Page 42 of Alpha Mates

The blurted words hang in the air like a noose while Julian gawks at me from the other side of the table. “What?”

“We’ll go to the school together,” I say, my voice steadier than I feel.

“But … you don’t—” He stops, blinks and shakes his head. “Why?”

“Because I want to.”

Julian’s lost stare deepens. I catch myself smiling. It isn’t often I see Julian Heil confused. “I want to come,” I repeat, as I rest my elbows on the table. “And in case you forgot, we’ve got that project to do.”

His scowl bleeds the confusion out by the vein. “So, you’re making fun of me,” he growls.

My smile drops. “No, I’m not.”

But he’s already up, taking his dishes to the kitchen.

“Fuck,” I mumble, following. “Julian, I’m not.”

“You expect me to believe that you simply changed your mind?” he mutters, angrily loading the dishwasher. “That out of the blue you want to go back, when you’ve made it perfectly clear how foolish you think it is that I am?”

My denial dies on my tongue because he’s right, it is ridiculous.

Aiden, Max snaps.

“I’m coming because I want to,” I say again.

And hell opens up beneath his feet as he turns around. “No, you’re not,” Julian snaps, his eyes burning with uncapped fury. “You want to come because you’re an annoying, self—”

“I want to go withyou.”

Whatever verbal beatdown he was going to deliver evaporates into thin air along with his anger. Lungs still full, he glares at me, looking for the lie. But I’m not lying and when he realises as much, Julian’s mouth slowly shuts.

Then there’s that fucking blush.

Words can never express what that rush of red does to me.

My chest tightens as I watch it spread, and longing soon stirs behind it. I want to touch him, taste him, just like I had that first day that still seemed like a fever dream. We’d never talked about it, just pretended it’d never happened, but there’s no pretending now as I watch shock unfurl my icy mate.

Julian shifts, taking a step back as he visibly tries to stifle the colour climbing his neck. It leaves him even more flushed while I try not to imagine what would happen if I were to close the space between us.

“Okay,” he blurts, before he clears his throat and tries again. “Okay. Um, well,” he wipes his hands against his thighs while he looks around. “I guess that’s fine.”

“Oh? I’m glad I have your permission,” I drawl.

He glares—soft, harmless. My lips twitch, and that glare falls apart.

“I’m going to get ready for bed,” he declares before he tucks tail and runs away, leaving me smiling to myself as I watch him go.

Julian Heil … annoying, too smart for his own good, downright evil, and maybe … a little cute.

I clear the table slowly, clean the kitchen too, using the added space to calm down before I give in to what I really want and follow after him. Bondor not, I can’t find it in me to care, because my mate is in my den and I want to see him there.

Julian’s already curled on his side of the bed when I slip into my room. He’s got the covers pulled over his shoulder, hiding him away. I leave him be as I get ready for bed, and snort when I find him in the exact same position.

I can hear his heart pounding, but he doesn’t peek at me, not even after I turn off the lights and slip under the cool sheets. He remains curled on the edge of the bed, where I know he won’t move from, so I do.

I slide in closer than usual—not touching, but close enough that Julian definitely feels me behind him. His fingers tighten on the covers, but still, he doesn’t look back.

“I know you’re awake,” I say, and I’m not loud, but in the dark, it is.