Filed to story: Claimed By The Alpha Nursing His Baby (Grace & Alpha Theodore) Book PDF Free
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After breakfast comes and goes, Delilah heads up to check on me.
I send her away soon after though, not wanting to socialize or even get into why I rushed away from our meal so soon after sitting down with Theodore. It would be much too complicated to try to tell her anything while my thoughts and feelings are still a jumbled mess.
Plus if I involve Delilah now while I still have no answers from my mate, then she’s likely to go scorched-earth on my behalf and get us both into trouble with Daniel.
So I fake an illness and stay in for the rest of the morning and afternoon, hiding myself away while Delilah promises to be back when night falls before disappearing out the door to go explore the rest of the Pollis pack grounds.
I wish I could be like her-not caring about things or letting anything get me down. It seems silly in comparison to have an alpha I barely know rule my emotions so heavily. What will happen once I’m forced to go back to Andromeda?
Will Theodore ask me to stay?
Flashes of him smiling and kissing that other girl’s hand send me into a bitter rage again as I flop over onto my other side and curl under my covers.
Fuck him.
I never needed a mate before this. I certainly don’t need one now.
The door to my room opens quietly, alerting me to Delilah’s return. I peek out from under my covers at the window next to me. Dusk has just begun to fall, leaving the fading sunset to still illuminate the room somewhat.
I keep my back to the door and hunker down again.
Maybe she’ll figure out that I’m still not feeling well and forgo asking me to come with her down to the ball. Surrounding myself with other females and flirty Pollis packmates sounds like the worst idea on Earth at the moment, given my already foul mood.
The bed dips next to me, at my hip, as she sits down carefully. She must think I’m sleeping and is being quiet, trying not to wake me.
For some reason though, she keeps moving, leaning farther over me in a tentative manner. It has me raising a brow as my body dips the other way, toward a hand that is placed near the wall and leaned heavily on. I feel her caging me in.
“Grace?” comes a soft whisper.
My entire body freezes.
That is not Delilah’s voice.
My wolf immediately comes to life, howling.
Rolling onto my back, I rip the covers off of my face and stare up into the deep, bottomless golden eyes of Theodore.
Grace
My heart pounds in my chest.
What is he doing here? Why is he here?
“How are you feeling?” he asks, his eyes darting over my face while a concerned frown settles on his mouth.
“You’re seriously asking me that right now?” The words come out before I can stop them, shooting out like lava and burning us both in the process.
He winces and shifts his weight on his hands. His large body practically crowds me against the wall.
He’s so close that I can smell him. My lungs gleefully drag in more of his spicy, earthy scent. I want to bury my face in his neck, his chest, his hair: anywhere I can drown in that fragrance.
“About earlier…” His eyes dart away from mine. “It’s not what it seemed like.”
My sadness is slowly being overtaken by the anger from earlier. If he thinks I’m that stupid to pretend like him flirting with other females and kissing their hands was a simple and friendly gesture of a soon-to-be alpha king greeting his subjects, then he’s dead fucking wrong.
“Then explain it to me.”
“I’m sure you have heard the rumors about my ascension.”
My brows knit together.
There have been many rumors, most of which I’ve mainly chalked up to being just that. Rumors. We may be within Theodore’s territory, but we’re far away from everyone else.
Far enough that we’re typically left to our own devices.
He glances back at me when I remain quiet.
“It’s…about my Luna,” he admits.
“What about it?”
“In order to take the alphaship, I must find a Luna. That’s why my advisors are throwing this weekend-long ball.”
I blink.
Daniel had told us all as much-or rather, he’d hinted at it. Heavily.
Besides, it’s not so much of a rumor as it is a heavy speculation. Obviously the king-to-be would need a Luna by his side. And obviously the coincidence of a ball being held right after it was announced he’d be taking the throne would get people speculating, especially when young females had been requested to attend.
“What does that have to do with you flirting at breakfast?” The question comes out harsher than I meant it to. My anger is taking hold of me and not giving me any slack while I try to sort through my conflicting emotions.
He sighs. “I know. I’m sorry. It’s…my advisors want me to meet as many of you as I can while you’re all here. I know it doesn’t make any sense, given our…ah, predicament. But this was all put together well before I met you, Grace. Or even knew you existed. I swear this isn’t a slight against you.”
For some reason, his words seem to settle me a bit. Sure, I’m still pissed, but it’s not the rage I was feeling only moments ago.
The explanation makes sense, even if it has me wanting to shift and go claw those other girls’ eyes out. But what good would it do to go rabid and attack a bunch of people who never asked to be in my way?
Theodore is right-how could he have planned for any of this when neither of us knew of each other’s existence and our bond?
I sigh to myself. “Right…”
He surprises me by leaning back in order to lift a hand. His fingers lightly brush along my cheek and trace down my jaw. “I’m sorry, Grace. Please tell me you haven’t been cooped up here since breakfast. Did you even eat?”
My stomach clenches at the care in his tone. Does he care? I mean, I am his mate after all. He should care, right?