Unwanted Mate (The Alpha Shifter Collection)

With his lips now on hers, she felt safe, she felt … loved.

Caspian was her mate.

The wolf within her mind kept on chanting the words as if it was some kind of stuck disc, or she was afraid that she might actually forget, which was impossible. There was no way she was going to forget that Caspian was her mate.

Her wolf wouldn’t let her. Neither would her body.

This morning, sneaking out after he’d made love to her, taken care of her, and fucked her again, had been so damn hard. She’d never been the kind of person to sneak out of anything, but facing Caspian after he took her virginity had been too much.

Melissa and Raine had been waiting. She didn’t even know how they knew she needed to be with them, but they’d stuck by her side all morning, through to lunch, and then as they got home, they had left.

Caspian broke the kiss, but he didn’t let her go. “You left,” he said.

“I needed to think.”

“I don’t like you leaving.”

“I had to clear my head.”

“I get that. I do.” He stroked her cheek. “But I always want to take care of you.”

“I don’t need taking care of, Caspian. I can take care of myself.” She smiled, putting her palm against his cheek.

“Be careful, Sofia. I can smell your need,” he said.

The little growl he emitted seemed to hit straight between her thighs and journey all the way up her body. Her nipples were tight buds, and she gasped.

“Fuck. They’re in there waiting to get fed,” he said, groaning.

Her stomach chose that moment to growl.

Caspian pressed his head against hers. “And now I know I definitely need to feed you.”

She cupped his cheek and kissed his lips. “I am hungry.”

“Come on. We better get to work. Otherwise, between Liam and Raine, they can destroy a perfectly good dinner.”

Caspian took her hand, and sure enough, as soon as they entered the cabin, they smelled the catching of food while Raine and Liam were wrestling to get the wooden spoon. Caspian whistled, and it was hard for Sofia to contain her laughter as they both looked like children being caught by their dad.

Dad.

The thought made her pause as she put a hand to her stomach.

Aware they weren’t alone, she dropped her hand, thankful that her stomach growled in appreciation at the scents of the food surrounding them.

“A woman after our own heart,” Sean said.

She smiled, but she wasn’t feeling it.

Pregnancy was still a big risk, and if she was nearing heat, and she knew she was, then the chance of getting pregnant was a lot higher.

Nerves worked their nasty way up her body, threatening to drown her in them. She felt a little sick, but she quickly pushed it aside.

There was going to be plenty of time to worry about pregnancy, and what it all meant in the future. She refused to believe for a second that she’d be pregnant after just having sex twice. But she wasn’t an idiot. All it took was one time.

Stepping into the kitchen, she took the wooden spoon from Caspian and moved toward the pot.

Caspian joined her, and she grabbed an oven glove to help ward off the heat as he got to work chopping more vegetables to stick into the pot. She kept on stirring, all the while trying not to think about the fact a baby could be growing inside her right that moment.

Her wolf was also being a giant pain in the ass.

Yep, she wanted to mate with Caspian.

First, she wanted to be fed, then she wanted the pack to leave so she could rub herself in Caspian’s scent.

She took a deep breath, letting it go slowly, attempting to keep herself in check. With him so close, it was hard to keep a lock on all her senses. He seemed to completely take over everything, making it impossible for her to understand exactly what was going on.

Another pot seemed to miraculously appear with lots of potatoes inside.

With the main sauce bubbling up, she loved the smells of the food.

Everyone dived right in. Conversation was minimal as they all got to eating with a great deal of relish.

“Right, everyone, go and clean up,” Caspian said. “Do not make me march you back to your cabin and force you to wash up.” He snapped his fingers.

“We all know why you’re doing this,” Books said.

Sofia’s cheeks heated as they glanced toward her.

Caspian slapped him around the back of the head, in a playful manner.

She smiled, and Caspian collapsed against the door as soon as he closed it.

“They all adore you,” she said.

“And I love them as well, but they are a giant pain in the ass.” He moved away from the door and went straight to her, but she stepped back.

“I’ve got to go and shower,” she said.