Chapter Sixty

Liam took me to a beautiful park near the packhouse. I cannot remember much before my parents died and never got the opportunity to enjoy leisure time after. The park was beautiful with lots of gorgeous flowers and plants all around. We ate the delicious lunch that Missy packed for us and enjoyed a decadent fudge brownie as dessert. We talked and laughed, and everything was easy.

“So, you are really telling me that chick flicks are your favorite movies?” I laughed at him.

He laughed as well. “What? Is that so bad?”

“No, actually it's really cute,” I gave him a smile.

“They really aren’t different from the cheesy romance novels you like,” he pointed out.

“Hey!” I said. “I like a wide variety of genres, thank you very much!” He just laughed. I looked around the deserted park we were in. “This place is really beautiful,” I said to him.

He smiled. “It's usually empty during the daytime on weekdays. There isn’t any type of playground equipment here, so parents aren’t bringing their pups. Wolves without pups are usually here in the evenings and weekends.”

My heart melted. He was always so thoughtful. He was doing everything in his power to ease me into being at the pack and not making me face everyone all at once. “What are you thinking about?” he asked.

“Hmmm. You, actually,” I told him. I could feel my cheeks heat up a little. He gave me a curious look. “I was thinking about the fact that somehow you have managed to keep me away from other pack members for the most part. You chose a picnic spot where we would not be stared at or questioned. You didn’t even tell your Gamma and Delta about you having a mate until this morning when you wanted someone to protect me.”

He nodded his head, blushing a bit. His hand rubbed the back of his neck like he was nervous. “I know this wasn’t really your choice and I wish I didn’t have to bring you here like I did. But I thought if maybe I helped you ease into it all, you wouldn’t be as scared. And maybe if you could slowly see that people would accept you, you could be more comfortable taking the Luna title.”

I gave him a sweet smile. I crawled across the blanket to him and sat straddling his lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck as his eyes went wide. “Thank you,” I said softly before pressing my lips to his. His hand grasped my hips, pulling me closer to him. He deepened the kiss, moving his lips over mine like he was begging for more.

I pulled away to catch my breath and he smiled at me. “Liam, you are an amazing Alpha, you know that?” I said blushing.

“Only because you make me a better man, my Little Luna,” he said with a smile. He brushed a stray strand of hair from my face. “What do you say about ditching everything for tonight?”

My eyebrows rose in surprise.

“Ditch everything? What about Kol and Isaac?”

“Everything is handled for now. Isaac will be gone by morning. I told him in no uncertain terms he will not be taking a member of my pack against her will.”

“What about Kol? The three days have passed. Aren’t you afraid he will come after me?”

“He can try but he won’t succeed,” he said, pulling me even closer to him. Our bodies were flush now, and I could almost feel the bulge in his pants. A warm feeling erupted in my abdomen. “Plus, there has been no traces of him for days now.” That worried me. How could he just disappear like that? He was very determined and seemed to be one step ahead of Liam at all times before. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I will not let him lay a finger on what is mine ever again,” he promised. He moved my hair over my shoulder to expose his mark on my shoulder. He brushed it lightly with his fingers. Sparks ignited from the mark and a small gasp escaped my lips. Liam chuckled.

“Okay. But what are we going to do?” I asked, trying not to melt under the lustful look he was giving me.

“I was thinking we could go to the city and get a hotel for the night. Maybe you would let me take you to dinner for the evening,” he smiled. I nodded.

“Okay,” I said, agreeing.

-

We cleaned up the picnic and walked hand in hand back to the pack house. Liam left me by his car outside while he ran in and put the basket away. I waited patiently by the car for him to return when I heard footsteps near me. They stopped when I heard a voice.

“It seems that the little Alpha does leave his Luna unattended,” said Alpha Isaac’s deep voice. I turned to look at him. He was giving me a precarious look. He approached me. “I apologize for the circumstances under which we met. Your mate and I seem to be unable to see eye-to-eye at this moment. I am glad to see you are well,” he said. He was trying to discreetly sniff the air.

“Yes, I am. Thank you for your concern. Are you departing then?” I said trying to keep things civil and detached.

“For now. I appreciate the hospitality even if a deal was not able to be reached,” he said. “I apologize but I did not catch your name before,” he eyes narrowed at me.

I swallowed. “That would be because I did not give it to you,” came Liam’s voice behind me. Almost instantly, he was at my side and had his hand around my waist. “Come, sweetheart. We have things to attend to,” he said to me without taking his eyes off Isaac.

I turned my body into his slightly, feeling uncomfortable under Isaac’s stare. I reached my hand up and placed it on Liam’s chest. “Of course, we should go,” I said to him. “Good day, Alpha Eirlys,” I said to Isaac.

Liam gave him a curt nod before turning us around and opening the car door for me. Liam blocked Isaac’s view of me with his large frame. I was momentarily thankful for the drastic difference in our sizes. I climbed in as Isaac spoke again. “I apologize for my rudeness Alpha. I just cannot help but notice that your Luna looks strikingly like my mother.”

Liam’s hand gripped the door. I looked into his eyes. I could see the storm brewing there while he tried to get his emotions under control. I reached my hand towards him, brushing my hand against his arm, hoping even a small amount of my touch could help refocus him.

