Claimed by the Alphas: Part Six (3 page)

“What can I get for you darlin’?”

Mila was fairly certain that was the most wonderful sentence anyone had ever said to her. She looked between the waitress, her menu, and Asch.

“I don’t know,” she said helplessly. “I want everything.”

Breakfast had never really been Mila’s thing, as she’d rarely been up early enough to get it anywhere. But after over a month of living in a cave, the IHOP menu looked like it had been sent down by the gods themselves. Everything, from the ricotta cheese pancakes to the country-fried steak
, looked phenomenal.

“Order what you want,” Asch instructed.

He was sitting next to her in the booth, leaning over to gaze at her. Momentarily sidetracked by the affection in his hazel eyes, she grinned back at him. Her face was starting to hurt from smiling.

Mila placed an order for two different meals and three sides, promising to share, but secretly hoping no one would touch a bite of any of her plates. She was brimming with excitement by the time the waitress left the table.

“How much farther do we have to travel?” she asked Asch. She was intentionally vague, though she doubted the other diners could hear her over the loud chattering of voices in the packed restaurant.

“Aren’t you tired?” he asked, taking a sip of his water.

“I’m too excited to be tired.”

That was only partially true. While her mind was still going a million miles a minute, her body was starting to drag. It was just after noon, and usually around the time she would already be going to bed back at the den.

“Why don’t we get a hotel room for the day?” he said. “We can shower, watch TV, sleep on a real bed for a change.”

Mila’s heart skipped a beat.
“Seriously?”

He gave her a lop-sided grin.
“Why not?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Brae said from across the table.
She’d never quite shaken the tiredness from her eyes since she’d woken, and now looked exceptionally drained.

“
It’s fine,” Asch said firmly.

Brae looked down at her glass of water, absently stirring it with her straw. “The others are waiting for us. They’ll worry. And I don’t feel comfortable here.”

Forcing back her disappointment, Mila reached across the table and placed a hand over Brae’s. “What’s wrong?”

Her expression unusually guarded, Brae
replied, “Everything is so loud here. It hurts my head. And it smells terrible. I feel sick to my stomach.”

“Don’t worry
. They’re usually pretty quick here. We’ll eat quickly.”

“No,” Brae said, shaking her head. “It’s not just here, it’s everywhere.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Our hearing and our scent, it’s a lot stronger than yours. It makes it difficult to be around human towns and cities.”

Mila looked to Asch for confirmation. He pressed his lips together, but nodded. “It’s not ideal, but we can stick it out for a day,” he said, directing his comment at Brae. “We’ll rest for a few hours and be back on the road by nightfall.”

Brae’s shoulders slumped, but she didn’t argue. Mila felt bad for her, but also a little selfish. She didn’t want to make her friend miserable, but this was probably the only chance she’d have for a long time
to feel normal again. She was going to enjoy herself.

When the food finally came,
Mila could not feign any semblance of table etiquette. She dug into her meal with all the finesse of a starved lion, but by the time she’d shoveled the second forkful of scrambled eggs and bacon into her mouth, her stomach revolted against her. She set her fork down, nearly gagging as she forced herself to swallow the half-chewed breakfast medley. Scrambling from the booth, she held a hand up, trying to ward off any questions.

“Be right back,” she croaked out, before making a bee line for the restroom.

The ladies’ room was moderately clean and smelled of bleach and potpourri. Mila dashed for the stall, not bothering to check the toilet before she fell to the floor and lost her greasy serving of food. It came up easier than the past couple times she’d been sick, but was no less draining. She put her head on the cool toilet seat took deep breaths while vowing to thoroughly scrub her face later.

Her legs were shaky when she got up. She made her way over to the sink with the intention of washing her hands, but caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. She had paled since leaving Tye, and she wasn’t used to seeing herself without makeup.

She was pinching her cheeks as the restroom door swung open. A harried-looking young woman was carrying a blue bassinette with a wailing infant. The sound of crying babies was usually like nails on a chalkboard for Mila, but today she found herself intensely curious. She pretended to be fixing her hair as the woman ambled up beside her.

“Excuse me,” she said apologetically.

She placed the bassinette on the counter as fumbled with the diaper changing station. Mila peeked down, quickly losing all pretense of casualness at the sight of the little, wrinkled face.

“
He’s so tiny,” she breathed, her mouth hanging open. The young woman looked back, blinking at Mila.

“
Five weeks on Tuesday,” she said, shuffling back over to the bassinette. “First time we brought him out. Think it’s just a little too noisy for him.”

Mila watched intently as the woman pulled the baby from the bassinette, noting the way that she was holding its head. She didn’t have any siblings and had never felt particularly inclined to hold a something as fragile as a tiny human being, so she’d simply never done it. Now, her fingers itched to feel the soft weight of one in her arms.

She must not have done a particularly good job of hiding her desperation, because the woman gave her a wary look.

On impulse, she said, “I’m pregnant.” She realized it was the first time she’d actually had to tell anyone. It was just one of the strange nuances of living with people who could smell everything.

The woman’s face softened. She looked to Mila’s stomach. “When are you due?”

