Page 10 of Golden Valley
“Good to meet you,” Alpha Berger said, his tone in no way indicated there was anything good about that moment. The loud stomping of his feet as he made his way to the chair didn’t help. Not wanting to add to the tension, Ricky kept his mouth shut and followed Alpha Berger.
Once they were both seated, Alpha Berger continued seething, the Beta spoke about the weather, her mate looked down at his plate, and the other people around the table nervously darted their gazes in Ricky’s direction and then glanced away when he looked at them. He had no idea what that was about, but he couldn’t ask without being rude, and if he was going to ask socially inappropriate questions, he would start with the one that mattered more. Like where was his mate and when was he going to get there.
Alpha Berger was so wound up about the perceived and real slights that had been directed their way that he seemingly didn’t notice the odd reaction every person in the room had toward Ricky, or if he did, he didn’t have the time to mention it because he was busy puffing his chest, clenching his fists, and glaring. When he had invited Ricky to join him on the trip to Golden Valley, Alpha Berger had said the goal was to establish connections and job opportunities for Purple Sky pack members. As they sat at the grand dining room table with Alpha Berger’s pheromones bouncing off the high ceilings and wood panels, Ricky thought they should aim lower. Like maybe not being thrown off Golden Valley pack lands.
An Omega’s instinct was to soothe an Alpha before his anger led to a fight. But Ricky couldn’t think clearly enough to formulate any words, let alone a plan sophisticated enough to defuse Alpha Berger. And then all thoughts of Alpha Berger went out the window because another Alpha walked into the room and Ricky stopped breathing.
His hair was a deep brown, same as his eyes. Dark stubble covered his cheeks, not enough to call it a beard but too much for a five-o’clock shadow. His cheekbones and jaw were pronounced, probably because his face, like his body, was lean. Most Alphas had a bulkiness to them—broad shoulders, thick arms, pronounced height. This Alpha was on the upper end of average in height, and if his trim frame was any indication, on the lower end for weight. But despite his size, power radiated off Morgan like a living, breathing beast. It made Ricky so hard so fast that he gripped the edge of the table and froze every muscle in an effort to keep from ejaculating in his pants.
“Morgan Peters,” said the gorgeous man as he held his hand out toward Alpha Berger.
Despite Morgan’s relatively smaller size, there was no question in Ricky’s mind as to who was the stronger wolf, something Alpha Berger clearly noticed too because the anger he had been emanating for hours dimmed, replaced with, if not fear, then at least concern. But, like a true Alpha, he quickly shook off his hesitation.
“Brian Berger.” He swallowed, licked his lips, and then rose from his chair, pulled his shoulders back, and took Morgan’s outstretched hand. “I’m the Purple Sky Alpha.” After a breath, he set his hand on Ricky’s back and added, “This is Ricky Marx.”
The polite thing would have been to get up from the chair and shake the Alpha’s hand. But being so close to Morgan had Ricky simultaneously frozen with desire and frantic with need. If he could talk his body into rising, he likely wouldn’t be able to stop himself from lunging at the most attractive person he had ever seen, so he stayed right where he was, clutching the table and staring at his mate, hoping to be noticed.
“Congratulations on your new role.” Morgan’s smile was strained. “We’re sure the Purple Sky shifters are thrilled to have you.” Instead of sitting at the head of the table, he walked to the other side and pulled out the empty chair beside his Beta. “Sorry to keep you waiting.” He nodded toward his pack members. “Lillian, everything good?”
The Beta nodded tensely but didn’t speak. On any other day, in any other setting, Ricky would have been nervous about the unnamed and unpleasant undercurrent in the room, but the presence of his mate—his mate—diminished the importance of everything else and occupied all his senses. Although Morgan wasn’t talking to or looking at him, Ricky enjoyed the deep timbre of his voice, his crisp, powerful scent, and his measured, precise movements. He was staring at Morgan’s long-fingered hands and fantasizing about how they would feel on his body, when suddenly, everyone got up.
“It was good to meet you.” Morgan reached for Alpha Berger’s hand and shook it. “Thank you for coming to introduce yourself.” He turned his head toward his pack members. “Ray, can you please see them to their room? I need a few minutes with Lillian.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
Ricky jerked his gaze from one person to another. Why were they leaving? What about dinner? He looked down at the table and gasped when he saw empty plates, including his own. When had he eaten? Had he really been that distracted throughout an entire meal? Sure, he had been fantasizing about his mate but…
“I do hope you’ll visit us at Purple Sky sometime, Morgan. We’ll be sure to show you the same hospitality you’ve shown us,” Alpha Berger said snidely.
Morgan was already walking out of the room, so he didn’t hear Alpha Berger’s comment. That was the good news. The bad news was that he was leaving, and he hadn’t spoken a word to Ricky the entire evening.
***
“This entire situation is suspicious.” Alpha Berger was back to pacing from one side of the guest room to another. “Who invites visitors to their pack land, ignores them over a ridiculously fast dinner attended by a random pack family, and then locks them in their room?”
The door hadn’t been locked at any time during their visit, but Ricky couldn’t muster the energy to point it out because what did it matter? His mate hadn’t acknowledged him.
“Maybe they’re hiding something.” Alpha Berger’s forehead crinkled. “But what? And why? They knew we were coming weeks ago. It’s not like they couldn’t get prepared.” More pacing. “What was even the point of us spending time with people who didn’t talk to us?”
Was it possible Morgan didn’t sense they were mates? No. They had been in the same room for an extended period. An Alpha couldn’t possibly miss something any shifter with a nose would notice in a few seconds time.
“Maybe it’s a power play. They get new Alphas here and treat them like crap as a message that Golden Valley is superior.”
He was pretty sure Alpha Berger wasn’t making sense, but maybe the problem was his own muddled mind. How could he think about anything but the fact that he was under the same roof as his mate? Morgan’s scent strummed through Ricky, sending an internal message about what was supposed to be happening. Touching, talking, licking. Him and his Alpha. That was what he should have been doing. He ached at the denial.
Not just his dick, which had been hard since he caught the first whiff of Morgan. But also his heart, his head, his soul. Mates were supposed to be together. Without a conscious decision, Ricky’s legs straightened. He needed to find his Alpha.
“I should call Jobe. See what he thinks.” Alpha Berger pulled his phone from his pocket.
Ricky had been paying almost no attention to whatever Alpha Berger had been muttering. None of it made sense, and even if it did, it didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was being with his Alpha. But with Alpha Berger so out of sorts, there was no way Ricky could tell him about what Morgan was to him. Not if he wanted to spend the night in his mate’s arms instead of warding off a battle between Alphas.
“Maybe you could, um…” He licked his lips, trying to think of a plan, something made nearly impossible by the increasingly thick fog of need swamping him. “You should get out of the house.”
“What?” Alpha Berger pulled his eyebrows together.
Closing his eyes tightly, Ricky shook his head.Think. Think. Think.“For privacy.” He looked at Alpha Berger, hoping the words coming out of his mouth made sense. “The call with Red River.” He pointed at the phone. “Privacy.”
Alpha Berger tilted his head to the side and squinted at Ricky, his expression uncertain. “Privacy?”
