by Lisa Lace
"He was waiting outside of Varetec for me tonight." Sonya moved in front of him and spoke with the hostess as Alec stopped in his tracks.
Had the bastard approached Sonya again? He must want to die.
Chapter Twenty-Three
She regretted saying anything to him. The hostess took them toward the back of the restaurant and Sonya turned, reaching back for Alec's hand. He granted her desire and moved in tightly behind her, his body offering her comfort that his words could never do by themselves. They sat down and she pulled her napkin in her lap, glancing across the table at her handsome date.
"He didn't touch me, but I'm not quite sure what your message was the other day. I guess I was hoping to dig a little to see if he was directly going against your wishes or if you had simply told him to stay away from your pack."
"Are you fucking kidding me? I told him that you were mine and that if he even looked your way I was going to skin him alive." Alec narrowed his eyes and Sonya shivered. He was vicious and deadly, all of which turned her on as long as it wasn't directed toward her.
"I think he enjoyed the idea of pissing you off more." She shook her head and looked up as the server approached. Alec ordered them a bottle of red wine and a seafood pasta to share. She was surprised by his request, but he was working to show her intimacy and importance. She could feel the battle raging within him over Dax, as well as his people's demands that she not be a part of his future.
The server walked away and she picked up her glass of water, taking a drink while she allowed him a few minutes to calm down. The angry ticking of a vein in the side of his neck gave his emotions away. She wasn't going to speak until he did. It was a respect she wanted to show him and needed him to have.
"I'll take care of Dax. I was hoping not to spill blood, but I'm going to have to."
"Are you going to take out all four of them?" she asked. She picked up a piece of bread from the small basket the waiter had deposited on his last visit.
"Yes. I'll get Jared to help me. They are a rather rowdy group. I beat their asses pretty good, but that seemed to only excite them from what you're telling me. Dax bothering you and coming close to you shows his disregard for my position."
"I agree. Tell me what we're going to do about your advisors separating us. If you think it's best that we walk away so you can maintain their expectations and your pure blood..."
"Shut up." He reached across the table and took her hand, squeezing it hard. "Don't ever say that to me again. My life is with you. I want us more than anything else. I will work it out with them or I'll force it on them."
Sonya nodded, wanting to push it to the point of him seeking a solution, but now wasn't the time. She pulled her hand from his as the server showed up with the bottle of wine. Alec spoke to the man, tasting it and approving of it before turning his sapphire gaze back on her.
"My turn." Alec tilted his head.
"Yes, it is. Ask me whatever you need to." Sonya handed her glass to him as he lifted the bottle and nodded toward her.
"What do you want to do about your pack, Sonya? It's time to step up as Alpha or name a new one. Do you want to have me support you or do you want to release the pack to me?" He set the bottle down and leaned back in his chair, his body tense.
"My father's letter to me was ambiguous about his desires. I think he believed I could become the Alpha of the brown bears."
"I think so too. I know you could do it. You're the strongest woman I know." A smile tugged at the side of his sexy mouth.
"I think I could too, but not because of strength, but love for them. They're my family, Alec." She picked up her glass and took a small sip before shaking her head. Her light brown hair danced around her shoulders, tickling her skin slightly. "I'm too traditional for that. I believe the Alpha should be a male."
"I'm quite traditional too. I think the biggest issue I have with you being Alpha of your father's pack is that every time a threat comes at you, at us...I would step up to fight and that's not the way of our people."
"You don't think me capable of fighting my own battles?" She smirked at him to let him know that she was teasing him.
"I know you are, but I'm your man. Even if you tied me to the chair in my human form, my animal would never in a million years sit back and allow you to fight." He rolled his shoulders and growled softly.
Sonya swallowed hard, her pulse picking up a little. To have someone so strong and good care for her well being was overwhelming. She wanted to move across the table and curl up in his lap for the rest of the night.
It was new to her. She had been independent for too long.
"I want you to take the pack." She shifted her gaze as the server walked up and set their plates down in front of them. Breathing in deeply, she gave a sound of appreciation and picked up her fork.
"You have to relent to me in battle or in passion for it to be mine. I'll take you tonight and when I've proven myself worthy, give me the honor of being your Alpha." He watched her closely, the look in his eyes making her feel precious and beautiful.
"Are we fighting or fucking?" She laughed, needing to break the moment before it consumed her.
"Both?" He chuckled and picked up his fork. "I need to figure out what to do with my people. Will yours accept me?"
"Yes. Parik will communicate that you were my father's choice and we will present ourselves as mates to my people. That should be more than enough for us." She twirled her fork around the thick, creamy dish and leaned over, taking a large bite into her mouth.
"Is it horrible that watching you eat turns me on like crazy?"
She finished the bite and wiped her mouth. "Not at all. Pleasures sometimes run in tandem. You're a pervert too, so I'm sure you're thinking about my tongue and teeth on you."
He chuckled deep in his chest. The sound was delightful and sexy. "Pervert?"
