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“I’m not tired right now,” she lied wanting to remember this moment for always.
“You are so, you don’t have to hide it from me. You don’t have to hide anything from me, Aubree. This is not the last time I’m going to hold you like this, sweetness. It’s just the start.”
His words made her extremely curious, and she glanced up at him, finding his eyes simmering deep depths of blue desire. She’d seen men look at her like that before, but she’d never wanted to do something about it in return. Not until him, and her tongue darted out, wetting her lips, wanting his on them.
“Be very careful how you look at me, little doe. I want to take you to the floor and ravish you regardless of the fact that you’re not my mate. You’re the only woman I’ve ever felt this way about and if you keep looking at me like that, I will have you marked as mine because I’ll know you want this too. So that is what you have to decide between here and when we leave. How you want to go home with me, as my claimed mate, or as an incredibly important friend, that I will do anything to protect.”
“You would claim me as yours, even though I’m an omega?” she asked in shock, far more about that than him wanting to claim her. The look in his eyes said that was no lie and it was everything she desired now.
“Yes, my pack does not treat omegas as servants. We have those that clean our packhouse, that take care of the daily things, but because they want to, because they know in return, we provide everything they need to live safe, peaceful lives. To raise their families in safety. They are paid well to care for us, they are welcome at our feasts and on all runs. They eat what the rest of us eat. They live in homes no less than those of the alpha classes. My pack would not care whom I take as my mate as long as they make me happy. We have more human mates in our pack than any other. One of my top men’s wives is a witch, little doe,” Heath added bringing a gasp to her lips. “She is the one that cursed the cage that Landon was trapped in even, so does that tell you how my pack will react to me bring home an omega as a mate?”
“They love you,” she said, smiling as she lifted her hand to touch his cheek. That perfect beard of his tempting her to run her fingers through it, to pull him down until she could feel it and him against her mouth. “They only want you to be happy, wouldn’t complain whom you claim. But what if you find your real mate one day?”
“In truth, I don’t believe I have a real mate. Perhaps when I was younger but I’m fifty now, little doe,” he warned, pressing a soft kiss to her fingertip as she slid them across his mouth. “I’ve been to every pack, several times in the last thirty years, and never once have I found her. Never once have I craved claiming anyone the way I crave claiming you as mine. I have no fears that she’ll magically appear one day to tempt me away from you. It is you that needs to decide on this. You’re still very young. You may meet your real mate weeks from now, but if I have my claim on you, I would not be able to release you from me. I would kill to keep you as mine. Will you risk that?”
“The only future I have without you is one I don’t want, Heath,” she said, her tone quivering just thinking about what might happen if he left her here, if he didn’t claim her before Alpha Josh did. “I know it’s only a matter of time before he finally gets his way, and I can’t…I have anxiety just thinking of him touching me. I get physically ill if I truly imagine my life with him, with him forcing me to mate, to…breed with him.”
“Shh, that will never happen, Aubree. Even if you simply want to leave this place, wait to meet your mate, I will ensure you are far from him. He will never get close to you again.”
Aubree let out a long breath, the words about her birthday sticking in her throat thanks to Alpha Josh’s commands. She hated that he could keep her from talking fully with Heath. Keep her from being honest with him. She would take Heath over Alpha Josh any day, any minute of any day. She had no choice of waiting to meet her real mate. It was either choose Heath, get him to claim her before Alpha Josh could, or be stuck with him for life—which was likely to very short.
“I would rather be with you, a man I know, can see the goodness in, than risk a mate that might turn out like…him,” she amended, wincing in pain before Alpha Josh’s name could come out. “You told me you didn’t like people you didn’t want touching you. I can’t breathe when other people touch me, not even the doctors when they’re examining me if I get hurt. Not even Dr. Tina and she’s the kindest doctor we have. I feel more than just safe in your arms, Heath. I feel…alive—I feel hope when you touch me.”
“I will claim you as mine before we leave here then. I would do it now, but if anyone saw my mark on you, smelled my scent on you, it could lead to an argument I don’t want before my men are here to help me protect you. For the next two days, I want you in my room, except for you to sleep and pack your bags. I’ll claim you the last morning, my men will take our bags to the cars, and then I will take you out with me. We’ll go directly to the airport and get on our plane home. Once there, you can enjoy the sunshine as much as you want, little doe. I will give you time for the rest, as best I can.”
“The rest?” she asked, slightly confused until his eyes flashed with hunger, making her cheeks flush. “Oh…”
“Yes, oh…little doe. You’re safe until you tell me you want my touch all over your body. We may want you like nothing we’ve ever known, but I can control myself until you’re ready,” he promised.
The soft kiss he gave her settled her, until long after she was in her bed trying to figure out how to get him to claim her before Alpha Josh could get his hands on her again.
Chapter 6
Heath opened the door, letting Simon and Sebastian into the space. It’d been barely twenty-four hours since Aubree had agreed to be his mate and he was slowly losing control of himself. He’d nearly put his teeth onto her delicate neck tonight before he’d sent her to her room to finish packing her bags. Every moment she wasn’t asleep or getting their trays from Ellen, she’d been in his room, in his space, and he was thankful there was only one more day before he could take her home. At least there he’d be able to put some space between them until she was ready for more than some chaste little kisses, knowing she was safe while doing it.
His wolf wouldn’t settle tonight, which was why he’d summoned the two here, wanting to know everything was set for them to leave as soon as the summit was finished. He didn’t care what anyone else thought about it, he was taking Aubree home, claiming her and they could all keep their opinions to themselves.
“Anything?” he asked as they settled in, the whiskey barely burning as he chugged an entire glass in one go.
“No one’s broken, granted we haven’t put any real pressure on them since you want to keep it off the alpha’s radar,” Simon said, and he nodded not expecting much. The pack was loyal to the scum, but he knew it wasn’t the same loyalty as he had from his pack. No, he suspected much like Aubree, their silence and loyalty was commanded.
“Anything on the rules side?” he asked, gulping down another glass, hoping it would at least make his wolf sleepy if nothing else.
“Nothing concrete, nothing explicitly stating that an alpha can’t keep someone prisoner just because he wants to, but you know that’s not my area of expertise,” Sebastian added eyeing him closely and Heath ran his hand down his face, knowing who was.
The last thing he wanted was his family asking if he’d lost his mind. He’d told them one time too many that he didn’t intend to simply choose a mate for them to understand this over the phone. Once they met Aubree, he knew they’d get it. They’d see what he did in her, but until then, they’d pester him about it without relief he was certain.
He let out a sigh, glancing at the time before calling Katya’s number. She was the only one that might possibly let him off without a full explanation.
Thirty minutes later, he knew that wasn’t going to happen and he let out a low growl of frustration, stopping Katya’s latest question.
“Did you just growl at me, you big oaf?” she questioned and he shot Simon and Sebastian dark looks at the smirks on their faces.
“Look, you’re the one that told me to give the next girl I had an attraction with a chance.”
“I didn’t mean to immediately put your claim on her though. What do you really know about her?” Katya added and he couldn’t help the laugh that slid out. “I don’t mean do you like sleeping with her.”
“I haven’t slept with her yet.”
