AlphavsAlpha (9 page)

“I’ll always come for you, Serena. That’s what True Mates
do.”

Chapter Nine

Serena woke with a jerk, frowning as she looked out her
window. Sunrise was just touching the horizon out her east window, but she
stared at the ceiling, her body still vibrating from her orgasm.

It was a dream.
Just
a dream. It had to be.

She rubbed her forehead and groaned. It
hadn’t
been a
dream though, and somehow she knew it. She wanted to pound on something. It
wasn’t fair. She knew he’d been here.
Knew it
. In her bed. In her body.
He’d made love to her and it had been…extraordinary. She’d never had a male who
was so determined to give
her
pleasure. To make sure it was right for
her
.

True Mates do that.

It was as if his voice echoed in her mind.
No.
They
were not True Mates. She wasn’t going to lose herself. Immerse herself in him
until there was nothing of her left.

It isn’t like that.

Serena sat up holding her head, wanting him out of it, and
fought his soft words. The seduction of him.

Isn’t our connection proof enough of the truth, my love?

Damn him. She wasn’t going to fall for this.

She crawled out of bed and went into the bathroom, turning
on the shower full blast and climbing in, she screeched as the cold water
splashed over her, but it did the trick. He was gone. Somehow, she felt it. Or
rather, felt his absence. Fighting a strange wave of depression at the loss of
his mental touch, she turned the hot water tap on to make the water comfortable
and scrubbed herself raw.

She dried off and decided to go for a run to clear her head.
Barely noticing her nudity, she opened her bedroom door and ran down the stairs
and out onto the front porch.

Serena surveyed the pack compound, no one was about yet, but
they wouldn’t regard her nudity either because shifting required it. Anyone
running around naked out here was either going to shift into a wolf or had just
returned to their human form. It was so much easier to be herself among her
family…her pack…than in the city. Out here she didn’t have to hide her wolf.

Serena concentrated, forming her animal self mentally before
shifting into the golden wolf form. She stretched then padded down the porch
and loped west…toward the mountains. To escape everything for a little while.

When she returned to the house an hour later, Serena felt
calmer. Well, only a little. Because now she knew with certainty that Damien
was coming for her. She’d felt a sense of determination from him. It had been
brief and then gone, but it was enough for her to know he was on his way. So
she’d better get ready to face him…soon.

As she climbed the stairs her mother called out, “Get
dressed, Serena. Breakfast is almost ready.”

“Yes, Mom,” she responded with a sigh.

She’d have to shower again because she smelled a little like
wet dog after her run, and her mother hated that kind of stink at the breakfast
table. It didn’t take her long, but she dithered over what to wear—knowing
Damien would be here today, she wanted to look her best. Then again. Why should
she dress up for him? He could just take her as he found her, damn it, but she
still put on one of her favorite outfits, knowing she looked good.

When she walked into the kitchen, her father stood up from
the table, wiping his mouth on the napkin. Ginger turned from the stove, her
gaze locking with her husband’s. He grunted, nodded once and walked over to
her.

“I’ll be in my office if you need me. Need to figure out
what to do with Quillen today.”

“Yes dear.” He smiled gently down at her and gave her a soft
kiss on the cheek.

He turned to Serena. “Call if you need me, yes?”

“Yes, Daddy.”

“Good.” He dropped a kiss on her forehead in passing and
left the kitchen.

“What would you like for breakfast, dear?” her mother asked
as she cleaned her father’s dishes off the table.

Serena took a deep breath of the homey smell of eggs, bacon
and pancakes that still hung in the air and swayed, her stomach twisting in her
gut. She felt like vomiting. Was she getting the flu?

Ginger put the dishes in the sink and pointed to the table.
“I think you should sit down. You’re green.”

Serena settled herself at the table and grabbed a glass of
water to take a drink. Her mother pursed her lips.

“Toast, I think.” Her mother made her fresh toast, buttered
it lightly and set it in front of her. She hoped she’d be able to choke it
down.

Her mother sat down and poured herself some coffee. Serena
reached for the pot.

