Page 9 of The Alpha’s Addiction (Night Grove Falls: The Alphas #1)

NINE

Adeline

The knock comes after sunrise, and somehow, I know it's him.

I barely slept last night. My mind raced with so many questions. It was a shock when Rhodes turned into a giant wolf right in front of me, but I can’t deny that it happened and that shifters are real.

Rhodes was telling the truth.

He’s a wolf shifter.

And apparently, I’m his fated mate.

I’m not sure what to think about all of this. On one hand, it explains why my attraction to him has been so intense right from the beginning. If shifters only have one fated mate, it also explains why he’s so obsessed with me.

My head was spinning all night, and I know it won’t get any better. Not until I talk to Rhodes and ask him all the questions circling in my mind.

I'm still in my pajamas—an oversized sweatshirt, and cotton shorts—when I pad barefoot to the door. For a moment, I consider asking him to wait so I can run back to my room to change and brush my hair and teeth, but that will take too long. My hair’s a mess, my eyes are still half-closed, and I haven’t had my coffee yet.

Somehow, I doubt that Rhodes will care what I look like or what I’m wearing.

But when I open the door and see Rhodes standing there with a paper bag in one hand and two coffees in the other, I forget all about appearances. Heat floods my system, and I wonder if this is the mating heat he was talking about last night or just my natural reaction to him.

Is this normal for shifters and their mates?

I want to blurt all my questions at him, but he smiles at me like I'm the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen, and my brain short-circuits.

"Morning, Adeline. You look lovely.”

“Thanks. What are you doing here?”

“I thought I’d bring breakfast."

My lips twitch. "You really want to see me before caffeine? Brave."

He chuckles and hands me one of the cups. "Hazelnut latte. Extra foam."

I blink. "How did you…"

"Asked Mrs. Lockwood. She says you’re predictable."

"That’s... terrifyingly accurate. Come in. I want to talk to you."

I let him inside, and he heads toward the kitchen. I watch him for a moment, admiring how right he looks in my space. He seems so at ease here. It’s unsettling how natural this already feels.

Maybe we are meant for each other, I think as I close the door and move to join him.

He unloads the bag onto the table. Two croissants, a breakfast burrito, and a tiny container of jam. He knows me so well already. It should scare me, but it has the opposite effect. No one has ever put this much effort into getting to know me. No one has ever taken care of me the way Rhodes does.

We sit, and I sip my latte, the caffeinated warmth slowly dragging me into wakefulness.

"You okay?" he asks quietly.

I nod. Then pause, really thinking it over.

"I think so."

His brow furrows.

"I just... I have a lot on my mind."

"Tell me."

I take another sip, trying to find the words.

"I like you, Rhodes. A lot. Probably more than I should for someone I’ve just met, but this—us—feels so big.

Like it’s already more than I know how to handle.

I mean, I have no experience with any of this, and now I feel like I’ve been thrown in the deep end. "

He waits patiently, his gaze steady.

"What if I’m not who you think I am? What if I’m not enough? I’m not strong or loud or confident. I bake cookies and read fantasy and romance novels. I get anxious in crowds. I don’t know anything about being in charge. I like being a wallflower."

He sets his cup down and reaches across the table, taking my hand. "Adeline. I don’t want you to be anything other than exactly who you are. You’re my mate. That means everything."

“I guess I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around all of that,” I admit. “I’m not used to permanence. Everyone leaves eventually.”

“I’m so sorry you’ve had that experience, mate. I wish that I could go back and change everything with your mom.”

I nod, blinking back tears.

“I know it will take time for you, but I’m going to prove to you that I’m not going anywhere. You’re my person, and I’m yours. We were made for each other. Chosen by nature. By fate. It’s rare, sacred. When we meet our person, our fated mate, it’s instant. Irrevocable. Permanent."

My heart races as I listen to him talk about our future. I’m afraid to admit how badly I want what he’s offering me.

"Permanent," I whisper.

"If you say yes," he adds softly. "If you agree to bond with me, then yes. We’ll be connected forever. I’ll mark you during the full moon, claim you as mine, and we’ll be bound together, mind, body, and soul."

"Forever."

He nods.

My breath comes out in a slow exhale. "That’s... huge."

"I know."

"And the full moon is…?”

“Tonight,” he says thickly.

"What happens if I say no?"

His jaw tightens, but he answers honestly. "Then I wait as long as it takes. I won’t pressure you. But I’ll never want anyone else."

