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***
Powerful arms lift me from the bed. An angry growl, pitiful and sluggish, grates from my chest.
I’m too sore to move. Every cell in my body begs for rest, wanting nothing more than the warmth of my alpha wrapped around me.
Days of rutting and knotting have left me as limp as a ragdoll.
Hard thighs press against my bottom as he sits down in the chair and cradles me to his chest. I sigh, unable to hold onto my anger and too satiated to fight.
The cool rim of the pretty porcelain cup touches my lips. Part of me wants to turn my face into his chest and ignore the drink, but his gentle rumble urges me to swallow his offering. My thirst awakens as the water hits my tongue. I try to gulp it down, but my alpha chuckles and limits me to small sips. When I drain the cup and drop my head back to his chest, he nuzzles the top of my head.
His gentle display of affection empties my brain of all thought and fills the glowing thread between our chests with golden light. Butterflies flit through my stomach.
This bond between us is bittersweet—terrifying and wonderful; brilliant and dark; comforting and thrilling.
When he stands and stalks to the bed, I look forward to curling up in our nest with him, but he reaches into my carefully created cocoon and destroys it by yanking out the innermost layer.
“Hoss! Why?”
He responds by dropping me onto the bed, wrapping the blanket around me, and scooping me back up into his arms. Rattled, I shake and stare up into his tawny eyes. His lips lift, but he turns and opens the door to the hallway.
Horror sweeps through me. Is he throwing me out now that I’m no longer in estrous?
My emotions leak into our bond, dampening its glow. His soothing purr vibrates into my side. I relax, even as my mind whirls with trepidation.
I swallow hard at the sound of his boots hitting the ground. I was too exhausted to notice his pants as I sat on his lap, but I fight back tears now as I realize he’s dressed from the waist down.
He turns into the room closest to his chambers. Agitation rises in my chest as I remember being hung over his shoulder like a sack of dead fish while the beta woman told us there were females in his washroom.
The room passes in a dark blur. I scowl as the scents of strange females burrow into my nostrils.
He pulled me from my nest for this?
My disgruntled thoughts screech to a halt when he stops in front of a large fully intact airtight door. He growls at the men standing on either side. They rush to turn the massive wheel in the center. Metal clanks, but doesn’t squeak, the large contraption well oiled. The beta male on the left uses his entire body to pull the door open, revealing a long, brightly lit room.
Hoss slips a key from his pocket and balances me in his arms with ease as he unlocks the secondary gate.
I blink in shock as my alpha carries me into a greenhouse, the heavy scent of damp earth seeping into my nostrils. He slams the gate closed behind us with his foot, locking us safely away from the world.
With pots ranging from shallow to hip-height and plants in various degrees of growth, his garden is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. The overall health of the plants is lacking, but they aren’t on the verge of death like mine were. The lights screwed into the ceiling and walls bathe the room in an almost blinding light, some bulbs white and cool while others seem yellow and hot. I stare in awe, my hands itching to sink into the dirt.
My alpha lowers my feet to the floor and wraps his arms around me, pinning my back to his front.
“This is all yours to care for now, Char.”
I freeze, certain I misheard him.
“I look forward to watching your plants thrive as your body blossoms under my care.”
Unbidden tears slip from my lashes, dripping down my chin and wetting the sheet gripped tightly in my hands.
“These are mine?” I ask, certain I misheard him.
“All of them.”
“But what if I kill them?”
His low chuckle arrows straight to my core.
