The Alpha’s Heart (Stolen Mates #3)

5. Bold

CHAPTER 5

BOLD

A fter I’ve erased every trace of Guy and Declan from my skin and my hair, I paw through my suitcases. If it really was scenting those two males on me that set Bishop off, it seems like we both could’ve had a better first meeting.

Here’s hoping our second impression is a much better one.

I’m nervous. No denying that. This must be what untouched humans on their wedding night feel like. I’m clean now, and there shouldn’t be anything keeping Bishop from proving that he ’s my male. I’m in his cabin, in his room, and though I’m pretty sure I’m going to end the night wearing nothing but my skin, I pull on a lightweight nightgown that will be easy for him to remove.

He’s in the cabin. Despite reinforcing his territorial markings around his cabin because he has me in it, Bishop couldn’t stay away. I understand why, too. Our bond only just sprang into existence and my wolf howled a lonely song the entire time I stood beneath the shower spray.

She wants her mate. Usually the more timid of both my halves, my wolf understands how we triggered Bishop’s jealousy inadvertently. She’s forgiven him. My human side is a lot more cautious, especially since it’ll be my human form that Bishop will be fucking…

I knew what I agreed to. That’s why, as soon as I pile my damp hair up on top of my head, pinning it in place, I shimmy my nightgown on and, with a burst of nerve I never would’ve thought I had in me, I slip under the covers on Bishop’s massive bed.

It takes up most of the bedroom. Apart from a wooden dress complete with a small square mirror and a pair of sharp, steel scissors on top of it, there isn’t much else in the space. There are two closets, each open; one hosts an array of differently patterned flannel shirts and jeans, while the other is empty. Tomorrow, I’ll unpack.

Tonight, I wait for Bishop.

I sense him prowling around another part of the Alpha cabin. My heart beats wildly, my claws shredding the edge of his covers, but I wait for him to join me.

When he finally does, my claws shoot out the rest of the way, tearing the fabric. It’s one thing to know he’s my mate. It’s another for him to walk into the bedroom, a pair of worn jeans slung low on his thick hips, his flannel shirt from earlier missing as I get my first peek at the most gorgeous, sculpted, massive chest I’ve ever seen on a male.

And he’s supposed to be mine ?

I can guess what happened. When he went on patrol, he must’ve shifted to his fur. Unless he changed first, his clothes would be toast. Even if he did change, he’d have to pull on clothes again unless he wanted to come back naked.

Oh, no. Like me in my slip of a nightgown, Bishop is only half -naked.

He pads forward in his bare feet. Once he crosses into the room, he uses his heel to shut the door behind him.

I feel the answering click all the way down to my toes.

“ Honey .”

His rough rasp of a voice sends a jolt through me. Honey? Is he… Bishop Dupuis doesn’t seem like the type of Alpha who would give his intended a pet name—not so soon, at least—but I know what I heard. I swallow, sitting up. “Yes?”

His nostril flare, eyes locked on me. His chest heaves as he barks out, “You smell like honey. Honey and heat.”

Oh.

My cheeks flame. “I can’t help it.”

Shifters have a phenomenal sense of smell. For that reason, we rarely use hygiene products that have any scents added, whether they’re artificial or natural. Before, my scent was covered up by Declan’s lemon and Guy’s anise. After my shower, all I smell like is me.

Bishop smells like cloves. I smell like honey.

More importantly, I don’t smell like any other male…

His lips twitch. “I like it better than before. It’s nice.”

Score one for Helene. She knew exactly what it was that set Bishop off, and if I’d been thinking straight, I would’ve figured it out myself. But I didn’t, and now I’m looking at an Alpha who’s expression makes me thing of Winnie the freaking Pooh.

Like Bishop loves him some honey.

I gulp, waiting for him to stalk the rest of the way toward me before climbing into the bed with me.

Only… he doesn’t. He takes a deep breath, shuddering as he gets a lungful of my scent, then walks past the bed, heading toward his closet.

At first, I thought he was grabbing a flannel to replace the one he seemed to have lost. Nope. He grabs a blanket with each hand before tossing them to the corner opposite of the bed.

Bishop makes my head spin, but even I can tell he’s building himself a nest on the floor.

