Page 118 of Alpha Mates

Beckett glares at me, but doesn’t argue. He slings his bookbag over his shoulder. “I’m going to find Emitt,” he mutters to Julian. “I’ll be back before lunch is over.”

I wave the big dunce goodbye before I slide into the space beside Julian, who’s already starting on Beckett’s homework. I rub the back of his neck, kneading the muscles there as I draw a little closer.

“Have you eaten?”

Julian shakes his head, trying to concentrate even as his body leans towards mine. “I have a snack in my bag,” he mumbles. “I’ll eat it when Ifinish this. It won’t take long.”

I tug at the border of the book, snatching it from Julian’s grasp and holding it out of his reach when he tries to nab it back.

“Aiden!” He’s already climbing over me to get it. “Give it back.”

“Eat first. Beckett’s homework can wait.”

Julian’s gaze darts down to mine, annoyed, but it only makes me smirk as I wrap my free arm around his waist and steal a kiss. The fight in him melts—and so does he—as he kisses me back. I groan, barely stopping myself from pushing him back and spreading him on the table so I can have more.

“Eat, Jewels,” I whisper against his lips when we part. “I got this made special for you.”

He looks annoyed, but curiosity outweighs his reluctance. He settles back in his seat and pulls the bag closer. He sniffs a little, undeterred by the smell of beef, and pulls out the two foil-wrapped burgers. He hands me the beef one without needing to check, then unwraps his own.

His eyes widen at the sight of the juicy mushroom burger Roxanne had whipped up with some halloumi shit and beans for Julian’s vegetarian ass. He shoots me a grateful glance before taking a huge bite. He barely chews twice before his eyes flutter shut and he groans.

“I guess you like it,” I hazard as I unwrap my own.

Julian nods, mouth still full when he takes another bite. He’s way toocivilisedto talk with his mouth full, but the gleam in his eyes says it all.

“Good.” I lean forward to kiss his cheek before digging in.

I never thought of myself as the doting type, but Jewels is so focused in most aspects of his life, including being an alpha, that he sort of misses all the basic bits—like feeding himself. More often than not, he’d forget to eat because he had some task to handle and he wouldn’t give himself a second to rest until it was ticked off.

If I left Julian to it, he’d only eat once a day, and as his mate, I’ve been determined to put a stop to that. He used to fight me on it, but he’s become a little more pliant. And every time he lets me take care of him, this satisfying bud of happiness and relief bursts inside of me.

“You got this made for me?” he asks when his mouth is finally empty. I nod and grab my water from my schoolbag, setting it in front of him.

“Why?” he asks before taking a sip. Good.

“Because I can,” I say, nudging his thigh under the table. “Because I like taking care of you.”

Julian frowns slightly and looks away.

Worry makes me want to press, but guilt shuts me up. I do want totake care of Julian, but ever since that night I’d slipped out to handle the rogues, I’ve been … overcompensating. I know good deeds don’t make up for a lie, but other than the truth, it’s all I have.

We should tell him,Max injects as he paces in my head.We shouldn’t have gone without him knowing.

You know how he feels about rogues,I snap back, even though he’s right.

It’d be better to argue about that now than to fight later because you lied to him.

The thought of fighting with Julian makes something inside me ache like there’s a real, festering wound. He’s my good. My one good thing. And I refuse to fuck it up.

With anyone else, I wouldn’t hesitate to tell them about the rogues we’d found beyond the packlands—how different they’d been—but it isn’t that easy with Julian. He’s defended rogues before, so telling him would only lead to a fight, Still, he’s my mate, and we’re supposed to be doing this alpha thing together, which means I should share it with him.

You’re better than that.

Julian’s words have been haunting me since the night he first whispered them to me, because I know I’m not. If I were better, I wouldn’t be hiding shit from him.

“Hey,” Julian says with a nudge to my side. “Where’d you go?”

I force a smile, setting down my half-eaten burger. “Nowhere, just thinking too much.”