“Uh,” Mila fumbled for an answer, “July? Sorry, it’s still really new.”

She smiled, her tired eyes brightening. “He’s my second. Enjoy it while it lasts. Once they’re born, there’s no putting them back.”

She laughed, and Mila joined her weakly, not sure if it was just some private mom joke she just wasn’t capable of understanding yet. She had only known she was pregnant for two days, and she already wished the whole thing could just be over and that the universe could just hand her the baby.
At least once it was born, Asch, Caim, and the rest of the pack could help her take care of it.

Realizing she’d been standing there for a little too long, Mila gave an awkward goodbye and stole one last look at the baby, still longing to hold him.

They drove to the outskirts of the small city, checking into a modest motel. It wasn’t ideal for Asch, but the more upscale locations were downtown, alongside busy intersections that would prove aggravating when it came time to sleep.

Tired from the long trip, he had been looking forward to resting. Unfortunately, as soon as they dropped off Brae, Mila bypassed their room and pointed across the street.

“Let’s go to the drug store!”

He had tried to convince her otherwise, but Mila wasn’t like the rest of his pack—she wouldn’t be swayed by his commands.
And so, he went with her, holding her hand as they crossed the street.

They crossed the salted parking lot, a wave of warm air greeting them as the automatic doors slid open. Mila snatched up a basket and raced towards the aisles, having way more energy than she had any right to at this
hour. Asch followed after her at a more leisurely pace.

Still walking, Mila turned back and asked, “How much can I spend?”

“Get what you want, just don’t go crazy,” he said patiently. It must have been the right answer, because her face lit up all over again. He could get used to that.

Tu
ning out the noises around them, he focused on the sway of her hips she sauntered down the aisles, tossing bottles and boxes into her basket almost indiscriminately. She stopped at the end of the hair care aisle, looking back at him with a deep frown. He gave her a questioning look.

A light blush dusting her cheeks, she said lowly, “That woman was staring.”

“Hm?”

He followed the direction of her g
aze to see a petite sales clerk, probably in her early twenties, eyeing him with blatant yearning. When she realized he’d noticed her, her face flushed an unnatural shade of red and she looked away, feigning interest in organizing boxes of hair dye.

A slow smile spread over Asch’s face. It had been a long time since a woman besides Mila had looked at him that way. In the pack, there had never been any need to hide desire, as sex had been something they’d all shared freely, until recently.

In his adolescence, Asch had matured faster than his peers. Tall, muscular, and widely considered to be good-looking, he turned a lot of heads in his small town, and probably dashed a lot of teenage dreams. Girls had lined up to date him, but he had rejected them all, not out of selflessness—he had been too young for that—but out of fear. Fear of being exposed and fear of hurting someone. Fear of losing control as his father and so many other males before him had, and creating a child that he couldn’t possibly protect from the harsh reality of life as a werewolf.

When he looked at her again, Mila was still glarin
g in the direction of the clerk, her expression pinched and utterly adorable.

“What could you possibly have to be jealous about?” he asked, placing his hands on her waist. He leaned down, rubbing his forehead against hers. “Everything I want is right here.”

She looked up at him coyly. “Oh?”

To his surprise, Mila dropped her basket and put her hands behind his head, pulling him down into a heated kiss. He was vaguely aware of the sound of bottles clattering to the floor as he backed his mate against the shelves, delving his tongue into her hot mouth.

His cock swelled, straining against the denim of his jeans—another thing he hadn’t experienced in a long time. But where it had been a painful frustration in years past, now it was just an annoying reminder that they were in public. He gave her bottom lip a soft nip before pulling back.

