Secret of An Alpha: Repercussions

Chapter thirty-seven

"Come on, let's eat before the food goes cold."
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After eating and drinking, Rolus and Luke shifted into their wolves. It's not the first time Rolus has seen Luke's wolf, but it's the first time he's seen his mate's wolf since they marked. Would it be cliché to say his mate's wolf was the most beautiful wolf he's ever seen? Well, it was.

Luke shook himself, then lunged at Rolus' wolf. They rolled around, trying to nip at each other. They spent time play fighting with each other.

Rolus wished they could mind-link. He knew that the circumstances of their bonding didn't allow them to mind-link, but if they were to become of the same Pack, maybe they could mind-link. He was pretty sure they could mind-link if they were of the same Pack.

They chased each other around the forest, hiding behind the trees, and even attempted to climb a tree. When Luke tried that on a low hanging branch, the branch snapped and he ended up falling on his back.

Rolus jumped over him, but felt Luke's paw swipe at his belly. His claws were not retracted, so it was somewhat a punch. But that was enough to have him falter. Big mistake. Luke had already taken advantage of his distraction and pounced on him. It was a struggle to get him off.

Luke nipped at Rolus' neck playfully, making Rolus fight him off because it was tickling him. And when Rolus was busy distracted trying to fight him off, Luke took off on a run. He deemed it time to start their long awaited run.

Luke had a head start, so he was ahead. When Rolus tried to catch up, Luke would increase his speed. Rolus never caught up, but he was pretty close.

When Rolus saw Luke turn around to head back to the lake, he saw it as an opportunity to have his moment to shine too. He turned around and ran back. Rolus made sure that the distance between them was greater than his and Luke's when Luke had a head start.

When they both reached the lake, they shifted mid-air and plunged into the water. Rolus was the first to surface, spitting out the water and coughing a bit. It wasn't long before he was pulled back under. He wasn't prepared, so a scream escaped him and he went under with his mouth open. He knew right then that he was going to kill his mate. The water stung his momentarily opened eyes.

When he surfaced, he found Luke laughing. "I'm sorry," he said, still laughing.

Rolus didn't care that his mate's laugh was the best he's ever heard, or that he wouldn't mind hearing it all day. He lunged at his mate, with the intent of drowning him, but Luke was ready. He managed to maneuver around him. He grabbed Rolus' waist, then turned him around, flashing a charming smile as he said, "I'm sorry."

Rolus huffed, but accepted the apology. They were now standing in the water, looking into each other's eyes. Luke was still smiling, the kind of smile that warmed Rolus' heart.

Everything has been falling into place ever since they marked. The missing puzzle pieces connected, the blurring lines between fate and destiny cleared and the thin line between reality and imaginary broken.

Luke was the first to connect their lips in a sensual kiss that seemed to never end. When they paused to breathe, Rolus laughed. He thought maybe they would consummate their bond.

And it seemed like the same thought ran through Luke's mind because when their gazes locked, Luke gulped.

They didn't need words to agree that they should go back to their room. They both exited the water, then picked up their clothes and wore whatever they deemed decent enough to run back to their room. It was too late in the night, so they didn't think anyone was up to see them bare chested.

The candles were long burnt out, so they just grabbed the nearly empty bottle of champagne and sprinted off the perimeter of the lake. Their laughter rang out through the night as Luke struggled to lock the gate. His hands were unfocused, the anticipation clouding his coordination.

After succesfully locking the gate, they crept into the building, making sure there was no one in sight before they ran to the stairs and hurriedly climbed them. Luke tapped their key card on the door, then entered.

Rolus dropped the items of clothing he held to the floor when Luke pinned him against the closed door and attacked his neck.

Well, they were going to consummate their bond after all.
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Their vacation was coming to an end. They spent their remaining days in their room, basking in each other's presence. They only left their bed when they needed to freshen up, or eat.

They spent their days talking about everything and nothing. Rolus made promises that were whispered in the dark of the night when Luke's insecurities about their bond surfaced. Luke was still unsettled about the lack of his mate bond, which Rolus assured him that with or without the mate bond, Luke was trying to make things work. That they were true mates through and through and the lack of a mate bond wouldn't change anything.

On their last night at the resort when the effects of their fully bonded mate bond wore off, Rolus so badly wanted to bring up the merging of the Packs, but he didn't want to disturb their peace. He knew that the moment he stepped foot back into his Pack, everyone would know who his mate was. So, it was better to introduce Luke to them earlier. He also had to apologise for ditching his ceremony.

On their last day at the resort, Luke decided to switch his phone back on because they were going back home anyway. He said it didn't matter if their Packs knew where they were because they were going back.

Rolus was nestled behind Luke when they read the many messages on the phone, and looked through the missed calls. Peter's were lesser than Sierra's.

Luke made his disapproval known that he didn't appreciate Sierra's rather rude messages about their departure. She went as far as saying they were cowards.

Rolus couldn't really dispute that. They fled both their Packs because they didn't want to face the music.

By noon, they still hadn't packed their belongings. They were still in bed, talking in hushed whispers as if the world could hear their declarations of love.

When Council Magdeline called them in the afternoon to announce that the Ashlane punishment was eradicated, it was another moment to celebrate. She had expressed her sincere apologies on behalf of her fellow Council members' behavior and secrecy. She iterated many times that she was not aware of Robert's punishments towards the Ashlanes.

That afternoon, Luke was so happy that he thought it best to order them the strongest liquor there was.

The annoyance Rolus felt was palpable. Luke came to hold his waist, smoothing out the frown on his forehead, then told him that he worried too much. Rolus had a reason to worry. They were going to drive back home later in the night.