inside her. Maybe this was what they needed, the chance to do things together just for fun, to let their inner wolves get to know each other. Already instinct was kicking in and she couldn’t resist rubbing against Arthur and licking at his face.

For his part, Arthur seemed equally affected. He nuzzled her then began sniffing at her from head to toe. When he finished his inspection, he yipped at her to follow and soon they were off, loping through the woods. Unlike the previous time they had run together, she let him take the lead. This was his territory and for all that she had explored some of it with Julia, she knew her mental map of the land was not yet sufficient to lead a midnight run.

Arthur kept a leisurely pace at first but once they reached a well-beaten path, picked up speed. Joyfully, she followed, happily stretching her muscles and pushing the limits of her speed. This was what she needed; the thrill of running with her mate, of being with him and experiencing nature together. Trees and shrubs flashed past as they gracefully moved in tandem, matching each other stride for stride. The sound of their paws hitting the ground, combined with their panting, created a rhythmic overture that echoed through the otherwise quiet woods.

With his greater strength and speed, Arthur finally began to out-distance her, drawing farther and farther ahead. He rounded a bend in the path, temporarily disappearing from sight. She raced around the corner, and then skidded to an abrupt halt. The path stretched out straight in front of her, but Arthur was nowhere in sight. She stood frozen, her eyes narrowed, searching the woods on either side while her ears strained for the sound of his running paws. Where had he gone? He couldn’t have disappeared that quickly. Her heart pounded as she envisioned all sorts of calamities befalling him. Had he stepped off the path and into a trap? The patrols had cleared the area, but possibly they’d missed something.

A twig snapped behind her and she whirled around, only to be knocked to the ground by a large, black mass of fur and muscle. Her breath whooshed from her lungs and she struggled to inhale while her brain tried to process what had happened.

Rolling to the side, she sprang to her feet growling only to bite back the sound as she saw who stood before her. With a shake of her head, she glared at Arthur, her expression conveying exasperation at the trick he’d played on her.

Obviously enjoying himself, Arthur bent his front-end down low, indicating his playful mood. Then, without warning, he pounced on her again. Soon they were tumbling across the forest floor, snarling and nipping in a mock battle. In no time, Arthur had her pinned to the ground.

As he loomed over her, their eyes met, and in one accord they phased into human form.

Arthur was on top of her and he brushed her hair away from her face, studying her intently.

“You look so beautiful lying on the ground beneath me.” A low growl emitted from his throat before he leaned down and kissed her roughly.

She kissed him back with equal fervour, raking her fingers through his hair, holding his head firmly in place.

The k**s seemed to go on forever until they were both gasping for breath. Burying his face in her neck, Arthur inhaled deeply, as if trying to absorb her scent into his body. “Mmm, Ava, you smell so good.” He gently ran his teeth over her neck and she threw her head back, exposing her throat to him.

“It’s my heat cycle, no doubt.” Through a haze of desire, she offered up an explanation for how he was feeling.

“Maybe…” He sniffed again and she felt him quirk his lips against her skin. “But I love how you smell all the time; your cycle just makes it even more intoxicating to me.”

Her heart gave a leap. He’d said ‘love.’ Mind you, it was her scent, not her, but the idea still thrilled her.

Arthur was nibbling at her ear now, his breath tickling and sending delicious shivers through her body. “Ava, do you think…?” He paused, sounding uncharacteristically unsure of himself.

“What?” She shifted so she could see his face.