Alpha Eyes (Alpha Eyes: Book 1)

Chapter 9

Adrian paced the length of his bedroom, running his hands through his hair and blowing short breaths through his fingers. Sierra sat on the end of the bed, head bowed and gaze locked on her shoes. She hadn't spoken in half an hour, and he'd been too preoccupied with his thoughts to start a conversation.

He threw his head back and sucked in a breath. "Talk me through this, Sierra. Help me understand why Jaxon is calling you the alpha."

She shifted uncomfortably on his bed and lifted her head to meet his gaze. The second he saw her green eyes, he flinched like she'd struck him in the face. Instantly, she looked away and drooped her head. Her scent changed from uneasy and mournful to one of fear and loneliness. When he tried reading her thoughts, he met a very solid block that could have had a picture of her giving him the middle finger on it. She seemed to have learned to block him overnight. How could she have learned so fast?

He scrubbed his face and faced her. She refused to meet his gaze again, her shoulders shuddering a little. A few silent tears trickled down her cheeks.

She needs our support right now, his wolf snarled at him. She just lost her father, you idiot, and all you can think of is that she's now more powerful than you?

His chest ached for his mate as she squeezed her eyes closed, blocking everything out. He knew that he was ten kinds of fool for attacking her. This wasn't the time.

He sank onto his knees in front of her. She scrambled backwards, but he managed to gently grab her legs and pull her back to the edge of the bed. When she stopped fighting his hold around her waist, he laid his head on her lap and sighed.

She weakly pushed at his shoulders. "Please get up, Adrian. I'm not your alpha, so please don't act like I am."

"Right now," he countered, "you're my mate and that is all. I'd be a wreck if I was in your place. I just want you to know that I'm here for you."

She sat still for a minute, possibly processing what he was saying and offering to her. With a baby hiccup-sob, she bent forward and sobbed onto his back. Everything she'd been holding back came flooding out.

"Oh, Sierra..." He slowly sat up and pressed her head into his shoulder. Her little human body shuddered with the force of her sobs. He gathered her in his arms and shifted them onto the bed. When she curled into him, perfectly nestling into all the right places, he quickly wrestled his wolf back into the bastard's place.

Now's not the time, you jerk.

Sierra cried a solid ten minutes before sniffling herself back to a few tears. She clung to him like a lifeline, her fingers wound deep in his shirt. He wouldn't let go of her if his life depended on it. His wolf came on extra protective, which meant that he would stay with his mate until she told him to leave. For now, he'd hold her and let her know that she could rely on him.

"I'm sorry."

He glanced down at Sierra nestled against his chest. She still refused to meet his gaze, which struck a deep harsh note in his chest. He ran his finger down her nose, hoping to snag her attention.

"Why are you sorry, sweetheart?"

She shuddered against him, a new wave of tears shaking her little body. "I never wanted of any of this! I didn't know I was even in line to be alpha. I wasn't supposed to... This wasn't... You were... I'm sorry." She buried her face in his chest and sobbed again.

"Hey..." He cupped her cheek and tilted her head up towards him. As she blinked away the tears, he finally could see her sparkling green eyes again. The mate bond sent a flash of adrenalin and attraction through his veins.

"Wow. I never thought green eyes would be sexy, but..." He growled the rest of the thought. He'd loved her chocolate brown eyes, but these were something else. He could see everything swirling around in her mind. The brighter color brought out just how big her eyes were.

"You're not mad at me?" she quivered.

"No," he sighed. "I know that becoming alpha wasn't in your control. It must have been something in your genes that the power of the alpha automatically transfers to kin. I can't be mad at you, even if it was something you could control." He nuzzled her nose until she relaxed in his arms again.

"I don't want to be the alpha," she whispered. "I don't have experience being a leader."

"It's not a choice, sweetheart. You are the alpha, and that's all there is to it."

She shook her head and propped herself up on one elbow to face him. Her dazzling green eyes set his wolf to howling and his lower region to tighten. She chewed on her lower lip for a minute before taking a breath.

"I will be the alpha, but in name only until I figure out what this all means. As soon as possible, we will call a pack assembly to tell them the news of my father's death. They will naturally look to the next leader to guide them." She placed her hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "I am going to name you acting alpha, and you will accept."

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What do you think so far? Do you think it will work to have Adrian as the acting alpha?