The Hidden Alpha (Alma Venus Shifter Brides 2)

“Yes…”

He threw her one last glance, and Amelia was taken aback by the lust she saw in his eyes. She squeezed her hands into fists, her sharp nails digging painfully into her palms. He stepped away from the door then almost ran down the stairs. She stared after him for a long while before she found the strength to enter her room.

CHAPTER FOUR

The Unfaithful Bride

She knew it was a bad idea to go fishing with Seth in his boat. She had wanted to refuse him, but then Aaron and Elena insisted she needed to go out more and this was the perfect opportunity, so she ended up lying to herself that she had had no choice. She had taken a book with her, but couldn’t read a single paragraph. Her eyes were glued to the handsome Beta who was expertly preparing his hooks while telling her about fishing, which was his second favorite hobby, and how he learned everything he knew from his Alpha, Roman.

“He’s like a father to me.”

“What about your parents?”

Seth threw her a quick glance and a hesitant smile. “Long story.”

“Well, I’ve got all the time in the world and I’m not going anywhere.” She spread her arms to emphasize they were in the middle of the river.

“I don’t really like to talk about it. It’s not a pleasant story. Let’s just say that they left when I was very young and never came back.”

Amelia’s heart clenched at his words. They hit too close to home. “How young?”

“Hmm… If I had the life span of a human, I would have been considered a teenager.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

Lost in their own thoughts, neither said anything for a while. Amelia wondered if this was a good time to tell him about her own parents and the dark years she had spent in those godforsaken orphanages. But, what good would it do? No, she couldn’t make this about herself. She had no idea what had happened to his parents, and it would have been selfish of her to suggest her own story was at least as tragic as his. However, she felt the need to share it with him, which was new to her and even a bit frightening. She had never felt comfortable talking about it. The only time she had opened her heart was when Avelyn, her Alma Venus colleague, was bought by an Alpha werewolf and wanted to run away. Even then, she hadn’t done it because she needed some kind of consolation or reassurance from Avelyn, Claudia, or Delyse, but rather to make a point. It was different now, so much different. She wanted Seth to listen to her, then hug her tightly and tell her she was safe now. Those horrible people would never come after her. She ran her fingers through her wavy hair and shook her head. She had to stop thinking about this.

“So… what’s your other favorite hobby?”

“You’ll laugh at me.”

“No, I won’t!”

Two long minutes of silence. “Woodcarving…”

That was how they spent the morning… fishing, talking about woodcarving and books. Seth promised her he would take her to Bethel soon, the closest city to Ekviknuna. Amelia’s heart warmed and her face started burning when she realized how much she wanted that. How much she wanted this, in fact. What they were doing now. Flashes of what had happened two nights before flooded her mind, and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. It had been her first kiss, and she couldn’t believe she had been so bold and demanding. Since Seth had come to pick her up in the morning, she had constantly been asking herself what they were doing. Were they trying to be friends? He hadn’t said anything about the kiss, and he hadn’t mentioned Blake either. “Don’t worry about Blake”, he had said. When Roman stepped down, Seth would become Blake’s Beta. That was not how a Yako was supposed to treat his Inari. The situation boggled Amelia’s mind.

Yes, it had been a bad idea to go fishing with Seth. In his boat. But not as bad as accepting to have lunch with him at his cabin. She couldn’t help it, though. She couldn’t fight what she felt for him, couldn’t suppress her desire to talk to him, earn his smiles, innocently touch his shoulder or arm to get his attention. “Oh God, I’m in love,” she kept repeating to herself. It was new, it was surreal. It was wrong. Still, it felt so good, so sinfully satisfying. “It was a kiss, nothing more. It won’t happen again.” She was silently lecturing herself while eating the delicious fish Seth had caught that morning then cooked when they got to the cabin. “He’s perfect,” she thought. “A guy who cooks! His bride will be one lucky woman.” A pang of pain went right through her heart, but the sooner she understood that this was how things were, the better. They could be friends. They could spend time together, have lunch from time to time, maybe visit each other. They were both adults and they knew what was at stake here. “Yes, this can work. As long as I get to stare at his handsome face and listen to his smooth voice from time to time, I’ll be fine. I can do this.”

She was wrong, of course. While she was busy convincing herself that what had happened between them would never happen again, Seth was busy studying her pretty eyes, admiring her firm breasts, and replaying the kiss in his mind. Over and over and over… the addictive taste of her skin, the demanding stroke of her tongue against his. He had given himself a day to decide how to handle the situation, and the day had passed leaving him just as frustrated and turned on as he was the night he had left her standing in the middle of the dark corridor, in front of her room. He had to have her. The beast inside him craved her body, longed for the warmth of her untouched pussy… There was no way he could fight that. He knew he wasn’t thinking straight, but how could he when Amelia’s overwhelming scent drove him crazy with lust? He’d deal with Blake later. He had to quench his hunger first, the hunger to possess his mate in every way he knew.

“Seth, no… This isn’t right…” Amelia managed to whisper between kisses. The moment she th

anked for the meal and stood up, he had her in his strong arms. He was guiding her towards the bed, but her body wouldn’t fight him no matter how many times her brain screamed at her “Stop! Just push him away and leave.”

“Amelia, I want you…”

“We can’t…”

Seth grabbed her thighs and lifted her up. She hooked her legs around his hips, and he buried his face between her breasts.

“You smell so good… My love…”

What was he saying? “Seth…” She put her palms of his shoulders and pushed lightly. It was more of a gesture than a serious push.

He looked up into her eyes. “I love you.”

That was it. How was she supposed to resist that? They stared into each other’s eyes for a long moment, then Amelia dived down to capture his lips into a deep kiss. “I love you too,” she whispered before her tongue sought his.