Page 271 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

I only trusted myself to sign rote documents, things I was familiar with and had signed before. But other than those documents, the day was a wash. I couldn’t do anything useful.

Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. I left my office and went for a walk. It was my last full day as alpha, and I wanted to stroll through the compound while I still had the authority to do so. I thought about asking Tavi to walk with me, but a sudden burst of nausea sent me stumbling to the trees.

I straightened and swiped the back of my hand across my mouth. Great. My last day as alpha included me throwing up into a bush. How typical. At least this time, it wasn’t as violent or noisy.

“Thanks for meeting me out here, Tavi.”

My ears perked at the mention of my beta’s name and the familiar voice who’d spoken it. I looked up, and sure enough, I spotted Dom’s wheat-blond hair through the foliage. I knew I ought to mind my business and give them the privacy they deserved, but my curiosity got the better of me. I crept slowly toward where they stood, moving just close enough to see their faces through the leaves.

“It was no trouble,” she replied with a slight smile. “What did you want to talk about?”

“Well…” He rubbed the back of his head with his hand, tussling his silky hair. “I wanted to talk about you, actually.”

“M-me?” She touched her chest, her fingers jostling the zipper of her sweatshirt. “Why?”

“I don’t want you to think I’m trying to pressure you into spending more time with me, or I don’t respect your need for space,” he said. “I care about you a lot, Tav, and I would do anything to make sure you’re safe and happy.”

I held my breath, waiting for Dom to confess his feelings for her. I felt sure Tavi was also holding her breath.

“I need to be honest with you about the way you make me feel. I used to think my feelings for you were what a brother feels for his sister, but they’re different than that. I?—”

Tavi raised her hand, and Dom’s mouth shut immediately. My eyes widened; not even Night could shut Dom up so quickly.

“I…” she hesitated, rethought what she wanted to say, and began again, “Dom, I’m not sure what you’re about to say, but if you’re going to tell me what I think you’re going to tell me, I want you to know that I don’t think I’m ready.”

He gazed at her as her words sunk in. “What do you think I’m going to say?”

“I-I think you’re about to tell me that you, uh—” Her face went bright red, and she busied herself by gathering her dark hair over her shoulder.

“That I like you,” he finished gently. “That I care about you. That I’m ready to be more than friends with you…whenever you’re ready to let me in.”

My heart raced hard against my sternum. Each second I waited for her response was a second that seemed to stretch for eons.

“You have to understand,” she finally replied, “I can’t make you wait until I’m ready to be the woman you need, Dom. It could take months. Years, even. You are such a wonderful man—” Her voice broke, and she cleared her throat. “You could have any woman you want. There are so many beautiful women out there who can take care of you. I’m just not…I don’t know if I can be a normal mate for you. I can’t ask that of you. You deserve someonemore…” She struggled for words, and then her shoulders fell as she gave up, sighing. “Someone more.”

“I feel that way, too,” he said gently. “Even now, I’m worried that all I’m doing is putting more strain on you by telling you this. It drives me wild that I can’t tell if this is hurting you or helping you. If I were a better man—a stronger man—maybe I could be more patient. Maybe I’d know exactly what you need.”

She shook her head. “You’re the most amazing person I know.”

“And you’re the most incredible personIknow,” he said with a chuckle.

I could see how badly they wanted to touch as they leaned toward each other. But they held back, as though going that far would somehow ruin the progress they’d made. It made my chest ache for them.

“I’m willing to wait however long, Tav. Even if that means we’re tired and gray and reminding each other about the good days of our youth.”

“If you change your mind?—”

“I won’t.”

The interruption made the corners of her mouth quirk into a smile. “Ifyou change your mind, I won’t hold it against you.”

“That won’t happen,” he said again. “But thanks for that.”

Her smile widened, and then she hesitated, her lips pursed. After a few seconds, she stood on her tiptoes and gently kissed his cheek. And after a second, she pressed another kiss to his lips.

I nearly gasped.OhmygoshTavi!My thoughts went wild as Dom’s arms gently—so,sogently!—wrapped around her waist.

I needed to get out of there.I had no idea how far things were about to go, but I didn’t want to eavesdrop further.I inched backward, trying to go as silently as I’d come, but a twig snapped under my foot, making me gasp. I froze, waited a few beats, and tried to move more carefully out of the forest.