Page 44 of His Temporary Alpha Mate
“Us? We’re fine?” He laughed, putting me at ease and said something that stuck with me as I walked home, heart still heavy with guilt.
“One day, hopefully not too far away, we’ll be sitting outside on the grass together, our babies playing side by side.”
Try Again
Dalton
My feet were dragging as I neared my house, but faltered further as my fingers touched the door handle. Someone was inside.
“Your papa’s home,” an all too familiar voice said warmly as I entered.
Larken sat, perfectly at ease, on my sofa, Spice around his shoulders in his favorite place and Priscilla on his lap as if she belonged there. I could hear her vibrating purrs from where I stood, completely flabbergasted. His grin was wide as he clocked my confused expression. How could he be acting so normally as everything felt like it was falling apart?
“What are you doing here?” I wasn’t really complaining, normally I’d have been happy to find him waiting for me when I got home. I’d just hoped for more time to come up with an explanation for Larken before I saw him. He was owed an apology. A massive one. I wasn’t ready for this!
“Thought you might need someone after today.” Larken said it so casually, so offhand, it stopped my advance towards the sofa.
My blood ran cold. Panic froze me in place. “What d’you mean?”
“Well, the testing is back on, right?” Larken was trying very hard to act as if none of this mattered. We both knew it was a lie. “So, you asked him?”
“It is. I did.” My throat clicked, suddenly dry.
“And? He said no, right?” Was he truly okay with this all? He wasn’t mad, at all?
“He did.” I needed a drink, or five.
“Are you okay?”
His concern brought me up short. “What?” How could he be thinking about my feelings and not how horrible I’d been?
“Dimples, get your fine ass over here so I can hug you,” he said with a glare. “I can see you’ve been crying. It pisses me off.” He let out a breath. “The scent of your tears is working my lizard up.” He closed his eyes briefly. “I knew you were going to ask him.” He looked directly at me. “I’m not even mad about it.”
Maybe not mad, but disappointed, possibly.
“You aren’t? I stumbled the last few steps to the sofa, sitting close to Larken, missing my cat by inches. She didn’t even flinch. Her purr ratcheted up.
Larken wrapped an arm around me, bringing me closer. Spice took that opportunity to crawl onto my shoulder and nuzzle his head against my jaw. Priscilla stretched, so she was on my lap, too. It felt right, like people who loved me surrounded me. Larken couldn’t love me, could he? He liked me at the very least. That would have to do.
There’s no way he’d be so chill about me asking my former crush to take me through becoming an omega if he had romantic feelings for me. We were friends with benefits, nothing more.
“No.” He shook his head, emphasizing his answer. “I heard the same thing as you. Hiroshi wanted beta pairs first. We all knew you’d do whatever it took to get on the list first. Plus, you’re not fully over Axel—you’re getting there,” he rushed to add when I tried to interject. “It just takes time.”
“Like you and Roan?”
“Yeah, like with Roan. He was just an idea I was wrapped up in.” His answer was so simple. Honest. I envied his surety.
“You really aren’t mad or hurt?”
“Maybe a little hurt, but that’s my thing. I understand why you did it.” He was better than I deserved, yet he was still by my side.
Spice was done with us. He ran down my arm and jumped onto the floor before dashing away to cause mischief somewhere.
I rested my head on his shoulder. “Lark?”
“Yeah?” He stroked my hair.
“Would you be my alpha? I know I should have just asked you first. You’ll never know how sorry I am that I didn’t. I want it to be you.”