“She must have been a beautiful woman,” he said without turning around. I looked at him, pleading with him silently. “Please Liam, let’s just go. Let him leave.” I begged him in my head. Confusion twisted over his face but quickly vanished. He shut my door and turned to Isaac. I could not hear what he said next before he walked around the car and got in the driver's side. He started the car and we pulled out of the driveway in silence. His right hand rested on the center console, I grabbed it, intertwining our fingers. I looked up at him. He sighed.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

He nodded. “No one will take you away,” he said. I knew he was still battling the possessiveness he felt over me and Isaac’s insistence that I go to White Moon. I rubbed his arm gently as we drove, hoping it would help to calm him by the time we arrived.

Liam

My mind was reeling. Isaac was suspicious of my mate’s identity. It was not uncommon for a Luna to be guarded by her Alpha, especially before she was accepted by her pack. But I could not formally introduce her without giving her away. I was trying to avoid a physical confrontation of any kind in front of Azalea.

I had not anticipated Azalea looking like her grandmother. I could not remember her parents at all. The thought never crossed my mind that she may have some family resemblance. All I thought about was keeping her safe and with me at all times.

Gavin had been another wonderful rollercoaster I had been forced to ride since waking up this morning. I could feel his excitement and contentment at Azalea being marked. I could also feel his rage towards Isaac for trying to take her away from us. Then there was his anxiety the entire time she was out of our sight. Worst of all was his gloom during our picnic lunch. He kept whimpering like he wanted control to be with Azalea.

She had said she forgave me and did not blame him, but she had also not said she was ready to face him again. I was still undecided on if I should allow it should she even ask. I resolved to make that decision if she wanted to speak to him. But it was making him feel slightly rejected by her.

Then there was that sound I thought I heard. When she was sitting in the car and her hand reached out to me. I thought for a second I heard her say “Please, Liam” like she was asking me to disengage from him, but her lips never moved. I had my eyes on her the entire time and I know for a fact she did not speak. Maybe I was just hearing her voice in my head. Maybe my brain was telling me what she would have said.

I tried to shake away all the thoughts swirling around in my head. I turned my focus to Azalea’s soft fingers gently rubbing up and down my arm. The familiar sparks of pleasure were trailing along with her fingers. That combined with her scent swirling around the car thanks to the running heater was calming me.

I drove us into the city. I took us to a nice hotel in the middle of downtown so we could walk to a restaurant nearby later. Azalea had nodded off by the time we arrived. I parked the car out front. Jogging around to her side of the car, I paid the valet to park the car and unload the bags that were already in the back thanks to Lily. I opened the passenger door and lifted Azalea out of the car. She stirred slightly.

“It’s okay. I will carry you,” I whispered in her ear. She wrapped her arms around my neck and settled into my arms. I could not help but smile at her. Her hair hung behind her shoulder, revealing her fresh mark. She was the most beautiful thing on this planet, and she was all mine.

I walked in and over to the front desk to check us in. There was a willowy blonde with a pencil skirt and collared blouse at the reception desk. She eyed me as I approached.

“Hello, how can I help you?” she said in a fake, sweet voice.

“I need a room for the evening,” I said. She looked at Azalea in my arms curiously. I gave her a smile. “My dear wife fell asleep in the car and I just could not bear to wake her.”

“Right,” she said, clearly put off by us. The city was always like this. With many species living among humans, sometimes humans found us odd. “We only have a suite available tonight,” she said.

“Sounds great,” I said. I reached in my pocket and handed her my credit card. Her eyes widened a little but got our booking taken care of. Once she was finished, she handed me a key and pointed me to the elevator. I could feel her eyes on us as I walked away. When we got into the elevator, Azalea began to stir again.

I let her wake up this time, kissing her forehead. “Hey,” I said quietly.

“Where are we?” she asked.

“On the way to our room,” I said. I pecked her lips, and she gave me a smile. I would do anything to keep that smile on her face. The elevator made a ding sound and the doors opened. I carried Azalea to our room and opened the door.

“You going to put me down?” she giggled.

“Mmmm… Nope,” I said. I smiled down at her as I walked towards the bedroom portion of our suite.

“Liam, I am awake now,” she said. “I can walk.”

“Mmmm… Nope,” I said again. I gave her a devilish smile. I took her over to the bed and gently dropped her onto its plush surface. She giggled at me as I climbed over top her, caging her in between my arms.

“What are you doing?” she said with a playful smile on her lips.

I licked my lips and said, “Kissing my mate of course!” I smashed my lips to hers, kissing her with intensity. When I finally let her lips go, she was panting trying to catch her breath. I could see her lips already puffy from just one kiss. I peppered kisses along her jaw and up to her ear, nibbling on her lobe a bit. “I love you, Azalea,” I whispered, and I could feel her shiver. I kissed her neck, taking special care not to touch my marks.

A small moan escaped her lips, only encouraging me. I could feel my member rising. Her hands came up to grasp my shirt. I shifted my weight to one arm while I reached back with the other to pull my shirt off. I tossed it to the floor. Her eyes grew wide and her tongue darted out to lick her plump lips. I surprised her diving down and capturing her mouth once more with mine. Her small gasp opened her lips so I could invade her mouth with my tongue.

I kissed every inch of her mouth, savoring and memorizing the taste. She kissed me back with enthusiasm. I used my free hand to roam up and down her side, her body began to arch from the bed, responding to my simple touch.

Finally, I broke our kiss. I had to give her the decision. “Okay, kitten. Your choice. I will take you out tonight on a date. We get up now and get ready. Or we can stay in, order room service and I will start making it all up to you. Slowly and sweetly,” I whispered to her as I ran my nose along her neck. Before she could answer, I gently touched my lips to her mark, eliciting a groan from her sweet lips. I know I wasn’t fighting fair, but having her all to myself was fueling my need.

“Stay,” she finally whispered.