Fated To the Alpha by Jessica Hall
Chapter 157: Sage POV
I slept like the dead, I felt exhausted for some reason but I was too lazy to move and comfortably snuggled against the warmth of my mate. Andrei moves slightly the movement making me roll and I realize I was actually laying on him when I slide off hitting the mattress.
His arms wrap around me before I find myself facing him. He was asleep still, he moved, grabbing my bare thigh and lifting it over his waist. I try to remember coming home but don’t remember getting out of my clothes.
I lift the blanket relief flooding me when I see I have my shirt still on and I can feel I have p*an*tie*s on so I wasn’t completely n*ked. Lifting my head back up Andrei’s eyes were open, scaring the living daylights out of me, not expecting him to be awake. My heart beat frantically before settling.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you” I tell him.
“You took them off, I didn’t undress you” Andrei says, pressing his face into my neck and pulling me closer. I find that his presence and his closeness doesn’t bother me so much and I now welcome his touch. I ran my fingers through his hair and I could feel him breathing against the hollow of my neck, his stubble tickling the skin on my chest.
“That feels nice ” He murmurs as my nails rake across his head. “Hmm” I hum back at him, also enjoying touching him when he suddenly rolls onto his back away from me. My leg on his waist moves up to his stomach, his hand on my knee holding it there.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, come here” He says using his arm I was resting my head on to pull me closer. I rest my cheek on his chest, his hand on my knee tightening when I go to move it before deciding to leave it there.
“You should go back to sleep, it is 4 am.” Andrei says, looking over at the alarm clock on the bedside table.
“I’m not tired” I tell him and he nods before speaking.
“Yes, you have been asleep since before 7p.m., that is probably why. Just try to go back to sleep”
“What time is pack training?”
“8 a.m. today, I was thinking of letting you train with Casen today”
“You won’t be there?” I ask him.
“Zane will be, my men won’t hurt you, Sage. I have told you this” He says with a sigh.
“I know, I just don’t know them” I tell him. I run my fingers through his chest hair following the lines over his pec and stomach.
“You will in time, they won’t hurt you” He says and I move my leg when he grips my knee pulling my leg up higher and stopping my travelling hand from going lower. I like the feel of his skin under my fingertips. The tips of my fingers tingling, my leg over him tingling from the bond.
“Sage” He growls softly like he was going to say something else but stops himself.
“What?”
“Nothing, it’s fine, ” he says, letting go of my leg and catching my hand. He lifts my hand and I watch as he kisses my fingers before letting go. I move and he grabs my leg, stopping it sliding down lower as he rolls on his side again.
“Gosh you move a lot” I tell him now trying to get comfortable again.
“ Says the woman who takes up the entire bed and steals my pillow while climbing on top of me in her sleep” He says. My face heats at his words, I knew I sought out his scent in my sleep but hearing him say it and knowing he realized it embarra*s*sed me.
“Sorry” I mutter my cheeks flaming.
“I don’t mind, but your closeness can be difficult which is why I moved Sage ” He answers making me focus on the feeling through the bond. Ar*usal washing into me and my heart skips a beat knowing what he meant and why he kept moving my leg higher, I went to pull away.
“Don’t be scared, Sage, I am your mate. My body will react to yours, doesn’t mean I will do anything about it”
“but I am making you uncomfortable”
“Excited, yes, uncomfortable?” He shrugs tugging me closer.
“I like cuddling you, I just don’t want you to freak out when my body reacts to you” He says. I relax against him and he tilts my chin so I have to look at him.
“I will never do anything to make you feel uncomfortable Sage you have my word on that” He says before brushing his nose across my cheek.
I let out a breath and nod. I knew he wouldn’t hurt me, not intentionally anyway. His nose brushes mine and I suddenly wanted the distance closed.
Wanted to feel his lips against mine, yet he didn’t move closer and I knew it was up to me to do anything because I knew he wouldn’t, out of fear of scaring me.
Sometimes I hated that I feared everything including my own damn shadow. But it was hard to enjoy skin contact when the only contact you experienced was brutal. I was comfortable around Andrei, but that didn’t make the memories stop but the bond pulled me one way while my brain pulled me the other like a tug of war, one that was exhausting.
It made me wonder if he would get annoyed with me and toss me aside for someone better. Someone he could touch and hold without fear of breaking them, it must be frustrating having me for a mate and probably disappointing.
I reach up and run my fingers through his hair and his eyes closed a deep rumbling purr vibrating through his chest making me chuckle at the noise he is making.
“Something funny?” He asks, his eyes opening with a hint of a smile on his lips.
“You’re purring like a cat”
“I don’t purr, I growl”
“Call it what you want but it’s definitely a purr” I tell him. He laughs softly, finally gracing me with his beautiful smile, my eyes darting to his lips and I move my hand down to his cheek running my thumb across them. His purring stops and I find him watching me again.
“Is there something you want?” He asks and I could feel his amusement through the bond like he thought I was doing something funny. I suppose my actions would be considered odd with how hot and cold I was constantly.
My face heats but I nod, too embarra*s*sed to ask when he sits up slightly and moves his face closer, his lips nearly brushing mine. My heart beats erratically in my chest and I feel him smile against my lips as they brush them.
“Is this what you want?” He asks, his hand slipping into my hair and his nose brushing mine gently, I nod. My entire body heats up when he presses his lips to mine.
His lips mould around mine before I feel his tongue caress my bottom lip, his hand moving to the side of my face before I feel his thumb press gently on my chin while also tilting my face upwards and his tongue slips into my mouth.
Andrei gr0@ns his tongue playing with mine and I tug him closer not wanting the kiss to end, loving the taste of him on my tongue, and I think I found my new favourite thing, kissing him. I feel myself become light headed and I feel like I am falling despite laying down.
All too soon he pulls away with a chuckle. “Breathe Sage before you p@ssout” He chuckles and I realize the entire time I was holding my breath, which explains the light headed feeling.
He presses his forehead to mine.
“What am I gonna do with you?” He chuckles to himself.
“You could always mark me” I whisper and his laughing stops before he pulls away looking down at me. I chew my lips nervously shocked at what left my lips, but I found I meant the words I spoke. I did want to be his mate, but would he want a broken one?