The weight of his words settles over me like a warm blanket and a crushing storm all at once.

I want to say yes, but something holds me back.

“You don’t have to decide now, or even today,” he tells me.

I nod. “Okay.”

He smiles, leaning in to kiss my cheek.

He smells so good. My mouth waters, and warmth floods my bloodstream, pooling in my stomach. Synapses fire throughout my body, and I swallow hard.

“What now?” I whisper.

“Now we hang out. What do you want to do today?”

“Well, I need to deliver the desserts and stop at the market for some groceries.”

“All right. Let’s go.”

We spend the day together. I take him on my delivery route, introducing him to the shop owners I’ve slowly befriended. He carries every box like it weighs nothing, smiling at my customers, staying close but never crowding me.

We grab lunch at a sandwich shop, then stop by the market for flour, butter, and a dozen other essentials. He loads everything into the truck while I talk to the cashier.

As the day goes on, my feelings start to deepen. I’m more aware of my body and of Rhodes. The way his eyes darken as he watches me. How he licks his lips. The warmth of his smile.

How badly I need him.

By the time the sun begins to dip, my skin is tingling and my body hums with a restless energy I can’t explain. I feel hot and jittery, like something inside me is coming undone.

"You can feel it,” he murmurs, brushing a hand down my arm as we leave the last shop. "The mating heat."

“Yeah,” I admit, swallowing hard. "I think, anyway. Is this normal? This feeling?"

“Yeah.” He nods. "I can feel it, too. I could this morning, but it’s getting stronger. You’ll feel it more as the full moon rises."

I slide into the passenger seat, clenching my thighs.

“Are you hungry?”

I nod.

“Pizza?”

“Sounds good.”

Rhodes drives to Crust’s Pizza, and I wait in the car as he goes in to order for us. My heart is racing out of control. I squirm in my seat, unable to sit still. There’s a pulsing ache right between my legs, and all I can think about is being with Rhodes. Intimately.

By the time Rhodes comes back with our pizza and we get back to my apartment, the air is thick with tension. My skin feels too tight. My heart is racing. Everything inside me screams for him.

He sets the pizza on the kitchen island and opens the box.

I don’t move.

He looks up at me, his green eyes darkening as he watches me. I can see he’s holding himself back. He’s coiled tight, and seeing how badly he needs me has my desire burning hotter than ever.

"Adeline—"

"I want you," I whisper.

The words barely leave my mouth before he’s on me.

He crosses the space in two strides, grabs my face in his hands, and kisses me like he’s been waiting his whole life to do it.

And maybe he has.

Maybe I’ve been waiting, too.

“You’re sure,” he asks, ripping his mouth from mine.

I love that he’s checking in with me, giving me a chance to change my mind. I know that even if it killed him, he would stop if I asked him to at any point. Rhodes would do anything for me.

“I’m sure,” I promise.

That’s all he needs to hear.

His lips land on mine again, and he kisses me like he needs to, like he would die if his lips weren’t on mine. That works for me, because right now I feel the same way.

I kiss him back, pouring all of the achy need that I feel for him into the embrace. His hands cradle my face as his lips move over mine. He bites at my bottom lip, and I gasp, giving him the opening to slip his tongue into my mouth.

He growls against my lips, the sound skating down my spine and sending shivers throughout my body.

“Rhodes,” I gasp.

He groans. “I need you so fucking badly, mate.”

I nod against him, and he bends, scooping me into his arms. I let out a squeak, but Rhodes ignores me as he carries me toward the bedroom.

He holds me as if I’m as light as a feather, and I love it.

I’m a big girl, but Rhodes is bigger and strong enough to manhandle me like the heroes in my romance books.

My bed is still unmade from this morning. Rhodes grabs the comforter and sheets, tossing them aside before laying me down in the middle of the bed and moving over me.

His weight pressing me into the mattress is delicious. My toes curl, and my back arches, pressing my breasts against his chest.

“Naked,” Rhodes growls.

He stands and rips his shirt over his head. I sit up, wiggling as I tug off my top. He groans as I throw it aside, his eyes locked on my breasts in my lacy bra.

“Fuck, mate. You’re perfect.”

Smiling, I stand and shimmy out of my pants and panties. I look up at him as I reach behind my back and unhook my bra, letting the straps fall down my arms. The last piece of my clothing lands between us, and Rhodes lets out a stuttering exhale.

I’ve never been naked in front of someone before.

The nerves I expected are there, but not as bad as I thought.

I know it’s because of how Rhodes is looking at me.

