The Alpha's Rival

Chapter 6

Tightening his grip on his mate, his whole body shaking, Tate reminded himself to breathe. Hawthorne hadn’t hurt Kelly. He had just grabbed her a little too roughly. And up until then, she had been doing fairly well on her own, just like he knew she would. That woman was a force of nature. But… Tate shuddered to think what would have happened if Hawthorne had lost what little control of his wolf he had left. Kelly wouldn’t have stood a snowball’s chance in hell at that point.

Glancing down at Hawthorne, still sitting in a crumpled heap at the bottom of the wall, Tate noted how dark and animalistic his eyes were as they shifted from him to Kelly. Swallowing nervously, a hungry look crossed Hawthorne’s face as his eyes lingered on Kelly. Shifting slightly, a low growl emanating from his chest, Hawthorne straightened and leaned forward.

Clenching his jaw in anger, his body shaking even harder as he struggled to contain his wolf, he pushed Kelly behind him without a second thought. If Hawthorne was going to make another move, he’d lunge for Kelly first, and Tate wasn’t going to take any chances. He didn’t want Kelly anywhere near him. If she got hurt in this power struggle they had found themselves in… He shook his head, refusing to go any further down that path.

“Take her inside,” Greg muttered as he inched closer, his eyes still locked on Hawthorne.

“But…” he started. He wanted to be out here to take care of this problem. He wanted to be the one to dole out the punishment if things started to get out of hand.

“You have to leave in about an hour,” Greg reminded him. “And you are in no shape to drive anywhere right now. So take Kelly and go inside. Relax for a few minutes and then get ready to go. We’ll meet you in the tent in about 45 minutes for your send off, ok?”

Grinding his teeth, he knew Greg was right. He needed to take Kelly inside, needed to take care of her. But he couldn’t. As much as he wanted to take a step back and focus on his mate, he seemed to be frozen. Chest heaving, he locked eyes with Hawthorne.

“Where’s his beta?” Tate snarled, baring his teeth at the animosity he saw in Hawthorne’s eyes.

“Someone’s gone to get him,” Angelica said from behind them. “We’ll make sure he takes this one home.”

“Go,” Greg urged, inching even closer as he shot Angelica a grateful look.

Blowing out a breath, he shook his head. Dammit, this was his job and he wouldn’t be able to relax until he knew Hawthorne had been taken care of, especially when Kelly was his target.

“Tate,” Kelly said hesitantly, placing a trembling hand on his shoulder. “Let's go inside. Let Greg and the others handle this.”

“But…” he started again, peering at Kelly over his shoulder. Her face was white, her eyes wide as they darted from him to Hawthorne on the ground.

“I’ve got him,” a breathless voice said, interrupting him.

Turning his attention from Hawthorne, Tate spotted Rowan come to a stop just a few feet away, chest heaving as he bent over, hands on his knees.

“Sorry,” he continued. “I was just getting ready to leave, otherwise I would have been here sooner. So sorry about this. I’ll take it from here.”

“Tate,” Kelly whimpered behind his back, her fingers digging into his back. “Let’s go.”

Shaking her off, he stalked over to Rowan. Jabbing a shaking finger into his chest, he growled angrily.

“You take him straight home and you keep him there,” he ordered. “I don’t want him anywhere near me or my wife. In fact, I don’t want him anywhere near my packhouse. Better yet, I just don’t want him on Nightstalker land, do you understand?”

“I understand,” Rowan nodded gravely, before turning to look at Hawthorne in disappointment.

“Good,” Tate growled, turning on his heel. Reaching out, he gently took Kelly’s hand in his and pulled her along behind him.

“Tate…” Kelly gasped, tripping over the hem of her dress as he pushed her into their room and locked the door behind them.

“How bad did he hurt you?” Tate growled, stalking over to her as he loosened his tie and undid the top two buttons of his shirt.

“I’m fine, really,” she insisted, tucking her hands behind her back after untangling her feet from her skirt.

“Bullshit,” Tate breathed, his eyes sweeping over her, studying her. “I know he hurt you. I felt it through the bond.”

“Tate, it was nothing,” she said, shaking her head. “He just grabbed my hands a little too tight, is all. But I’m fine now.”

“Don’t f*****g lie to me,” he snapped angrily.

“I’m not,” she protested, her eyes going wide as she took a step back.

