Page 31 of His Temporary Alpha Mate
If I’d spoken up about the feeling the other alpha gave off, I might not have found myself knocked out. Again. I fucking hated being knocked out. This time had been a potion, not a head injury at least. I was just lucky that the potion Carl slipped me didn’t contain something worse.
In my guilt, I’d taken the offered room and moved in with Roan’s family. I had already spent most of my nights there without Dalton to occupy me and keep me in the mansion. It felt like the right step for me, no matter how much I felt like an outsider.
A call lit up my phone. Dalton. I scrambled to answer, just so happy he had reached out.
“Hey,” I said.
“Hey, can you come over? I… I don’t want to be alone right now.”
Checking the time, I agreed without hesitation. “I won’t be able to stay, though.”
“Where are you staying? I checked your room, and it’s empty.”
“I’ll explain when I see you.”
“Have you had dinner?”
The comforting, warm scent of meat, spices, and cheese met my nose as I let myself into Dalton’s home. I looked for Spice, the ferret. The little noodle was usually the first to greet me, instead he left that honor to Priscilla. Guaranteed, he was nosing about whatever that amazing smell was.
She wound around my legs, covering my jeans in her white fur.
“Sorry about her,” Dalton called as he looked through the doorway into the living room where I stood holding his cat. “Hold on, Spice!” He held a piece of cooling chicken in his hand. Clearly a treat for the animal on his shoulder.
Satisfied it was cool enough, Dalton held the morsel for Spice to take. The ferret took it with his grabby hands and scuttled down Dalton’s body to the floor. He vanished quickly to avoid us taking thefood back.
“No worries. I don’t mind a Princess Priscilla reminder.” I followed him into the tiny kitchen, growing more and more worried about him. Everything was off about him. His usually well styled outfit was haphazardly put together. His hair wasn’t his artfully styled coif. Dalton was always present in the moment, not this distracted.
“Okay,” Dalton said absently. “Dinner won’t be too long. Hope you like enchiladas.” He set the timer on the oven as the dish baked.
“Yeah, they’re great. Thank you.”
He turned to the sink to wash a dish. “I wanted to make pozole, like my abuela used to make when I felt sick. Before we lost her.”
“Are you sick?” I reached for him, alarmed.
Dalton shrugged me off, folding into himself. “I can’t believe they canceled the testing!”
Tears streaked his face, his shoulders shook as he sobbed.
Unable to offer any words of comfort, I took him into my arms.
“It’s not fair!” he wailed into my chest.
“No. It’s not.” I smoothed his hair and rubbed his back. “There’s all sorts of promises I could make to you. I could say the testing will start soon. You won’t have to wait long. Those would be lies, though. I don’tknow when you’ll get to be an omega, but I swear to you, Dalton, if I can make it happen, I will, okay?”
His sniffles slowed. “Okay.” He stepped back, wiping his eyes. A determined light changed his expression. “I’m not really hungry for food right now. How about you take me to bed instead?”
It had been a while since I’d last been with Dalton. I knew this was just him masking his pain, but despite that, I really wanted him. I missed the feeling of his body. The taste of his kisses were a drug to me.
“Sure.” I darted forward and hoisted him over my shoulder, startling a laugh out of him.
“Wait!” he yelled as I turned for the bedroom. I knew Dalton’s house well enough. “The oven!”
I backtracked, switched off the oven and smacked his ass. “Done. You can feed me after I feed you my cock.”
“You say all the right things,” he giggled as he hung down my back. He cupped my ass cheeks as I made the short walk to his room.
Carefully, I eased him from my shoulder onto the bed, then covered his body with my own. His body fit so perfectly against mine. I pressed my lips to his gently for a sweet kiss, getting that hit of his taste.