He makes me feel confident, like I’m the most beautiful woman in the world.

He looks at me like I hung the moon and the stars.

I’ve never had that before, but I find that I love it.

Rhodes reaches for me, his hands sliding down my curves until he grabs my hips. “I’m trying to go slow. I don’t want to scare you or do something wrong.”

“You can’t,” I whisper as I look at him.

He half smiles. “I’ve never done this before, Adeline. You’ll be my first and only.”

“You’re my first, too,” I tell him softly.

“I want to make this good for you.”

“You are,” I assure him. “Just keep touching me.”

“I can do that,” he promises.

He pushes me back onto the bed and kisses me. I sigh, getting lost in his kiss. He suddenly pulls away, dropping to his knees at the side of the bed.

“Rhodes?”

“Need to taste you,” he mumbles.

“What?”

He doesn’t answer me, just pushes my thighs apart and buries his face between them.

“Oh!” I shout.

He growls as his tongue licks every part of me. His hands slide up my stomach until they’re cupping my tits, his thumbs toying with my stiff nipples.

“Oh, Rhodes!” I cry out.

My back arches off the bed, and my eyes fall closed. I stop thinking. All I can focus on is the wonderful things he’s doing to me. The way his lips wrap around my clit, the flick of his tongue, and the pinch of his fingers.

Sensations build inside me with each stroke of his tongue, growing like a wave rolling in with the tide. When he wiggles his tongue into my snug virgin opening, I splinter apart beneath him, that wave crashing to shore.

“Rhodes!” I scream, my fingers tangling in his hair, clinging to him as I come.

He growls, licking up every drop of my release like the beast he is.

“Rhodes,” I gasp his name again as pleasure spreads outward from my core.

Giving me one last lick, he prowls up my body. He kisses the valley between my breasts and stands, shoving down his jeans and boxers. His eyes are so dark with hunger that they almost look black. He’s right on the edge, and I haven’t even touched him yet.

“Your turn?” I ask shyly.

Shaking his head, he says, “I need you too badly. I need to mark and claim you.”

He reaches for me and pulls me up the bed, settling his hips between my thighs. His hands bracket my head as I gaze up at him.

“How do you mark and claim me?” I ask.

“I need to bite you. Right here.” He points to the base of my neck.

“Will it hurt?”

He looks pained for a second. “It might. I’ll do everything I can to limit the pain,” he promises.

I cup his face. “I trust you.”

He looks relieved at my words. I wrap my arms around his neck and tug him down until his mouth is on mine. He growls against my lips as his cock brushes against my soaked folds. We both groan as the tip of his dick rubs against my clit, and he breaks the kiss.

“Ready for me, mate?”

I love that he’s checking in with me again, making sure that I haven’t changed my mind.

I turn my head, offering him my neck. “I’m ready.”

His eyes flash, and he leans in to nuzzle me. His cock presses against my opening as his lips brush my pulse point, and he licks my skin.

I gasp, and that’s when it happens.

His teeth sink into my skin as he thrusts into me, breaking through my virginity and claiming me as his. He bottoms out inside me as he licks over the bite mark on my neck, sealing the wound.

“Rhodes,” I moan.

He sighs happily. “Mine.”

His kisses my neck as his hips rock gently inside me. I sense his restraint as he holds himself back from pounding into me. While I appreciate his tenderness, I want him to lose control.

“Harder,” I plead.

Surprise flashes in his eyes, but he does as I ask and picks up the pace.

I brace my hands against the cheap headboard as he rocks into me harder and faster, his pace growing erratic as he starts to come undone.

“Rhodes,” I cry out when he hits a certain spot deep inside me.

He flashes his teeth and angles his hips, hitting that spot over and over again.

“Mate,” I shout as I come, my nails biting into the skin of his arms, leaving little crescents in their wake.

“Mine!” he roars as he follows me over the edge, coming deep inside me.

“Mine,” I echo.

His pace slows, and he pulls out, rolling onto his side. His arms wrap around me, holding me close, and I smile softly.

“Hmm,” I hum.

He laughs, kissing my forehead. “Are you hungry?”

I shake my head. “Not right now.”

He brushes my hair from my face. “Tired?”

“Not really.”

“What do you need?”

I meet his dark gaze. “Just you.”

“Again? Already? You’re not sore?”

“Not sore. Achy,” I correct. “I need you.”

“You have me. Always,” he promises as he settles between my thighs again.

And he has me, too.

Over and over and over.