Two Mated Alphas

Easy For Them

Sebastian’s POV

Ali’s smile kept me from going and ripping Mason’s pretty blonde head off, so I turned and marched into the house to find James.

Of course it all made sense: how he protected her, his immediate dislike of me, and how they interacted with one another. He was always watching her, always aware of where she was. And she was so gentle with him. They were together.

My mind flashed back to their hug. How she nuzzled into his chest, while his arms wrapped around her. It was so f*****g obvious to me now. They were together. She was only doing her duty by coming here with me. But she spun a pretty little web of lies to hide what was going on with them. She truly wanted him, not me.

And now, now that he met his mate, things were different. She must have promised to stay with him despite meeting me, but his promises to her must have been empty. I couldn’t imagine choosing anyone else after laying eyes on James. The girls I had flings with before her meant nothing then, and they certainly mean nothing now. Just like I meant nothing to James, if she was still willing to choose her Gamma over me. She wanted him.

My mind was swimming with images of her and her Gamma. My stomach roiled as they played in my mind. Her body writhing under his, clawing at his muscles in pleasure. Her full lips kissing him, biting at his lower lip; his blue eyes taking in her naked beauty. Her calling his name instead of mine…I needed answers before I lost my f*****g mind.

I found her in the study, sitting down with her head in her hands, breathing in and out slowly. I could tell immediately something was wrong, and my instinct was to comfort her.

But then she looked up at me with what looked like misty tears in her eyes and I knew what those tears were about. And that sent me into a rage.

“What the hell is going on between you and your Gamma? Are you f*****g him? No wonder you weren’t thrilled to find a mate when you can settle for someone who obeys your orders” I spat, unable to control the venom in my words.

James stood and raised her chin defiantly.

“How dare you” she said, her voice low. Her hands were in fists at her side and they trembled with rage.

“It’s very clear something is going on between the two of you, or else you wouldn’t be this upset over him finding his mate” I yelled, adding emphasis to the word ‘mate’.

“You have no idea what the f**k you’re talking about” she said slowly, eyes piercing into mine. She stood from the couch and marched for the door. I grabbed her by the arm and whirled her to face me.

“I swear to the Goddess James…” I warned, feeling my body begin to tremble. Alaric was the furthest thing from calm. I fought with all of my strength to restrain him for fear of what he may do.

“My Gamma found his mate. Just like that. He finds his f*****g mate and it’s going to be easy for them” she snarled.

She was jealous of Ali. She wanted to be with her Gamma. Not me. She didn’t really want to give this a chance, she was just doing her duty. An Alpha needs their mate to be strong. If she wanted me she wouldn’t have put up a fight when we met. I was so drawn to her that my willingness to complete the ritual was something she would settle for. She wasn’t falling in love with me.

That confirmation washed through me like icy water injected into my veins. Alaric’s fury went from boiling rage to white hot anger and pain.

“Sorry to be such a disappointment for you” I hissed through my teeth “you’re free to go whenever you f*****g please. We certainly don’t have to waste time pretending this is something that will actually work. Or that you actually want.” My heart cracked as the words were said. I immediately regretted them.

Her eyes flashed with pain before narrowing at me. I still had not released her arm, and our faces had somehow inched closer and closer to one another.

Her lips pulled back in a snarl. “If this is how the great Alpha Sebastian is, maybe you’re right. It’s not like there would be any other explanation than I’m a heartless Alpha who just wants to f**k her Gamma. Guess I’m really not worth the trouble getting to know since I won’t just be your pretty little Luna.”

She said each word carefully, and as they registered I slowly released my grip on her. My sister called her heartless earlier and I saw how that made James feel. I was jumping to similar conclusions.

I reined in Alaric and looked at James. I kept my hand on her arm as I looked into her eyes.

“James, tell me what is going on” I said, searching her eyes that were so full of emotions. My anger was still pumping through my veins, but her words gave me a tether to calm myself. I wasn’t going to let my temper destroy this chance with her.

She looked at me as her anger melted into a mixture of pain and exhaustion, then her eyes slid from mine over to the mini bar. She walked over and poured herself a glass of bourbon. She threw her drink back and grabbed a second glass, then the entire bottle, and motioned for me to sit on the couch.

I took the glass she offered and watched her as she filled both up. She set the bottle down and took a long breath. She exhaled and her face remained stoic as I waited for her to speak.