“Alpha Mine”
2012 Copyright All Rights Reserved
Chapter 8
Tayla sat stiffly at the table as her very arrogant and very stubborn mate strode into the kitchen. She watched him closely while he walked over to the coffee maker and went through the ministrations of fixing himself a cup of coffee without saying a single word of acknowledgment to her.
Actually, he hadn’t bothered to speak to her since Adam angrily walked out the door the night before. He didn’t even come to bed until after midnight and then, it was like he was purposefully trying to stay away from her by hugging the opposite side of the bed. Enough was enough!
Clearing her throat, she prepared herself for a good old fashioned face-off with her husband. “Would you care to explain what in the hell happened last night? And don’t you dare tell me it was nothing Rafe. I know you and I know better. What happened?”
Rafe stared mutinously out the window, unable to even look his precious Tayla in the eyes. What was he supposed to do, tell her the truth?
He snorted aloud. He could just imagine how well telling his wife that the one girl their only son has decided that he wants as his mate just so happens to be his onetruemate also. Yeah, he could see that going over real well.Not!
And the worst part of it all; was that it was his own entire fault. He knew that. He dug his own grave and now he was going to have to lay in it. The moment he realized that the blond little sprite was his mate all those years ago, he should have sent her off to another pack instead of letting Jared and Samantha adopt her. He was fully aware of the ramifications if he didn’t accept her but after he saw the unequivocal happiness in both of their eyes, he just couldn’t tell them no. Now, because of his weakness, he was screwed in every sense of the word.
From birth Rafe had been groomed to be an Alpha. At an early age he was taught logistics of mating with true mates. He knew that if he rejected Dava then there would be a possibility of a connection forming between Adam and the she wolf because Adam was his son; he came from his family line. Until the two family lines were joined by true mates claiming each other, the mating gene would continue to pass from son to son and daughter to daughter.
Rafe closed his eyes. Even after allowing Dava to stay, he had been fully aware of the worst that could happen. He knew that there was a good possibility the mating gene would pass to his son. And for that reason alone, he had been adamant about sending Adam away for his schooling. He didn’t want to take the chance.
Now, that Adam has formerly declared her as his mate, it’s no longer a possibility- it’s his hellish reality and he didn’t know what to do about it.
Rafe covered his face with his hands. In a perfect world, he would just accept the mating knowing that once Adam fully claimed her, any bond with that he previously had with Dava would be irrevocably broken. He would be left with a feeling of emptiness but at least he would still have his Tayla to fill some of it.
Theproblem was that this wasn’t a perfect world and the Alpha wolf inside of him raged at the idea of any other wolf, son or not, taking Dava as their mate.
After being with Rafe for almost twenty years now, Tayla could easily read the tension that was drawn up tightly in his back. All of the anger that had been simmering inside of her, suddenly cooled and deflated.
Standing up, she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “What is it?” she asked him softly. “What is going on Rafe? Talk to me, please.”
Rafe wanted to talk to her. He wanted to pour out everything to her that had been happening but he wouldn’t. He couldn’t. He just couldn’t bring himself to hurt her like that. He loved Tayla with all his heart. She was his chosen mate. He chose her to spend the rest of his life with when he had given up on ever finding his true mate. She was the mother of his son. He couldn’t bear to place this sort of burden on her. This was his cross to bear and his alone. He would have to figure out something and do it fast because he wasn’t sure how his wolf would react if Adam followed through on his declaration. He wasn’t even sure if he would be able to control the wolf, he could barely control him as it is now.
He wrapped his hands over her much smaller ones and sighed. It looked like he had one hell of a mountain to climb ahead but it was one that he would have to do alone.
Slowly, he turned around so that they were facing each other and pulled her closer to him, needing to feel the comfort that only she could offer him.
“Talk to me,” she urged him, laying her head against his chest. “Is it Adam’s choice of mate? Is it because she is a turned?”
For a long minute Rafe just stood there with his chin propped up on her head.
