The Alpha’s Lost Bride

Tightening

Bertha's POV:

We lay under the sheets, my legs on Friedrich's waist, my body glued to his. He kisses my forehead, while his hands stroked repeatedly the skin on my back. His touch is exciting and reassuring. As I rest my chin on my hand, I arch my body towards him, looking at his face.

“How did it... feel? Or should I say, how was the whole experience?” “Did you?... Was it?...” I asked, barely able to make my voice heard.

He smiles, whilst moving my hair out of place. “Yes, without a doubt. It was very satisfying.”

I chuckle lightly, emotionally pleased. “Is that because we’re wolves or yunno?”

He looks at me and shrugs. “I dunno, yes probably. But in general, mostly because we are mated. Our connection is deeper.”

I press my lips together and feel the heat in my cheeks. “Well, I thought to myself that I may have been a bit too.... rough at that time.”

Friedrich, sounding amused, replied, “I happen to like it that way.”

He gently tilts my head, pressing a soft kiss on the side of my neck, and I let out a quite moan. I turn towards him, meeting his lips with a wet, hungry kiss.

We break off the kiss, and I press my lips together, my heart racing. I tap lightly on his chest and whisper, “I have to go back.”

Friedrich makes a pained expression. “Yeah, I suppose you do. Let me take you home.”

“You sound a little sad,” I say as I slowly detach myself from the bed.

He pulls his hand over his head and his mouth curves into a soft pout. “I guess so. I wish you did not have to go.”

I put my shirt on perceiving a significant pressure that his statement put on me. “I wish I did not either, but I can’t leave the pack just yet.”

He gets off the bed with his legs dangling with their feet on the floor and gazes at me with his eyes stuffed with adoration. “I understand.”

***

We made no detours on our way back to the pack house. As we enter the compound, where two identical wooden chalets stand, the crunching of dried russet oak and maple leaves beneath our feet announces our presence. Heads turn in our direction, and conversations pause. Friedrich walks hand in hand with me, assisting me up the little set of steps as though I was unaware of their existence and pausing at the porch.

"Look who’s finally managed to come home," an unmistakable voice says. It's my mum, a gentle smile on her lips as she walks over to the door.

Friedrich laughs and rotates the upper part of his body a bit towards me. “Hey, I will come see you whenever I can,” he says to me, but shifts his gaze to my mom in acknowledgement. “I swear I will.”

“Do make sure you do,” my mother says smiling at us. “Or, I will come over and find you.”

Friedrich flashes a warm smile. "You’ll never have to, Mrs. —"

"Laquel," Mom finishes for him.

"Alright, Mrs. Laquel. Goodnight. Goodnight, Bertha," Friedrich says, turning to hug me and offering one last smile before he walks away.

As soon as the door clicks shut behind Alpha Friedrich, the girls from the pack descend on me like a swarm of bees. I barely have time to catch my breath before their voices overwhelm me.

"You're really mated to Alpha Friedrich? No way!"

“What, you? Life can be so full of surprises,” a tall blonde girl says, circling around me.

"I can't believe it. Bertha?" Matilda clicks her tongue. She doesn't bother hiding her disgust. "Mated to an Alpha heir? You don't deserve such luck."

Their words sting, but before I can even think of a reply, my friend Cara pushes through the crowd, her eyes hard. "Back off. It’s true and real, she's mated to an Alpha."

The tall blonde smirks, eyes shifting to Cara. "How’s it feel, Cara? Your best friend lands an Alpha, and you’re stuck with that Omega. What’s his name again? Rodrik, d**k… oh, right, Sadiq!"

Cara doesn’t flinch a bit. "Talita, it’s gotta be brutal pretending you’ve got it together while your man’s out there screwing around like a dog, with no control over where he sticks his dick."

That wipes the smirk right off Talita’s face, her lips pressing together in a thin line. The others shift awkwardly, casting glances at each other but saying nothing.

“Guys, something is burning!” Matilda suddenly yells, her eyes darting to the pot filling the air with smoke.

Everyone's attention snaps to the kitchen, the tension breaking as they scramble to salvage the burning food. The momentary distraction helps clear the tension in the air, but I still feel really awkward.

Cara loops her arm through mine and pulls away. "Come let's go to our room."

I nod, grateful for the escape. We head down the hall to our shared room in silence. As soon as the door closes behind us, I feel like I can finally breathe.

Cara turns to me, her face expectant. "Alright, spill. What’s going on? When were you going to tell me that you were mated to an Alpha? Where did you and Prince Charming go?..."

I bite my lip, glancing away before I finally admit it. "I... I slept with him."

Her eyes widen. "You what?"

"I had s*x with the Alpha.” I could still feel him all over me.

“Wow, cool. But Bert, don't you think that was fast? I mean you… you only just met him.”

“Come on, Cara, you know I’m good at resisting that kind of thing. But with him... it was just different. I… I don’t even know how to describe it. I never realized the mating bond could be so intense, and it all happened so fast. My emotions completely took over any logic I had left.”

Cara chuckles, her shoulders shaking. “See? Now you get it! I kissed my mate the very day that we met, but we didn’t sleep together until a week later. Well, Bert, welcome to the club of the experienced.”

I nod, letting out a small laugh. "Yeah, and now I have to deal with the aftermath of all that experience. I don’t expect it to stay all roses and sunshine."

Cara tilts her head, her gaze lingering on me. She’s either thinking about what I said or lost in her own thoughts—I can’t quite tell. After a few seconds, she says, “Yeah, it isn’t always roses and sunshine.”

A soft knock interrupts our conversation, and I ask my mom to come in.

Her eyes flick between me and Cara. “Hey, Cara,” she says with a polite smile, but there’s something tight in her voice. “I’d like to have a word with my daughter. In private.”

Cara starts to rise, but I press a hand on her shoulder, holding her down. “Stay, Cara. My mom and I can go somewhere else.”

Mom narrows her eyes slightly, nodding after a pause that feels too long. “Very well,” she says, her tone suddenly cool. “Lead the way.”

I glance back at Cara, my stomach tightening. Whatever this is about, it’s not going to be good. And besides, who actually likes private conversations with their mom? It’s either advice you didn’t ask for, or a lecture about something you did wrong.