Page 32 of Alpha Mates

“You don’t have to lie, Aiden,” Julian groans, rolling his eyes in a poor attempt to hide the hurt still sitting there. My heart breaks, but he badgers on. “I’ll sleep on the ground or something. I don’t know, but don’t worry. It won’t happen again.”

He tries to turn away, but this time, I reach forward and grab his wrist.

He stiffens, glancing up at me before he gives his wrist a tug, but I don’t let go. Blue eyes flare as he tries again, but I only tighten my grip.

“Aiden,” he warns, but I dig my fingers into his skin. He strains against me, tugging with all his might, but all it does is draw me closer. His breath hitches, and so does mine. “Let go of me!”

“I will, when you listen to all of what I have to say,” I growl, but my annoyance only spurs his. “Just let someone else speak for once.”

Stubborn as ever, Julian only tugs harder, and we fall into a tug-of-war with his arm until he stumbles back, and I go with him. His back comes up against the fridge, and we both freeze as our chests meet.

His body is firm against mine—his chest, his legs, his arms. I’m so losttaking it all in that I almost miss the way his eyes shift wildly, already searching for an escape, already off of me,again.

My temper flares to life and I move in quick, caging him against the fridge with my body while I slam his wrist beside his head so that he has no other choice but to look at me, and only me.

“I didn’t mean it like that!” I snap as rage courses through me.

Julian goes perfectly still, his eyes wide as he stares unblinking at me. I stare back, and the tightness around my heart finally eases with his attention where it should be.

“I freaked out,” I explain, exhaling as a strange calm slips over me. “I get bad dreams sometimes, and when I woke up with you holding me, it freaked me out.”

“…Bad dreams?” Julian whispers while his eyes narrow an inch.

It’s strange to hear concern from his lips, stranger still with how sincere it sounds.

I force myself to nod. “They’re not the best, and I wake up feeling like I’m still in them sometimes.” It isn’t the whole truth, but it’s the most I’ve ever given anyone.

“You can sleep on the bed. It’s fine,” I continue as I back up a little and clear my throat. “I was in the wrong, not you, so I’m sorry. I don’t know how many times I have to say it, but I am honestly sorry. You don’t gross me out or anything like that. And you are not disgusting—don’t call yourself that again.”

Julian’s eyes grow wider with each uttered word until they’re close to popping in their sockets. They’re blown wide in a way I’ve seen a lot over the last twenty-four hours. But what I’ve never seen? The way colour slowly begins to splotch his pale cheeks until they fill and become a bright, peachy red.

Thoughts of everything else are abandoned in an instant.

“Are you …” I squint, not quite believing my own eyes. “Are youblushing?”

“N-no.” Now he’s stuttering, and that colour in his cheeks is spreading into his neck.

“You are,” I accuse while I stare at him. My eyes dart all over his face and to my pleasure—because this is pleasure that I’m feeling—Julian turns his face to the side and squirms as he tries to hide his flushing cheeks from me.

It’s … adorable.

Julian Heil isnotadorable—I try to remind myself of that, but here he is, desperately trying to hide his blush from me, which prods at the perverse excitement that bubbles inside me and makes him look cute in my eyes.

By Goddess, this bond really is insanity unleashed.

Max pushes against our bond, eager to join in admiring our mate, who unravels in front of us like a rose. I’d been cut by Julian’s thorns too many times to get close enough to know there was something so lovely inside. But this is a treat.

“You’re kind of cute when you blush.”

It’s a thought not meant to be said aloud, but I’m glad it is when Julian’s horrified eyes dart to mine, and his blush spreads to his ears.

Julian shifts against me, and my gaze slips downwards. At some point, I’d pressed myself back against him, and not just with the intent of keeping him still. His body is tense, but it feels right where it moves against mine. It feels good.

He strains in my hold, against the hand I still have wrapped around his wrist, but he’s not really trying. Despite all the shit I said, Julian is a strong wolf, and we both know that if he wanted out, he’d get out. But he just keeps playing at resistance, and that … that makes my blood heat fast as I realise that Julian doesn’twantout because Julianlikesthis.

Gaze locked, I tighten my grip on his wrist, waiting for him to shove me off. But he doesn’t. His chest heaves against mine, and a shudder runs through me.

I keep my eyes on his as I claim his other wrist. Still nothing. I move his hand up, going slowly as I wait for the moment he’s going to stop me. It never comes. He lets me pin both his hands beside his head.