Page 40 of Alpha Mates

Well, it is the bond … and …

I pause,And what?

And Julian, he finishes, the name coming hoarsely even to him.You must admit, he’s always been as attractive as he is infuriating.

Attractive?!I almost shout the horror aloud, only just managing to bite my tongue.Attractive and Julian aren’t two things I’ve ever thought to put together.

Oh, come on, Aiden,Max retorts, almost scolding now.He is not unattractive, and we’ve witnessed certain endearing attributes in him since the coronation, haven’t we?

I think of Julian—of his clear eyes, and his little scowls. I think of all the expressions I’d seen flit across his face over the years, all hateful. And then, I think of the ones he’d shared recently. The quiet laughs and twitch in his lip when he tries not to smile. The pinkness in his cheeks when he’s embarrassed. I think of him sitting on the bed with that sleepy smile, and my heart lurches again.Fuck.

Closing my eyes, I force myself to think of something else—anything else—that’s not Julian’s face or his scent that has taken over every square inch of my room.

I don’t think about the smiles or the laughs. I definitely don’t think about the blush, and when Julian comes out with his hair pinned up in a bun, except for the few strands that bracket his long neck, I don’t think about that either.

“Yes … Thank you very much,” Julian says into the landline. “Yes. We will … of course … alright. Good day, councillor.”

I wait until I’m sure the call has ended before I ask, “So? What’s the verdict?”

“The land is ours.” He grins up at me. “They’ll send someone to ensure our wards are as they should be, and then we’re free to start any projects we’d like.”

“Thank Goddess,” I blow out as I sink back into my chair.

I’d never doubted the Council would approve our bid for the land, all things considered, but there was always room for fuckery. Luckily, that isn’t the case this time, and it’s thanks to, well … Julian. Goddess knows the process of filing for permission would’ve taken me a week longer, but he’d gotten through it before the weekend was even up.

“Good … job.” The words fall out like blocks from my lips.

Julian stills on the other side of the table. He blinks at me like a deer in headlights, waiting for me to run him over. When I don’t, he slowly nods and fumbles with his pen. He ducks his head, making hair fall that he’s quick to tuck back behind his ears. As he does, I catch a glimpse of pink at their tips.

It takes too much effort for me to drag my gaze away.

“I’ll put out a notice for volunteers,” I say. “I’m meeting my scouts in the morning, so I’ll start with them. And once the wards are up, I’ll lead the search groups to chase out anything lingering there.”

“Mix it evenly with members of both our packs, and that sounds good to me,” he replies while he eyes the room’s whiteboard, no doubt noting how nearly every task he’d marked on there is crossed off. “I think that’s the last big hurdle. Things should return to normal in the next few days.” His eyes light up as he whispers, “which means I can go back to school soon.”

I stiffen. “School?”

Julian looks at me. “Yes,” he replies carefully. “I plan to finish the year.”

I remembered Julian mentioning as much before the coronation, but I’d hardly paid it any mind. What did it matter what Julian decided to do? His stupid plans were his stupid plans, but that was before I knew he was my mate. Now, though?

“Why the hell would you do that?” I ask, the space between my brows pulling tight. “You don’t have to go—our parents can’t make us anymore, and I’m sure you’ve learnt all you need to know about the humans.”

“I want to learn from them, not about them,” he says, but now he’s frowning too.

I blink at him, hoping he realises how little sense that makes so I don’t have to say it. His expression flattens a second later, and he shakes his head. “I just want to go.”

“What about your pack?” I ask when he drops his attention back to his trusty notebook. “What aboutourpack?”

“What about it?” he retorts, pen scribbling new nonsense. “We’re unstable now because of the circumstances, but you know as well as I do that packs mostly run themselves. We delegate the heavy lifting, and I’ll be back here at the end of each day to do that. Anything else, I can figure out.”

He says it like it’s the easiest thing in the world—as if the prospect of us spending hours apart each day is nothing—while spiders crawl all over my skin at just the thought.

Does he not feel it too? The bond’s weight seeping in and protesting this idea? Or is it not the bond at all?

“I’m not going back there,” I say, shoving that harrowing thought away. “I’m not going, and we can’t go anywhere without each other.”

Julian doesn’t even glance at me. “I said next week. If the elders are right, our ‘mate awareness’ should wear off by then, and we’ll be free to go wherever we want—alone.” He shrugs a shoulder. “So you won’t have to go anywhere with me.”