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Chapter Two

Gavin was beside himself. He’d known from his brother Felix and all the others who had recently mated that his mate would bring him to his knees the moment he met her.

They were right. He was wrapped tightly around her tiny finger already. He would do anything for her. Forever.

It was the middle of the afternoon, and she still hadn’t begun to stir in his arms. He hadn’t put her down since arriving at home. He’d been rocking her back and forth and staring at her features for two hours.

She was the prettiest Little he’d ever seen. Her tiny button nose and porcelain skin were mesmerizing. He wanted to see her blue eyes again.

He’d fed her a bottle when they’d first arrived. He’d figured she probably hadn’t eaten much that morning since she’d been so nervous, and he hadn’t wanted her to wake up ravenous.

Luckily she’d taken the bottle without stirring. His sweet Little girl had sucked it down and continued to sleep. Perhaps she also hadn’t slept well last night or even for a week.

None of those things were uncommon. From what he’d heard, every mate felt some level of panic on the day of their ceremony. And who could blame them? They had no idea what to expect. Fated mates spent their entire twenty years protected and coddled more than other females in the valley.

Decades ago, it had been determined that Alpha Protectors would be united with their Fated mates on the female’s twentieth birthday. The age was relatively arbitrary, but the custom had been in place for a long time.

Gavin was thirty-three. Most Alpha Protectors learned of their mate’s birth at some point in their own childhood, but sometimes an Alpha might be even older when his mate was finally born.

Gavin’s brother, Felix, had been twenty-five when his mate, Khloe, had been born. Felix had all but given up on the notion of being matched with a mate. Fate had Her reasons, though. Felix had mated a few months ago. Gavin’s mate had been born three months after Khloe.

Nevertheless, twenty was still very young. Gavin couldn’t blame his precious girl for her anxiety. He would have been far more concerned if she hadn’t been unnerved by the entire process of pomp and circumstance. She’d probably been in a state for weeks or months as her looming mating grew closer.

What she couldn’t have understood was that the two of them would click together instantaneously, which would put all her apprehension to rest in no time. But first she needed to awaken.

Finally Molly whimpered and squirmed in his arms.

He was sitting in the rocking chair in her nursery, and he smiled down at her with all the warmth and promise he felt as she opened her pretty eyes.

“Hey there, Little one,” he whispered.

She blinked several times before licking her plump pink lips. “Are we at your home?”

“ Our home, Little one. And yes. We’ve been here a while. I’ve been waiting for you to wake up. I bet you needed the sleep.”

She slowly pushed herself to sitting. “You were holding me all this time?” Her cheeks turned pink.

“Yes, Baby girl. I enjoyed every moment of it. I will hold you often.”

She frowned adorably.

He chuckled. “You’ll see. Can you feel the bond between us?”

She hesitated and then nodded.

“It’s powerful, and it will continue growing every hour until we can’t stand to be separated.”

Gavin unfastened the cuff on his sleeve and rolled it up to show her the mark on his forearm. It was an exact duplicate of the one she was born with.

“Wow,” she whispered. “I always heard our marks would match, but it’s still strange to see.” She lifted her hand and reached with one finger as if to touch it.

Gavin stopped her with a gentle grip on her wrist. He brought her fingers to his lips and kissed the tips. “The mark is powerful, Little one. When you touch it, it will make you feel things you’ve never experienced. Hell, I haven’t ever felt that way either, of course.”

“Just touching it?” she asked.

Gavin nodded. “That’s what I’m told. And the sensations will increase to proportions we can’t grasp when we align our marks against each other.” He turned her arm over, knowing exactly where her mark was.

She wore a gorgeous ivory dress that had delicate lace at the wrists. The lace was intentionally woven in such a way that he could see her mark through it, and yet it gave her some protection before they were prepared to align their wrists.

“What…” She cleared her throat. “No one told me anything special would happen if our marks touched. I thought their existence was simply a way Fate used to match us up.”

“The reason no one mentioned anything about their power to you is simple. Most citizens of the valley don’t know what happens between an Alpha Protector and his mate. There are many customs we live by in the mountains that are nothing like what you’re accustomed to in the valley.”

Her face paled, and her lips parted, but she didn’t speak.

She’d undoubtedly considered asking him about the local customs and then decided against it. He couldn’t blame her. She was going to suffer from information overload in the coming days.

Suddenly she glanced out the window and stiffened. She surprised him by pushing off his lap to stand in front of him, wringing her hands together, totally flustered.

He didn’t like the loss of contact with her, but he hated her distress even more. What was going through his Little mate’s head?

“I’ve kept you from whatever you usually do all day. I bet you have things you need to attend to. It’s getting late in the afternoon. I should start dinner. I’ll do that while you’re gone.”

He frowned. Whatever was she talking about?

He reached for her hips and brought her between his legs. “Molly, I’m not going anywhere, Little one. Not for weeks. It’s customary for Alpha Protectors to spend about a month with their mates before returning to our usual duties.”

Her eyes widened, and her face paled further. “Maybe you’d like to go for a run to get some fresh air?”

