Alpha's Unclaimed Mate

5

I feel disappointment seep into my bones.

For once, I blurt out the question burning in my mind without stopping to consider what Ella might think. “Did Theron take a date with him?”

“He did, sweetheart. I don’t know if you remember her—Vanessa, the current beta’s daughter.”

I blink a few times, trying to get the burning in my eyes to fade away. Theron always had girls hanging on his arm, but Vanessa had been a regular fixture. The fact that she was his best friend and Luke’s twin meant she spent more time at the estate than the other girls, both with and without her brother.

A warm hand clasps mine, the thumb rubbing my palm gently, offering comfort against the wave of sadness.

“She never set foot inside the estate. Everyone was running late. I’m not one hundred percent sure, but I believe Alpha Dan asked her to accompany Theron. I heard him mention something about networking and alliances.”

I nod, holding back tears.

Ella reaches into the fridge, pulls out a container of homemade dark chocolate mousse, and sets it gently in front of me. Chocolate, unsurprisingly, doesn’t sound like the worst thing in the world right now. I pick up a spoonful and hesitantly bring it to my lips. The sweetness does little to combat the bitterness inside of me, but it’s a start.

“How about a triple cheese melt for a snack?” she asks, suddenly getting up.

“You want to fatten me up, don’t you?” I quip with a smile, already feeling a little better.

“So that’ll be a no? I thought as much,” she says, turning back to her calendar, but I squeal a loud “No!”

Her cheese melts are to die for.

The conversation remains light, mostly focusing on her son Max, until we finish our sandwiches. Then she says, “I’m hoping Max finds a good friend, like how you and Theron found each other.”

I press my lips together and wipe the crumbs off my face.

“He was a lonely child until you were taken in by the Blackwoods.”

“Yeah, we were friends right from the beginning,” I whisper.

“You were practically inseparable as kids, always running around together.” Her gaze flickers to me for a fleeting moment, searching my eyes. “But did Theron ever give any indication he wanted something more than friendship?”

The memory of my eighteenth birthday flits through my head. The details are as vivid as if it happened yesterday.

“f**k! I love your skin.”

Theron’s frantic lips trace a heated trail from my cheeks, along my jawline, down to my neck. I lean heavily against the wall behind me, not trusting my legs to support me.

“God! You feel so f*****g good.”

His voice is deeper than I’ve ever heard it, almost a growl. I place my palms on either side of his face, noticing the dark intensity in his eyes.

“Titan?”

He moves back to my lips, brushing his against mine. “I love kissing you, my Seren.”

I giggle when his hands reach my waist, his fingers lightly tickling me. Using the distraction, he deftly removes my T-shirt, leaving me in just my bra.

My hands immediately rise to cover my modest breasts, a longstanding insecurity of mine, but Titan gently pushes my hands down.

“No, please, I want to see. I’ve waited so long.”

His voice holds a mix of pain and longing that melts my resistance. I stare into his eyes, seeing raw desire and vulnerability shining in their depths.

With a swift movement, he unhooks my bra and peels it off me. A primal howl erupts from deep in his chest as he grabs my breasts, fondling them.

“Say you’re mine,” he breathes in my ear, as if I have any option or desire to be with anyone else. I’ve always wanted us to be together. It’s been so hard seeing him with other girls. Every night he’s with someone else is like torture for me.

“Say it,” he growls again.

“I’m yours. Always.”

He exhales a deep breath, as if everything is suddenly right in his world, before leaning in and taking one of my breasts into his mouth, rolling his lips around the hardened n****e, sucking, squeezing, biting—driving me crazy.

“Titan,” I moan, and he chuckles, breaking contact.

“It’s Theron, sweetheart.”

The sensations of his mouth send shockwaves of pleasure through me. I arch my back, pressing myself against him, wanting him to take more of me.

I freeze when his roaming hand dips between my legs, tracing patterns on the fabric that separates him from my deepest desires.

I whimper, wanting more, and he pushes the fabric aside, his fingers finally touching me.

“So wet for me,” he whispers.

He comes up again, capturing my mouth in a searing kiss before he murmurs against my lips, “Happy birthday, my Seren-hen.”

“What are you thinking about, sweetheart?”

Ella’s sharp voice jolts me back to the present. I cup my face with both palms, rubbing it, trying to wipe out any traces of the memory racing through my head.

Ella silently stares at me for a while, her gaze sharp enough to dissect me. “Nothing much,” I finally say, but I know she doesn’t believe me.

“Well, I think it might be wise for you to look for alternate job options. Pinning all your hopes on one thing isn’t always the best idea. And who knows what you might find outside Blackwood? You should at least try to get out of your comfort zone.”

I’m not sure if she’s talking about the job or Theron, but her words hit home.