Alpha Mate

Chapter 10

Morgan Pov

Waking up to an empty was somewhat of a relief. Calum had been a gentleman by sleeping on the couch for me, but that didn't mean I was prepared to face him first thing in the morning. If he hadn't left early for work, I would have no idea what to say to him.

I stood up, stretching as I adjusted to leave behind a full night's sleep in the most comfortable bed I have ever been in. Growing up with alphas in my family, I had always known that the rank came with finer accommodations and its own luxuries. Staying in Calum's bedroom, however, was my only chance of truly experiencing those perks firsthand.

As I walked to the bathroom, I didn't think about preparing myself for what that would hold for me. If the shower in my previous bathroom had been great, I could only describe Calum's shower as magnificent. The glass doors to the shower fogged up as the hot water enveloped my body at the perfect temperature. The pressure of the water was also just right and there was so much space I could've thrown a dance party in there. I stepped out of the shower feeling cleaner than I ever had before.

I dressed from the few articles of clothing that had been moved from my previous room. Since I could now have contact with my family again, I would have to discuss with Calum having my personal belongings brought here from my old pack. I had committed to giving Calum a chance after our rocky start, which meant needing the rest of my things if I were expected to spend the rest of my life here with him.

I had been dressed for only about ten minutes before I heard a knock on the door. With my heightened senses, I could smell that breakfast had arrived without even opening the door. Once I did, Lucas stood on the other side. He was holding a large plate with a stack of pancakes, eggs, and bacon.

"Your breakfast has arrived, Miss," he said. His smile reached his eyes as though seeing me was a great way to start off the day. When Xavier dropped off my meals, he simply handed them to me without a word and closed the door to separate us once again.

"Thank you, Lucas."

I reached out to take the plate from him, but I was unable to when he barged past me and further into my room. His actions had taken me aback, as no one had ever come in to serve my food before.

Lucas practically strutted over to the kitchen island as if this room were more his than mine. He took a seat on one of the kitchen stools, not wasting a moment to snag a piece of bacon from my plate. I closed the door, but couldn't find a way to make myself do anything about him. I simply stared at him as he acted right at home.

"What are you still doing over by the door? Your food is going to get cold." The further interaction only made me more confused. He wanted me to eat with him? When it became clear I wasn't going to move, he resorted to a threat. "If you don't get over here, I'm going to eat all of your bacon."

The comment made me realize just how hungry I actually was, and I was certain that he wasn't bluffing. I made my way over to the kitchen and sat on the stool next to him.

"Are you even supposed to be in my room?" I asked when grabbing the fork next to the plate.

He shrugged.

In all of my years in a pack, I had never seen a wolf so blatantly defiant of rules set by the alpha. Anyone who ever went against my brother or father's orders was severely punished for it. It was even worse when it came to the pack's luna. If Lucas continued to ignore Calum's orders, he would be in for a death sentence.

"Aren't you a little concerned about what might happen if you get caught?"

The question only caused Lucas to smirk. "What the alpha doesn't know won't hurt him."

"And if I told him?" I challenged.

"You wouldn't do that."

The chance that I would became more likely as the desire to wipe that smug look off his face got stronger. When he reached for more food from my plate, I slapped the back of his hand.

"And why wouldn't I?"

He rubbed his afflicted hand, though it was obvious he was just making a show of it. "I have a good reason to be here."

The only response I had for him was the raise of my brows. As a guard, he should know better than anyone that there was no reason good enough for going against an alpha's orders.

"I was told that I needed to protect and keep watch over the future Luna. I can't exactly do that if I stay outside your door all day. The door may be the primary entry point into the room, but that doesn't mean there aren't other ways to access it. You never know when someone might be trying to get in...or get out."

"Do you really think I would try to escape?"

"From the rumors I've heard, it wouldn't exactly be the first time you made an attempt at an escape. Why else do you think Xavier isn't your only guard anymore?"

I rolled my eyes. "I wasn't even close to truly getting away. There's no point in trying to leave. Besides, Calum has been treating me better."

This caused Lucas to snort. I had never met anyone with such disregard for an alpha's position. It almost made me wonder why he would choose to stay here if he was so against Calum's authority. "Just because he started talking to you, doesn't actually mean he's treating you right. He hasn't shown you an ounce of affection besides claiming you as though you belong to him. Tell me, why did you stay here with him last night?"

"Why wouldn't I? We're mates."

"That doesn't sound like you wanted to." He looked at me with a pointed stare before snatching an entire pancake from my plate. I absentmindedly pushed around the last bit of eggs that were left. "I'm trying to tell you, he's not a good mate for you."

"I know he hasn't been, but he's trying. If I reject him without even working to see it through, I might regret it for the rest of my life."

"Or you could regret staying with him for the rest of your life."

I let out an exhale of frustration. "Why do you care so much? What is it that you want me to say?"

He shook his head. "Anything that's not making excuses for him and defending him. Do you realize how alone you are here right now? I want you to know that you have someone on your side. Me. You can admit to me how poorly he's treated you since no one else will let you speak your mind."

I still didn't understand Lucas' motive for all of this, but I did know one thing. I needed a friend. An ally if I was going to make it through this. It was a relief that someone wanted everything to be upfront. "Fine. You're right. He's not the doting mate I've always dreamed of having. He didn't say a single word to me the first week I was here, but then all of a sudden he couldn't stand to let me go."

"That's not fair."

"And I'm still not trusted to leave this room. I didn't even want to stay here last night, but he insisted. It doesn't matter to him what I want. I have no say in our relationship," I vented to Lucas.

He simply nodded as though he knew how much I needed to get those words off of my chest.

"I know. You deserve so much better than that."

It almost felt as though we were doing something we shouldn't have. But once the words were out, I didn't want to take them back. They were all true and it had been such a relief to say them out loud. If anything, it felt like the start of a friendship. There was finally someone here who understood what I was feeling.

"Thank you for listening to me rant, Lucas. I hadn't realized how much I needed that."

"Of course. If we're still being honest, I only did it because I couldn't have you favoring Xavier over me."

I chuckled giving him a playful shove. "Have you met your mate yet?"

He simply nodded. "Yeah, I've found her. I'm just waiting for the right moment."

"Do me a favor. Treat her like a queen and don't let her get away. I would hate to see your relationship start off the same way as it did for Calum and I."

"I promise you, Morgan. I would never let that happen." He smiled at me as I finally continued to finish my breakfast.

"As much as I appreciated having company while I ate, I think you'd better get back to your post in the hallway. I don't want you getting in trouble."

He gave a little shrug before picking up the empty plate. If I did, it would be worth it.

"Thank you. I really needed this talk."

"Of course. I understand you giving him a second chance, but just don't let it turn into a third and fourth. It shouldn't take a man that many mistakes to figure out a beautiful woman like you is the best thing to happen to him."

He didn't give me a chance to respond as he walked over to the door to leave.

I didn't sit up immediately from the kitchen stool. Instead, I sat and pondered my discussion with Lucas. I had let myself forget that being with a mate was also a choice. There was no reason I should have to endure a treatment that no mate deserved to undergo.

The rest of the morning, my mind kept wandering back to Lucas. He could have been in serious trouble for staying in here to talk with me like he did. Could he have something personal against Calum that he wanted me to fixate on his faults? Perhaps he did want to be my friend and for me to be honest with him, but it could have only been at his expense.

Now that the afternoon had come and gone, I was sitting on the couch to relax. When I heard the door open, part of me expected it to be Lucas again. But this time, it was Calum. His whole body was tense and his mouth set in a straight line. Even before the door shut with a slam, I could tell he was in a foul mood.