The Alpha's Pursuit

Chapter 5-Beau's P.O.V.

Last night, I couldn’t sleep as I tossed and turned on my king-sized bed. My wolf, Blade, was pacing in my mind, feeling on edge and restless for days. No amount of runs through the woods seemed to calm his anxiety. The stubborn brute was driving me to the brink of insanity.

The final visit to discuss the design and cost of the packhouse weighed heavily on my mind. My inability to relax drove me from the comfort of my bedroom, causing me to leave my father’s pack right away and head into International Falls. My soon-to-be-former Alpha, who is also my father, acquired the land next to the Blood Moon Pack’s property for expansion.

The typical practice for an Alpha is to pass command to their eldest heir. Therefore, my father would hand over Blood Moon to my older brother, Sam. Meanwhile, I would be responsible for the latest developments and all the work involved. Once the project was completed, my father would crown me as Alpha.

We will manage both packs together. The pack members, as they currently are, have exceeded the original plot's capacity, making expansion essential. About a year ago, we commissioned Braxton Construction to start this project.

Living in the shadow of my brother Sam was frustrating, but now, with the new pack, I have the chance to prove my strength as an Alpha.

Sam is one of my best friends, not just my brother; I love and admire him. However, I felt the need to forge my own path. Although Sam was an exceptional leader, I wanted my father to recognize that both of his sons had the qualities of an Alpha.

Sam and I never complained about not having found our Lunas yet. We weren’t in any hurry. My brother and I, born two years apart and now aged 25 and 27, felt little pressure to find our mates.

A few years remained for Sam before the strain to take a chosen Luna escalated. A pack relied on the authority of an Alpha and a Luna, the mate of an Alpha.

I was luckier than Sam; with more time at my disposal and the construction of my pack about to begin, I didn’t think about searching for my mate. After a restless night’s sleep, I decided to bring my Beta and Gamma with me. Following protocol, I also included a couple of my top-rated warriors.

Hoping that my earlier arrival wouldn’t disrupt things, I texted Thomas Braxton, my dad’s best friend and the owner of Braxton Construction.

Beau: My men and I will be arriving early today. Apologies for the short notice, but I plan to arrive around 8:00 a.m.

The drive to our pack took a few hours. As we got closer to the place, the annoying voice in my head became harder to ignore. The constant huffing and puffing pushed me to my limit, so I built a wall to shut the irritating mutt out. The continual whining was giving me a terrible headache.

“Are you feeling alright?” Chris, my beta, inquired with concern as I massaged my temples, trying to ease the tension.

“Yeah, Blade is just acting up, and I haven’t been able to sleep. Not sure what his f*****g deal is,” I complained.

Chris just chuckled. My best friend knew my wolf could be temperamental and often irritated me. It wasn’t surprising to feel Blade stomping around in my mind. The last necessary building was about to go up on the land, likely triggering Blade’s troublesome behavior. Our Alpha inauguration was imminent, and this final piece was essential.

“He’ll settle soon enough. Once construction is finished, we can attend a mating ball where you can search for our Luna,” Chris smiled at me.

Fixing my gaze on Chris, I retorted, “You go after your fated first. I've got too much on my plate with the pack lands.”

He shook his head at me and said, “You can lie to yourself as much as you want, but I know you want your mate. We've known each other our whole lives.”

Chris sighed and said, "I still remember that day when you cried yourself to sleep. You sobbed to Selene for your mate.” He taunted me with a grin that bordered on smug. Selene, the moon goddess we werewolves believe in, is the one who grants us our fated mates.

Punching him on the arm and chuckling, she said, “You’re a douche. That never happened, and you know it.”

“Ow! Take it easy!” he winced, but he laughed because I hadn’t hurt him. “Well, you thought about it every night,” Chris added with a shrug.

Sighing as we pulled into the parking lot, I rolled my eyes at him. I was trying to dodge the conversation, hoping he would forget it for now, so I exited the SUV with all the men following me.

“You can go into conference room A, and I’ll take care of starting some coffee,” I said. Thomas was a member of our pack, and I had been to his office many times before, so I knew exactly where to go. Turning toward the room that housed the coffee makers and other office equipment, I rubbed my hand over my face in exhaustion.

As I walked down the short hallway, the delightful fragrance of cinnamon and honey filled the air. Did someone bring donuts or rolls? Following the enticing aroma into the copier room, I hesitated momentarily. I quickly realized that the wonderful scent came from a shapely brunette woman who had her back to me. A human female!