Perplexed by her odd insistence on him leaving her, he pulled her closer and gently kissed her lips. “I don’t need fresh air, Little one. Are you trying to get rid of me?” he teased.

That was exactly what she was doing, though he had no idea why. Couldn’t she feel the bond between them as much as him? Did she not realize what a frenzy she would be in if he left her alone?

“Of course not,” she argued. “I just… I like to work in the kitchen alone. If you hover, I’ll probably burn something.”

He chuckled. “Ah. Your mother told you that you’d be expected to cook for me, didn’t she?”

“Of course. All females look after their mates.”

“Not in the mountains, Little one. We live just the opposite. Alpha Protectors take care of our Little mates, not the other way around.”

Her brow creased. “You… You’re going to cook for me tonight?”

He smiled. “I will always cook for you, Little one. In fact, I will forbid you from touching anything dangerous in the kitchen.”

She glanced over his shoulder toward the nursery door. A shudder wracked her small frame. “Everything in the kitchen is dangerous if you’re me,” she muttered.

“What do you mean, Little one?”

She met his gaze and held it. When she spoke, she did not answer his question. “You’re seriously going to cook for me?”

“Always. If you need something to eat, you’ll ask me to get it for you. I don’t want you touching the stove, oven, or microwave. Nothing that might burn you. Definitely no knives. Understood?”

She continued to stare at him without blinking. “Are you serious?”

“Yes, Baby girl.”

“Men in the valley don’t do much cooking or cleaning.”

“I’m aware, but up here in the mountains, we dote on our mates in ways you’ve never experienced.

Our bond is fierce, and with it comes the intense need to protect.

I won’t want you doing anything that might put you in danger.

You are the most important person in my life now.

I already know that deep in my soul after just a few hours.

I knew it the moment I scented you before I even stepped into the ceremonial room. ”

“But…”

Gavin shook his head. “No buts. That’s just how Alpha Protectors are wired. We take care of our mates in every imaginable way. You’ll see.”

“I’m…” She licked her lips again. “I’m a terrible cook.”

He laughed. His entire body shook when he did so. “Then you won’t mind me doing the cooking.”

She narrowed her gaze. “Are you pranking me?”

He laughed harder. “No, Little one. I’m serious. The mates of Alpha Protectors do not cook or clean. None of them. I promise. If I could wrap you in bubble wrap to ensure your constant safety, I would, but I don’t expect you’d like to be bundled up in bubble wrap,” he joked.

She licked her pretty lips. “What are my duties then? How do I serve you?”

He smiled. “You won’t have duties, Little one. As soon as you tell me what your interests and hobbies are, I’ll get the supplies you need to fulfill your desires. Some mates like painting, coloring, or other arts. Some are musicians. What makes you happy, Molly?”

Her brow furrowed deeper. “Is reading a hobby?”

“Of course. Do you like to read, Baby girl?”

She stared at him, clearly in disbelief. “More than anything.”

“Then we’ll get you all the books you want. Paper or on an e-reader, or both.”

He loved the way she searched his face. Her breathing was heavy, and she swallowed several times. “You’re for real?”

He chuckled. “For real, Molly.” It was time to introduce her to her surroundings. Though she’d glanced out the window and toward the door, he didn’t think it had registered in her head yet what else was in the room.

Gavin turned her around in his arms so she was facing outward between his legs. He wrapped his arms around her middle and held her back against his chest. “This room is yours.”

After a heartbeat, her breath hitched. “Mine? This looks like a room for a child.”

He kissed her neck, lingering so he could inhale her scent over and over. “Alpha Protectors take our role as mates very seriously. You will be coddled, pampered, and spoiled for as long as we live.”

She scanned the room slowly before settling her sights on the one piece of furniture that was sure to make her tremble. “That’s a crib.”

He kissed her neck again. “Yes. It will keep you safe when you nap.”

“I won’t sleep with you?”

“You will always sleep with me at night, Little one. That crib is for naps. When I put you down in the afternoon, the four sides will ensure your safety.”

She twisted her head to look at him directly over her shoulder. “From what? Falling out of bed?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve never fallen out of bed.”

“And you never will. When you’re in your crib, you will stay on your bottom at all times. I don’t want you standing inside the enclosure for any reason. If I catch you trying to climb over the side, I will spank your bottom.”

Her cheeks turned pink. After a heartbeat, she jerked her gaze back to the room and homed in on the changing table. “Gavin…” she murmured.

He could feel her heart rate picking up.

It was totally expected. The next few days would be filled with revelations she knew nothing about.

“You will learn to submit to me deeply, Little one. At times, I will take care of you in every way. I know it’s difficult to fathom, but soon you’ll crave my dominance. ”

“You want me to wear diapers?” she whispered.

“Sometimes. Don’t panic, Baby girl. Trust me. When you’re ready, you’ll want to wear them. Diapers help Little girls feel deeply nurtured.”

She shuddered in his arms.

He could sense her nerves, but she wasn’t running. She remained in his arms. Small victories.