“Rafe?” Tayla asked again. She hated the growing distance between them that seemed almost oceans apart. she wanted to help him but if he wouldn’t talk to her then there wasn’t anything she could do.
“I can’t allow the mating,” he said with a deafening finality, wincing when he heard the growl in his voice. “It just can’t happen. I won’t let it happen!”
Tayla felt her heart sink. She had a feeling that it was going to come to this even though she had hoped it wouldn’t. She carefully extricated herself from his arms and took a step back, tipping her head up so that she could look into his eyes. “Why?” She asked in a deadpan voice. “Dava is a good girl. She was raised by your best enforcer. She is his true mate Rafe.”
Hearing her say the words ‘true mate’ was like a kick in the groin. Dava was supposed to be his true mate, genetics be damned. He quickly forced himself to turn his back on Tayla. He could already feel his wolf struggling to be free so that he could exert his will over his son and demand that he retract his declaration.
When he didn’t answer her, Tayla stepped up to him, refusing to be denied. “Did you hear me Rafe?”
His back tensed and she reached out to him, placing her trembling hand on his shoulder, needing him to understand where their son was coming from. They were no longer living in the old days. The fact that Dava was a turned shouldn’t be of consequence. What mattered was the fact that they are true mates and that they found each other. It just doesn’t happen in this day and age anymore. How can they deny him this happiness. “Fate wanted them to be together Rafe. You know how rare true mates are. We have to support our son, it’s the only way.”
Rafe heard enough. His wolf was dangerously teetering on that very thin line of self-control that he had left. “No!” he ground out and rounded on his mate.
Tayla stumbled backwards and gasped when she found herself staring into hismate’s dark wolf eyes. His square lined jaw was set rigidly and his expression was fierce. She had never seen Rafe like this before.
“But-“she stuttered and was instantly cut off when Rafe slammed his fist against the granite countertop; the sound of the blow ringing in her ears.
“No but’s Tayla! I’m Alpha of this pack and what I say, goes. Adam will mate with Blake on the next full moon. No more talking and nomorewaiting. At the next council meeting we will present the mated couple as the future leaders of the Lumbee pack.”
Tayla opened her mouth to protest and Rafe cut her a glance that had her snapping her mouth closed. “I’m warning you to not argue with me on this Tayla. My decision has been made and what I say is final. I suggest that you begin to prepare for the ceremony; you have only two weeks to get ready.”
Feeling the last vestiges of his control begin to snap; Rafe haughtily pivoted on his heel and stomped out the back door. He had to get out of here and he had to do it now because the pain that burned so brightly in Tayla's eyes was about to damn near kill him.
The battle between his heart and his wolf was all too quickly careening into a tail spin that was headed for disaster. Rafe was at his wits end. His back being pushed to the way, he had to make a decision and he did. It was the only viable decision that he could make. It was the only one his wolf would accept and no one, not even his precious Tayla would be able to change his mind.
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Dava was left stunned and speechless. Even her mouth refused to work. Dozens of words sat on the tip of her tongue but yet she couldn’t manage to get a single one of them past her lips.
After yesterday, she honestly didn’t think things could get any worse.
Boy was she wrong. Things were not only getting worst, they were getting insanely out of hand. One minute she has Jason asking her out. No, she reminded herself, he didn’t ask her, he told her they were going out. The next, she has Adam, who is the Alphas son no less, publically declaring to take her as his mate which was the most absurd thing that she ever heard. And now that she arrived at school, Jason tries to kiss her and Adam drags her off like a cave man.
What the hell is going on here? Did I miss out on something important? Was there a memo that went out and I didn’t get it?
Dava’s mind swirled with hundreds of questions. None of this made sense to her. None of this should be possible, but yet here she was and it was all really happening.
“Where is your first class?”
“Huh?” For the first time since she was dragged away from Jason, Dava stopped and looked around her. They were in the center of the school commons area and both Adam and Logan were staring expectantly at her.
Unable to resist, Adam took both of Dava’s hands in his and pulled them up to his chest, cradling them with his own. From the second that he removed her from Jason’s clutches, the energy was there just like always, sizzling between them.
