Ever After (currently rewriting)

Part 16

Aedan POV

Something smells good. Really good. I inhale a long pull of air, sausage and pancakes. Yum. Stretching, I roll over and open my eyes.

And realise where I am.

I'm in Liz's bed, without Liz. I frown.  Where did she go? Listening, I can hear her happy voice coming from downstairs. She's in the house, then. Good. 

I sit up and climb out of the bed. Moving around stirs her scent up in the sheets. My wolf sniffs appreciably. Our mate smells nice, he tells me. I have to agree with him, but push that thought aside. If I start thinking about the way she smells to closely, I'm going to need a cold shower.

I start down the steps. Who's she talking to?

 "Wait. So, you're telling me I'm like your queen, or something?" Her laughing voice floats up to me.

I walk into the kitchen to see her standing by the stove, holding a spatula in the air, a silly smile on her face. Braden is sitting at the table, a plate of half eaten pancakes in front of him. He's grinning back at her, no doubt about to reply with something inappropriate, when he notices me. 

I realize that I'm growling, just a little. The smile dies on his face.  "Alpha." He greets me nervously.

"Don't be grumpy. There's enough for you, too." Liz brandishes the spatula at me and raises an eyebrow.

Braden shifts in his seat and shoots a glance between Liz and I. She's turned her back to me and is flipping pancakes on the stove. This won't do. I take long steps to reach her. Spinning her around, I lean down, and give her a scorching kiss. When I'm done, she's hanging on to my shoulders, a slightly dazed look in her eyes. Satisfied, I rumble, "Good morning, Luna."

"Morning." She smiles up at me, gives me a quick peck on the cheek, and takes the pancakes off of the stove. Handing me a plate, she waves me toward the table.

I sit down across from Braden, who's looking anywhere but at me. "What are you doing?" I ask him a bit more harshly than I maybe should. My orders were for the three of them to stand guard. Not eat breakfast with my mate.

"Liz invited us in for breakfast. Tye  said it would be ok, as long as we came in one at a time, and didn't take long. " He gulps. "I'm the last. The others already ate and are back outside."

 I know I'm being much more overbearing than usual, but can't seem to stop myself. The sight of him sitting there, eating in my mate's kitchen has my wolf on edge. He's eager to remind everyone just who is the alpha. Liz comes and sits down next to me. She has a mug of tea, but no food. I frown.

Cutting a bite sized piece off of a pancake, I hold it out to her. Blushing a little, she takes the bite of food. I shoot a pointed look at Braden, who has started inhaling his plate in record fashion. Jumping up, he takes his dirty dishes to the sink. 

"I'll get back outside now. Thanks for breakfast, Liz." He gives her a genuine smile.

She smiles back at him. "Thanks for feeding the animals for me. That way grumpy here, doesn't have to worry about me going outside."

Braden hurries outside. I think he's trying not to laugh.

She's completely unfazed by my alpha power, I sigh. There does seem to be a drawback to being mates with a human, after all.

I start eating my breakfast and a companionable silence surrounds us. Every few bites, I offer one to Liz, and am satisfied when she takes them. By the time I'm done eating, I'm in a better mood. 

"Thank you for taking care of my pack." She's doing it again, without even knowing that she's supposed to.

"I felt bad. They were outside all night and it was cold. I thought a warm breakfast might help." She looks at me earnestly. "I'm sorry if I did something to upset you."

"No, you didn't do anything wrong. I'm glad you are getting along with them so well. My wolf is jealous of your attention. He's possessive, he got upset. "

"Oh." She seems to be thinking about what I just said earnestly. "I was asking Braden about the pack dynamics when you came in. I have a feeling that I have a lot to learn."

"Just be yourself. You are already perfect." She smiles at my words.

"But, I do have some questions."

"You can ask my anything."

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Hey guys,
I know this was a shorter chapter, but I felt like this was the natural end to this scene. The next one will be longer, promise :)