"How many times have you imagined taking me in the ass?" She lifted her brow as he froze, his muscles locking into place.
"More than I can count." He held her stare, unwilling to relent to her. She laughed and took another bite of her food, shaking her head.
"How many times have you imagined fighting me until one of us was bloody and broken?" He set his fork down, surprising her with his inquiry.
"None in the last few days, but before that? Daily." She took her wine glass and took a long drink. "I know how we're going to get this all past your people."
"You do?" He tilted his head and studied her. "Stop teasing me and tell me how. I'm listening."
"It has to do with your past. Will you let me share a bit of it now?"
"Let me ask a few questions and then I will."
"Of course," she responded and continued to eat, nodding toward his plate. "Keep eating. I'm ready to take you home for a long night."
He picked up his fork and chuckled. "Now who's the pervert?"
"You like me for many reasons. That's just one of them."
"Love. I love you for many reasons."
She glanced down at her plate as her cheeks burned. Why was it so hard to say it back? He needed to hear it and they were mated. She glanced up at him, trying to formulate the words as she searched herself.
"Did your father help me with my schooling and the jobs I've held since you and I parted in Paris? Was he my mentor?" Alec saved her from the awkward moment.
"Yes. He believed that you and I together could conquer anything." She glanced down as tears burned her eyes.
"Did you love me before? When we were young?"
She looked up, not wanting to answer his question, but needing to move them toward the truth about him being both black and brown in heritage.
"Yes."
"Do you love me now, Sonya?"
"Yes and it scares the hell out of me."
"Then tell me anything you need to about my past. I trust you and know that your intentions are good. I've been haunted by the lack of information on who I truly am for as long as I can remember. The only thing that occupied my th
oughts more than that was you. I needed to know if you loved me or if it was a lie."
"I did and I do."
"Tell me what you think will help us then, baby." He reached over and took her hand, squeezing it softly.
"Let's go home and I'll tell you there." She wiped her mouth and waved the server over, asking for their bill as Alec watched her. He paid and they walked back to the car, his hand on the small of her back as he hovered over her.
They didn't speak on the way home but glanced toward each other every few minutes. Sonya rubbed at her chest absently, the need to tell him again how much she had fallen in love with him rolling over her in waves. She would tell him later.
Alec stopped the car in front of the house and walked around to open her door. She took his hand and got out, walking with him beside her to the house.
"We're going to make all of this work. I have no doubt. My father was supportive of you that he did one thing he would never be caught doing – interfering. He believed in everyone making their own road and I was no exception. He must have known this day was coming faster than anyone expected because he started directing both of us, Alec."
"Are the papers here with you?" Alec closed the front door behind them and locked it.
"Yes. You can see all of them if you want."
"First tell me what you think I need to know." He tugged her back and wrapped his arms around her, leaning down and brushing his lips past hers. She trapped him with her hands around his face and deepened the kiss, coaxing his tongue into her mouth.
The richness of the red wine was so good against her taste buds. She moaned softly as he slid his hands over her hips and held her still as he pressed his hips forward. She whimpered again at how hard he was. Knowing that she was capable of turning him on so quickly left her wanting to take him over the edge with her time and time again.
He broke the kiss, his eyes dilated as his breathing became heavy. "Tell me now or keep it until after I've tasted you, woman."
"Your mother was a brown bear and your father a black," Sonya whispered, unsure of how to break the news to him. It was a blessed thing for their situation, but she wasn't sure of how he felt about mixed bloodlines.
"How do you know this?" He tugged at the bottom of her shirt, pulling it over her head and reaching around her to undo her bra.
"My father had your blood tested in the hospital. I think he had a suspicion that it was true, but wanted Dr. Phillips to prove it beyond a doubt."
"Your father wanted proof? He had already invested so much in me. Why not get the proof he needed a long time ago before giving up so much for me?"
"I think the proof was for you and me." She reached for his shirt, but he pushed her hands away, working fast on her slacks. Sonya stood in her panties as he stood still for a moment.
"Brilliant. I'm not a pure blood. This is excellent."
"You're not mad?" She reached for him. She needed him close.
"Of course not. I believe in all bloodlines. Tradition says differently, but now there is proof that the gods bless something beyond strict adherence to the old ways."
"True," she whispered against the soft skin of his neck as she pressed her tongue to him and licked up to his ear. "Enough of this. Fuck me."
"Yes. Release yourself and your pack to me, baby. Give me everything you have and I'll protect and cherish it and you forever, Sonya." He grabbed her roughly and picked her up, walking them to the bedroom as she rubbed herself against him.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Alec laid her on the bed carefully. His body screamed for him to consume her, but his heart wanted him to take his time and show her how much he adored her. He brushed his hand down the tightness of her stomach and tugged at the top of her panties as he glanced up at her.
"We're going to work this out. Let it all go and release yourself to everything I have in store for you, pretty girl."
She smiled and reached for him. The expression didn't reach her eyes but was still beautiful. His mate had the weight of the world on her shoulders. He was going to work to remove it, brick by brick.
