Mating the Female Alpha
Chapter 18 No One Can Touch You Except Me

Bernice POV

"I will go with you."

I frown in shock. This whole conversation has been one surprise after another. First Landry admitted he was worried about me. Now he wishes to join us?

I shake my head. I know Landry's schedule well, he's told me of his duties often enough, and I know he is busy.

"You can't," I say. "You have an important meeting, remember?"

Landry shakes his head.

"No. Canceled."

I frown, thrown.

"When did this happen?"

Landry grins wryly. I watch him carefully, wondering what he has up his sleeve. I know that look, that's the look he gets when he has something planned.

"Now," he says, and I hear the familiar sound of him opening a mindlink. He added me to his mindlinks a few days ago, so I would be informed on important events, so I hear him loud and clear when he announces: "Today's Alpha meeting is canceled. Alpha King Landry is sick. Reschedule soon."

The mindlink closes and I stare at Landry in shock. Sick? Landry has never once canceled a meeting, much less been sick, and I can't believe he'd start now, and because of me no less!

"You're sick." I say with as much sarcasm as I can, to show I clearly don't believe him. He is obviously healthy, he is standing right in front of me. He winks at me, then gives a fake little cough into his fist. "Certainly."

I glare at him. His smirk grows.

"If you don't believe me, you can check for yourself."

I roll my eyes and stalk away, aware that Landry has won this round.

Landry POV

Landry can tell that Bernice is annoyed with him. She mostly ignores his presence entirely as he accompanies her and Jessie to the orchard. He can tell Jessie is confused, looking from Bernice's irritated expression to Landry's smug one, but she clearly gives up on trying to figure it out and draws Bernice into a conversation.

They're slightly ahead of Landry. He's decided to give them a little privacy. He did just invite himself along, after all.

He wanders along, hands in his pockets, watching Bernice. She is gorgeous - the wind blows her hair around, and he gets a strong waft of her sweet scent every so often. Their voices are bright in the chilly air, and they are walking arm in arm. Suddenly, Landry has the urge to use the restroom. He does not want to leave the girls, but neither can he deny nature. He looks quickly side to side-they seem safe enough.

"I have to use the bathroom," Landry tells the girls. They giggle and flounce away, leaving Landry to shake his head, heading to the bathrooms quickly.

He takes care of business with the speed and agility of an Alpha King, quicker than anyone else would ever be able to. Afterward, he heads back to where he last saw the girls, finding them ten meters from the lake, cornered by a pair of aristocrats.

Bernice's shirt is torn, she is caught where she stood from the branch she'd walked into. The scraggly branches had torn the fabric easily, exposing her snow-white skin and full breasts.

Her nipples are pink and perky in the breeze and Landry watches as the noblemen look to them and lick their lips.

He runs, getting close enough to hear what the disgusting men are saying.

"Gorgeous Omega, all alone, you need a strong Alpha. Let us take you home."

With those words, one of the noblemen reached out to touch Bernice, and Landry's resolve snapped.

With a roar, Landry transforms into his large, golden wolf, grabbing the one that dared try to touch HIS mate, flinging them the entire ten meters into the lake. The others, terrified at the appearance of the large Alpha wolf, wisely fled in the face of it, leaving Bernice, Jessie, and Landry alone.

Landry walks towards the girls and Bernice hesitantly reaches out to touch Landry gently. He ducks his head and she sighs, a small smile crossing her face.

"Thank you," she tells him, and he nods.

"No one can touch you except me."

Bernice POV

The words that Landry's golden wolf said were arrogant and made me snort.

"Well, of course," I tell him. It's the truth - who else can help me with my heat? Only Landry. As if anyone else would be able to.

Landry wags his tail when he hears this, though, which is odd but prompts me to burst out laughing - it's such an innocent gesture in the face of such a vicious-looking creature.

I pet Landry's fur for a moment, which just makes him wag his tail harder, and he ducks his head in embarrassment.

"Sorry," he says sheepishly. "I can't control it anymore."

I give him a gentle smile. I had planned on a bit of teasing, but perhaps I can let that go. He does look truly embarrassed as it is.

"It's okay," I say, then bite my lip, debating for a moment before adding: "It's...cute."

"Cute?"

At that, Landry's tail is wagging so quickly it's almost a blur and I laugh again, scratching his ears. I don't see Jessie giving the pair of us a soft look, just keep petting Landry until he suggests we continue our day.

It truly is a nice day, our baskets rapidly filling with all manner of fruits, my earlier irritation forgotten. The conversation is easy, the scenery beautiful, and I wander over to a patch of gorgeous flowers by the fence as Landry and Jessie begin talking about some palace business I don't care to understand.

The flowers are gorgeous, in full bloom, with deep red petals and yellow pollen. I pick one and take a deep sniff and, as I do, I feel what seems like an electric shock go through me.