My Mate is an Alpha

Chapter 8

SASHA

The next morning, the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Cedar’s handsome, perfectly-sculpted face. Since he was still asleep, I took the opportunity to study him closer. I didn’t expect it would be so hard to resist the urge to touch him and feel him underneath my fingers.

I never imagined my first night away from the pack I had been born in, and the wolves I had grown up around, would be the most peaceful night of my life. Cedar’s presence was capable of soothing me on a spiritual level, once again making me realize just how powerful the mate bond was. The sound of his serene heartbeat put my mind at ease; his comforting touch made me feel safe; his calm breathing against my scalp warmed me up inside.

The hardest part about sleeping with him was convincing Topaz to keep her paws to herself. She claimed that Cedar’s wolf called out to him, yet she wouldn’t be able to properly communicate with him until we were mated and marked. Thankfully, she respected my decisions. At least I thought so, until my mate’s groggy groan echoed through the room, and I found myself tracing his cheekbones with my hand.

A gasp of embarrassment broke through my lips as I quickly retracted my hand - or tried to. Cedar was faster, promptly wrapping his fingers around my palm to keep me near. He slowly brought my fingers back to his face, causing jolts of electricity to course through me.

“You can touch me whenever you want to, ma chérie. I didn’t think you needed permission for that.” The first words he spoke to me made Topaz purr in my head.

Wait… Topaz!

“You sneaky little rat!” I barked at her. Had she really stolen control while my guard was down to shamelessly feel our mate? “You said you’d behave!”

“I also said I wanted to lick him. This was me behaving!” she countered.

“I d-didn’t mean to,” I blurted out, still red as a tomato.

“I like it. If it isn’t obvious,” he observed amusedly. Letting go of my hand, he raised his up to my face, stopping inches before touching me. “May I?”

After a moment of hesitation, I nodded. He shyly lowered his hand, brushing my cheeks with the back of his fingers. I closed my eyes, relishing his touch. His index finger traced my jaw leisurely. Then, he entertained himself by feeling the texture of my lips. When his thumb pressed against my bottom lips, pushing it down just slightly, I opened my eyes again, immediately meeting his ferociously hungry gaze. Damn, he went from being the perfect gentleman to being a tease at the snap of a finger!

I prepared myself for our first kiss. But to my displeasure, he suddenly pulled away with a grunt, clenching his fist mid-air. I bit my lip as my heart raced. He rolled away from me, sitting by the edge of the bed with his back to me.

“What’s wrong?” I asked with newfound despair. Everything I felt towards him was always so intense.

“Nothing’s wrong.” To my surprise, I noticed a sexy smile on his lips when he glanced at me over his shoulder. “I just wouldn’t be able to stop myself if I kissed you right now.”

“Who said I want you to stop?” the question slipped my mouth without me even realizing it.

His expression darkened with lust as a deep growl reverberated in his chest. Before his wolf could steal control, he forced his eyes shut. When he opened them again a few seconds later, they were back to their usual shade of blue.

“You’re gonna be the death of me, aren’t you?” he chuckled, stretching his hand out to me soon after. “I promised you I’d take you on a tour around the territory. That’s what I intend to do.

A bittersweet feeling filled me as I took his hand, and he helped me out of bed. I was excited to learn more about the land we would rule together, but I was also hungry to get to know his body. Be patient, Sasha.

Cedar walked into the bathroom with a change of clothes, allowing me privacy to get dressed myself. All of my belongings were still packed in my suitcases, as I hadn’t really had the time to organize them in the closet I would be sharing with my mate. Not wanting to stand out, I went for a dark pair of jeans, a light blue sweater, and a black overcoat. My mate stepped back into the bedroom as soon as I was finished, and we exited the Alpha suite together.

It was still early in the morning. The sun had just started to rise, which explained why the pack house was so empty; most wolves were probably attending sparring lessons or getting ready for work. Cedar told me that he had skipped training today to stay with me, but he still wanted to stop by the training grounds.

“There’s someone else I want you to meet before we start our tour,” he revealed.

“Your Gamma, right?” I guessed. “I mean, I’ve already met your Beta and Delta.”

I knew I was wrong when he grimaced. “Actually, we’re lacking a Gamma; we’ve been for a while now.”

It only clicked for me then. Caitlyn’s former mate, Caleb, used to be the Gamma of Ninebark pack. From what she had told me, he started falling apart after rejecting her. Cedar was forced to strip him of his title at some point, and he had sadly lost his life to save Cait’s in the recent battle against the bears.

“You haven’t found anyone to replace Caleb?” I asked in a low voice, knowing that the subject was delicate.

“Not yet.” He sighed. As he came to a stop, his gaze fell on me. “Anyway, here we are.”

A few feet away from us, males and females, warriors of all ages, were leaving the indoor gym. I started wondering who he wanted me to meet, until I spotted a familiar face among the crowd. The Delta’s hair looked slightly shorter than I remembered it, and her build looked more muscular than I expected it to be; but then again, it wasn’t too surprising considering that she had been wearing a winter coat during our first meeting.

“Oh! Hi, Sophie!” I beckoned at her as she walked past us.

When the young woman turned to me, her gaze was colder than it had been the night before. She didn’t look half as sympathetic, but since she was leaving training, I assumed she was probably tired. But then, she completely ignored me as her eyes darted to her older brother.

“You didn’t tell her?” she scoffed before facing me again. “I’m not Sophie. I’m her twin sister, Kirana.”

Identical twins?! Now, everything made sense; this is who he wanted me to meet. I glanced at Cedar, waiting for some kind of explanation. Instead, I just saw his expression change. He looked…apprehensive.

“My mistake,” I apoligized. “I’m Sasha. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kirana.”

“Why?” She furrowed her brows. “You have no idea who I am.”

“Well, you’re Cedar’s sister.”

“So what? A minute ago, you didn’t even know about my existence. In fact, less than 24 hours ago, you didn’t even know about his existence!” The harshness in her tone made me wince. What was up with her? “Look, if you’re gonna stay here, let’s skip the pleasantries, alright? We’re not family.”

Taken by surprise, I remained rooted to my spot as Kirana unceremoniously walked away.