Alpha Black
Chapter 12 - Safe Travels

Nathaniel Black

The car ride was quite, with Jamie driving the now beat up car and I sitting in the front passenger, I thought it was best to give Alice the time and space she needed. I could keep my distance, but I needed her within my site, otherwise my already on edge wolf howled, he wasn’t happy that our mate was unhappy with us.

Jamie eventually turned the car radio on and hummed and tapped away to the music, without a care in the world, but I couldn’t help but notice the concerned glances he would throw in the rear-view mirror at my mate. Of course, his suspicions about Alice were correct, despite trying to hide the emotions that swirled throughout her head, she couldn’t hide them from me.

Our mate bond was strong, despite the fight, I could feel every pang of emotion that swirled throughout her mind and body. My heart ached and my blood pumped hot as I felt the rage, sadness, anxieties and fear overwhelming her with every second. Despite the radio gently filling the silence, there was a heavy silence that filled the car.

“What about my stuff?” Alice eventually asked.

“Your bag?” I asked, turning to look at her.

She shook her head, “no, my apartment, all of my things?” she asked again.

“Oh,” I said, turning and looking back out the windscreen, “Jamie is going to stay here until the end of the week. He’s organised for some movers and will pack up all of your things, hopefully they’ll get to Savage River before the end of next week.”

“Be careful with my books and art supplies please,” she said softly to Jamie.

Jamie nodded, “I’ll pack them like they’re made of class, and I’ll threaten any of the movers if they some much as shake a box too aggressively,” he said cheerily.

We arrived at the airport and I got our bags out of the car, leaving Jamie in the font seat, I passed her, her silver suitcase and flung my barrel bag over my shoulder. “Ready?” I asked, and she replied with a quick nod.

I was almost expecting to have to carry her out of the car, or guide her through the airport, but she never stepped more than an arm reach from me. It was as if she knew I get over protective, but then perhaps all the yelling and possessive behaviour made her right.

“Good evening, how can I help you tonight?”

“Mr. and Mrs. Black checking in for flight JQ475 to Inwaa City,” I said, pulling up the QR code on my phone.

“Of course,” she said with a smile, scanning the code and typing on her computer. “Did you two have any check in luggage?”

“Yes, a suitcase and a barrel bag.”

“If you’ll just place those on the conveyor belt for me.”

I flopped my own bag on the conveyor, “Do you have everything you need?” I asked, putting my hand on my mate’s suitcase.

She nodded her head, “yeah, I’ve got my handbag,” she said forcing a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

I lifted her suitcase, and we didn’t exchange any more words as the airline hostess processed us and directed us to the first-class lounge. Farewelling us with a well-practiced, “we hope you enjoy your flight.”

Placing my hand on my mate’s waist, I couldn’t delay it any longer. I knew that I had promised her the remainder of the week in Portland, but I could smell rouges throughout the whole city now, it was like they popped up overnight, poking their head out over every sewer, trash can and gutter.

Bypassing security was definitely one of the benefits to first-class, but my mind eased knowing that rouges could barely afford to fly first class. The lounge and bar that awaited us, with million dollar views were an addition that I thought Alice might appreciate, yet her gaze barely lifted as I directed her through the lounge to the back of house and into a disabled bathroom.

Her gaze still didn’t lift and I left the painful numbness that coursed through her, she was trying so hard to disobey me, to run. As I released her waist to lock the bathroom door, her gaze rose to meet mine for the first time that day. But it felt like it had been weeks. Her chocolate brown eyes had been stained red with tears and a pain washed over my chest, knowing that I was the reason for these tears.

It almost made me wish I wasn’t an Alpha, that I wasn’t a Black, that I could have stayed with her in her apartment in Portland, enjoying the salty sea breeze that washed over the town every evening…

I slowly walked towards her, her own feet taking her back to the cold tile wall until she had no where to go, her eyes pleading with me, begging me. But her sweet floral sent was overpowering me, with every passing date, with every night we spent together, the urge to mark her was becoming overwhelming.

I enjoyed the warmth that spread to my hands and down my arms as I cupped her face in my hands. I kissed her gently, a light kiss a first, my lips barely brushing against her own. As she relaxed, her hands clinging to my shirt I kissed her more passionately, letting the emotions pour through the mate bond.

Letting my hands fall to her shoulder and waist, I pushed her carefully but firmly against the wall, making sure not to hurt her physically or emotionally. Slowly, I planted kiss after kiss on her jawline, “I’m sorry,” I whispered between kisses.

I shifted her scarf to the side, my lips tracing down her neck, “Please, I don’t -” but her sentence fell short as my fangs grew and I bit the spot between her neck and shoulder, marking her as my own. Her gasp filled the air and her nails sunk into my arm, as my fangs sunk into her muscle.

