Alpha Eyes (Alpha Eyes: Book 1)

Chapter 5

Ada pounced on me the second I stepped out of the pack house. I flinched as her fingers dug into my arm and she dragged me all the way to the training fields.

"I knew it!" she squealed when we finally stopped.

I shook her off and subconsciously tugged my shirt higher on my neck. "What?"

"You talked to him," she stated rather triumphantly. "Something obviously happened because you're...well... you're glowing a little and you smell different."

Hot blood rushed to my face. I shuddered. "It's that obvious?"

She grinned and crossed her arms. "Yeah, it is. So what? Did he finally recognize you and sweep you off your feet? How long do you think he'll wait before he asks to mark you?"

I squirmed under her barrage of questions. "Can you keep it down, please? It's bad enough that I clearly smell like him."

"About that..." She cocked her head to the side. "You have to tell me who he is! I've heard that a mate's scent gets stronger when they've been marked and then mated. I can smell someone else all over you. Like, your scent is almost non-existent." Her gaze swept from my face to my neck.

I knew that giddy gleam in her eyes far too well. I barely had time to blink before she snatched my hand away and yanked the collar of my shirt down.

"He marked you!"

The squeal was far too loud. Thankfully, no one was around to hear. I wanted to crawl under the nearest rock and die. If we were in a time where packs had news criers, Ada would have been first in line for the job. She could alert half the pack of anything by the time she'd drawn three breaths.

"Ladies..."

I shivered as a deliciously deep and familiar voice washed over us. The pine scent I'd come to love swirled around me as footsteps approached from behind me. Out of habit, I bowed my head in respect to our beta. When strong hands gripped my shoulders, I sucked in a deep breath to stifle the moan in my throat.

Ada, however, did not seem so affected. "Beta Adrian..." she gushed with a couple bats of her eyelashes.

My wolf growled, and I tensed at her flirting. She'd always been one to aim high, but this one was off limits.

Adrian squeezed my shoulders, almost assuring me I had nothing to worry about. "Ada Lanster...I wondered why my ears were burning."

Her gaze darted between him and me before her nose twitched a little. I knew she was picking up his scent. When her eyes flew wide, I bit back my smirk at her discomfort.

"My apologies, beta..." She flashed me a look that screamed 'Dang, girl!' before bowing her head and taking a step back. "I will go find my group."

I watched her jog away in silent shock. Since when did she back down so easily? She was one of the most stubborn girls I knew, especially when it came to hot guys.

Adrian turned me to face him. My heart skipped at the sight of the brilliant smile on his face. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close. The sun peeked over the hills behind us, casting a golden silhouette around him.

I returned his smile and laced my hands behind his head. For a moment, we simply enjoyed the sizzling chemistry and drank in the essence of the other. I jumped a little as our mind link connected.

Good morning. He bent his head and gently nuzzled my nose with his.

Good morning. A little shiver of pleasure skittered through my body. This was really nice. I was beginning to like his touch ... a lot.

He tightened his hold around me, drawing me flush against his chest. Even though it was fairly early morning and the night's chill was just wearing off, his skin radiated an impressive amount of heat. I hadn't realized there were goosebumps on my skin until I was snuggled against my mate.

"Are you cold?" He gazed down at me with those deep, understanding blue eyes of his, and I nearly melted right there on the field.

I shook my head. "Not any more, thanks to you."

He grinned and ducked his head. I rose up on my toes to meet his lips with mine. The kiss sent sparks searing through my body, warming me from the inside out. With my hands laced at the base of his neck, it was easy to hold him close until I was ready to let him go. After all, I'd waited six years for him to notice me. If he was going to kiss me, I might as well enjoy every second of it.

We broke apart after a minute, both gasping for a breath of the glorious sun-warmed morning air. Adrian nuzzled my nose with his, rubbing little circles on my hips with his thumbs. This would probably become our thing, a decent level of PDA without grossing people out. I loved the aggressive possessiveness humming through my body. My wolf and I both knew this incredible hunk of handsome was ours, and no one else got to ogle him. His every touch sent sparks and fireworks through my veins. It made sense that newly mated couples were always hanging over each other. If I could become addicted to a feeling, this would be it.

"I've spoken to your teachers," he murmured. "They're willing to release you into my classes, if you want. That way we can get to know each other."

I quivered in his arms at the thought. "As nice as it would be to spend the time with you, I think I'd get distracted."

"Yeah?" He grazed his nose along my hairline. "Why's that?"

"...because you're distracting." Okay, that was a lame excuse. I didn't have the guts to tell him that I'd probably start drooling over his sexy body. Not to mention that I'd probably try to snuggle and kiss him in front of everyone.

He trailed kisses down my cheek to my neck. I shivered as he mouthed his mark, sending a new flare of shivers of my body. I clutched his arms to keep myself upright as my legs wobbled under me. Dang! He was good at this stuff! How did he know what to do? Did he practice in the past or something?

My wolf growled, and I tensed at the thought of my mate with someone else. Maybe he'd been more cautious about girls because he was the beta of the pack. Or maybe he was a chick magnet because he was the beta? Was there a list of former girlfriends?

Adrian's hand on my cheek brought my thoughts to a halt before I spiraled into a jealous haze. When I met his gaze, his dark blue eyes swirled with concern and a level of devotion that touched a deep part of me.

"You're the only one, Sierra."

Right... Now that he'd marked me he could read most of my thoughts. Gotta work on that. I drew a deep breath, calming my wolf for the time being.

"I made the choice years ago to wait for my mate. I don't believe in messing around, so I haven't dated anyone. Now I have you." He kissed his mark on my neck again and sighed.

I curled into his arms, nestling my cheek against his chest and holding tight around his waist. Our height difference was just enough that he could rest his chin on top of my head. There would be a lot of transitions in the coming days, but this one I could easily accept.