She had seen Tate angry before, but this was a whole new level of anger. Not sure she wanted to be locked in the same room with him at the moment, she gauged the distance from where she and Tate were to where the bathroom was. Could she make it to the bathroom and lock herself inside before Tate got to her? Everything she needed to get ready for the drive was in there, after all.

“You’re forgetting I can feel your pain through our bond,” he reminded her, running a hand through his hair, a crazed look in his eyes as he followed her gaze. “So, please, just tell me, how bad did he hurt you?”

Swallowing nervously, Kelly pulled her hands out from behind her and held them out in front of her. Twisting her wrists slightly to show him the worst of the bruising, she held her breath, waiting for him to blow.

Tenderly, Tate took her hands in his and led her to her chair. Guiding her down into the chair, he switched on the light and knelt down in front of her before taking her hands again. Running a finger over the raised welts, he sighed and shook his head dejectedly.

“I’m sorry,” he said hoarsely. “I should have been there.”

“Tate…” Kelly started, not quite sure what to say to that. After all, she had been the one that had gone looking for trouble, thinking she could handle it by herself. And she had been doing just fine until the end if she did say so herself.

“If he had lost control…” he gulped, looking up at her, pain in his eyes.

“I’ve taken on an alpha before,” she reminded him gently. “I’ve got just as much, if not more power than either of you.”

“That may be true,” Tate sighed, pressing his lips to her wrists. “But you don’t know how to harness most of that power yet. Hell, none of us do.”

“But I still came out on top with Warmouth,” Kelly pressed. “Who’s to say I wouldn’t do the same with Mitch?”

“With Warmouth, that was pure luck,” Tate said, shaking his head. “Pure luck fuelled by maternal rage. Griffin was in danger so you did what any mother would do. And don’t forget, you didn’t walk away from that fight unscathed. He tore your shoulder up pretty good.”

“So you don’t think I’d win in a fight against Mitch?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at her mate in disbelief.

“No,” Tate said slowly, choosing his words carefully so as not to anger her further. “With Warmouth, you were both going into the fight not knowing what to expect. With Hawthorne, because you know each other fairly well, nothing would be a surprise. Both of you know what to expect from the other. And while you may be incredibly strong, Hawthorne still has the upper hand with his height and weight.”

“But…” she protested, not sure what else she could say to make him see that she had had the situation handled.

“No,” he said, standing up and pulling her up with him. “There are no buts about this. I’ve no doubt in my mind that if I hadn’t gotten there when I had, he would have thrown you over his shoulder and run off with you. And that scares me. I’ve had to live without you twice now and I never want to do that again. Promise me you won’t put yourself in a situation like that again.”

“I’ll try my best,” she whispered repentantly, hanging her head in shame.

“Good,” Tate murmured, grasping her chin and tilting her face up to his. “I love you too much to lose you.”

“I love you too,” she murmured back as Tate brought his lips crashing down on hers.

“I’ve waited all day to do this,” Tate groaned in her ear as he turned her around and started working the buttons down the back of the dress.

As the last button popped free, Tate slowly kissed his way up her spine, sending shivers of anticipation through her body. Easing the straps over her shoulders, the dress slipped down her body and onto the floor. Turning her back around, Tate helped her step out of the dress before picking her up and carrying her over to the bed.

Gently, Tate laid her down on the bed wearing nothing but her lingerie set and her heels. Reaching down to take them off, Tate grabbed her hand, stopping her. Surprised, she looked up at him just in time to see him smirk at her.

“Leave them on,” he ordered her, his eyes growing dark as he unbuckled his belt.

Stepping out of his pants, he pulled her to the edge of the bed with a growl.

“I wondered what you were wearing underneath that dress,” he mused, fingering her lacey white thong as she squirmed. “It’s been driving me crazy all day not knowing. It’s a pity I’m going to ruin them.”

“Not yet, you aren’t,” Kelly protested, her breath hitching in her throat as Tate slipped his hand underneath the fabric and pressed his thumb against her c**t.

“And why not?” he breathed, capturing her mouth with his.

“We don’t have time,” she gasped as he pushed a finger inside of her. “And… And I rather like them.”

“At the hotel then,” he growled, nipping her neck as he added another finger. “And when we get back, I’ll buy you more.”

“Goddess, you better,” she panted. Closing her eyes, she grasped the sheets on either side of her, a heady moan escaping as he thrust his fingers in and out, his thumb circling her c**t.