“It’s been over two weeks since I been inside of you,” he said, lust making his voice thick. “Hurry up and finish shopping so I can get you back to our room and into bed.”

~~~

Mila ran her hands up and down her legs, sighing blissfully. It had been way too long since she’d shaved, and just as long since she’d taken a hot shower.

After drying herself, she climbed from the tub, stepping onto the cool tiled floor. Wiping the fog off the mirror, she brushed her hair and then dabbed a little concealer under her eyes. It was silly to dress up for bed, but waiting for her outside the bathroom was a sexy alpha that wouldn’t be denied.

When she was done primping herself, she squeezed a generous amount of lotion into her hand and began smoothing it over her arms and chest. As she came to her waist, she slowed, gingerly rubbing the lotion over her lower belly.
She thought she might look a little rounder than usual, but it was probably just her imagination.

After another once over, Mila deemed herself to look exceptionally awesome. She left the bathroom, entering the small kitchenette attached to the motel bedroom.
The shades were drawn back, blocking out most of the afternoon sunlight. A fat TV sat on a dresser against the wall, and across from that were two moderately comfortable beds with crisp white sheets. Asch was sprawled out on the bed closest to the door. Too big for the twin bed, his legs were bent and his arms draped over the sides. He was wonderfully nude, and also very much asleep.

Mila felt disappointed, both because she’d wanted to have sex and because she looked fantastic for nothing. Tip-toeing over to his side of the bed, she clicked on the table lamp, casting a soft orange glow over Asch’s body.

She had never met such a perfectly rendered man, and not just physically. Beyond his sculpted muscles, beautiful eyes, and the symmetry of his face, Asch was everything she could ask for in a partner. He was caring, empathetic, and fair, and she had yet to find any real flaws in him. Maybe that was why she had related to Caim so much easier. Caim was too hard and too sharp, too arrogant and too stubborn. For as much as she loved him, Caim was far from perfect, and maybe that was exactly why it was easier to love him. She was a very imperfect person, and it was scary to love someone who seemed so much better than her.

Mila laid her head on his arm and leaned against the side of his bed, not feeling the least bit inclined to go lay down in her own. She was tired, and even a little achy, but she wasn’t in the habit of going to sleep a
lone, and without the skin-to-skin contact that she needed to feel safe and secure.

Just as Mila was beginning to nod off
, she felt his arm shift beneath her. She looked up to see him staring at her fondly. His eyes were heavy-lidded with sleep, giving his face a sultry look that made her pulse quicken.

Neither of them broke the silence in the room. Asch pulled her onto the bed, tucking her body under his own.
His hands came up to frame her face, and for a moment he just stared into her eyes. Then he kissed her slowly, his lips moving across hers with practiced ease.

He hadn’
t bathed yet, and still smelled like the forest. The muskiness of his scent contrasted with the tidy room and her own clean body, reminding her that the man above her—a man who could kiss and stroke her ever so gently—was so much more than just a man. Inside of him was a wild creature, a wolf that would never quite fit into the confines of humanity. And according to him, she was everything that he wanted.

Asch groaned as his tongue penetrated her mouth, his hips mimicking the action
and flexing against her thigh. She tried to part her legs for him, not caring that she wasn’t fully ready for him yet, just knowing that she wanted to feel him inside of her. Not about to relinquish control to her, Asch kept her legs pinned firmly to the bed with one muscular thigh. Too tired to fight a battle she didn’t even want to win, she surrendered her body to her mate.

Lost in his sensual mouth, her body turned liquid beneath him. She focused on the sound of his heavy breathing and the feel of his rich hair between her fingers, and tried to ignore his hard length that pressed between them and the throbbing need between her own legs.

When he finally pulled back from her lips, it was to drag his mouth along her jawline. She almost cried out in frustration, but was immediately subdued as Asch began to trace a wet path down her body. He stopped briefly at her chest, kissing and massaging her breasts appreciatively. Understanding her needs, he didn’t linger long, and continued his downward trail.

A grin tugged at his lips as he parted her legs and gazed down at her. She didn’
t have to ask why. He ran his thumb over the thin strip of hair that remained between her legs, his eyes gleaming.

Asch held her gaze as his thumb ran along the seam of her sex. As if compelled, she was unable to look away, even as his thumb parted her lips. Her heart pounded in her chest like a caged beast while the pad of his thumb began to work her clit in small, deliberate circles.
He lowered his head to press a kiss to the top of her knee, and then, as if she needed any more stimulation, began to plant a series of wet, languorous kisses throughout her inner thigh.

The pace of this thumb was maddeningly slow, and she tried to arch against his hand for more friction.
His thumb pulled back, replaced by his hungry mouth. She had been slowly building towards a climax for a while, but the second he scraped his hard teeth against her tender clit, she exploded, crying out with her unexpected release.

Overwhelmed by pleasure, she didn’t notice Asch had moved until he was thrusting inside of her. The ecstasy of having him fully inside of her was amplified by her climax, and she arching into him eagerly. Despite his cool composition as he’d pleasured her, Asch’s thrusts
were frantic and potent with need—need for her, his mate. He growled fiercely, slamming his fist down on the bed as he gave a final, hard thrust, before pouring himself inside of her.

They didn’t clean up, and Mila was content to lie
next to him, surrounded by the scents of sweat and sex. Asch nuzzled her neck, one arm hooked under her torso to band their bodies together on the too-small bed. His other arm gently cradled the slight swell of her belly.

“Asch?”

“Hm?” he asked into her neck.

“
Have you ever held a baby before?”

He didn’t hesitate
. “My little sister.”

She tried to turn and look at him, but he held her firmly in place. “You have a sister?”

“Mhm,” he replied.

She could tell he was tired, but despite that it was well past her normal bedtime, she’d just had an orgasm, and she was newly pregnant, she wasn’t sure she could sleep. Her mind was still buzzing with thoughts and questions, and she didn’t want him to fall asleep
and leave her alone.

“
Where is she?”

“Still lives with our mother a few hours south of here.”

“Is she a werewolf, too?” He nipped her ear. “Ow!”

“No, different father.
I’ll tell you all about her later, now go to sleep.”

“I can’t sleep.”

He laughed. “You haven’t even tried yet.”

“I have a lot on my mind,” she said defensively.

“Are you worried about Caim and the pack?”

“Not really,” she said, feeling a little guilty at the admission. “It’s not that I don’t care about them. I just trust that Caim will get them all there safely.”

Asch loosened his grip, letting her turn to face him. She swallowed hard, blinking back tears that she didn’t quite understand. “I’ve never held a baby before.”