The Runaway Mate And Her Alpha

The realization

"I've waited for my mate a long time, and now here you are. You are mine, Rhea. Mine alone."

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be than right here with you."

Rhea snuggled against him, snaking her hands across his ripped chest and grabbing a handful of his shirt. But it was no more a shirt. It felt like sheets. Bed sheets.

"Rhea, wake up. It's time to get ready. Rhea!"

Rhea's eyes fluttered and opened, taking in the view of her room and the maid standing by her bed shaking her awake. Rhea sighed and slowly sat up, squinting as her eyes adjusted to the light flooding in through her window. It was a dream. The same dream she'd had since the night she'd arrived at Elijah's home. She would always wake up drenched in sweat and a heat of passion from sensual experiences that weren't real. Worse still, the man in her dream was none other than Elijah. Talk about bad luck. She hated the idea of being one of his booty calls, but it seemed she had no control over her growing feelings for him. That night in his office had triggered something in her and she didn't know what it was. Truth be told, she wasn't sure she wanted to find out either.

Rhea stretched deeply and got out of bed. "Morning, Claire. How will my life play out today?" She tried to hide the mild frustration in her voice but failed.

"Don't be terse with me." Claire's voice carried enough disdain and contempt for Rhea. "You should feel lucky. Most women would kill for a chance to gain the alpha's favor. Yet you act as if you don't love it. Get real, Rhea."

To be fair, Rhea thought Claire had a point. Since she arrived, Elijah had treated her differently, and he wasn't hiding it either. Everyone could see it. The pink uniform Rhea wore on the night of her arrival was only meant to be symbolic. Elijah made her wear it so he could make a point to everyone else that her path was different. She hadn't been required to wear it again since. It was the color that breeders of the Bloodbound pack wore. But there hadn't been any breeders in Elijah's family since before his father, Marcus.

Rhea cast a sideways glances at Rhea. The scowl on the maid's face made Rhea nearly burst out in laughter. But she couldn't blame her. Any maid would be mad if the alpha had assigned them to wait on another maid, much less one that was new.

"You have a meeting with the alpha by noon. It would be in your best interest not to be late." With that Claire made for the door. "I'll be waiting outside. Don't waste my time."

Rhea gave a cheeky reply with a mischievous smile on her face. "Yes, your highness. I'll be right out."

What did Elijah want with her today? It was becoming harder to concentrate around him. Rhea often caught herself staring at him while they were together, during meetings, when he was on a call, and a thousand other scenarios. And she was sure he had seen her staring too, but he never commented on it. He just kept her around, probably as a way to solidify her new status as his breeder. She also hadn't noticed any other women around him since she arrived. If Elijah was truly an unrepentant womanizer as the rumors about him said, she hadn't seen any reason to believe it was true. The thought of having Elijah all to herself flashed across her mind, causing her to smile. And she didn't even try to stop herself this time.

Rhea got in the bathroom and had a good, long shower. She didn't care that Claire was waiting outside. A few more minutes wouldn't kill her. Rhea got into a beautiful, backless flowing gown with floral prints. She hadn't come from home with anything, so Elijah had gotten her a wardrobe full of clothes. She looked in the mirror, but she wasn't doing that for herself. She wanted to make sure she looked her best—for Elijah.

Claire led Rhea to the large hall in the center of the building. This was where matters that concerned pack life were decided. The large entrance doors of the hall creaked open, showing Elijah in a meeting with members of the council. They all stopped and turned to see who it was. Their expressions differed, from compassionate smiles to hateful stares. Elijah motioned for her to wait and she took a seat by the entrance. But she could hear the council's conversation.

"You need a mate, my lord. An heir. You can't seriously want that from a common slave girl. What would other clans think of us?"

"There are stories of wolves rising through the ranks all the time, Felix. Surely that's not uncommon, is it?" Elijah's reply shut Felix up momentarily, but another council member spoke up.

"D'you plan to make her our Luna? I can't imagine the pack would go along with that. This would unsettle the harmony we've known for years, my lord. What you need is a mate."

