“Did you just realize?” Wayne asked with amusement written all over his face. His mate’s expression was really amusing.
“I…I noticed but I…I didn’t know it was this distinct,” she stuttered again. She picked the cup and brought it to her lips. She took a sip and grinned.
“Perfect temperature,” she stated. She took a gulp, then two gulps. Wayne was just staring at her. She lowered the cup and peered at him.
“So you warmed up the river, huh?”
“It was ice cold,” he chuckled softly.
“Thanks,” she said and dropped the cup on the table. Wayne frowned.
“What for?”
“Warming the water for me.”
“You are saying thank you for that?”
“For accepting me also,” she added. He gazed deep into her eyes and she reddened. She looked away and her finger began to play with her hair.
“You didn’t reject me either,” she heard him say.
“So there’s nothing to thank me for,” he added. She heaved a sigh and smiled a little. He finally sat up and began to eat by himself. Olive was already full and tired. She looked to the bed and wanted to sleep already but-
“How would we be sleeping?” she asked shyly. Wayne looked at the bed and gave her a questioning look.
“I know the bed’s right there, but…would we be…sharing it?”
He dropped his fork and knife.
“What? Do you think I would kill you in your sleep?”
Olive gulped.
“No…that’s not it.”
“We sleep on the same bed…mate,” he said firmly in an inarguable tone, emphasis on the ‘mate’.
“Yes, Alpha,” she mumbled. And before Wayne could even react to what she called him, she got up and walked to the bed.
Sitting by the side, she took off her socks and laid in, covering herself fully with the thick blanket. She closed her eyes and heaved a deep sigh as she allowed herself to fall asleep.
Back at The Vrek Cult, she often had little hours of sleep. So she had trained herself to fall asleep quickly and utilize every minute of the thirty minutes rest period or even one hour. Within two minutes, she was already asleep.
Wayne was staring at this fascinating mate of his. So she was already asleep after stepping in bed for a few minutes? It was that easy to fall asleep? He often struggled to even close his eyes talk more of falling asleep. He should take sleeping lessons for this beauty.
He gulped down a glass of pineapple juice and got on his feet. He walked to the bed and leaned over to look at her. She was so peaceful, and beautiful in his bed. Her smell was mixed with his and he loved the result produced. He rubbed her cheek gently and her eyes flung open.
“Shhh…go back to sleep, mate,” he whispered as he continued to rub her cheek and even smoothed her hair. When she made sure that it was Wayne, she closed her eyes, heaved a sigh and went back to sleep. He had a very strong urge to bend down, place a long kiss on her cheek but he stopped himself. He didn’t want to alarm her again.
He walked to the closet and got dressed in casual shorts and a tight t-shirt. He placed a headband over his head, trapping his messy curls in. He only wore sandals instead of his usual boots. After glancing one last time at his mate, he communicated to the kitchen to come clear up the table. He sat at the edge of the bed with his phone in his hands as the maids arrived in a minute and silently cleared the table.
After they left, he glanced at Olive then left the room, turning off most of the lights in the room. He entered his elevator and went straight up to The Circular Cabinet.
He was met with shouts and laughs as he stepped in. His men were gathered around the middle table. Some on the couch, some sitting on the floor and some standing while leaning down. They were all shouting and hailing someone or some people. Immediately they sensed his presence, they stopped and looked up at him.
Wayne saw that it wasn’t only his men that were there.
“Vanessa,” he called one of the different faces.
She waved with a smile.
“You decided to finally come back home? The club didn’t pay you enough?” he asked and the people around the table laughed.
“Not that she’s there for the payment anyway!” one of the new faces, actually also a part of his men teased and they erupted in laughter again. Vanessa stood there frowning deeply.
“Stop it guys! I came back because I…I ran out of money! I’ll be going back,” Vanessa defended herself but that even made them laugh more.
“How can you run out of money while working as a…”
“Shut up!” Vanessa cut the young man short and grabbed his hair. She began to pull and kick him to the floor while the rest laughed.
Alpha Knight chuckled darkly and went straight to the bar. Jake glanced at him and walked to him.
“What are they playing?” Wayne asked as he poured himself some whiskey.
“Cards. Dolly is winning,” Jake answered and received the glass that Wayne was handing him. He took another glass and poured for himself again after giving the first one to his Beta. Jake took his down in one shot and poured for himself again.
“Did you manage to tell her?” Jake asked amidst the noise from the gaming and gabbling people around the table.
“No. I couldn’t. Didn’t find the right time,” Wayne answered and took a shot too.
“I forgot to ask, how was the stroll? Did anything bad happen?”
“No. Went smooth. We settled a few differences there. I took her to River White.”
“You did what?”
Wayne kept quiet. He knew what he did was dangerous but he just wanted to do it. He felt he needed to do it. She was his mate for crying out loud. His other half.
“You know very well that river is where your-”
“I know, Jake. Don’t remind me,” Alpha Knight cut in.
“Then didn’t it affect her? Wait, I hope you only took her there and she didn’t enter. No one steps into that river except you.”
“We both took a swim.”
Jake’s face turned into nothing but horror. He was surprised, angry, disappointed in his Alpha for being so careless and he was worried for Olive.