The Alpha's Virgin Prize (Mated for Life 1)

“Don’t you have something to do?” she asked. This wasn’t being nice. She should be supportive. A lot had happened in the past couple of weeks. She didn’t have time to be selfish, but her life had changed so fast, and now, she didn’t know what the hell to do and it scared her.

“Bethany, I’m not good with this. I don’t know what the hell it is you want from me.”

“I don’t want anything from you. I don’t need anything.” She turned and glared at him. “Seriously, this is nothing. I’ll be fine. Just go.” Tears filled her eyes as she returned her gaze to the forest. I can do this. I can handle this.

“You’re pissed at me. I nearly got you killed.”

“Caleb, don’t,” she said.

“I … sending you away, I didn’t want to.”

“But it was so easy for you to do so. Believe me, I get it. It’s all that has ever happened all of my life. I’m sure there will be plenty of opportunities for you to do it again.” Those horrible insecurities came right back to taunt her.

Chapter Twelve

He was failing as a mated male.

The weight of the world was on his shoulders, but the one thing he cared about most was Bethany. How could he make her happy? How could he make everything up to her?

For two weeks, he’d watched her heal from her injuries. That rogue had done a number on her, and he blamed himself. Unlike him, she didn’t heal almost instantaneously. She was human, delicate, and his fucking responsibility.

Now she acted like their relationship was a mistake, and he had no clue what step to take next.

“Everything I do is for you, Bethany. You have to know that.”

She twirled to face him, her eyes narrowed. “Is that why you’ve been busy with everyone except me? I don’t even know why I’m here anymore. You don’t even sleep in our bed.”

He swallowed hard. Her tone was clipped, and he knew he’d say the wrong thing and fuck this all up. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“What does that even mean?”

“This is all my fault, I understand that. How do I make it right, baby?”

“Why now? All of a sudden you pull me out of work and want to fix things? What’s changed? I’m the same woman I was a week ago. Two weeks ago.”

She huffed and attempted to walk past him to the bedroom door. He grabbed her arm and kept her from leaving. “Listen, I’ve never been mated. I’m not up-to-date on human customs. But I’m trying.”

“The only thing you’ve been trying to do is avoid me.”

When he saw her eyes glisten, he knew she was in pain, not angry. “No, you’ve got it all wrong. You don’t understand how all this made me feel as your mate, as alpha. Seeing all those bruises and injuries on your beautiful body destroyed me. I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t even feel worthy to be near you.”

She shook her head. “I don’t believe you.”

He pulled her into his arms, despite her reluctance. She was stiff and awkward. “This all started because I sent you away. A man isn’t a man if he can’t protect his woman.”

“Caleb … it’s not your fault. You didn’t know what would happen.”

“Doesn’t matter. I should have kept you close.” He breathed in deeply at her neckline. “I have a lot on my plate, but most of it is to distract myself from the fact I’m a failure.”

“I don’t care about all that, and I certainly don’t blame you.” She licked her lips. “It’s your avoidance. You made me feel like a pariah, like it was a mistake choosing me.”

“Is that really how you feel?”

She shrugged.

“Baby, day and night I think about you. I dream about fucking you. But you were injured and I’d be a bastard to take advantage of you.”

Bethany took a cleansing breath. “First of all, I’m not hurt anymore. Secondly, you can’t take advantage of me if I want you just as much.”

He closed his eyes and sensed it. She wasn’t lying. Her pheromones perfumed the air, a delicate scent that he wanted to intensify until he drowned in it.

“Will you sleep in our bed tonight?”

“Anything you want.”

“Anything?” she asked. Her teasing wasn’t going over well with his wolf. His cock had been hard for weeks. The blue balls making him near feral and snappy with everyone. It was a challenge to get his jobs done around the homestead.

Caleb nodded.

He hoped she’d ask him to eat her pussy or fuck her hard enough that the entire forest knew who she belonged to. He waited for her response.

“I want you to make love to me. And I don’t want you to hold back because you think I’m injured. I want my beast, my wolfman, my mate. I’m tired of feeling alone and unwanted. Make me feel desirable, Caleb.”