Again, Elijah's response was quick and decisive. "The people adjust to what I say and do, not the other way around, Ryan. Or d'you care to challenge my authority?"

Ryan leaned back into his seat, raising his palms in surrender.

"Besides, I didn't say anything about lunas and mates and all that. I want an heir, and that's all there is to it. I can't keep waiting until the moon goddess decides to give me a mate, if at all she plans to."

The meeting droned on for about a half hour as they discussed other issues. Then Elijah retired to his office, with Rhea in tow.

The days they had spent together made it easier for Rhea to speak in front of Elijah. "What if the pack doesn't want me as your breeder? I don't want any trouble, my lord."

Her words caused him to spin around, a frown etched on his face. "You answer to me and me alone. No one else. Is that clear?"

Rhea dipped her chin and nodded in agreement. But when she opened her eyes again, everything was different. It struck her like a lighting bolt out of nowhere. She felt a heat rising within her. It spread all over her body causing her fingers to tingle. As she stared at Elijah in his seat, it was as if she was seeing him for the first time all over again. He was a fine specimen. His broad shoulders and full muscles seemed to ripple and flex with every movement. The rise and fall of his chest as he took each breath sent Rhea's head spinning as her heart beat rapidly and her pupils morphed into slits. From deep within, she could hear her wolf's low growl inside her, screaming to come out, to be let loose. It took all of Rhea's willpower to keep it at bay and not to jump on him.

Elijah was silent the whole time as he watched her intently, his face morphing from curiosity to hunger. Passionate hunger. Elijah's wolf-passing was in full flow and Rhea was sure he knew exactly what she was feeling now. What she wanted to do. What she wanted him to do to her.

Suddenly, Elijah leapt out of his chair and bounded towards her. He grabbed her waist and squeezed her against himself, their hips grinding in harmony. He grabbed the back of her neck and found her lips in a passionate kiss. Rhea lost control and wilted against Elijah’s huge frame. The alpha held her tightly as his lips traveled from her mouth to her neck. The sensation of his warm tongue against her flesh drew short, sharp breaths and gasps from Rhea as her arms weaved around his neck to support herself. Elijah worked his way to her already erect n*****s. He circled them with his tongue before he closed down on them with his lips, sucking on them tenderly through her gown. Rhea grabbed fistfuls of his hair as her gasps morphed into moans and her pupils rolled into her head.

Elijah continued to please her, finding all her pleasure spots as her moans grew louder. Then suddenly he straightened and looked into her face. His pupils were dilated like hers. "I want you, Rhea. It's time to make me an heir."

Rhea wasn't sure she even heard him completely. Her head was still in a daze from the intense pleasure she had just experienced. "Whatever you want, my lord," she managed to reply.

Elijah slowly slipped the straps of her gown from her shoulders and watched it drop to the floor, revealing her young, succulent body. He let out a low growl that sent knots of pleasure down Rhea's spine. In one swift movement of his hand, he swept his table clean, grabbed Rhea and half slammed her onto the table. He ripped off his clothes and placed himself firmly between Rhea's thighs as she spread her legs instinctively to accommodate him. Elijah was unforgiving this time as he sucked her breasts, while teasing her slit with his fingers. Then slowly, he traced his tongue down her belly to her navel and finally settled between her thighs, cradling her clit in his mouth and gently flicking it with his tongue.

Without warning, Rhea felt a fire growing in her eyes. She shut it, trying to quench the heat but it wouldn't go away. It stung like hell but somehow seemed to be in sync with the waves of pleasure that coursed through her body. The fire grew until she couldn't hold it in any longer. She opened her eyes, catching a clear view of her reflection from the mirror ceiling over Elijah’s table. It was unmistakable. Her hazel eyes had turned a crystal sapphire color——the same as Elijah's pupils.

Rhea had known there was something off since the day Elijah took her from her stepfather. The dreams she'd had, the uncontrollable feelings for him that were growing within her, and now her eyes turning the same color as his. It only meant one thing. And as her body trembled with overwhelming pleasure, her wolf's next utterance confirmed it.

"Mate."