Mated To The Wrong Alpha
Chapter 11

Ava was thankful the kitchen was empty. Someone had humiliated her on purpose, and advertising the fact was the last thing she wanted. Removing her socks and shoes so as not to leave a muddy trail, she padded barefoot up to her room and then finished stripping off her filthy garments. Setting them in a pile on the floor, she went to clean up.

After turning on the shower, she peered in the mirror while waiting for the water to heat up. The stones had stung as they hit her face and she wanted to check the extent of the damage. Sure enough, there was dried b***d on her cheek. Carefully, she probed the cut, judging its severity. Opening the medicine cabinet, she found some antiseptic and dabbed the punctured skin, grimacing as the liquid stung the damaged flesh. A quick perusal found no other injuries beyond her bruised pride. Checking her appearance once more, she decided a casual observer wouldn’t notice the wound, which in her mind was a good thing. She didn’t want a lot of people questioning what had happened. Once she found out who the driver was, she’d deal with him herself.

Grabbing a clip, she twisted her pony tail up on top of her head so it wouldn’t get wet and then turned away from the mirror, only to bump into a solid wall of muscle. Strong hands caught hold of her shoulders as she rocked backwards.

“Oh! You’re back.” Quite taken by surprise, she stated the obvious. Her breath caught in her throat as she observed Arthur was as naked as herself.

“Yep, I just walked in. I heard you moving about in here and, since I need a shower too, I thought we could share.”

Skimming her eyes down his form, she took in his sculpted pecs and abs before realizing what she was doing. Her face grew hot and she looked away.

Arthur chuckled and caught her by the chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Don’t be shy.

We’re mated. You’re allowed to look at me. I enjoy it almost as much as I enjoy looking at you.”

He accompanied his words with actions, sweeping his hand down her body. “You’re beautiful,

Ava.”

The sensation created made her hum with pleasure. Without even meaning to, she found herself leaning towards him, rising up on her toes to encourage him to k**s her. As he complied, memories of their night together flooded her mind and suddenly she couldn’t wait for him to once more transport her to that magical place filled with the most exquisite of sensations. “Do you want me, mate?” Arthur eased back and studied her face “Yes.” She whispered the word against his lips.

Growling in approval, he led her into the hot mist of the shower…

Eventually, Arthur had carried her to bed. He was exhausted from being up all night and had said he wanted to rest for a while. Within moments of his head hitting the pillow, he was asleep.

Presently, he was spooned to her back. His breath was warm on her neck, and his arm was wrapped around her waist effectively trapping her in place. She’d dozed a bit herself, feeling pleasantly relaxed and now, half awake, she idly stroked Arthur’s arm.

Sounds from outside drifted in the partially open window; bird’s singing, leaves rustling, the faint drone of a lawnmower. Somewhere a car door slammed, bringing to mind her encounter with the red sports car and the puddle. When she found out who owned that vehicle, she’d give them a piece of her mind for the idiotic stunt they’d pulled.

The memory reminded her that she had a pile of muddy clothes on the floor. She sighed, not wanting to get up but the clothes weren’t going to get washed if she continued to stay in bed.

Carefully, she eased out from under Arthur’s arm, trying not to wake him. He muttered slightly and rolled over before settling back down, his breathing deep and even. For a moment she stared at him. His face was relaxed and the controlled edge that always seemed to be a part of him was temporarily erased.

He was certainly good-looking; strong and dominant, much more so than Seth had ever been. She scowled at her thoughts. It was instinct for a wolf to be drawn to a dominant mate, but she felt guilty for comparing the two men. Of course, Arthur would seem appealing. He was older, an Alpha. But, she retorted, who knew what Seth might become in the next few years? Not that it mattered anymore, the voice of reason ruefully acknowledged. She was mated to Arthur and nothing could change the fact. It was best to put her old friend out of her mind and look to the future.

With a determined nod, she quickly dressed, grabbed the laundry and headed downstairs, leaving her mate to catch up on his rest.

Ava had just finished the laundry when she heard a sound behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Arthur leaning in the doorway, his shirt hanging open and his hair mussed from sleep. Her heart beat faster at the sight of him.

Did he replace her attractive too? He’d said she was beautiful, but did that really mean anything or were they just words? She wasn’t quite sure why it mattered to her, except that it would make for a level playing field if they both had an equal physical attraction to the other.

