Page 18 of The Alpha’s Promise (Alpha Doms #3)
The group had fallen together easily. They were all in their twenties and he’d been the obvious leader.
He’d never had to assert himself with them except in a joking manner.
Most of them worked for him with CJ Steele Construction, and they had an easy relationship, with his employees working hard to please him, but knowing he wouldn’t be a hard-ass if they needed slack.
Lorna’s reaction to Melissa had taken him by surprise. He hadn’t had sex with the she-wolf in over a year and they’d never been a couple—it had been gratuitous fucking, usually on a full moon, which is common among wolves until they find their true mate.
He should have warned the pack Melissa would be here. He’d told Greg, his beta, about the alpha promise, and had planned to tell the rest of the pack tonight, since it affected them all. But he wasn’t thinking clearly, hadn’t been since the night he brought Melissa home. She did that to him.
Voices picked up in the kitchen as the tension eased and the group fell into making food together. Greg, the beta of the pack, opened a couple of bags of chips and pulled a twelve-pack of beer from the refrigerator. Mary unwrapped a salad she’d brought.
He stepped in to get the meat, but something made him freeze. Somehow, the scent of Melissa’s tears had reached his senses. Where was she?
Dammit. The need to soothe her overrode any pack responsibility. Without a word to anyone, he stalked to the master bedroom and pushed the door open.
Melissa stood at the window, looking out. He caught her reflection in the windowpane, and the lost look nearly killed him. At his entrance, she whirled and darted away from him, into the bathroom.
He leaped forward, shoving his shoulder between the door and the frame before she could slam it shut.
“Can’t I just get a little privacy around here?” She wrestled with him, trying to shove him out. He caught her wrists and twirled her to wrap her arms around her chest in a painless restraint, pulling her back against his chest and holding her tight.
“Hey,” he said softly, trying to soothe her.
“Leave me alone.”
He pushed her up against the wall, sandwiching her there between it and his body, his arms protecting her from being squished. She leaned her forehead against the wall, panting. He leaned his cheek against the back of her head, breathing in her scent.
He didn’t know why she was crying—not exactly. And he wasn’t good at handling distraught women—he’d had zero practice. But his instincts demanded he comfort her.
“Are you here to yell at me?” Bitterness threaded her voice.
“No, baby.” Her heartbeat tapped through her back and into his chest. Her nearness both calmed and incited his beast.
“Why are you crying? Are you jealous because of what Lorna said?”
Her little body turned wiry against him, muscles tightening in reaction to his words.
He bit her ear, then laved it to soothe the sting. “You are, aren’t you?” Pleasure swam through him. Good. He was glad she was jealous. If she had any idea the level of desire she inspired in him, she’d know he would tear the head off any man who looked at her twice.
“Go to hell.”
“Baby, that she-wolf means nothing to me. I’ve full-moon fucked her a few times over the past few years, and that’s it.
It didn’t mean anything and we’ve never been a couple.
” He wasn’t sure why he needed to explain it to her—they weren’t in a relationship either, nor did they want to be, but it seemed important she know how things lay.
He turned her in his arms to face him. “I’m sorry she was such a bitch to you. I didn’t mean for that to happen.”
Her lower lip trembled and it killed him to see her pain. “How many times?”
“What?”
“How many times is a few?” Then she shook her head. “Never mind. It’s none of my business.” She tried to shove him again. “Will you just go away?”
But it was her business. Her jealousy meant she had feelings for him, and despite his desire to stay emotionally clear of her, he cared about her, too.
He wanted to ease her pain over this. He caught her chin and lifted it, brows knitting as he studied her beautiful face.
“She never inspired one-tenth of the hunger I have for you. She never had me this tightly strung, seconds away from losing control every time I got close to her.” He pressed his bulging erection against her belly.
“Feel what you do to me. You think you need to be jealous over her?” He shook his head. “There’s no comparison.”
Tears swam in Melissa’s eyes, but they didn’t fall.
Soft and romantic wasn’t his thing, but he did his best, tipping his head down to just brush his lips lightly across hers.
“I’m sorry. That was a horrible introduction to the pack.
Will you please come out and meet them now?
The rest are nice and I will boot Lorna in a heartbeat if she’s rude to you again. ”
She rubbed her lips together and nodded. “Okay.”
Some of his tension eased. He twined his fingers into hers and led her out to the kitchen where at least ten members of his pack had now gathered. “Say hi to Melissa, everyone. She’s a quarter wolf.”
Their interest piqued at that, and Mary, the only other female in their little pack, drew Melissa over. Melissa complimented her salad and soon had her chatting nonstop about which ingredients she’d bought at the farmer’s market.
By sunset, all twenty-five members of his pack had arrived and the noise in the cabin grew to a dull roar as they mingled and ate in casual potluck style.
He considered asking Melissa to shut herself in the bedroom for the meeting, but decided against it.
She’d already been marginalized enough and he wasn’t worried about her sharing their secrets.
If she did, he could take it up with Ben Stone.