Page 26 of The Alpha King's Mate

He had one day left to deliver.

Chapter 12

Sorin

She asked for so little—and what she did ask, I’d have given as a bare minimum. Aliana was already protecting our pups before conception. Not all mates were capable of self-sacrifice for the sake of family. Perhaps I’d romanticised my parents’bond because of its violent ending. Perhaps I’d kept only the good memories.

But when I was with Aliana, I felt complete. Malakh was content.

The fear of her rejecting us had lessened. The anxiety remained.

The room had gone soft with evening—the last of the light long faded, one lamp burning low, the window cracked enough to let in the cold air off the ridge and the far sound of the patrols changing over. Under it all, her scent had settled into my sheets, my pillows, the walls. Into everything. The room finally smelled the way it should have for seven years.

I had been strategic in sending Ember to spend time with her. She would answer every question with candour, and I needed Aliana’s trust. Her wolf appearing as it did was fate. It had also kept her hidden from me all the years I searched for her.

Her fingers traced the warrior tattoo across my chest, slow, following the lines like she was learning a map. The heat of her palm sank into my skin. I pulled her closer. The bond wouldshow her everything, in time, and lay many of her fears to rest. The Bloodborne ancestry was rooted in the ancient practice of maguš. Modern magic ran weak—but our pack carried instincts keen enough to set us ahead of every other pack.

“Your scent drives us crazy,” I murmured against her hair, inhaling the heady aroma—orange blossom and warm skin and that wet mountain morning, stronger now, richer every day she healed.

“Do you know how many times I was in Silvermere territory and never caught a hint of you?”

She glanced up, her eyes full of sorrow, reminding me of the condition I’d found her in. I rubbed my thumb over her plump cheek.

“You’ll never go hungry again,” I said, gently rocking her against my chest.

She didn’t speak. She didn’t have to. The way she clung to me spoke volumes.

It went against every instinct not to worship each inch of my mate, but she’d never lain with anyone, and I would not frighten her. The changes in her scent had been encouraging.

She had a little over thirty hours to accept the inevitable.

? ? ?

The following morning, my eyes had barely opened when her rich scent reached me. Malakh froze—then, as he breathed her in, slid into default mode. The primitive need to prove ourselves, and then claim her as a prize for breeding rights.

I ignored him. Until I breathed her in again.

She was close. So fucking close.

I pressed my lips to her forehead, kissing her hairline before easing back to untangle our limbs. I could not trust myself, andshe slept so peacefully. Her eyes stayed closed as I stood over her.

Her final day locked in our bedroom.

I turned for the bathroom, wondering how advanced implant tracker technology had become.

? ? ?

Rev tied his hair back while Talon and Jax chose their weapons.

“Any reason we’re sparring in your yard rather than the training grounds?” he asked slyly.

“I’m simply remaining close to home before the mating ceremony,” I said, stretching my arms out.

“So it has nothing to do with presenting you and Malakh as the Alpha King?”

I glanced up to find Aliana’s nose pressed against the window.

“A show of strength for your mate was standard practice not so long ago,” I murmured as she raised a hand.