Trying to sound unaffected by his presence, she casually addressed him. “You must have been tired after being out so late last night.” She busied herself with folding her towels, keeping her eyes firmly averted and her body angled away from him.

“Yeah. We didn’t replace Thomas until almost two-thirty, and by the time we got him to the infirmary it must have been after three. I stayed with Julia, his mate, until he woke up. He was pretty groggy, so I need to head back there in a bit and, if he’s awake, question him about what exactly happened.”

“Did he need a doctor?”

“No. He was lucky. The bullet went straight through, missing any vital organs, so it only needed cleaning and a few stitches. B***d loss was the biggest problem, but thanks to his Lycan genetics, he’ll be fine. Nadia, our nurse-practitioner, was waiting for us when we got back. She gave him a transfusion, cleaned the wound, and stitched him up.”

“Is she one of us?”

“Uh-huh. We’re fortunate to have her, and if something really serious is wrong there’s a local doctor who knows about us and can be trusted.”

“We have a similar set-up at home.” She nodded in understanding as she tidied up the laundry area, still avoiding looking at him. Her heart rate had returned to normal and she wanted to keep it that way. Grabbing the box of soap and the fabric softener, she put them on the shelf and started to clean the lint trap in the dryer. “I’m glad your man is going to be okay and that he’s receiving good care.”

“Would you like to come along when I go to see him?”

“Sure. I’m almost done here. It will be good to meet some more of the pack.” She rinsed her hands while staring blankly at the wall, wondering if she’d see the red sports car parked somewhere. If so, she could pretend a casual interest in the make or model and that might lead Arthur into revealing who owned it. He wouldn’t have to know the real reason she wanted the information.

Arthur straightened up from his position against the door jamb and walking over to her. Placing his finger under her chin, he guided her around until she was facing him. “You seem to be avoiding looking at me. Why?”

“No reason.” She looked everywhere around the room except towards him. “I’m busy with the laundry, that’s all.”

Arthur considered her answer then reached up to stroke her cheek with his finger. “There’s a cut on your face.”

“Oh!” She quickly moved her hand upwards, knocking his aside, and covering the cut. She’d forgotten it was there.

“I didn’t notice it earlier. What did you do?” He brushed her hand out of the way and examined the mark, his breath warm against her face. Her heartbeat quickened in response to his proximity.

“I… I must have scratched it on a branch or something when I was out earlier, looking around the yard.”

“Hmm… It doesn’t look like a scratch to me; it’s deeper than that, more like a puncture wound. Are you sure you just got too close to a branch?” The weight of his stare forced her to look at him. He gazed down at her, his face passive, his eyes unblinking.

She wavered under his intense scrutiny. The wolf inside her screamed for her to confess, but she didn’t want to. Gathering her courage, she boldly pushed past him, grabbing the pile of folded laundry and walking towards the door.

“Of course I’m sure. It’s nothing to fuss over.” Inwardly, she trembled. Turning your back on the Alpha and walking away when he’d asked you a question wasn’t done without some form of retribution, but she needed to get away. Arthur was too close, too compelling, and she wanted to keep her thinking clear.

“Ava!” He growled a warning and she stopped, slowly turning around. Her mouth had gone dry and a frisson of fear formed in her belly. So far, he’d only been kind to her but now, she was getting a taste of what made him the leader of the pack. His eyes were cold and stony, seeming to bore a hole right through her and leaving her in no doubt as to his displeasure. She clutched the laundry to her chest as if it were a shield and raised her chin slightly, exposing her throat in an age-old sign of submission.

Licking her lips, she replied shakily. “Arthur, it’s nothing. Why don’t you get something to eat? I’m sure you’re famished. I’ll put these away and be back in a few minutes. Then you can show me where the infirmary is and introduce me to Thomas…” As she babbled, her eyes pleaded with him not to make a federal case out of it. She didn’t want him to know about the sports car. It was her problem to solve. She had to be able to hold her head up around these people and not always be taking refuge behind her mate.

After what felt like ages he seemed to rein in his temper and sighed loudly. “Fine. I’ll meet you at the backdoor in fifteen minutes.”

Her tense shoulders relaxed and she started to leave but he spoke again, his words causing her to freeze in her tracks.

“Ava? Don’t make it a habit of pushing me too far. You might not like the results.” She gave a quick nod and ran upstairs, thankful for the reprieve she’d been granted.