His Warrior Alpha

Alone

Reed’s POV

“Reed isn’t a wet blanket, he’s just responsible.” Melody responded back in my defense. She seemed to be enjoying the sibling banter but it looked like she was also suppressing a deeper sadness. Was she thinking about the family she had lost? I hoped one day she would share with me all that she hid deep within herself.

“So in other words, he’s boring.” Ryan laughed again and I threw one of the pillows off the couch at him. He ducked and the pillow hit Quinn, who grinned back before lobbing it at Ryan, who allowed it to hit him in the chest. “Oh no, wolf down! I’m wounded.” He announced dramatically, he placed his hand against his chest as if he was covering an injury. Quinn pulled him to her and kissed him in response to his exaggeration.

“There, I kissed you all better. Just like a Gamma to be a baby.” Quinn said right as I sipped my tea, causing it to burst out of my nose. Ryan growled at her, pretending to be angry at her comment, but she ignored him as she turned to me and asked, “Is he always such a baby?”

“You haven’t even seen him when he is sick yet. He is way worse when he is sick. Total man baby over the simplest cold.” I laughed while wiping my face with a napkin I picked up from the table.

“Okay guys. Let’s refocus.” Melody scolded us lightly. “Are you able to get more of it? If not, it may be a bit more difficult to come and go.”

“Yeah, we might have to do a favor or two for her, but I’m sure we can convince her. She lives about 30 minutes away. You have to follow the Black River, down past the waterfall, where it feeds into the Silune River. There is a hidden forest if you know just where to look.” Ryan winked at Quinn, I guess he wanted to show her off now that the cat was out of the bag.

“We should be showing Melody and Aria off.” Benne grumbled, as if I liked the situation we were in either, but with all we had learned today, I was certain it was way more dangerous for anyone to know then we had previously thought. ‘-It is our job to keep her safe, and we are doing just that.” I reminded him.

“Me? Why would I be helping convince your Aunt Liz?” Quinn gawked at Ryan, not understanding.

“Because, if one good thing has come from today, it is that I don’t have to hide you, at least not as much as before. Plus, Aunt Liz keeps asking when she is going to meet you and I’m running out of excuses.” Ryan pulled his hand through his hair. “Besides, I will take any time I can to be with you.” Quinn melted at his words.

“Okay, but what about lunch? Should we bring something along?” Quinn asked and Ryan responded with a laugh.

“Yeah, if we come with food, Liz will have my head. We should just hurry along so we get there early enough that I don’t get lectured for making her cook a second time when she has already made lunch.”

“Can’t we call her and let her know?” Both Melody and Quinn looked at us confused.

“Druid’s don’t use phones and the magic surrounding their compound would prevent any cell signal.” My father said as he rounded the corner with a few books in hand.

“In other words, we need to get going or she is going to chew me out.” Ryan rushed Quinn as she gulped down the rest of her tea, setting the cup back on the table.

“I guess I will see you later then?” Quinn directed to Melody as Ryan pulled her towards the door.

“Yeah, I will see you sometime tonight.” Melody waved by as they disappeared towards the front door.

“Here are a few books.” My father passed the books in his hands to Melody, who took them and tucked them into the bag we had sent her home with yesterday. “I have a few others that I need to find, but this should be good for now. I think I’m going to head over to Rachel’s early and eat some lunch there. I’m sure the twins are a handful already and I could help distract them so the woman can have a little time alone.”

Alone. If he was leaving, that would mean Melody and I would also be alone. Would she be okay with that or would she want to leave? I hoped she would spend some time here as it was still early in the day. The prospect of some alone time with her had me both excited and nervous. This could be a good chance to learn more about my beautiful mate. After all, it would be safer if she waited until Quinn and Ryan were back so she could hide her scent again.

“Please share my love, and let her know if she needs any help keeping the boys in line. I am just a call away.” My father nods as he turns to leave. I waited to hear the click of the door and I let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding in.

I looked over at Melody who had a blush on her cheeks and I wondered what she was thinking about. She scooted closer to me and I felt the tingles of our bond. Instinctually, I pulled her against me and she buried her head into my shoulder, breathing on my neck. I was surprised to be this close to her. I held her in silence until her stomach interrupted us.

“I guess we should probably get some lunch ourselves then, huh?”

“Yeah, sorry, I didn’t eat this morning.” She answered shyly. It was odd how she could go from so confident to shy when we were alone.

“Not to worry. While I may not be as good a cook as my mother, she did make both myself and Ryan learn how to make some dishes. She said she was not raising sons who did not know how to cook or pick up after themselves.”

“Your mom just gets better and better. So, chef, what do you want to eat?”

“How about I whip up some grilled ham and cheese? That shouldn’t take too long and then we can get to know each other better.” As much as I wanted to impress her with a lavish dish, that would have to wait because, more than anything, I wanted to spend my time getting to know her.

“I’ll clean up the dishes from tea while you cook.” Her smile warmed my heart and dispelled some of the nervousness I felt. I could stare at her for a lifetime and still not get enough of her.

We both collected the dishes from the table, taking them into the kitchen. I set mine carefully by the sink and turned to grab the ingredients from the fridge while Melody started running water to wash the dishes. After holding her earlier, it started to lessen some of the effects of the spray and I could smell the faint scent of her honey and lavender mixed with my own scent. I wanted to cover her in my scent but that would have to wait.

I placed a pan on the stove and allowed it to heat up with some butter. Seeing the opportunity to be close to her again, I wrapped my arms around Melody from behind and leaned forward to grab a knife from the dish drainer, causing her to gasp in surprise. In the process, she dropped the spoon and sponge that were in her hand, causing water and bubbles to splash back at her.

“Sorry, I need a knife to butter the bread for the grilled cheese.” I spoke quietly in her ear and I felt her body relax against mine. Her reaction to me made me feel more bold as I wrapped my hands around her stomach and breathed into her neck. Her braid so nicely pulled her hair away from the spot I would eventually leave my mark on. I wanted to do so much more but I didn’t want to push anything yet. I didn’t know how she felt about any of this and I didn’t want the sparks from our bond to influence her into anything she was uncomfortable with. I pulled back from her and to my surprise, she let out a whine from the loss of warmth. Could she be disappointed that I hadn’t pushed for more?

I turned back to the stove and began to put together the grilled cheese at lightning speed. I pressed the buttered sandwich into the hot pan, causing it to sizzle. I was looking forward to being done with eating so I could hold her close again. I wanted to know more about her. More about what she desired and maybe if I was lucky, we could take advantage of this time alone to get to know each other more intimately.