He pulled her panties down and leaned over, pressing his lips to her sex and breathing in deeply as she shuddered. Her fingers slid into his hair as he nudged her thighs open for him. He had been waiting to taste the feisty woman before him since having her on his tongue so many years ago.
"You can do what you like, but I'm having my turn tonight too," she whispered and he nodded before pressing his tongue to her center. The plan had been to slowly bring her to the edge, but the salty flavor of her skin left him almost frantic. He took a shallow breath and began to lap at her slowly at first, then faster.
She dug her fingers into his scalp and rocked her hips against him, the sound of her moans almost undoing him before he really had time to enjoy her. Something about her left him paralyzed with need and consumed with a desire to have her wrapped around him. In the midst of his lust, anger sparked as he remembered Dax coming into his lands and affronting his woman.
Alec reached up and slid his fingers into her wetness, her body hot and sticky with the need for a hard fucking. He pressed into her slowly as he kissed the top of her swollen lips. She shuddered and the Alpha reared up inside of him, a small voice whispering, 'mine' over and over again. He growled and sucked her into his mouth, pumping his fingers into her roughly as she groaned and whimpered.
He regretted the moment when she locked up. Her muscles contracted and she was beautiful to watch. She whispered something, but he couldn't make it out because of the blood pumping through his system. She deserved the world and he was going to start giving it to her. Surely there was so much more he could offer her.
"Come for me, baby. I need to taste you." Alec murmured against her skin and lapped at her hard. She jerked and screamed his name loudly, her legs squeezing tightly around his face. He continued his assault, memorizing the deliciousness of her sounds. He didn't stop until she pushed at the top of his head and begged him.
"Enough. You're going to be the death of me," she whispered, and lifted her legs. She turned and left her backside to him as she cuddled up in his bed. He stood and let his eyes run over the length of her, his breathing labored as he enjoyed knowing that she would be there for as long as they lived.
"Marry me." He climbed onto the bed and tugged at her shoulder, her expression one of shock as she turned. "Marry me and become mine in the eyes of the humans as well."
Sliding his hands up her thighs, his heart almost stopped at the tears collected in her beautiful copper gaze. Alec took hold of her hips roughly and arched his back, lining himself up to enter her again. He hovered just above her as she closed her eyes and undulated her hips, massaging the top of him.
"Give me the pack, the Alpha position and become my wife," he commanded her.
"You're asking a lot of me, you cocky bastard." She reached up and took hold of his shoulders, pulling herself to him and sliding down the length of him as he groaned loudly. He reached up with one hand and wiped away her tears as he wrapped his other arm tightly around her, wanting to feel the pressure and heat she provided.
"I need you in my life. I won't let you go again. Anything you ask of me, consider it done." He moved to kiss her as he began to work himself in and out of her tightness. She pressed her fingers to his lips and moaned in ecstasy.
"Yes. The pack is yours. I am yours." She bounced twice on him as her fingernails dug into his skin. "You are my Alpha."
He rolled them forward, pressing her back to the bed and fucking her slow and deep. Her hands caressed every part of him and it didn't take long before he felt like the world was spinning precariously fast around him. Fear swept in briefly at the idea of loving someone so much and needing them. What if something happened?
She pulled his face toward hers for a kiss and smiled at him. "Stay right here with me. No need to plan for tomorrow."
"You're right, lover." He kissed her deeply and let himself go, completely hers.
Alec c
aressed the side of her face as she slept beside him, everything right with his world and yet the threat of death sat just outside the door. He needed to gather his wits and go after Dax.
He moved from her side, careful not to wake her, and walked to his closet in search of pajama pants.
He couldn't help but glance her way as he walked from the room, the feminine silhouette she created leaving him breathless. Alec ran his fingers through his hair and tried to work out his next move. He needed to call Jared and get the other man involved, but it was too early.
Alec walked into the kitchen and made a quick cup of coffee before sitting down at the table and pulling Sonya's files toward him. He flipped through the advertising files that she was working on and smiled. Her work was impressive to say the least, not that he was at all surprised. The woman seemed to be capable of everything she tried doing. How he had convinced her to be his was a complete mystery.
His hand hovered over the small manila folder with his name on it, the haunting discovery of his past rearing to life. How many times had he wanted to know the truth of his heritage, but couldn't find the answers anywhere? It was as if the gods had dropped him off on the side of the road as an infant and left without a word.
"A hybrid. Interesting." He opened the file and picked up a letter that Victor had left for Sonya. He turned it over, not wanting to read something that was personal to his mate without her encouraging him to do so. The information was vast, but most of it was simply observations. Nothing in the file spoke to the feelings and emotions that he suffered, or the time he simply disappeared.
The fact that he was able to stand before the Blacks and the Browns was a huge win. If the gods had never looked down on him with approval before, they definitely were now. He would need the actual files from the hospital to prove it to his people. They would know he was cunning enough to try and work a lie past them.