She looked so innocently beautiful standing there with her pink lips slightly parted. She was confused, he read that easily enough and who could blame her with everything that was going on. He brought her hands up to his lips and placed a kiss on each of her knuckles, feeding the young flames that simmered between them. “I asked you what class you had first Dava?”
She tried to tug her hand away from his but he wouldn’t relent. “Why?” she asked suspiciously. Every time that Adam was near her, or touched her, her body started to go haywire. She felt like she was on fire, needing something that she couldn’t explain and it scared the hell out of her. What she wanted more than anything right now was to get away. She wanted to get away from Adam, Jason and these feelings that she didn’t understand.
“Because sweet Dava,” Adam tugged her closer to him, wanting to fill his senses with her sensual citrus perfume. “I want to walk my mate to class.”
“No!” She exclaimed suddenly, her face draining of all its usual peachy complexion. “You can’t.”
Adam’s smile never faltered. “Sure I can,” he assured her. Lifting his free hand he let the back of his fingertips caress the side of her cheek. “You are mine and I take care of what is mine Dava.”
“No! No! No!” She adamantly shook her head and once again tried to pull away from him at no avail. “I can’t be yours Adam, I just can’t.”
“You already are Dava. Don’t try and deny it.” Leaning into her, he pressed his lips to her hair, needing so badly to be close to her. “We’re true mates love,” he whispered. “Can’t you feel the heat when I touch you like this?” Keeping their bodies flush, he used the same hand that he had just danced across her cheek, and ever so slowly stroked the length of her arm all the way down to her delicate wrist and finally ending his journey by entangling their fingers together.
“This,” he said and squeezed her hand for emphasis, “is real.” Leaning his head back, he grabbed her chin and pulled her head up so he could meet her bewitching gaze. “This is something that you can’t fight love. Don’t you see that fate has given us a gift? It’s ours for the taking; all we have to do is just reach out and take it.”
Dava felt the world spinning dizzily around her. She felt like she was suffocating. She had to get out of here. She had to get away. Frantically, she started shaking her head. “I can’t do this,” she mumbled and squeezed her eyes closed. “We can’t do this. It’s not right. I’m not the right one for you.”
This time when she suddenly jerked back from Adam’s hold, she was able to catch him off guard and thankfully freed herself from his unnerving grip. “Please,” she begged again, feeling her legs tremble like twigs beneath her. “just leave me… alone.”
Without waiting for an answer, she started to slowly shift herself backwards while swinging her tortured gaze to Logan. “All of you,” she waved her hand and screamed out angrily, “just stay the hell away from me!”
“Dava, stop!” Adam called out the second that she spun around and took off down the hall. He had gone no more than two steps when he felt Logan’s restricting hand clamping down on his shoulder and pulling him to a halt.
“Let her go,” Logan ordered him in a chillingly calm voice.
Adam’s wolf railed at the interruption and responded with a harsh warning growl. How dare he stop him from going after his mate?
“Adam!” Logan dug his nails deep into his friends flesh and forcefully swung him around, pushing him hard up against the wall. He held him using the leverage of his body while leaning in close to his ear so that only he could hear him. “Give her some time to accept this Adam. Trust me on this. The harder you push her, the harder she’s going to push back. You don’t want to lose her before you get the chance to claim her.”
Adam’s growl rumbled again low in his chest but Logan felt the immediate slack in his muscles. He watched his eyes for the glow to dim before he stepped back. “Are you back in control now?” he asked him softly.
Adam took a deep breath and slowly let it outthrough his teeth. He stared down the hall where Dava had just disappeared; knowing that what his friend had been telling him was only the truth. Maybe this was all too much, too fast for his little mate but he didn’t know how long he would be able to hold himself back. The urge to claim her now was already like a fever raging in his blood. He’d never felt anything like it and with Jason on the prowl, it made the urge that much more feral. "Yeah," he said as he pushed himself upoff of the wall and raked his hands roughly through his hair. “I’m in control for now anyways. For how long though… now thats the real question.”