I stare at the woods in front of me, hands on my hips, watching Jamie's wolf walk around. I had refused to look at him the last two weeks, still annoyed that he had dropped his position as Beta, however I swallow my pride to hunt him down. He sees me, ears flattening, before shifting back behind a tree. I knew his wolf was in control, yet I still walk over to him, crossing my arms over his chest.
"Can we talk?" I ask.
He raises an eyebrow, dark eyes gazing at me, and shrugs. "What's there to talk about, Liana?"
"I never wanted you – Jamie – to reject me. I wanted the opposite. However, when he rejected me, I chose to move on."
"Is that supposed to make us feel better?" he growls.
"No. I just want to explain how I feel, and then I want to apologize."
His sneer slips until he's frowning. The two of us settle in silence, unsure of when to speak, and he slowly nods. "Go ahead, Liana."
I lower my head, not sure when to start. "Jamie was one of my best friends growing up. I know he and Dominic didn't get along, but he chose to put his differences aside for my sake. I will always love Jamie in his own special way. I had feelings for him until he rejected me as my mate. I mean, yeah, I totally understand the reason.
"However, he didn't explain why. He made it a big issue and he broke my heart and embarrassed me in front of so many people. I couldn't just let that go when he suddenly jumps at the chance to accept me as his mate."
The tears are in my eyes now, my lip trembling, and Jamie's wolf pulls me into his arms. "I understand, Liana."
Shaking my head, I hold onto him, sobbing. "I truly wanted to be with him. My wolf wanted to be with you. She was so upset when he rejected me – going on about how this will be a life where she can't be with the one that she loves – and I didn't know how to fix that. It broke my heart.
"I wanted nothing more than to make sure Jamie felt just how much pain I was in for the longest time. I had to hear him sleep with different girls, I had to endure the glares that females sent me, thinking it was my fault that he is the way he is. No one – not even my pack members – asked just how I was feeling. Jamie didn't understand and I felt like no one would. But Dominic, as usual, was my savior."
He tenses at the name, arms tightening around me. "I cannot fix the issues that my host has caused, Liana. I apologize for that."
Clearing my throat, I send a quick link to let Dominic know that my wolf was temporarily taking control before settling in the back, lost in my sadness. She looks up at him, both smiling when he knew who was in control, and then his lips were tender and warm against hers.
"I'm sorry," she breathes, tangling her fingers into his hair. "I wish I could fix them."
"There's no need to apologize, love. In due time will things work out the way they're meant to."
She pulls him to him again, kissing him hard, and gets the comfort out of his embrace before letting me take back over. I wipe at my eyes, feeling the pain all over again, and take a step away from Jamie. He looks at me, frowning, before pressing his palms to his eyes.
"Liana..."
I turn on my heel and walk back to the pack house, hiding my face by my hair, and continuously wipe the tears from my eyes the entire walk back to the Alpha quarters. Dominic is inside when I open the door, his eyes sad, and he holds his arms open for me. I sink into him, accepting the comfort of my mate, and cry into his chest.
His words are soothing, wrapping around me to help calm the pain in my chest, before his lips pepper around a warm trail to make me smile. He succeeds in the end, bringing a laugh out of me, and I shiver at the feel of his lips on his mark.
"Do you regret this?" he whispers.
I knew he had seen the small reunion between our wolves, and knowing that, I shake my head. "No. I'm happy with you."
"But?"
"But I hate breaking her heart. I know she said she can learn to love yours, if he was willing, but it's going to be hard."
Dominic pulls me to him, hands warm on my waist, and kisses me deep enough that my head spins. I breathe in the familiar scent of home, of someone who was always there, and gasp the moment he bites his mark. Desire shoots through me, begging me to let it out, and I grip the edge of his jeans to pull him closer.
"Lia," he whispers, face hiding in my neck.
"I want you."
Needing to hear just those words, he moves slow and comforting, letting me know in all the right ways just how loved I was when it came to him. I focus on the feeling of his lips working up my leg, breath fanning between my legs, before he brings heat right through me. His tongue flicks out, teasing, needing, before his fingers replace his mouth. I arch against him when his teeth latch onto a nipple, tugging and licking to make them hard, while his free hand wraps pleasingly around my throat.
I whimper, gripping his arms, and watch completely aroused as he pulls his shirt off. He still moves slow even though I beg, shedding each piece of clothing to mesmerize every inch of my body. While his mouth works wonders on his mark, I moan his name when he enters, his body hot against my own. His breath picks up, lips latching onto my collarbone to bring out little love bites before he looks me in the eyes.
