Touch

Chapter 30| Destined

There wasn't a thing about Amina and me that was easy. It was exhausting, frustrating, and above all intense. What I felt for her was beyond comprehension. The overwhelming need to possess her, to consume her was maddening.

It wasn't enough to have her in my home, it wasn't enough to touch her, to feel her writhe beneath me. I wanted to know her every thought, pervade her every sense. She called to me in a way that Elaine hadn't, and although that fact alone ate away at me, it didn't change the fact that this was now my reality.

The beast and the monster in me wanted her with equal measure. The urge to mark her—to taste her was getting stronger by the minute and as much as I tried to ignore it, it had consumed my thoughts. These last two weeks apart only intensified them, but I couldn't act on them just yet.

There were too many factors to consider, so much I didn't know, so much she didn't know. I couldn't claim her without clearing the air between us. It wouldn't be fair to either of us, and it wouldn't be fair to the pack. I needed to know what, who  Amina was, and the extent of her ties to Aaron.

She intended to marry him, how could she not know how vile a being he was? She may have been surprised to learn of the existence of my kind, but to be honest, she took the news better than I expected. Then there's the matter of not knowing what the hell she was; I saw her eyes alight with fire, and her scent—it was as if she was in a constant state of heat.

My waining patience had me slamming my hands on my office desk before screaming through the mind link, "Balfore, where the hell are you?!"

Like clockwork he walked through my office door, "You rang, Alpha?" he said with a knowing grin.

"I said five minutes, it's been ten."

"Well considering you've been growling and grunting these last five minutes, I didn't think you wanted me to interrupt. So, I waited."

"Fuck you."

"No, what I think you mean is thank you for being so thoughtful, but in any case, I'm assuming this has to do with Amina?

"What gave it away?"

"Do you really need to ask?"

Jackass.

I took a swig of the amber fluid, hoping the burn would be just as effective on my thoughts as it had been on my throat.

Foolish hope.

"The bond demands completion, Alpha."

"This isn't about the bond!" I growled in frustration to which Balfore gave his neck in submission.

"Alpha," he said through gritted teeth. The rapid rise and fall of his chest made me realize what I had done. With deep, focused breaths I struggled to rein in my dominance.

"If I may?" He asked tentatively before speaking, but my only response was a grunt, indicating that he could continue.

"You know what must be done, so why do you continue to fight it?"

"Because I owe her the truth, and we cannot complete the bond when an ocean of secrets and half-truths exist between us. You know secrets don't exist between mates, and I'd rather she find out from me as opposed to when I mark her."

"So tell her."

"It's not exactly easy to admit to the woman you love that you slaughtered her fiance and left his body for her to find."

"Well, when you put it like that, you aren't exactly giving her the full story."

"It doesn't change the fact that I am directly responsible for the pain she felt, for the trauma she suffered. I could've handled things differently."