I didn’t bleed, marking your destined mate never did, and it would heal quickly but the pain that surged through the two of us as I removed my fangs was unbelievable. I expected her to push me away, react, be angry, or sad, anything. Yet my little mate stayed where she was, clinging to my body, unmoving.

I stayed there, not moving, waiting for her to recover and be able to stand on her own two feet.

She leant her head back against the cold tile wall and exhaled, “son of a bitch”, she murmured and I raised my eyebrows.

“Are you alright?” I asked cautiously.

Retracting her nails from my arms and shirt, she placed her hand over my mark on her neck “fuck”, she swore again. Releasing her from the cage of my arms I watched her as she walked towards the mirror, leaning on the sink she inspected the mark on her neck. Her muscle had already begun to heal itself, with the wound closing but still bright red. By the time our flight landed in Inwaa City, it would heal into a shimmering white that would sparkle like silver in the moonlight.

She traced the marl with her fingers, flinching as pain coursed through her and into me. She glanced at me through the mirror, “did you feel that?” she asked curiously.

I nodded and she exhaled, “I think you owe me a drink,” and she unlocking the bathroom door and walking out.

I caught up to her quickly, sliding my hand down her arm to hold her own as we walked, and she adjusted her jumper to hide my mark on her neck.

“What can I offer you two today?” the bartender asked as he gave us his undivided attention.

I opened my mouth, but Alice beat me to the punch, “shot of spiced rum, and a spiced rum and coke. Sailor Jerry please.”

The bar tender nodded and poured the drinks, sitting them between the two of us, unsure who’s was whose. Alice then answered the question quickly, she took the shot of rum, sliding the glass back to the bartender and then took the rum and coke, and washed the shot down with a mouthful “Do you want anything, darling?” she asked me coldly.

I smiled, she would be replace in our pack, “ I’ll have a rum and coke too,” I said and the bar tender blinked a couple times in awe of Alice before swiftly pouring my drink, where I slid my credit card toward him and explored Alice’s face.

We got up from the bar, drinks in hand and made ourselves comfortable staring out the window onto the runway, watching a large plane come into land. “You don’t have to mark me straight away,” I found myself saying.

She looked at me from the corner of her eyes and nodded.

“I am sorry, it’s not how I’d hope that to go,” I confessed to her silence.

I sighed and leaned back on the couch and pulled her towards me, lifting her slightly and placing her on my lap. I had honestly hoped for a reaction, but I was met with nothing, she just leaned back against me and continued to stare out the window. I was happy that she was at least enjoying the view.

This was going to be a long six-hour flight.

* * * * * * * * * *

She fell asleep at the beginning of the flight, after she flicked through the menu and magazines tucked away in the arm rest pocket. She curled up on the reclined chair, where I requested a blanket from the air hostess and carefully threw it over her, making sure she was warm.

Despite barely having slept the night before, I couldn’t bring myself to close my eyes, to take them off her. She was my precious little mate, I couldn’t leave her alone, unprotected, outside of the pack.

“Do you want another whiskey?” the air hostess asked me.

“Yes please,” I said ripping my eyes away from my sleeping mate, and handing the empty glass to her.

The air hostess checked in regularly, ensuring that my glass was topped up, to the point where I told her to just keep my credit card at the bar until the flight landed. I carried my sweet mate off the plane when it landed, as she slept heavily, barely waking as I carefully placed her in the back of the car.

“How are you, Alpha Black?” My driver Anthony asked, keeping his expression stoic.

“I’m doing great At,” I said with a smile, “thank you for picking us up so late.”

“It’s not a problem Alpha, we’re happy to have you home, the pack has missed your presence.”

“Well, they’ll be happy to hear I’ve found my Luna,” I said sending him a wink, as I stepped into the back of the car, embracing her in my arms, and planting a kiss on my head.

The car trip felt almost as long as the plane ride, but it was only two hours of highways and back roads to the pack town, Savage River. Tucked away in the treacherous mountain ranges that lined the middle of our territory, it was located and expanded strategically by my forefathers. It was founded almost six hundred years prior, and it was the hub of werewolf activity in the country. I overlooked a large chunk of the land, well outside standard pack boundaries, we had established settlements outside of every major city and had hundreds of airports, hospitals, schools and shops throughout the pack, with human, werewolf, fairy, witch, wizard, ogre and more.

But more than anything, it was home.

The car buzzed past multiple check points and security stations, only slowing as we approached the city centre. Passing under the dramatic stone wall that encompassed the majority of the pack town, I was greeted by the warmly illuminated streets and family buildings.

I couldn’t wait for my mate to fall in love with the beauty of the stone and timber buildings, the extravagant pack buildings and opportunities we offered to the pups of the pack. How the moonlight sparkled off the white stones that paced the streets and the tall pine trees that lined the streets, just as old as our blood line of Alpha’s