She stood in front of the printing machine, humming to herself. The oxygen seemed to be sucked from the room, and my mouth dropped open. Well, she wiggled her hips to the rhythm instead of standing still, which didn’t alleviate the strange tension flowing through me. Out of curiosity, I lowered the walls in my mind.

‘MATE!’ he yelled in my consciousness. f**k!

A passionate hunger washed over me as I examined her, utterly captivated by her presence.

A form-fitting skirt hugged her round biteable ass. Her slender, smooth neck lay exposed and bare since she swept her hair in a messy bun. Her mouthwatering skin seemed to beg for attention and to be marked, whether she realized it or not.

Shoes discarded, showing off her cute red painted toes, she sang and swayed to the music playing in the background. A rumble released from me before I could think to contain it when she bent over to fish the paperwork from the copier. My body lit up in passionate desire, and my c**k jerked in my pants.

Now she froze before turning, her body trembling. A blood-curdling scream erupted into the tiny confines of the space where we stood as our eyes connected. Confetti of papers flew from her hands, scattering around us on the floor. The beat of her heart echoed in my ears, and the acrid scent of her fear invaded my nostrils, causing a twinge of pain in my chest.

Stepping back, she gasped as panic colored her eyes behind the glasses framing her face. The thick frames couldn’t hide the violet in her blue irises. "Beautiful," Blade whispered.

'That word doesn't do her justice. She is human, right?' I questioned Blade to be sure.

‘“Yes, but she’s ours,” he growled, his tone making it clear that I shouldn't consider challenging that bond.

The word "Mate" slipped from my lips but emerged in a raspy, breathless whisper. Being human, she wouldn’t have noticed.

“What?” she whispered, her hand pressed against her racing heart. Like a startled doe, her wide eyes scanned her surroundings frantically.

She confirmed that she didn’t understand what I said when she questioned it, but she brushed it off instantly. Does she not feel the connection because she isn’t a wolf?

"What are you doing in here? How did you unlock the door?” her voice trembled.

Mate doesn’t understand her feelings, but I think her apprehension is stronger now. Mate is human. She doesn’t understand why you are here, dumbass, looking at her like a creeper,' Blade scoffed.

Oh s**t!

“Oh, my apologies,” I said, subtly inhaling her fragrance as gracefully as I could.

“I’m Al... Beau Adler. My company has an appointment today. I’m sorry for being early; my associates and I live a few hours away, so I miscalculated the drive time.”

A clarification stumbled out, seemingly calming her for the moment. However, I noticed her slight movement toward the door behind her. Without thinking, I mirrored her movement, and her eyes widened in surprise. Her body language clearly expressed a desire to flee the area. Trying to outrun me would be foolish, but she didn’t understand what I could do. She couldn’t.

I raised my arms to demonstrate my peaceful intentions and offered another heartfelt apology.

“I don’t want to alarm you. Mr. Braxton is expecting me for the bidding meeting today for Adler LLC, my company.”

It took all my willpower not to push her against the wall and bury my face in her neck to inhale her scent. The desire to lose myself in her marking spot overwhelmed me.

The urge to lick a trail along her delicate neck up to her ear became overwhelming, especially after she had openly admired my body and stared at my junk for a full 20 seconds. Yet, alongside that attraction lingered the scent of her fear.

Blade clawed at me from inside. Pushing me to tear her clothes off and plunge my c**k deep into..fuck. Should my little mate takes another eyeful of my d**k again, she’ll be in for a surprise. Thanks to my idiotic wolf, it’s not going down soon.

′You’re the i***t,′ he huffed and laid down.

“I truly didn’t mean to startle you. Let me help you,” I said, pointing to the mess.

My explanation calmed her a little, but I could still sense her anxiety as I helped her clean up. Her scent became more intoxicating the closer I got, and a growl escaped from me again. I held my breath, watching her eyes dart around the room, searching for the source of the noise. I wondered if she thought it had come from someone else.

At least, that’s how she made it appear. With an arched eyebrow, she fixed her intense gaze on me. f**k, she is hot. Controlling my urges under the bond felt insurmountable.

Blade must have surfaced, and Parker witnessed it when my eyes changed because she popped up in a flash and inched to the door. Optimistic, she didn’t see me edging in her direction to position myself to block a possible escape attempt; I took a hazard on one more step.

The desire to do so was evident on her beautiful face. My urge to be deep inside a woman had never been this intense before. My jaw was clenched so tightly that I worried I might break my teeth. The rhythmic beating of her pulse and her exposed neck called to me, tempting me to mark her, just like the relentless instincts of my randy wolf.

The beast within me wouldn't be able to resist chasing her if she ran, driven by his love of the hunt.

Please don’t run, my gorgeous mate.

