The Alphas restraint
664 Words
Rowan’s POV
Rowan gripped the steering wheel harder than necessary as he pulled away from the school parking lot.
The engine rumbled beneath him, but it did nothing to drown out the restless pacing of his wolf.
Mate.
The word echoed in the back of his mind like a low growl.
Rowan clenched his jaw.
No.
He refused to even consider it.
In the rearview mirror, he could see Aria sitting in the backseat behind Lena. She was looking out the window, sunlight spilling across her face and catching in her hair.
She’d grown up.
That realization hit him like a punch to the chest.
For years she had been the quiet girl following Lena around the pack house, laughing at stupid jokes, begging him to tell them stories about patrols and rival wolves.
Back then she had barely reached his shoulder.
Now…
Rowan’s eyes flicked to the mirror again.
Her legs were crossed, one foot bouncing slightly as she scrolled on her phone. The movement shifted the fabric of her jeans against her hips, and Rowan forced his gaze back to the road.
Focus.
But the scent of her filled the truck.
Sweet.
Warm.
Completely intoxicating to a wolf.
His wolf growled again, pleased she was so close.
Rowan exhaled slowly through his nose.
This was a mistake.
Picking them up himself had been a mistake.
Lena was talking about something—graduation parties or summer plans—but Rowan barely heard a word.
Because every few seconds his eyes betrayed him and slid back to the mirror.
Back to Aria.
Her tank top dipped slightly when she leaned forward to say something to Lena, and Rowan’s grip tightened on the wheel.
She’s eighteen now.
The thought slid into his mind uninvited.
Still too young for him.
Still Lena’s best friend.
Still a girl he had watched grow up.
But his wolf didn’t care about any of that.
His wolf recognized only instinct.
And instinct was telling him something dangerous.
Rowan adjusted his position in the driver’s seat, trying to shake the heat creeping through his body.
Behind him, Aria shifted slightly.
“Thanks for picking us up,” she said softly.
Her voice was different now too.
Lower.
Warmer.
It wrapped around his name when she said it.
Rowan glanced at her through the mirror again before he could stop himself.
Their eyes met.
For just a second.
Her lips parted slightly as if she had been caught staring too.
Rowan felt a sharp pulse of heat run through him.
His wolf stirred again, interested.
Possessive.
Rowan tore his gaze away.
“You’re part of the pack,” he said roughly. “It’s no trouble.”
But the truth was it was very much trouble.
Every second she sat in the back seat felt like a test of his control.
He could hear the faint sound of her breathing.
Could smell her.
Could feel his wolf reacting to her presence like she was something meant for him.
Rowan’s mind betrayed him again as he imagined what it would feel like to have her closer.
Too close.
Her soft body pressed against him.
Her scent surrounding him completely.
He shifted again in his seat, frustrated with himself.
Get a grip.
The truck rolled down the long forest road leading toward Moonridge territory.
Lena finally quieted, distracted by her phone.
For a moment, the truck fell silent.
Rowan’s eyes drifted back to the mirror.
Aria wasn’t looking out the window anymore.
She was watching him.
The moment their gazes met again, something electric snapped between them.
Rowan’s chest tightened.
She looked away first, cheeks faintly pink.
His wolf rumbled in approval.
Rowan swallowed hard.
This summer was going to be a problem.
Because if his instincts were right…
The girl sitting in his back seat wasn’t just Lena’s best friend anymore.
She might be something far more dangerous.
His mate.
And Rowan wasn’t sure how much longer he could pretend he didn’t want her.
- Writer
