The Alpha's Property

*** Preston ***

Day two of Amber’s heat and apart from Aiden being a nob and punching me, it’s been amazing. She is mine, all mine and mine alone and when she is vulnerable like this, I can almost pretend she has submitted to me and our fated mates bond. I can almost pretend until she opens her motor mouth and then there is no pretending.

Amber is “An Independent Woman” and therefore likes to maintain that she needs no man and will never give in to our ancestral customs. We found out we were fated mates almost seven years ago and I had to beg her not to reject me. Fuck, I had been waiting for her for so long and then find she was right under my nose the whole time.

Until the moment I discovered she was my mate, she was the annoying little sister of my future Alpha and best friend, Aiden. The day of her 18th birthday came and the tantalising smell of caramel and chocolate filled my senses, knocking me sideways.

As I looked into her beautiful green eyes, I saw the alarm growing in them, so I reached out and stroked her cheek, the sparks from our bodies lighting up and tingling across both of our skins. I looked at her in amazement: had her skin always been so soft and clear? Had her lips always been that plump and red and kissable?

“What the fuck are you gawping at, Preston?” she demanded of me. As I said: motor mouth. I gave her my most dashing smile and then I whispered into her ear.

“Mine! You are mine Amber!” I expected her to be excited: at that point I was a future Beta, well respected and seasoned as a warrior. I had sewn my wild oats for sure but now my fated mate was here, I would forsake all others and be hers from today until my dying day.

“You know I don’t conform to all that crap, Preston, so stop looking at me with goo-goo eyes. I am not yours; I don’t want to be yours.” The pain of my heart ripping threatened to overcome me, but I vowed I would get this woman to be mine. The Moon Goddess has declared us destined, compatible and equal. Amber just needed to realise that I was here for the long haul, that I would never leave, and she would come around.

Fast forward almost seven years later and she is still leading me on the same merry dance. I am fast approaching 30 years old, I want to settle, I want a family but Amber still does not trust me enough to even call me her boyfriend. I am her fuck buddy and that’s it.

I pull into the car showroom; it doesn’t look like there is anything amiss, until Amber points out Salma Morales’ car parked up. Could it be a bomb? Or a diversion? I link Aiden to find out.

Alpha, I am outside with Lieutenant Amber Goldrick. What is your status?

I do not expect to hear his groan or the laughter of our new Gamma, Ellis. False alarm, go home, Aiden replies, and I think that is rude seeing as we have just dropped everything to get here as fast as lightning.

Why are you laughing, kid? I think I will just goad Aiden a touch before we leave, and his answering growl indicates I succeeded.

A human slapped Alpha after he tried to kiss her, it was hilarious. I hear an involuntary growl off Amber and she is out of my car, swooping in on the showroom. I quickly park the car and run after her.

“Who had the audacity to slap my brother? Who raised their hand to the Alpha?” I watch in horror as I am too late to stop Amber from losing her shit in front of every human in that showroom.

“Stand down, Amber.” Aiden is out of the office, using his Alpha authority so Amber has no option but to submit to her brother.

It was a mistake, my own fault. I won’t try to kiss another human without permission again, now can you just leave? Aiden’s mindlink intrigues me even further.

Why did you try to kiss a human, Aiden? I thought the Spanish Mafia were about to attack? The silence that follows is deadly and yet oh so telling.

She is my mate.

And now I know why Gamma Ellis could not stop laughing, the Moon Goddess is obviously challenging Aiden by sending him a human mate.

It was not until I heard the whole sorry tale that I realised how much the Moon Goddess was challenging him.