Why?

I pat the mattress next to me. Then, digging deep, I find my voice. “Hey, um… aren’t you going to join me in the bed?”

His heavy-lidded gaze flickers over at me. He lets out a soft grunt, then shakes his head.

No?

I scoot back against the pillows at the head of his bed, taking the covers with me. “I… are you rejecting me?”

Because I messed up before? Because I’m not the she-wolf he was expecting? Because Helene was right, he is a virgin, and he doesn’t want to mate me? Or could it be?—

Bishop shakes his head, but that doesn’t stop him from dropping down to a crouch before kicking out his legs, making himself comfortable on the floor.

“Never,” he says. “But I’d be a right bastard if I crawled into bed with you right now.”

I don’t understand. “I’m your mate. Isn’t that… I mean…”

“That’s not all I was wantin’ a mate for,” he says. “Don’t misunderstand me. Reason I pulled my jeans back on after my shift is because I didn’t want to scare ya with how much I do want you for that . But it can wait.”

I think of his low slung jeans and what he might be sporting beneath them. I swallow roughly, and Bishop notices.

He gentles his voice. “Listen. I’m not rushin’ you into anything, Sofia. I already made that mistake. Just because I found out your name, I didn’t have to tell Kendall River that you needed to make up your mind right away. How can I expect anyone to know if I’m worth bein’ taken as their mate in a damn day?”

“What about a month?” I ask. Damn it. I can’t shake the vision of Bishop without those jeans out of my head… and, well, he says he’s not rejecting me. Part of me doesn’t buy it. Not like I think he’s lying. It’s just… I came all this way because he wanted me to be his mate.

Is that still on the table, or?—

He raises his eyebrows, but he doesn’t get up from the nest he made on the floor.

“A month,” I say again. “Or three weeks, really.”

Understanding dawns on his face. “You’re asking me about performing the Luna Ceremony the next time the moon is full.”

I guess I am. “Yes.”

He’s quiet for a moment. “I’ll take you as my female when I’m sure you ain’t afraid of me.”

“I’m not afraid of you.”

“You’re lying.”

My heart jumps. “What?”

His brow furrows, a slight frown curving his lips downward. “You’re frightened of me right now, Sofia. Aren’t you?”

Crap.

Another thing thing I forgot. Because it never would’ve occurred to me to lie to Kendall, I forgot that Alphas have a unique gift. If a weaker packmate is lying to them, they can tell.

Am I afraid of him? I was before. No denying that. But if I was so afraid, would I have invited him into the bed with me? Would I be fighting my instincts to crawl over to him and turn his nest into ours?

But I can’t. At the very least, I still have my pride. Crawling to a male who might not ever give me the bite that will make me his forever mate?

I’m staying over here.

He takes my silence as confirmation that I am afraid, and I don’t correct him. “Take the bed. It’s yours now.”

An Alpha provides for his packmates, even if he goes without—or sleeps on the floor.

“You’re really going to sleep over there?” I ask, feeling even bolder than before.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Ma’am. I’m two years older than him, his intended mate, half-naked in his bed , and the Alpha of the Sylvan Pack just ma’am-ed me.

“I give you my word. You’re safe here. You’re safe with me.”

And if he’s anything like me, nothing will stop him from keeping it.

He folds his hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling while I look down at him across the room. “Get some sleep, Sofia. Tomorrow I introduce my intended mate to the rest of the pack.”

Because he’s going to do it. He said he would. He’s going to make me his mate.

Just not tonight.

Hickory isn’t so different from River Run.

That’s my impression over my first few days in my new pack. Though the scents are new and overwhelming my poor wolf, and I miss the splash of the river carrying on the October breeze, the way Bishop’s pack is established is pretty similar. Like my birth pack, my pack by future mating is protected by its own natural border. On the weaker side, where our Alpha is our first line of defense against any threat, is the Alpha’s cabin where I stay with Bishop. It has a den, too, and I’m quickly becoming familiar with that room most of all since my intended insists I spent my time there, seeing how his pack ticks.

