Hiding the Alpha's Baby

Leon

I stood there, eyes following Cora until she vanished inside the Cafe.

My pants clung tight around my growing erection, and the smell of her arousal was still in the air.

It never fails how I could always pick out her scent no matter where we were.

The sweet mixture of coconut and brown sugar acted like a trigger for my body; as soon as I caught her scent, my heart raced, and my libido would surge.

I had to fight the temptation to remove myself and rub one out to her image that was, only moments ago, right before me.

Her brown eyes staring intently into mine, her chest pressed against my own as she tried not to push too hard.

I had been hiding out from Gabriella's annoying presence, but I wasn't expecting to see Cora since it was her day off, and this is usually the path she takes on her way to the Cafe.

I also knew her cousin would probably spend the evening with her.

So, even though I wasn't planning on seeing her, my heart raced when I caught a whiff of her scent and saw her walking by me.

My wolf and I have resisted our urge to rush up to her multiple times, wanting to avoid scaring her with our intensity.

However, I make sure to place myself in her path occasionally so she feels my absence when I'm not around.

So even if she hates me, I make an effort to be near her or at least get a glimpse of her each day. But today, I lost that control and almost devoured her.

My breath came in short, chaotic gasps as I attempted to control it.

Meanwhile, my wolf stirred within me, offering its primal demand to find her and ravage her.

The howling of my wolf was so loud now that I didn't care who could see as I claimed her body and planted my seed inside her.

The vivid image of my wolf pacing back and forth played in my mind, and the thought of mating her stirred up a wave of desire in my body.

My wolf, who has been deprived of her touch since we first felt the mating bond as teenagers, longed to inhale her scent and savor her flesh.

This made it hard to be near her while she was still unaware she was meant for me.

My fist connected with the wall as I drew in a deep breath, feeling like my clothing was too restrictive.

The sweet smell of her juices filled my nostrils, caressing the inside of me.

I took a few deep breaths in and out to relax my body, and eventually, after a few moments, the bulge in my pants dissipated.

Finally, I was able to pull myself together before heading back to the pack house, where new recruits were arriving for their warrior training.

~.~

As I walked, I struggled to push away thoughts of Cora and focus on my duties.

The sound of clanging metal filled the air as I made my way to the pack house's training yard.

All the senior warriors were present, watching the recruits' every move as they engaged in hand-to-hand combat.

I stepped up next to my second in command, Griffin, an Alpha I trusted with my life.

He studied the group carefully, eyes darting between them as they sparred.

Sweaty curls of dark brown hair clung to his neck and forehead. His arms were crossed, and his chest and shoulder muscles were tightly clenched.

I surveyed the new recruits and asked, "How is everyone coming along?"

With his eyes focused on the group, Griff commented, "They seem promising, still lacking in speed, but I'm sure we can pull that out of them."

Griff turned his head toward me and sniffed at the air.

He smiled with a full set of teeth across his face and remarked, "I see you ran into Cora. Did you have your daily dose of staring at her from afar?"

I glared at him. "Don't act like you know anything about how Cora smells, and not that it's any of your business, but I was trying to get away from Gabriella when I ran into her."

Griff was about to speak when his gaze shifted away from me, an annoyed growl escaping from his mouth.

"Speak of the devil."

I turned to see Gabriella bouncing towards me, dressed in black and pink workout clothes, with her breasts pushed up to her chin.

Griff gave me a playful pat on the shoulder before he left, laughing, "She'll strangle herself one of these days with those things."

Gabriella then embraced me with her arms.

"Hey, Lee," she purred.

I was damn sure everyone was aware of how much I hated nicknames, and I especially despised being called 'Lee.' But that was something that went over Gabriella's head.

I unwrapped her arms from around me, bringing them back to her side.

She pouted at me for a moment.

"What are you doing here in the training yard, Gabriella?"

"Lee!" She squealed, hitting my arm playfully. "I already told you to call me Gabby. We've known each other for so long. There's no reason we shouldn't be comfortable with each other."

I gritted my teeth at her voice and carried on.

"Gabriella, do not call me Lee. You know that's not my name. And what exactly are you doing here right now? Shouldn't you be preparing for the job selection?"

"Oh, Lee," She said, ignoring my warning. "I am preparing. I'm here to start my training." Her eyes sparkled as she spoke, but I had to force myself not to make a face.

"I'm not trying to be rude here, but honestly, Gabriella, I don't think you have what it takes to be a warrior."

I know there was no way she could handle the type of discipline and structure it takes to become a warrior.

I wasn't sure if she even liked to sweat.

She made an exasperated sound as her eyes rolled upwards. "No, not that silly. I'm talking about the aide position that just opened up."

I scowled, remembering that I had created the job to offer it to Cora.

"Ah...the aide position..." I had to think of an excuse because there was no way I could work with Gabriella every day.

"Er, that spot's been filled," I said, looking away and trying to appear unfazed.

