Page 67 of His Temporary Alpha Mate
“I want to burn the contract. To forget it ever happened. I don’t want an end date, a goal to reach, after which we would end.” I barely took a breath as I rushed to get the words out.
“What I want is you, all the time, every night and every morning, by my side as my alpha, as my mate, for as long as you want me.”
Larken gently stroked my cheek and cupped it. “And if that’s forever until The Luna calls us home?”
“Then that’s what I want too. I love you so much I can’t even stand to think of not being with you.” Leaning into the touch, I kissed his palm.
“I love you too. It was never temporary for me either. When it started, I knew I wanted to keep you beside me. All I want is you.”
Larken pushed the chair out and hauled me into his lap so he could wrap his arms around me.
“Even if we never have a baby?” I whispered into his neck.
“Even then.” He squeezed me, reassuring me with his tender touch. “I loved you as a beta. If you hadn’t changed, I still would have loved you.” Larken pressed a kiss to my hair. “I know The Luna wouldn’t let youbecome an omega and not bless us. We just have to be patient.”
He was all I could have ever hoped for and more.
“I can when I have you.”
Babies, Babies, Babies
Dalton
Being at peace over not getting pregnant was one thing. Quite another was dealing with the baby boom in Sweetwater.
First, we had sweet Hiroshi with their little girl, Kanako. You better believe Larken had me over there almost as soon as she was born, so I could cuddle her. Larken fussed over Hiroshi in such a brotherly fashion. It was adorable.
Roan, trying to do his best friend thing, questioned me about the state of our contract. Luckily, Larken and I had discussed it before our visit and we agreed we would tell them, but basically only them. We wanted people to believe what they wanted about us.
A couple of enforcers clearly thought too much about their value, thinking alphas had the right to dictate their relationships. They still thought omegas and betas were lesser and thought I was using Larkenjust to get a baby, then I’d leave him out in the cold. So, out of spite, we kept our relationship to ourselves. We didn’t want them saying I was lying and doubting how we really felt about each other. We would prove it when we stayed together, kids or not.
The next of the babies to be born in the pack was Axel’s princess, Rieka. As Uncle Dalton, I had to get my cuddle time with the cute elf-wolf. Honestly, she was too pretty for words. She had all the best qualities from her parents.
I cried during Axel and Teárlach’s wedding, not out of any remaining feelings, but just because I felt so happy my friend was with his soulmate and I was pretty sure I was sitting with mine. Maybe one day Larken and I would have a wedding.
Sweetwater gained a pregnant omega, Levi, with his fated mate, Robin, and their son, Rune. They were expecting another child together. While Robin wasn’t Rune’s biological father, he acted as if he was. He loved the little boy so much, it really was the sweetest thing. Imagine my shock, and delight, finding out that Rune was Kade’s little brother! Kade’s bio dad was a dick, long dead, thankfully, though he made cute kids.
Levi came from the Greenbriar pack, one with a similar outlook on things as Blake had for our pack. It was only natural we would enter into a formal alliance with them.
The partnership with them was mutually beneficial. We were bigger than Greenbriar, financially better off after all our hard work and the links with the Northarbor coven, demons, and, of course, royal elves. They gave us better fighters, since they were arguably better trained than us. Never discuss that in front of Deke, of course.
They took some of our shifters; we took some of theirs, when the packs found fated and chosen mate bonds. Naturally, there were more babies due out of those matings.
It felt like babies were everywhere. Of course, I couldn’t hold back my envy. Chase heard it all the time at work, and Larken at home. Even though I was blissfully happy with Larken, I just wanted something else to tie us together.
One of the best things about being in an alliance with Greenbriar was the permanent portal we had there. Witches used their magic to root the portal in Greenbriar into the ground, making it less of a drain.
With them working with us, we had new avenues for gaining our supplies. We could use places in Greenbriar or even slightly farther out. There was no way the aviary could block us this way. Technology was still an issue. Older vehicles were fine, even phones, but anything medical was a problem.Something to do with how the portal split the fabric of space.
Though the attacks had lessened, it felt like the aviary was waiting, drawing a breath before they let loose. They also appeared to have both the mayor and law enforcement doing their bidding. The mayor’s office was a constant thorn in our side. Our good mayor had even deigned to visit us to make sure that the compound, which wasn’t in his area, was operating within code.
You better believe we were. It was my literal job.
So as we approached my next heat, I was having baby envy, seeing happy couples everywhere, and fighting to keep the mayor from trying to take over the pack. Most of which I was hiding from my friends. They had enough going on without the extra drama. I had it handled. Mostly.
In honor of his marriage, Blake wanted to gather the packs, Greenbriar and Sweetwater, together and celebrate, since most had missed the wedding.
“You ready for this? We can skip out if you’d like,” Lark offered. He’d smartened up his wardrobe, wearing a gray button up under a cashmere gray sweater. It accentuated the width of his shoulders nicely.