It doesn’t take long for me to figure out that I won’t be able to return to teaching. Being a teacher was my identity back in River Run, and I love educated young packmates, but being the Alpha’s mate is a full-time position I’m discovering. True, I feel a pang in my chest about that every time I think about what I’ve lost, but how will I find the time? I’ve only been here a little more than a week and already most of my time is spent with Bishop, learning the ropes and seeing firsthand just how much an Alpha is responsible for.

More importantly, he wants me to know what he expects from me—and unlike my super wrong first impression, it’s not just sex.

That’s why we spend most of our time in the den, not the other rooms in the cabin. The way Bishop sees it, if I’m going to be the Alpha female for the Sylvan Pack, he wants me to offer my input on any of the concerns his packmates bring to him. Same for when he meets with his Beta, or any of the higher-ranked shifters. Once we’re bonded, I’ll be up there with him. And though I know there are some Alphas who prefer to keep their mates tucked away instead of helping them lead, it’s pretty clear that Bishop is more than happy to have me at his side.

In the den, at least. In the cabin where we’re supposed to forge our relationship and set a foundation for our mating? He’s very, very careful in the way he treats me. After that awkward first night when he gruffly made it clear he was going to rush me into anything now that I’ve agreed to be his intended, we’re more colleagues than future mates.

It’s not for a lack of attraction. I can feel his need for me humming like an electrical wire, skittering down our bond whenever he thinks I’m not paying attention. If only he knew that I’m always aware of him. His size. His power. His strength. Luna, that sexy beard of his, that deep rumble, and that look in his eye that tells me that he’s imagining me in his bed even as he stubbornly refuses to share it with me just yet.

At first, my wolf was terrified of his. It’s a normal reaction when facing an Alpha, especially one that I’ve never met before. I’m used to Kendall and he still had my wolf whining deep in my chest. Seeing Bishop in person, being surrounded by his dominant aura… I was scared, yes, but the more I’m growing accustomed to being in his presence, the more I have to admit that I’m desperately attracted to him, too.

It’s a start. At least the Luna knew what she was doing there. I can’t remember the last time I was so drawn to a wolf, and whether it’s because I feel like I can let my guard down a little, knowing he’s my fated mate… it doesn’t matter. Regardless of that, I made my promise. I’m going to be Bishop Dupuis’s fated mate the next time the moon is full.

And I believe that until about a week into my stay in Hickory…

I’m not too disappointed when Bishop leads me to the outdoor pack circle where communal meals are offered and eaten. One perk about relocating to Louisiana? Even in October, the weather is nice enough for us to spend the time out in nature instead of being cooped up inside. I’ve even traded some of my sweaters for long-sleeved, loose blouses, and though the humidity is giving my long hair a hint of a wave it didn’t have back east, I don’t have to fight the urge to hide inside my new cabin.

I can’t. As the future mate to their Alpha, the pack needs to get used to me as much as I have to get to know them. Seeing me at mealtimes helps, as does my presence in the den when Bishop is meeting with them. By the time we’ll have our Luna Ceremony, he wants me to be fully accepted by the Sylvan Pack. He might not say that, but Bishop… he doesn’t say much at all. My intended is definitely the strong, silent type.

I thought that would be in a little more than two weeks. I was under the impression that we would have the packwide celebration on the night of the full moon, then finish the Luna Ceremony in private after. It didn’t bother me that there hasn’t been much planning of the pack’s part in our ceremony. I figured the Alpha would have a simple affair, then do the claiming just to get it over with.

And that’s when one of the maternal gammas—a retired elder named Catherine who introduces herself as the head of Hickory’s planning committee—approaches our table at dinner and asks Bishop if she should expect to begin arranging the Luna Ceremony this moon.

Beneath his beard, his jaw goes tight. His dark gold eyes glance toward me. I’m sitting opposite him, eating the plate that one of the juvenile pups served especially for me, and this is the first time he’s looked at me since he started his own meal.

It’s only a fleeting glimpse. Nowhere near enough for his stare to trigger my wolf’s flight or fight instincts, and I’m just thinking that I’m getting better at withstanding his alpha nature when he clears his throat, then says, “This moon. Next Luna. We’re not in any rush.”

My stomach sinks.

Not in any rush… that’s news to me.