The Alpha's Fight

Chapter 23 - Come Meet In The Woods

3 months later

The hot summer sun beat down upon my bare back as I walked back to the pack house, desperately needing a cool shower to wash my training session away. Ever since that dinner, three months ago, Hayes had kept his distance from me. He glared flaming holes into my skull every chance he got, but that was the extent. He seemed unwilling to want to add to the five healed-over silver lashes on his back.

The other unexpected turn of events was that, since that night, my father had eased up slightly on, well, everything. I was still pushed to exhaustion in our training, but it was as though he wasn't out for death and blood in each bout. My patrol routes and shifts no longer extended to eternity. However, the demands of my time on doing other Alpha duties increased. I had driven myself crazy, several times over, trying to guess his motives. I looked over my shoulder every chance I had, in case his new lax mood was a cover to have me think I was in the clear, so that I'd slip up. No one was ever there. No matter how long I waited, no one was ever at my back. All I could think of was that my complete lie, the biggest gamble I had ever made, was not only believed, but had won Scott and me some favour. Whatever the reason, I used it to my advantage.

My one constant in all of this was Taylor, my forever sweet blond boy. It was growing harder to sneak out to meet with him. I had to leave later in the night and return earlier in the morning. But for him, I would sacrifice all the sleep in the world. On the days I had to forgo a nighttime visit, there was always one sure way I could look at him to my heart's content, his job in the orangery. So many times I had lost myself watching him work and, of course, he knew, tempting me in ways that had me wanting to throw all my common sense out of the window, along with myself.

The strong breeze came in bursts, fluttering the air to life and cooling my skin from the summer heat and with it came the scent of the sweetest, freshest rain, despite there not being a cloud in the sky. My dew drop, carrying a bag of compost slung over his shoulder into the orangery.

My t-shirt from training dangled from the waistband at the back of my shorts as I walked. I had left myself bare chest, not caring that the odd she-wolf eyed me; it was all for my mate.

I slowed my pace on my approach, suppressing my grin when he finally spotted me and almost dropped the bag from his shoulder, his mouth parting with an intake of breath.

'You normally hold your load pretty well,' I cheekily winked, our secret little symbol of my feelings for him.

I heard the sound of him coughing, flustered, his cheeks flushed pink.

'It's not often I make you blush.'

'You're not usually the one with the dirty mouth,' he righted the sack over his shoulder and quickly disappeared through the double glass doors.

I kept my glee contained on the inside and quickly headed to my room where I could see him working, and maybe play with him a little more. From where I could see through the glass roof, he was leaning over the bag he had slung down on one of the raised planters, his spine curved in taking breaths.

'Don't strain yourself, dew drop.'

He froze, slowly standing back upright and feeling my eyes on him.

In one smooth and deliberate movement, he peeled off his shirt, showing off his svelte lithe muscles and sunkissed skin. I had memorised every dip and bulge of those muscles, each heavenly line. Walking over to the water barrel, he dipped his removed shirt, wringing it out over himself. Time seemed to slow and I watched transfixed as he shook out his blond curls. He ran the soaking wet fabric at an agonisingly slow pace, leaving a trail of droplets glistening in the sunlight across his smooth chest, like crystals adorning his flesh. He tucked the shirt into his waistband, lowering them to fully show off his V-lines.