Alpha Ian's The One and Only

Chapter 10

The first thing I noticed as the traces of sleep left was someone's hand drawing circles on my bare back. Slowly I became aware of the warm body next to me, the firmness and the steady rise and fall of the chest under my hand. Opening my eyes, I looked at Ian. Ian's amber eyes appear more golden in the morning sunlight. His black hair shone, framing his high cheek and strong jaw.

"Gummornin."

A smile graced his soft lips, "Morning, love."

He fixed his gaze on my face, his eyes full of desire and affection. He leaned in, and his expression told me he was about to kiss me. I leaned back and covered my mouth with my hand.

"Morning breath." And I was not ready. I have only kissed one boy during school. To me, a kiss is too intimate, very romantic, and deeply gratifying because it will confirm my affections for him, and I am not ready for that. I need to think about my children because my decisions affect them just as much as they affect me. The attraction I feel toward his is what Slade once described as mate-bond. It has to be that; otherwise, how can I explain my strong feelings for him?

His eyes probed into mine. "Natasha," he said, rubbing his nose with mine, placing a kiss on the hand covering my mouth and moving it away. Then he kissed me. A soft touch of his lips on mine. Just a slow press. Our lips closed. He rested his lips on mine as if imprinting them into memory. I didn't know my eyes were closed, but I opened them when I felt the cold air as he moved away. His fingers gazed at my face, tucking a few strands of hair behind my ear and rubbing my earlobe.

I was trying to decipher his actions while he looked at me with such tenderness when my stomach growled loudly. Ian chuckled, and I hid my face.

"Let's feed you first, and then we will talk. Freshen up. I will start with the breakfast."

With that, he kissed my forehead and got up from the bed in one swift motion. The man slept fully clothed and still looked like he is ready to walk the ramp. Sighing, I got up from the bed and went into the bathroom to freshen up.

*****

"So, what did you find?" I asked.

When I went down for breakfast, I was surprised to find Liam, Claire and Bri helping Ian. They were talking like long-lost friends. Or at least Bri and Ian were, Claire occasionally voiced her thoughts, and Liam kept a sharp eye on them. It was admirable that as an alpha Ian doesn't demand obedience or respect. He is letting them accept him at their own pace. He is making efforts to get to know them. Soon, Creed and Bane joined for breakfast.

While Bri was busy colouring and Claire was practising on the piano under the watchful eye of Liam; I wonder why Liam is spending his Sunday here instead of at Adam's; Ian, Creed, Bane and I retreated into my office. We had a lot to discuss, starting with the connection between the bombing and the Scythe.

Creed placed some files on my desk. "We had our suspicion that someone in the government is privately funding the Scythe. Those people think they can engineer our kind for their selfish purposes.," he scoffed. "They forget that loyalty is nurtured and not engineered. Anyways we never had any evidence to back up our suspicion until now. In our last raid, we discovered some confidential documents, they tried to delete the files, but Evans was able to retrieve them. The names of those who supported the Scythe are not mentioned in the documents, but those who opposed it are. And these people were present at the fundraising event. With the people who had the power to destroy the Scythe out of the picture, it was easy for the Scythe to flourish."

I looked at the files like they were poison ivy. "And my family?"

"They were there at the wrong time, " Ian said.