Page 8 of Her Alpha Mate

He didn’t want that scaring Aubree away from him. She was already anxious enough, the last thing she likely needed was to see the man urging her to let him claim her go up against her alpha. For all Heath knew, the man was the only thing keeping the bastard wanting to claim her at bay. If he took that man down, what would keep the other from going after her before he could claim her as his?

It wasn’t as though he could observe any of the pack’s interactions with Aubree. She wasn’t lying when she said she wasn’t working, but even more, it seemed she wasn’t to come near the summit or any of the guests.

On one had it didn’t bother him the other unmated men there weren’t getting to see her gorgeous beauty, but on the other, he wanted to see more of her. Hated only having the mornings and evenings with her. He wanted her next to him all day, which was yet another thing that was new for him. He ran from females, to get away from their attention and their touches, but with Aubree, he craved more.

It hadn’t surprised him that first night they’d been up until two a.m. talking. He was just thankful she hadn’t worried about getting in trouble for being out so late. Then again, from what he’d seen, it didn’t look like she had to answer to anyone, and no one kept track of her, went looking for her.

The people here likely thought he was rude in addition to having a monstrous appetite, which granted, his was larger than most, but he’d also been requesting food for Aubree with every meal, having it here with her, which settled his wolf enough to not push recklessly for more so far.

It was getting harder to not touch her though. Every night the urge to do so grew, the desire to kiss her plump pink lips deepened, and it was only his ironclad control that kept him from pulling her onto his lap and taking what he wanted.

He actually was thankful to her alpha for keeping her hidden away. If she was roaming around the summit without his claim on her, he’d likely flip. He was certain he would if another man looked at her with lust in their eyes. He’d likely drag her to the floor and take her right there, showing that she was his—even if she truly wasn’t.

The thought that he was about to steal her away from her true mate only mildly rattled him. If the man ever appeared, not even the mate pull would be enough to take him down Heath knew, especially considering just how much his thoughts continued to drift to his sweet little doe throughout the days. It might be selfish of him, but since meeting Aubree, he knew the stars hadn’t given him a mate so he could claim her without fear of anyone or anything harming her.

The tiny knock sounded moments before the door opened and he moved to it quickly, taking the tray from her hands with a smile at her. Her hair was twisted up into a bun today, one he’d been tempted to tear down this morning so his hands could delve into the gorgeous russet strands, see if they were truly as soft as he recalled from that first night. She’d worn it up every day since they’d met, either in a braid or the bun like today, and it was driving him insane, wanting to touch it, see how long it was, hold it while he claimed her mouth the way he was going to claim her sweet, hidden lips.

“You don’t have to take the tray, it’s not that heavy,” Aubree said as she closed the door, before coming over to the table to join him. She’d tried to argue that first morning that she didn’t need to eat with him, that he didn’t need to include a dinner for her with his order that night, but it was the only thing keeping him sane right now. Knowing she was getting enough food, good, delightful food rather than what he suspected the omegas were served, kept him from putting his mark on her right now.

“I don’t like you waiting on me,” he said, pulling out her chair for her. She settled into it, and he leaned down over her, his face resting against the side of hers and added with a whisper, “I enjoy taking care of your needs, little doe. Knowing that you’re safe here with me, your hunger being sated, calms me.”

He slid into the seat next to her, not wanting space between them before he opened the lids on the dishes, settling the veal parmesan in front of her while he took the steak for himself. There was also a plate of lobster risotto, and he lifted a forkful to her lips for her to try before tasting it for himself. It wasn’t bad, but the one at home was far better.

“Mmm, I’ve never had lobster before,” she said when he told her what it was.

“It’s delicious if prepared correctly. This is a tad dry and a little too fishy for my tastes, but it’s not awful. I’d be worried to order the lobster tail after trying this though,” he added making her brow lift curiously. “With the risotto there are other flavors mixed in that should counteract the fish taste. Alone it shouldn’t have much of it, which likely means that the lobster was old when they used it.”

“Do you have it often?” she asked before she took a bite of her veal, a soft little sigh falling from her lips and he knew for certain, the scummy alpha didn’t allow the omegas to eat with the rest of the pack.

“Not too often,” he told her, offering her a bite of his steak. “It’s pretty decent. Not as good as what our cook back home makes but not awful.”

“It’s amazing,” she said shaking her head at him as a smile settled onto her lips.

“Just wait until you have some of the meals at home,” he said making her eyes widen but he didn’t retract his statement. He was taking her with him when he left. Preferably with her agreement rather than forcing her to come, but he was taking her either way. “Our head cook, Samantha was a professional sous chef before she met her mate. She’s fully human but decided that having free reign over the kitchen and her mate was a far better prospect than being stuck as a sous chef for the next ten to fifteen years. She’s been our head cook since I was a boy.”

“A long time then,” Aubree teased, her eyes sparkling, and he couldn’t stop the smile that crossed his lips seeing it.

“Very long,” he agreed. “She’ll love cooking for you, showing you all the incredible foods out there to discover.”

“I…”

Heath smiled more at her shock. Her pink cheeks were tempting him for a taste of her pink lips and his wolf gave an appreciative growl wanting it as well. “When the summit ends, I want to take you home with me Aubree. Somewhere that you’ll be safe from whoever is pursuing you, making you anxious and worried. He’s pushed you more today, hasn’t he?”

“How did you know?” she asked, her words barely a whisper and he lifted his hand to her cheek, bringing her eyes back to his.

“You were tense when you arrived at the door, your eyes weren’t glowing as they usually do. Since you were still at my door, I knew they hadn’t discovered you had switched off with Elaine…”

“Ellen,” she said with more of a smile and a soft laugh.

“Right,” he mumbled, letting the sound wash over him entirely. “He’s pressuring you for something you don’t want to give. I get that and will not leave here unless I know you’re safe. If that means taking you home with me, then that’s what I’ll do.”

“My alpha wouldn’t allow it,” she said as her smile fell.

“You let me worry about that idiot, little doe. You just eat and relax, I’ll handle everything else,” he promised, and his tension eased when she returned to their meal, before joining him on the sofa. He could tell her worries slid back through her mind and he went over to the phone, calling down to the kitchen for hot cocoa. Her eyes lit up and he added on, “With extra marshmallows…enough for two cups.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” she said when he hung up, and he settled onto the sofa with her, dropping a kiss to her forehead, unable to resist.

“Let me take care of you, little doe. Please?”

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