Emily’s POV
The sound of the shower tap opening shook me awake. I blinked a couple of times against the bright morning light, and a tired yawn escaped my lips.
I stretched out my body like a lazy cat, only to be reminded about what I had done last night.
I sighed, with a smile forming on my lips. For the first time in five years, I felt content-
Alpha Alexander Black, my mate, made love to me last night.
My hand instinctively moved to the round-shaped pendant Alex gifted me last night.
It was beautifully crafted in the shape of a crescent moon, with two wolves cast out of gold in the center-one cast in white gold and the other in rose gold.
It was the prettiest thing I have ever seen, and I loved it. My thoughts drifted off to our conversation in the early hours of the night, just after Alex tired me out after rounds and rounds of pure hot sex.
“I wanted to give you this at dinner,” Alex said, helping me put on the chain. “But I ran into some complications, delaying the surprise.”
“What complications?” I asked curiously.
“The opal in your pendant has been in my family for centuries,” Alex said, holding the pendant in his hand. “My great-grandfather discovered it in the Opal Pack territory. When I went to pick up the stone that I had sent to be cut into the shape of a crescent moon, the opal cutter tried to con me out of it by giving me a different stone. Luke, who was with me, offered the man an hour to fix his “error.” To prevent the jeweler from being unable to finish my order, we needed to make that stop at the warehouse.”
Gosh, I internally growled at myself. All that worry and doubt was because of a gift Alex ordered for me.
I suddenly felt guilty.
“I told you to not worry,” Willow reminded me. “Will you now give Alex the benefit of the doubt before you jump to conclusions? You are not a frog, you know!”
“Fine!” I said. “I will, from now on, give him some slack. I promise, but tell Ghost that he needs to try and remind Alex that I am trained to be cautious, and acting like that would make me suspicious.”
“Very well,” Willow said. “I will tell him.”
I turned my attention to Alex and smiled.
“It’s sure pretty,” I said. “Thank you. I will always treasure this. It means a lot to me. And sorry that I doubted you.”
Alex laughed, shaking his head.
“Your apology is accepted, and I’m glad you like it,” he said. “I designed the pendant myself.”
Alex turned the pendant over, showing me the back.
I had to fight back tears when I saw the date on the pendant; it was the date we had recognized one another as our mate.
Alex remembered the date, and my heart pinched in my chest. He was surely amazing and the perfect mate.
The bathroom door unexpectedly opened, bringing me back from the warm-hearted memory.
“Morning,” Alex chirped as he exited the bathroom. He only had a towel wrapped around his torso, and his beautiful, sculpted upper body glowed as the sun touched his skin. “Did you sleep well?”
“I have, thank you,” I said. “It was the best sleep I have had in such a long time.”
Alex sat down next to me and kissed the top of my head.
“Me too,” he said. “I feel like a new person.”
“I can’t argue with that,” I said, smiling, as images of last night filled my mind.
When Alex opened the hotel door last night, he left me in awe.
Luke had left the jewelry box on a small counter table in our room, but I only noticed it later in the night when Alex opened it and showed me the contents.
The hotel room was huge inside and luxuriously decorated, but what made it even more special was that there was a trail of red rose petals and hundreds of candles lit, giving it a special and romantic glow, going toward the bedroom.
A bottle of champagne was already on ice.
“Wow,” I said, entering the room. “It’s breathtaking. Did you do all this?”
“I’m happy you like it!” Alex said, suddenly a bit nervous. “I had some local help.”
I guess he was referring to Luke.
I took a step closer to Alex, taking his tie in my hand and pulling him down to my level.
“If I didn’t know any better,” I said teasingly. “I would have thought that you were trying to seduce me, Alpha Black.”
Alex’s eyes shifted black, and I let go of his tie. Ghost must have grabbed control.
“I’m not trying.” Ghost’s familiar, husky voice filled the air. “I want you, and only you! And I will certainly make sure to show you!”
Alex closed his eyes, shaking his head, but when he opened his eyes, they were back to their pretty silver color.
“Sorry about that,” Alex said, nervously laughing. “Ghost is just overly excited to have you around me. He can’t wait for us to mark you.”
I got closer to Alex, cupping his face.
“I can’t wait either,” I said, suddenly feeling sad and annoyed.
If it weren’t for the duel, we might have marked one another tonight.
Will Alex understand?
Will Ghost understand?
“But you know we can’t until…”
“You and…” Alex cut me off, yet his eyes shifted black- Ghost must have grabbed control.
I took a quick step back, unsure what Ghost’s intentions were.
Would he ignore everything and mark me? He could lose his Alpha title if he did!
“That bitch-” Ghost growled, but as soon as those words escaped Alex’s lips, Ghost’s voice died off.
Were the two going to fight for control the whole night?
Alex regained control, and he blinked a couple of times.
“Angelica and I have our duel,” I completed my thoughts. Her name left a bitter taste on my tongue.
I had had so much fun the last few days that I hadn’t even thought about her.
Our duel will be in two days, and I haven’t done any proper training.
“You shouldn’t worry much; Angelica is an omega,” Willow said. “There is no way she could be as good as you.”
“Don’t get cocky,” I said. “Omegas usually have some tricks up their sleeves!”
“I’m not getting cocky,” Willow yapped. “I know you will win!”
Alex released a deep, almost sad breath.
“I know,” he said, and my attention shifted back to him. “But I still wanted to show you how much I love and adore you.”
Alex loved me!
I stepped closer, pulled Alex’s head down, and crashed my lips on his.
For a second, Alex was uncertain what to do, but when I pulled on his shirt, indicating that it was in the way, it was as if everything suddenly fell into place. We couldn’t get our clothes off fast enough.
Alex swept me off my feet the second my dress touched the floor, leaving me in my black bra and panties. He carried me off at wolf speed toward the bed.
Both our hearts were racing; I could hear his heart over the thumping sound of mine.
Alex hovered over me far too long for my liking, and I pulled him down, crashing his lips on mine.
Alex moaned, yet he was the first to break up our kiss.
“Are you certain this is what you want?” Alex asked, his breath racing.
“I am,” I whispered in his ear. “Make love to me like it is the only chance you’ll ever get.”
Alex’s eyes darkened, and I saw his cock twitching from the side, his boxers already stained by precome.
“Gosh, that’s so f*cking sexy!” Willow mused from the back. “I can’t wait to taste him!”
He pinned my hands above my head, kissing the side of my neck down to my nape, leaving a hot trail of kisses.
My core clenched, soaking my already-soaked pants.
I was now burning to have him inside and to taste every part of him.
“Are you sure,” he asked again. Uncertainty was audible in his voice. “There is no going back.”
Was he scared?
“I’m sure. Now f*ck me already!” I said, cutting him off and crushing my lips on his again.
****