"I love you," he whispers, thumbs brushing my cheeks.
I moan a mix of telling him I love him back and his name, scratching his back when he moves in all the right ways. I could feel myself coming close, his thumb teasing to bring me closer, and I bury my face into his neck at the release. It was hot, both of us panting, and I can't help the low cry of pleasure that comes out of me when he goes harder and deeper. He growls against my chest, tongue out to extinguish the flames, and I hold his head to my chest when we both release, his sticky and wet against my stomach.
With a cheesy smile, I look up at him, seeing the love that seems to bleed out of him. With a kiss to my lips, he cleans us both off before holding me close to his chest, making sure I knew that in the end, I would always have him.
▲▲▲
It was the day of my birth. I had wanted to sleep in, be woken with breakfast in bed, and instead was greeted with the overly loud chirps of Cameron who had thrown himself against me while I slept. I groan underneath him, shoving him to the side as I nurse my ribs, and look to my right. He was grinning, blond hair over his eyes, and I glare.
"Can I help you?" I mutter.
Seeing Dominic wasn't in the room, I throw the blankets off me, shifting my shorts, and walk into my bathroom. Cameron was silent while I wake up and wash my face, pressure off my bladder finally, and I walk out to make my way back to my bed.
"It's your birthday, birthday girl."
"Don't remind me."
Throwing myself into my pillow, I pull my blanket back over me, snuggling into its warmth, and yawn. I could feel myself steadily falling back asleep, the sweet embrace of darkness beckoning me forward, until a pressure is applied to my body. I groan when Cameron laughs, pinning me down, and his fingers tickle my sides.
"Get up, birthday girl."
Squealing, I try to shove him off me, laughing. "Get off, you fat loaf."
"Excuse me?" he growls.
Knowing my words may have been a mistake, I squeak when he tickles me more, causing my sides to hurt from laughter, and pant when he rolls me over so he's straddling me. Though my face reddens with a blush, I narrow my eyes at him.
"I'll give you three seconds to get off."
He smirks. "Or what?"
"One..." He doesn't move. "Two..." He smirks down at me, fingers brushing my sides.
Before I count to three, I yell Dominic's name, watching his face pale. Cameron scampers, trying to get off, but he isn't quick enough. The door slams open, Dominic's wolf on edge and growling, and it only gets lower when he sees Cameron on top of me.
"I was just waking her up, I swear! Her parents asked me to!"
"Get out."
Doing as he asks, I sit up with a smirk when Cameron walks out, shooting me a glare behind Dominic's body. I stick my tongue out, knowing it was childish, and jump when Dominic shuts the door just as hard. He crosses his arms, raising an eyebrow at me, and I yawn.
"I just wanted to sleep in," I whine.
He moves too quickly for me, arms resting on the sides of my head, and his lips claim mine. "I don't like seeing another man leaning over you like that."
"Is that so?" I tease.
He hums, licking at his mark on my neck, and I arch into him. He does that for a few minutes until I'm trembling in his arms. "That's the reaction I love seeing."
"Get off me and let me sleep. It's my birthday."
"No can do, kitten. Your human friends are here."
I jump quick enough that my head hits his, and groaning in pain, I scamper underneath him and run to the door. "Oh, shit. I should change."
Dominic chuckles as he watches me, eyes trailing my every move when I tear off the shirt I was wearing to put on a bra and something a little bit more fitted, and I toss the door back open. "I'll see you later!" I sing.
"Lia."
I giggle when I take the steps down to the living room two at a time, hearing Dominic follow me. I use my speed against him, jumping the last few steps, and throw myself against Link with a hug. He chuckles in my ear, hugging me back just as hard, and then passes me to Eric. I give him a hug as well, not missing the way he blushed when he looked at me, and then I grin up at the two of them.
"What are you guys doing here?" I ask.
"Obviously came to help set up your party," Link replies. "Eric insisted that it would be a good idea, so the birthday girl isn't doing all of the work."
"I appreciate the help. What time is it?"
Dominic, taking my side, smirks at me. "It's a little past noon, Lia. Hence why someone had to wake you up, even if I didn't agree with his methods."
Shyly, I smile up at him before grabbing Link and Eric's hands. "So, let me show you the house, Eric. That way you know where everything is and what can and cannot be used."