Her lips puckered, and she arched her brow in protest.

"Really? By who? As far as I know, it hasn't been filled since this morning!" She pressed her arms across her chest, pushing up her shoulders and jutting out one hip in defiance.

Make something up. Say anything.

"It was filled about a half hour ago...By Cora...Cora Limestone."

Her face drooped like wilted flowers, and I could tell that mentioning Cora's name had stirred up her emotions again.

Her words came out stilted and squeaky as she questioned, "You hired Cora?"

She c****d her head to the side, not breaking her gaze.

"That's weird because I could have sworn she was working at Lee Evans's Cafe, and from what I heard, she wasn't interested in leaving any time soon."

How the hell would she even know that? I called her bluff and said: "It doesn't matter what you've heard. Cora agreed to it this morning, and that's final."

My words must have stung her, but I knew she wouldn't give up so easily. So, I had to be firm with her.

She bit down on her bottom lip, her eyes begging to continue this, but she knew not to push me.

She lowered her head submissively and said, "As you wish, my Alpha." Her suddenly formal tone made me suspicious, though I was sure she wouldn't do anything stupid.

I faced the training again, making it clear that our discussion had ended.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gabriella spinning around and quickly heading off without saying another word.

Now that she was gone and I was alone with my thoughts, I regretted not following Cora into the Cafe.

But the idea of seeing Lee, her boss, made me angry.

Cora likely has no idea, since her head was always in the clouds, but I can tell by how he looks at her.

I knew what was on his mind all the time.

Being my ex-best friend, Lee gave me this insight, but it only worsened the situation.

Lee knows the tension between Cora and me, especially since our last fight seven years ago.

I've been attempting to repair our relationship ever since.

It definitely didn't help that she knew exactly how to get under my skin to the point where we bickered with each other constantly.

Although there wasn't much that I could do to help her directly, I still worked tirelessly to make sure she was comfortable and that nothing or no one bothered her. It was the only way I could help her.

I ran my fingers over my face, troubled by how we'd ended up here.

I abandoned the trainees and hurried to my office, unable to focus anymore.

~.~

As soon as I entered the room, I noticed Beta Stephen sitting in my chair with his feet resting comfortably on my desk.

He was sleeping with his eyes shut and his cap pulled down over them.

I approached him and swiftly knocked his legs off my desk as stealthily as I could.

He freaked out, arms flailing, and sent some of my documents scattering across the ground.

I frowned at the mess while Stephen collected himself.

"Holy s**t, Boss, I didn't mean to doze off. I was waiting for you to return."

I chuckled at him, "What did you think—that sleeping in my chair would help make the time go faster?"

He gave a sheepish smile as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah...I know that didn't look good for me," he said as he picked up the scattered documents from the floor.

"But...uh, I need you to sign off on these so I can get back to the training grounds."

He handed me the papers, and I sat down to look over them.

Raising an eyebrow, I asked, "So you're not going to pick up the rest?"

He sighed wearily, taking off his cap and running his fingers through his dark locks before replacing it.

His words carried a hint of sarcasm, "Why, of course, Boss. Even though it wasn't my fault, they fell. I mean, it wasn't like I kicked an innocent person out of their deep sleep".

I shrugged my shoulders, still scanning over the papers.

"Well, maybe that person pretending to be so innocent shouldn't be sleeping in their boss's chair like an asshole."

He stifled a grin by pressing his lips together and then, after clearing his throat, sat down in the chair facing me.

"Oh, I forgot to ask, but are you going to the party at Beta Chris's house tonight?"

The last thing I had on my mind was a party, since I needed to finish a s**t load of paperwork that I kept neglecting.

I wasn't sure if I could fit a party into my schedule.

Stephen kept talking, "It'd mean a lot if our Alpha showed up for a beer or two. Maybe more ladies would be interested in coming to the party if you were there too." He winked at me with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

I was about to turn down the offer when he added, "Oh yeah...Chris did invite Lee," He said apologetically,

"But I think it was because he was trying to get Cora to come, and Lee just happened to be there."

My ears perked up at attention at the sound of Cora's name.

Stephen was likely worried that I'd decline the invitation due to Lee possibly being there, but despite my contempt for him, I wanted to see Cora even more.

My expression softened at the thought, and I said with a slight shrug, "You know what? Why not? I think a break from all this wouldn't be a bad idea." I gestured to my desk.

Stephen smiled wide and eagerly snatched up the documents in my hands.

"Then, I'll catch up with you later tonight, Boss." He added with a smile as he headed for the door.

"Oh yeah, bring some booze with ya too! The more, the merrier!"

With that, he closed the door behind him and left me alone in my office.

I took a deep breath and leaned back in my chair, trying to relax for just a few moments.

It was almost laughable whenever I got the opportunity to be with Cora. I took it without hesitation.

It's like I'm a starving animal hunting for its master.

No doubt about it, I'm f*cken pathetic.