“Thank you for your help. The conference room is behind you. Please make yourself comfortable, and I can pour you some coffee. There are also restaurants and fast food options down the road. If you're hungry, I can get you something to eat.”

Stammering out the location of the conference room, she then offered to grab me coffee or even purchase food down the road. Shutting down the suggestion for her to leave the site to buy us breakfast, I only accepted the coffee. No way in hell would I give her the chance not to return.

“Yes, coffee is fine. I don’t need anything else. Any food, that is.” The temptation to tease her overrode logic, and her cheeks flushed.

Wow, she is stunning. I wonder how far down that blush goes on her body.

She backed up again. Dammit.

"What’s your name?” I asked, shocked it took me this long to find out.

"Parker.” Her eyes never left mine.

Parker asked me if I needed anything else as I stood there like a creep.

'Parker, such a sexy name,' Blade said with a dreamy sigh.

As I handed her the items I had picked up, our hands touched, and the sparks from our bond hit us both. The grumble in my chest emerged again.

Goddess, this is aggravating. I can’t just grab her and ravage her like I’m dying to do. This is killing me.

Tilting her head in fascination, she looked around her. What was she searching for? Parker noticed me again, but — ah — there it was. A slight pout formed on her kissable lips when she realized the noise had come from me. My body tensed, bracing for her to bolt this time for sure.

Sucking in a sharp breath when she didn’t take off, but rather the scent of her arousal slammed into me. What the f**k is she trying to do to me? Better yet, what is the f*****g Moon Goddess trying to do to me?

My fists clenched tight at my sides, and I sensed Blade pushing to the surface.

“Ahem,” she cleared her throat." Anything else you need, Mr. Adler?”

Thank God! Thomas came bursting through the entryway, but Blade wouldn’t let me take my eyes off her until Thomas cleared his throat to gain my attention.

“Mr. Adler, I received your message. I apologize for the delay,” he said, taking my hand in a handshake but then lowering his head in respect for my position.

She has no idea who I am, and I’m not even sure she is cognizant of werewolves.

“Oh, so you’ve met Parker Rose, our accountant. She joined us several months ago, correct, Ms. Rose? I have to say, she’s the best hire I’ve made in a long time. Parker is really helping to bring this old man into the modern age of technology,” he laughed.

My focus was forced back towards my lovely mate, but now she examined Thomas. My brow furrowed. Does she like him? That is not gonna happen. She is MINE.

‘Does she know about us?’ I mind-linked Thomas, angry. ‘And are you guys dating?’

″I don’t think so. Actually, I’m confident she doesn’t. Don’t you mean does she know what you are...to her that is?′

I snapped my head back to face him, and I noticed a knowing glint in his eyes. He didn't bother to answer my question, which I took as my answer: they weren't together, and it seemed unlikely as he was much older than her.

‘“Am I really that obvious?” Wolves finding their mates for the first time succumbed to the strong pull of the bond, and we all turned into drooling morons.

’Well, you are jealous, and Blade, that wolf, is transparent.' Thomas snickered within the link. Blade grunted in response.

Before Thomas could lead me out of the room, I noted Parker’s fear had disappeared, and now she seemed angry, which made me smirk. And then, in a huff, she looked behind her dramatically. Hmmm...telling me to stop staring, I guessed. I’m sensing claws in her, but it’s not gonna happen, kitten. Thomas fed up with our stare-off, moved me along to Parker’s relief, and I didn’t love that reaction.

We entered the meeting room and discussed the progress of the new pack while we waited for Parker to bring in the supplies. Once she arrived for work, the receptionist brought in the coffee.

That must be why my mate didn't bring it. In a few minutes, Parker would be back with the numbers, and I shifted in my seat, anxious to lay my eyes on her again.

My c**k twitched at the thought of her superb backside again and her enticing lips.

Awesome, now I sported a raging boner picturing that beautiful mouth on my hard throbbing--I thanked the moon goddess I sat behind this table and I squirmed again in the uncomfortable chair.

'Stop, everyone is going to discern our arousal, Blade.'

He kept sending me images of her too, and it wasn’t helping; he was giggling in my mind. He might have been panting as well—stupid, horny wolf.

Thomas smirked, and Chris tilted his head at me with a questioning look in his eyes. That is until Parker knocked and entered the room, her arms full of folders and iPads for us. I straightened my back, and Chris chuckled in the mind link.

‘Guess I’m not first.’ He jabbed at me in the link.

′Shut up. She is human and does not know about the supernatural world. Oh yeah, and shut it.′



Restating more firmly at the end to make my point. More laughter from my soon to be dead Beta. Ugh!