***
Troy hadn’t even attempted to touch Philip’s cock, much less give him head after the alpha wrongly accused him almost two weeks earlier. And not only had Troy stopped sending any more videos, but even his usual naughty pictures had also stopped coming. No amount of apologies from the contrite alpha had changed his stubborn mate’s mind. But despite Troy’s refusal to let it go, his relationship with Philip had gotten better and stronger which made Philip very happy. Philip didn’t have to be a genius to know that his mate genuinely liked him.
Even everyone around them clearly saw from Troy’s actions just how much he cared for and enjoyed being with Philip. The way his eyes always lit up whenever they fell on Philip, never went unnoticed. The way he stared at Philip whenever he thought his mate wasn’t watching was just fascinatingly adorable. Unfortunately, Troy seemed not to know that between his brother, Stan, and Paige, Philip got to know every expression on his face even when he wasn’t looking at him. The four friends shared a link on which all the gossip got traded.
Troy’s warm and passionate hugs anytime Philip got to their suite after a day on his alpha throne just melted the alpha’s heart. What made it beautiful and adorable was the spontaneity of Troy’s actions. He seemed to act without thinking whenever and wherever he saw Philip. Once, they’d decided to meet in the big dining room to have dinner with the others. Philip had been away for two days and was due back that evening. Troy had been busily chatting with Paige, Ryan, Gloria, and Paul when Philip and Stan made an appearance.
Troy hadn’t been able to suppress his excited squeal when his mate entered the dining hall. As if that wasn’t enough, he’d hastily gotten out of his seat and made a mad dash for Philip’s arms, to the shocked amusement of everyone in the hall. After giving Philip a fierce hug and a hot openmouthed kiss to whistles from Stan, Paige, and Paul, Troy had blushed so hard and refused to leave the arms of a laughing Philip. It was only after everyone got engrossed in their meal that he’d gotten less embarrassed enough to return to his seat.
Another behaviour of Troy that exposed how he felt about his mate was the frequency of his communication with Philip whenever the alpha was away on his alpha duties. In the absence of his raunchy pictures, Troy had started texting Philip more. He always wanted to know how Philip was doing wherever he was, whether he’d eaten and whether there was anything he could do to help whatever he was working on. And all those subtle seductive moves Troy always managed to pull off whenever they were amongst people… Like Troy sexily licking his lips whilst holding Philip’s gaze, ‘accidentally’ bumping into Philip, or whispering something sweet on their mind-link which always left the alpha hot and bothered.
The first day Troy had actually whispered to Philip on their mind-link that he’d missed him, Philip…who had been in the middle of a very important meeting, had instructed Stan to chair the meeting and then driven directly to the basketball court where his mate had been playing with his friends. Philip had walked onto the busy court with his easy sexy confident swagger…his heated focus riveted on his mate like a predator about to pounce on its prey.
He’d completely disrupted the game. Troy, who had been concentrating on the ball in his hand, had felt the sudden hush and looked up curiously. He hadn’t been able to suppress his gasp at the sight of his handsome virile mate walking towards him. He didn’t think he’d seen a hotter human being. His heart pounded with excitement even as a grin split his lips.
“Philip…” He’d whispered as the ball dropped out of his hands and bounced away from him.
Without a word, Philip had walked up to his grinning and blushing sweaty mate and kissed the living daylights out of him to whistles and smirks from the guys Troy was playing with. Philip had plundered Troy’s mouth, his tongue thrusting its way into his hungry mouth just the way he knew Troy liked it. The two men had only come up for air when it became very necessary.
“I missed you too.” Philip had muttered against Troy’s moist, kiss-swollen lips as he leaned his forehead against Troy’s and wrapped his arms around his waist, sharing air and space with him. But although he’d loved the feel of his mate in his arms, he knew he had to get back to his meeting. “I have to go.” Philip sighed with regret even as his hand slipped beneath Troy’s wet t-shirt to caress the small of his back. “I was in a meeting when I got that message. I just had to come and taste these sweet lips.” He kissed Troy again, deeply but for a shorter time. “Send me a picture when you get back to the suite? Please…”
“Don’t hold your breath.” Troy had given a small, breathless laugh. “Not gonna happen.”
“Killjoy.” Philip had chuckled and then given his mate a final kiss before walking off the court. As he went, however, he’d burst into laughter at the words of one of the young men on the court.
“I swear I’d turn gay this very second if it means I’m gonna get tapped by Alpha Philip.” He’d groaned. “You’re so fucking lucky, Troy.” The young man actually sounded envious.
“Go drool for some other man and not mine, Mike.” Troy’s retort had made Philip feel warm inside even as he’d gotten into his car and driven away. The besotted smile on his face had remained until he’d gotten back to his meeting. He knew he had it bad for his mate.
But although the alpha was happy with his progress with his mate, he didn’t feel so calm because he couldn’t shake off the niggling worry that was constantly at the back of his mind. He definitely didn’t trust those bloody Wyatt warlocks. It was clear that they were planning something bad. In addition to all the werewolves who were on the lookout, Deloris and the pack’s resident sorcerer, Mama Cora had been tasked to give backup with their magical spells as Ryan had suggested. Now, they had to wait for the sneaky and wicked warlocks of the Wyatt clan to make their move. All Philip could do was hope that they wouldn’t be able to sneak past the pack’s shield without them knowing.