Even though Dominic was busy, I could still see a guard trailing behind us, all of them ordered to dress normal and outside of their warrior uniforms. I smile over at Claus, seeing him smile in return, and then I make the two boys halt.
"This is Link and Eric. Guys, this is Claus. He's a good friend of the family."
"Pleasure to meet you," he states. "Lia mentions you guys quite often."
Eric snorts underneath his breath but quickly covers it when I send him a glare. "Nice to meet you, man," Link replies. "Lia has kept most of her home life a secret so it's nice to see new parts of it."
"So! I'm going to show them around. Want to tag along?"
He nods, relaxing when I knew that he was to stay with me even with Link and Eric at my sides, and I show the boys around. I advise them to stay out of the basement and anything above the first floor. When I tell them there are plenty of bathrooms on ground level, they seem to accept that. While I leave them to decorate, Claus follows me into the house, thankful to finally resume his normal guard position.
"I need to stop by the office. There's things I need to discuss with you."
"As you wish, miss," he replies cheekily, grinning when I shoot him a glare.
Dominic is sitting behind the desk when I walk in, glasses perched on the edge of his nose, and I smirk at the financial papers. "Thanks for doing those."
"Anything for you, beautiful."
Claus, under my order, sits next to me on the couch, finally relaxing when I send Dominic glares that would bring him straight to hell. "What did you need to talk to me about, miss?"
"First, my name is Lia. You can call me that in front of Dominic."
Claus turns red, nodding, and takes a small look at my mate who was staring at both of us. "As you wish, Lia."
"Secondly," I chirp, stretching my legs so they could rest on the table, "we need to discuss my birthday. It has been tradition for hundreds of years that all Alpha's visit out of respect. Aaron and Alex are going to be an issue."
"So will Brian." Dominic pipes in. "He has never outright caused your pack issues, but I know he was never too fond of me."
"I don't think they'll outright cause issues, but it's best to be wary regardless. Dominic is going to be keeping an eye on our perimeters tonight, but he can't be out there until sunrise. The guards will have to shift."
"What else?" he asks.
"Cole is bringing some of his men over. I know you will have to stay at my side, but I need you to ask a guard that you trust wholeheartedly to keep the tension at bay. Not everyone in my pack is comfortable just yet with this cross training that's going on, and they're definitely not going to like the fact that his men will be here to have added protection for our pack."
He nods, taking his fingers through his hair to get his bangs out of his eyes, and chews on his thumb. "Will do, Lia. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
I take a quick peek at Dominic, seeing him working on the papers again, and clear my throat. "Keep to my side the entire night until Dominic relieves you. That means I want you holding my hand or anything that requires physical connection so no one will bother me."
"Why is that?"
"She's going to be a target," Dominic explains. "Especially with unmated males. A female Alpha has been unheard of until now, and they all want something of her. There have been rumors that, with the coming of her birthday, they would use this night to get her alone and have their way with her. No one is aware that she is marked by me; just that we are in a relationship."
Claus tenses at my side. "I can assure you I won't let that happen."
"If anyone tries anything," Dominic mutters, eyes dark when he stares at him, "I'm giving you full permission to make it seem like she's yours. This includes kissing and even acting like a protective mate. Please make sure your mate knows ahead of time."
"Yes, Alpha."
I rub my face and close my eyes. "This is going to be hell. I don't know what to do with the mix of humans and werewolves in one area."
"Luckily, love, it's just Alpha's and a few of their close members. It isn't full packs coming onto your land."
"Our land," I correct, cheekily grinning at him. "Claus, go ahead and spend time with your mate until I need you later. I'm sure she's not going to be very happy about the current situation you've been put in."
"Not so much, I agree. I'll see you later, Lia. Do call when you need me."
"Dress comfortably!" I sing.
He sends me a smile, closing the door behind him with a soft click, and I turn my head to give Dominic my full attention. His eyes stay glued to the paperwork while his hand fluidly moves over them, situating everything, and I smile when he looks up at me.
"I'm sorry I won't be next to you a lot tonight, kitten."
I shrug. "I'd much rather prefer you make sure our pack is safe."
"Try to stick to Claus as much as you can, also with Link and Eric, as much as I hate it. The only one I want you to stay away from is Cameron."
"I can understand why. Can I still dance with Cole, though?"
Dominic's eyes darken when he looks at me, yet he slowly nods. "If he gets too comfortable with you, just know I will kill him."