Page 123 of Alpha Mates

“Um,” Isabel interjects, eyeing Julian then me. “Ishe okay?”

“He’s fine,” I assure her before she can freak out over her alpha being unconscious off their packlands. “‘Just tired.”

“Why is he wearing your shades?” Beckett asks, with a frown that mirrors Isabel’s.

Because his eyes are rolling behind them,is what I want to say, but I value my life, and don’t need Future Julian to end it sooner than planned.

“He said it was too bright before he fell asleep. He stayed up late last night reading, so I’m not surprised,” I lie before I wave a hand at them. “You guys can go ahead. I’ll get him home once he wakes up.”

Honestly, I would’ve taken Jewels home ages ago instead of to this small corner at the back of the school, if it weren’t for how much I know he needed the rest. In the pack, he’d be back in alpha mode. I wanted him to catch as many Zs as he could before then. Classes just finished, though, and now we’ve got company.

“He seemed fine earlier,” Beckett mumbles, annoyinglystillharping on the Unconscious Julian matter.

“Well, he’s not now. Drop it.”

If not for the merging of our packs, I’m sure Beckett would’ve acted on the homicidal glint in his eyes, but wearemerging packs, and I’m going to be his alpha in more than name soon, so he holds back. He still looks a half-second away from damning that all to hell until Emitt puts a hand on his shoulder. Beckett glowers, lips parting to say some bullshit I’ll make him regret—

“Aiden?” Julian grumbles as he wakes slowly.

Damn Beckett and Emitt and Isabel too! Damn them all!

“Why don’t you guys go do a perimeter check of the cars to make sure they’re not secretly bombed?” I suggest with a sneer I can’t curb.

They stare at me, then roll their eyes in unison like some freaky set of triplets.

“When he’s up—properly—we’re heading to the packlands,” Beckett states, reluctantly following Emitt’s lead to stand. “It’s not safe to stay beyond them longer than necessary.”

“Yes, yes, I will not put us in danger, yada yada,” I reply, shooing them away as Julian lifts his head, blinking around.

With heavy-lidded eyes and strands of his hair pointing in every direction, he looks half-dead, but that doesn’t stop him from looking gorgeous. Gorgeous and slightly maimed, because the truth our friends don’t know, is that Julian passed out after his fourth orgasm, which had been beyond hot.

Yeah, I may have taken it too far—even with our lupine endurance—but how could I stop when he’d been moaning my name? And yea, I didn’t love the taste of him at first, but it grew addictive.

“Where are we?” he mumbles, frowning as he rubs his strained throat—hoarse from all his moaning.Goddess, he sounded perfect when he was losing it.“Aiden?”

“Huh? Oh,” I shake my head, trying to get rid of the lust creeping back. Fuck. “Still at school, but it’s over now.”

His brows knit. “Did I fall asleep?”

“Yeah,” I say, smiling as I tuck his hair behind his ears. He shivers at the contact, and my pants grow tight as his cheeks light up.

… Maybe I am half incubus.

“Sorry,” he mumbles, blinking furiously behind my shades.

“You’re sorry for falling asleep?” I tease him with a grin he returns. “If anyone’s sorry, it’s me. I’m the one who got a little carried away.”

“I did too,” he replies with a chuckle that warms my heart to an almostnauseating degree. “I’ve never felt like … that,” he admits, words failing him. His eyes lift to mine. “It almost felt like what they say a rut is like.” He frowns. “Or a heat.”

“Thank Goddess we won’t have to endure that,” I groan with relief. He nods, but the small frown lingers. “What? Are you worried we will?”

“Of course not,” he dismisses quickly, but he’s still too tense. “But, I have a question.” He points at his face. “Why am I wearing your shades?”

I chuckle, as I always do, at the sight of them sliding down his nose.

“You were slipping in and out of this realm,” I tease as I stand to my feet, taking my shades with me to reveal his pretty blue eyes. “Your eyes were rolling—total horror show.”

“You are such a dick,” he grumbles, jumping to his feet.