“I think you would do better with some milk, dear.” She told
her daughter as she took a sip of her coffee.

“Milk?” Was the female out of her mind? That sounded
nauseating.

“Water then.”

Serena took another drink of her water. “I must be getting
the flu.”

Ginger chuckled. “Bullshit.”

“Mother!” Serena’s eyes widened. Ginger rarely swore around
her.

“You’re pregnant, Serena. So when are we going to meet him?”

“Him…who?”

“Your new Mate. You know, the wolf who impregnated you?”

Serena bit her lip, wanting to lie. Ginger watched her
calmly as she cast around for a diversion. “Where’s Quinn?”

“At the clinic, and he dragged Quillen with him. Said it
would be good for him to get used to doing some work.”

“Oh.” No reprieve then and her mother could be relentless.

“Well?” Ginger asked again. “We’ll want to meet him. Unless
he’s one of those wolves who doesn’t do right by their pups?”

“Don’t be silly,” she growled at her mother. “Damien is very
responsible.”

“Good.” Ginger tilted her head. “So? When do we meet him?”

“Today. He’s coming today.”

“You ran away from him, didn’t you?”

She blinked and her eyes flew up to meet her mother’s shrewd
gaze. “What makes you think that?”

“He’s not here and I’ve never seen you look this rattled in
your entire life. You’re your father’s daughter in so many ways.”

“Daddy runs away?”

“No. Not once. But you’re both notoriously calm in crisis
and as stubborn as the day is long.”

“Oh.”

“Yes, oh.” Ginger smiled. “How’s the toast?”

Surprisingly, it went down pretty well. “Good. Can I have
some more?”

Ginger chuckled and went to make her more. While she worked,
she turned. “So why did you run?”

This is what she’d wanted. Why she came. How did she ask her
mother without hurting her feelings as she had last night?

“Why do you always obey him?”

“Your father?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t.”

“You do too. I’ve never heard you argue and he always makes
his decrees with which you
always
agree.”

Ginger laughed. “Oh dear. While it’s true that you’ve never
heard
us argue, we argue. Often. We’re both too strong willed not to. But the lack of
loud arguments is one of the advantages of being True Mates. He went to work in
his office this morning because I told him to.”

Serena blinked in disbelief. “You what?”

“I knew you wanted to talk to me and he didn’t need to be
here. I told him to leave.”

“But you didn’t say anything.”

“You didn’t
hear
me say anything, but I most assuredly
said something to him.” Ginger shook her head, reseating herself at the table.
“I have been sadly remiss as a mother. I thought you had been taught by the
pack instructors about what it means to have a Mate.”

“Yes, you choose to be committed and have pups together.”

“I don’t mean Mates. I mean
True
Mates. When you meet
your True Mate, you recognize each other’s scent. When you have sex, you are
compelled to mark each other. It’s almost a ritual and it’s instinctual. After
you mark each other, you gradually connect mentally and emotionally. You can
sense each other’s feelings. You can feel how near you are to one another. You
even hear each other’s thoughts. Your father and I have been together quite
some time. We have conversations, debates and even arguments without saying a
single word out loud.” Ginger took another sip of her coffee while she watched
Serena process the information she’d just heard.

“You mean you don’t always obey him?” Serena was
incredulous. This was a revelation to her. All her life, her father made his
proclamations with her mother standing silently at his side.

“Good heavens, no. Sometimes he obeys me.” Ginger grinned
and winked.

“I don’t have to become a Stepford Mate?” Serena asked.

“I wouldn’t
want
a Stepford Mate, Serena.”

Serena jumped and turned to where Damien stood in the
kitchen doorway. She should have known he’d been out in the hall because she
could smell him, and her mother was right—she recognized the scent. It was as
if she’d always known it. She turned to her mother as he walked into the room
to stare at her.

“Why didn’t you ever say anything, then? Why was it always
him?”

“My dear, your father is the leader of our pack. His word is
law…out
there
.” She waved vaguely toward the front of the house. “But in
here, we’re partners. Before the pack, we speak with one voice…
his
.” She
sighed and glanced at Damien, sizing him up before she turned back to Serena.
“Were you in line to lead this pack, Damien would be standing at your back as
your lieutenant and yours would be the voice that spoke. However, since you
have never had any interest in being pack leader, your father chose Quinn as
his heir.”