“Ready?” he groaned, pulling one of her breasts free and palming it with his rough hand. Leaning forward, he greedily sucked her n****e into his mouth, his tongue circling her sensitive flesh.

“Yes,” she gasped. “Goddess, yes.”

Chuckling, he straightened and withdrew his fingers leaving her feeling empty. Grasping his c**k in one hand, he stroked it a few times, admiring her flushed body before guiding it into her tight entrance.

“f**k,” he groaned as she gasped.

Sitting in his chair, Tate watched Kelly slip into another dress. This one, like the wedding dress, was white and lacey but much shorter, stopping just above her knees. Biting back a groan, he shifted uncomfortably, trying to rearrange himself. They had finished not more than ten minutes ago, but just watching his mate getting ready had him ready to go again.

“You can wait a couple of hours,” Kelly laughed watching him shift again as she passed him on her way to the bathroom.

“Are you sure?” he complained, resisting the urge to follow her. The idea of putting her on the counter was tempting and it wasn’t like they had to catch the plane tonight. Their plane wasn’t scheduled to leave until almost ten the next morning.

“Positive,” she called back as she rummaged through a drawer.

“But…” he groaned.

“No buts,” she scowled playfully at him, peeking at him through the door. “We have guests downstairs waiting to see us off.”

“Fine,” he grumbled, sinking back into the chair.

“Why don’t you head down there and get the truck started?” she suggested, raising an eyebrow at him. “I’ll be down in a couple of minutes.”

“Are our bags packed?” he asked, pushing himself out of the chair and stalking over to the bathroom door. Leaning against the doorframe, he watched her fix her makeup.

“Ramona helped pack them this morning,” Kelly told him, placing the tube of mascara back into her travel bag. “They should already be in the back of the truck. The only thing not out there is my carry-on.”

“Sounds good,” he nodded, reaching out and snagging her free hand. Pulling her over to him, he crushed his lips against hers. “I’ll be downstairs waiting. Don’t take too long or I might have to come back up here.”

“I won’t,” she breathed, pushing him out the door as he eyed her hungrily.

Stepping out the door and heading down the stairs, Tate ran a hand through his hair and let out a deep breath. The wedding was just about over. He just had to make it through another fifteen minutes or so and then he would be free to relax for a full two weeks. He couldn’t wait.

Heading into his office and opening his laptop, he glanced out the window. The party had resumed in their absence. He could see people dancing and enjoying refreshments. But if he tilted his head just enough, he could just make out the shed.

Eyebrows shooting up in surprise, he noted Greg and his guards still surrounding the shed. He could just make out Rowan talking to Greg. Hawthorne, no longer sitting on the ground, was flanked by two guards, a surly expression on his face. Why were they still here?

Shaking his head, he closed the curtains, not wanting to dwell on the person responsible for everything that had gone wrong that day. Closing his laptop, too, he decided that the emails could wait until he got back, unless Greg got to them first. Turning off the light, he stepped out and ran right into Kelly.

“Are you really trying to get a few more minutes of work in before we go?” she asked incredulously.

“No,” he lied quickly, shaking his head. “I was just seeing if we had any forms already printed out is all. I told Greg I’d look if I had time. We don’t, but that’s not a big deal. I have the forms on my hard drive. Greg can print them off when he’s ready.”

“Uh huh,” Kelly said, pursing her lips like she didn’t believe him.

“Are you ready?” he asked, changing the subject.

“So ready,” she breathed, relief coloring her voice as she sagged a little. “I just need to make sure Colleen has everything and kiss Griffin goodbye.”

“Colleen has everything she needs to watch our son,” Tate laughed, wrapping an arm around her waist and leading her to the door. “She has him over often enough that I’d be surprised if she didn’t.”

“You’re right,” Kelly nodded wearily. “I just… this will be the first time I’ve never had him close by.”

“He’ll be fine,” Tate reassured her.

“What about me?” she asked, looking up at him in concern.

“You’ll be fine, too,” he murmured, kissing the top of her head. “Besides, when we’re not busy relaxing and enjoying ourselves, you can always call to check up on him.”

“I know,” she breathed, resting her head on his shoulder as he deposited her carry-on bag in the truck.

“Let’s go tell everyone goodbye, Mrs. Robinson,” he smiled at her as they walked hand-in-hand to the tent.