CHAPTER 108: HAPPENED SO FAST

~AMBROSE’S POV~

Driving home, the exhaustion was settling in and the healing wounds caused by the silver was starting to burn. Shit always burned when healing. But I refused to let it show.

I am the Alpha King, and I can’t show weakness.

But she could see right through me.

I could feel her eyes on me. Watching my every move. I maintained my composure, not letting any bit of it show through.

I distract her. Doing what I do best.

Poke the bear.

"Like what you see, Princess?" I teased her.

Her face turned red. She scoffed and rolled her eyes. Giving me signs she was not impressed.

’How could someone so deadly be so shy?’ I chuckled inwardly.

"In your dreams, wolfie, why are you so cocky?" She remarked.

"It’s not being cocky, if it’s true." I winked at her.

I loved getting under skin, watching her fidget and get embarrassed is the highlight of my day.

Our date didn’t go as planned, but I got to see her, the real her. The part of herself she keeps tucked away, hiding from the world. The darkness in her.

I recalled the way she drove that dagger under the man’s chin, and I felt myself get a little hard. Her ruthlessness is something to marvel.

She was sexy. A force to be reckoned with. A storm that crash landed in my heart.

Perfect for our Luna, wouldn’t you say? Onyx hummed in my mind.

Yes, no better option. I agreed.

It’s so good to be on the same page with you again. Onyx mentions.

I know, I was hot headed and blind. I get it, when will you give this ’I told you so’ shit a rest? I was getting annoyed with his persistent nagging.

When I feel tired of annoying you with it. Onyx snickered in my mind.

Go away.

Fine. I wonder what it would be like if our mate had a wolf, I wonder what her wolf would be like.

What nonsense are you spewing now?

Nothing, just curious.

She’s a vampire.

Yeah, I know that. Doesn’t stop me from being curious. I have no one to talk to.

Are you complaining about our mate?

Fuck no. She’s perfect.

I felt my wolf smiled proudly.

That’s what I thought. She’s perfect, even without a wolf.

You’re right.

I know where he’s coming from, he can’t communicate with her directly, except through me, because she doesn’t have a wolf. So, even though we share the same love and feeling for our mate, he is bound to be a little lonely. But I can’t let him dwell on that, not when I had silver poisoning me as I drive home. I needed him to focus on our wounds, not on what our mate was missing.

It was well after dark when we approached the packs borders.

She was curled up asleep in the passenger seat. Her eyelids fluttered, her body was tense. Like she was having a bad dream.

I watched from the corner of my vision, wanting to keep both focused forward, the winding mountain road at night was icy and dangerous, and even though all of us would survive the tumble down the mountain, I wasn’t planning anymore adventures for the rest of the evening.

When we pulled up to the pack gates, my warriors were standing guard.

I rolled down the window to show my face, they nodded and said "Good Evening, Alpha King."

I nodded in recognition and drove through the gates.

Glancing down at the girl asleep beside me my heart skipped.

The nightmare had settled, and she looked peaceful. I was glad I didn’t wake her, she needed the rest. She used a lot of energy back there. I could see it, though it didn’t drain her, she’s probably used to constantly feeding. So not having access to a constant food source, she is probably gets exhausted faster.

When we pulled into the palace, I couldn’t bear to wake her. Emalea woke first, when she opened her mouth to speak, I raised my finger to my mouth and motioned for her to be quiet and gestured to Odette asleep in the front seat.

The fox was awake. Watching us, too intense, too calculating.

I need Artemasia to check it out. It wasn’t what it seemed. And I can’t kick it out; Odette wouldn’t hear of it. I need hard proof this fox isn’t what it pretends to be.

Emalea nodded to me and said in a direct channel "If it’s alright with my king, I will go and leave Odette in your care."

I responded with a nod. I hadn’t taken my eyes off the fox, and its eyes hadn’t left mine. Almost like we were in a staring contest.

Have you sensed any change in intent or in its energy? I asked Onyx.

Nothing, same as before, just calm and ancient. No malice, very neutral. And just as I said before, it’s not a normal fox.

It’s a fox, which is a type of dog; can’t you connect with it? Like you can other Canidae?

It’s guarded. Like a fucking fortress. I would need to be let in, or it would have to come to us. I can’t connect with its Canidae traits. There’s a link but it feels severed or maybe, separated? Just, it’s there but blocked or incomplete.

That’s really confusing and completely useless.

No kidding.

There was a silence that stretched between us after Emalea left the car and my stare down with the fox started.

Maybe the witch can help?

Maybe. Good idea. I’ll send Damon to talk to her about it.

They would start training the day after tomorrow. Odette has academics two days with Ursula a week in between her magic combat lessons three days a week with Artemasia and myself. Two days of magic and one of hand to hand.

She is so fierce, and if we hone those skills and sharpen them, she’d be a force unlike any other.

And she’d be mine.

I grinned internally. It wasn’t even about revenge anymore, but fate gave it to me anyways. Some could look at it as fate had damned me to be chained to the daughter of the enemy. But me I see fate giving me the best revenge, destroying the father by having the love of the daughter. Betrayal hurts far more than death and lasts a lot longer.

Fate was kind because it owed me. At least that’s what I tell myself.

A strand of her hair fell down her face, I lean in close, our lips inches apart and gently sweep it back behind her ear.

The touch woke her. Her sleepy eyes blinked slowly. Adjusting to the light in the garage. Taking in her surroundings. She was dazed a little and then her blazing crimson eye locked with mine. And it was like the world melted away.

Like we were the only two people in existence.

My heart was racing, thumping in my ears. Neither of us spoke or blinked, but the silence stretched between us. But it wasn’t uncomfortable, it was filled with something I couldn’t quite name. I could hear her heart; it was beating as fast as mine. She didn’t know it, but she was releasing pheromones. She saw me and instantly her body craved me, I could feel the pull.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her eyes glistened.

Then her stomach growled.

Instantly I laughed and asked "Are you that hungry for me? Craving me?"

Her cheeks turned beat red. She was so easily riled up, I couldn’t help but tease her.

She punched me in the arm.

The arm that had been grazed by a bullet. I winced only slightly. It won’t kill me or do much. Just hurts like hell after and takes a little longer to heal. I didn’t even notice I’d been shot at first. It was her telling me when I noticed the dull throb coming from my arm.

"Oh, shoot, I’m sorry!" She covered her mouth gasping and quickly reached over to check it.

She didn’t know how fast I can heal, even from silver. So, her concern was cute.

She looked at what was once my cut, and how it had sealed closed. It still ached, still red and inflamed from the metals poison.

"How?" She asked.

"Can’t tell you all my secrets right away, that would ruin the mystery surrounding me." I teased her some more.

"Why are you like this?" She rolled her eyes.

"If you keep rolling your eyes that hard, they’re going to roll right out of that pretty little head of yours." I chuckled.

"You keep smirking like that and I’m going to punch it right off your pretty face." She snorted.

"You think I’m pretty?"

"How original of you to ask." She ignored my joke and stepped out of the car.

My gaze lingered on the curve of her neck.

I can’t wait to mark her.

To claim her.

Broadcast to the world she belongs to me.

The feeling in my chest burned.

It burned for her.