Their Angel (Book 3 of Wolfsong)

Slumbering Alpha

Melody

Although I fought it, my body trembled upon hearing Asher's promise. It surprised me how much I wanted him to throw caution to the wind and act upon it. Zane's fingers wrapped around my hips, giving a gentle squeeze, so I bit my bottom lip then met his gaze. The strength of want deep in my heart made me nervous.

But even though I displayed strength and speed normally beyond me in my anger, Zane was neither upset nor frightened. In fact, he seemed kind of smug. Part of me expected him to preen and brag that I defended him tomorrow at school.

Just the thought of school killed my hesitant smile. Everyone was at odds with Asher today. They kept glancing at him with scowls and avoided standing too close to him. Which was why the last batch of the cookies I made were peanut butter instead of chocolate chip like Mom wanted. When I explained that Asher had an odd day, she agreed warm cookies of his favorite flavor would make him smile. He never complained, but I could tell the stares unsettled him a bit. What worried me, was towards the end of the day, some of our classmates bared their teeth in his direction. But not Zane's.

A gentle kiss on my forehead jerked me out of my thoughts and I stared into Asher's eyes with heat creeping into my cheeks. Asher laughed under his breath, then rubbed our noses together with a soft purr. As a child, before my mother got sick, I was bold and brave. Somewhere inside me, that strength remained. I knew it must. So, before I could wimp out, I pretended I found it and fisted the hair at the back of Asher's head then brought his face down the little bit I needed to kiss him.

He smiled into the kiss, purring louder, and moved so he knelt to make it easier on himself. And possibly to reassure me he would stay here if I desired. When he raised his head, so I could catch my breath, Asher grinned, then rubbed our noses together again. Zane groaned, his fingers clenching on my hips and I recalled how we were positioned which caused my cheeks to burn. Asher laughed under his breath, then nuzzled my throat with an almost soundless purr.

Zane grumbled under his breath, only to grin when I decided I wanted to kiss him. His purr was far louder than Asher's, giving me the sense he bragged to his brother which made me want to roll my eyes while a light giddiness danced in my chest. After I broke the kiss, I glanced between them and bit my lip. They would not rub my affection in each other's face if they did not want it, right? What made me feel warm and happy, was neither seemed upset, just pleased. They probably plotted their next advances, but if they did not fight, I liked the idea of being their focus. Just acknowledging I was their prey sent a flutter into my belly. The twins raised their noses, breathing in deep then grinning to flash their fangs at me. Well, that caused another flutter which made them smirk.

After a second or so, Zane trembled then sighed and banged his head on the ground, causing Asher to chuckle under his breath. "Problems?" The older twin asked in a pleasant voice. Zane scowled, but his fingers gripped my hips a touch tighter when I intended to move away. His silent assurance he liked me here and didn't want me to move heated my cheeks. Upon seeing my blush, Zane trembled again and groaned under his breath. "Hmm?" Asher hummed after glancing at my face to discover I bit my lip again.

When I tugged on his sleeve, because I felt a need to confess, Asher eyed his younger twin then grinned and suddenly I was in his arms. He walked away with lazy strides that ate an impossible distance before Zane sat up with a deep scowl. "All right, out with it," Asher chuckled after setting me on my feet. We were in a secluded copse, and I trembled while gripping Asher's forearms.

The impatient stepbrother I feared was long gone when I stared into eyes so full of patience my need to confide in him increased. Some instinct deep in my soul declared Asher would be a perfect confidant. I could tell him anything, and he would never betray my trust. Still, it took me several seconds to summon my confidence. "I discovered something the other day, and just now reinforced it," I whispered, trembling from a brief rush of fear. If I told Asher this, if I admitted it, then I would bare part of myself to him. He could destroy it with ease. Instead of succumbing to the desire to keep my secret, I made the decision to trust my mate. Who waited as if he were willing to give me all the time in the world.