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I blink up at him and smile shyly before reaching for the panties and bra. I remove the tags and let out a gasp when Tristan takes them gently from my hands. Before I can process what’s happening, he’s on his knees in front of me.
When he gently tugs at the towel wrapped around my body, I let it go, but I do so begrudgingly. The way his eyes become hard as he takes in the bruises and scars has me wanting to cover myself. He shouldn’t see me like this. Nudity is common in wolf packs, but that’s when you’re a normal member of the pack.
Tristan grips my wrists gently and pushes my arms back to my sides. I hadn’t even realized I had moved my hands to cover myself from his gaze. “Don’t, Serenity,” there’s a slight command in his voice, but I could easily ignore it, just like I’ve always been able to ignore an Alpha’s commands. “I want to see. Ineed,” there’s so much angst in that single word, it has teas stinging the backs of my eyes, “to see.”
I nod and Tristan starts to kiss all my bruises. It’s more comforting than sexual, but there’s something about having this powerful male, this Alpha, on his knees for me, that I can’t ignore. His hands are gentle as he helps me get dressed. I don’t think he leaves an inch of skin out of his loving perusal, and I have never felt more cherished.
When he stands, he pulls me against his chest and just holds me. It’s exactly what I need to quiet my racing heart and rioting mind. Without a word, he twines our fingers together and leads me out of his room. While we’re walking, I marvel at his packhouse.
It’s much bigger than the one in Waning Moon. The other surprising thing is that every wolf we pass gives me a bright smile, even the Omegas who are working. No one looks sad or mad. No one looks like they’ve been abused, and I make a point to look closely at the Omegas. I might have been at the bottom of the pack at Waning Moon, but the Omegas had it almost as bad as me. They were treated horribly, and, in turn, they took out their frustrations on me.
As we get to the bottom floor, I whisper the question that has been running through my mind, “I can ignore any Alpha’s command. Is it because I’m mated to you?”
Tristan’s eyes light up as he looks down at me. “Yes, my sweet mate, it’s because you were born to be a Luna.” His eyebrows pull together. “Did they know you could ignore their commands?”
I shrug one shoulder as we enter the pack’s dining room. I’m taken aback by the number of wolves in the room at first. When I realize I haven’t answered and Tristan squeezes my hand I murmur, “I’m not sure. I never let on that I could ignore it. Even before,” I let my sentence trail off, but I have no doubt he can finish my thought.
He gives my hand another squeeze right before a petite dynamo of a she-wolf bowls into me, hugging me tightly. I’m momentarily stunned, especially when Tristan lets out a warning growl the female ignores completely. I look over the woman’s shoulder to find a male standing there, an indulgent smile on his face. He looks familiar, but I can’t place why at first.
“Serenity,” Tristan’s voice holds a note of censure, but I get the feeling it’s not directed at me, “this is my sister, Cora, and her mate and my Beta, Mack.” He leans down and whispers in my ear, “He was with me yesterday, but I’m not sure if you saw him or not.”
I nod and realize Cora isn’t going to let go anytime soon. I could fight it, but my wolf makes a sound of contentment and I realize just how starved I am of touch and affection. I wrap my arms around Cora and settle into the comfort she’s giving me.
“Thank you for letting me borrow some of your clothes,” I murmur softly.
Cora pulls back and the first thing I notice is that she has the same eyes as her brother, the same eyes I remember Alpha Nathan having now that I’m willing to remember that day. Mack pulls her back to his side gently and kisses the top of her head just as Tristan does the same with me. Cora is practically bouncing on her toes. Her excitement is infectious.
“I’m so glad you’re finally here, Serenity,” she chirps. “You have no idea how much of a boring old fuddy duddy my brother had become while waiting for you.”
I tense, and I’m not the only one, Mack does as well. His face becomes a mask of surprise when Tristan throws his head back and laughs. Quiet fills the dining hall and every wolf seems to be looking our way, their own surprised faces mirroring Mack’s.
“She’s not wrong,” Tristan admits through a chuckle. “I had become almost unbearable to live with.”
Cora eggs him on, “Almost?”
Tristan smirks down at me and kisses my forehead, sending those sparks and tingles throughout my entire body. I’m in a daze as he guides me through the buffet style line and then to the head table. I hesitate when we step up to it, but my mate doesn’t.
He pulls out the chair to his left for me and I swear the entire dining hall holds their breath. When I sit down, the excitement that washes over me is palpable. I look around the room and find that there are a few she-wolves staring at me with jealousy written all over their faces.
I can’t really blame them, I’m sure they wanted a chance with Tristian. The way he’s looking at me though, as if I’m the only woman he can see, settles the last of my nerves. This male is my mate and I’m not letting him go. Too many lies have tried to get in our way already, what’s a few bitter she-wolves?
CHAPTER 9
TRISTAN
Between a few hateful looks from females and lustful looks from males, I’m almost desperate to pick up my mate and lock her away in my Alpha suite. It would be for her own protection, and the protection of those in my pack who are too stupid to understand self-preservation.
I’ve never made the existence of my mate a secret or my decision to wait for her. I never allowed any of the she-wolves in my pack to think I was interested in them. I am their Alpha and nothing more.
I understand the beautiful allure of Serenity, but possessiveness and a need to claim her are riding me hard. I know I need to take things slow, considering my mate’s past and the pain she has had to endure because I wasn’t there, but I also want to leave my mark on her pretty neck.
“Yes, we need to mark and mate her as soon as possible,” my wolf growls in agreement as he looks at all the males eyeing my mate.
I’ve sat her in the Luna’s chair, it should be obvious who she is to me. I have never allowed someone to sit in her chair.
When Serenity is almost done with her breakfast, I stop myself from insisting that she eats more. I’m sure they used food against her in her old pack. Those bastards will be lucky if I leave anyone alive after I get done with them.
I want her to be comfortable and breathing down her neck, even if not doing so goes against all my instincts, is probably not the way to go about it. She’s gorgeous and I find myself getting lost in her eyes whenever she looks at me.