“I thought it was because he wouldn’t allow a female to lead
the pack.”

The kitchen door was pushed open and Damien was shoved bodily
out of the way. Her father entered. “My grandmother was pack leader here. It’s
been done before. You just never wanted it. It’s a damn headache.” He turned
and looked at his wife. “Where is the rolodex? Quillen came back to the house
and is crying pathetically in my office. I want his ass out of here. Quinn
followed and is still blaming himself, as usual. That boy needs to be grabbed
by the scruff of his neck and shaken!” He growled, “There are times I really
hate this job.”

Her father turned to meet Damien’s dark gaze, studying him
from head to foot and snorting at the perfect black suit and polished black
leather shoes. “Damn, you’re one pretty boy. I hope you hunt as well as you
look.”

“Dad!” How dare he insult her Mate! Serena bristled
protectively, despite that fact her initial reaction to him had been the same.

Let me handle this, Serena,
Serena heard in her head.
She blinked and looked at Damien. He’d talked to her. Silently. Telepathically.

She frowned in concentration. If
he
could do this
then so could she.
He’s my father.

Yes, and he is challenging me as such. Let me speak for
myself.
She frowned but gave a slight nod. He smiled. “I caught your
daughter, didn’t I?”

“Tracking isn’t catching,” Drew countered. Ginger handed him
the rolodex from the desk in the corner of the kitchen. He went through it and
pulled a card.

Damien growled. “She belongs to me.”

“Mounting a bitch doesn’t grant ownership, son. I suggest
you learn that now or you’ll be due for a life of frustration.” He gave Ginger
a wink and kissed her cheek.

Serena could see Damien tense and his face went still. Oh
dear, this wasn’t going well at all. “Dad, he’s my
Mate
.” The tension
seemed to flow out of Damien at her statement.

Drew turned his olive gaze to his daughter. “He’d better be.
He planted a pup in your belly.”

“How do you…”

“You reek of him, honey. Your mother can sense the pup and
she’s a midwife. Quinn could smell it too. He’s a doctor, after all. They both
told me about the little one.” His olive gaze met Damien’s dark eyes. “You’d
better take care of them both or there will be hell to pay.” He crossed to
Serena and kissed her forehead in a familiar gesture of affection. “He can
share the bedroom upstairs, but we don’t have sound proofing in here, so do
your mom and me a favor.
Be quiet!
” He turned and left the room to go
deal with Quillen.

Serena could see Damien swallow. Shit, he’d actually been
nervous. She reached out mentally and felt his intense relief, both that he’d
found her and that her father had accepted him. She blinked as she looked at
him.

Ginger looked from one to the other and smiled. “Much
better. I am going to go find Quinn. He’s been jumpy ever since the business
with that bitch Joyce. It’s time to find out what’s wrong.” She kissed her
daughter and stopped in front of Damien. “Treat my girl well or I'll gut you
and I’m
far
more dangerous than my Mate is.”

“Yes ma’am.”

She leaned up and kissed Damien’s cheek then left the room.

“Why did you run out on me, Serena?” His quiet voice
betrayed his hurt. She looked down at her hands.

“I was confused. I thought…”

“You thought you’d have to give up your identity to be with
me?”

She nodded as he crossed the room. He knelt in front of her.
He set his hands on her knees. “I wouldn’t want you to be any different than
you are. You challenge me and you excite me. Why would I want you to turn into
some damn china doll? Your strength is what I want in a Mate.”

“You really want me then? I wasn’t sure you would.”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“It could have just been that you wanted me when I was in
heat. It’s happened before.”

Damien snarled rising to his feet and looking around, “Who
hurt you? I’ll tear out his throat.”

“That won’t be necessary. I’m over it.” She fought a bubble
of relieved laughter.

“You can’t be too over it if you ran away from me because of
it. Why would you think I wouldn’t want you?”