My Mate....The Alpha (new version)

12. Ryker

"How are you feeling, Caden?" I asked the teen as he laid on the infirmary bed. Preston had gone home about an hour ago after speaking with the twins and making plans to hang out again and apologizing for forgetting about their previous plans to the go to the movies.

"I'm feeling better," Caden replied with a smile, though I saw the pain in his gaze before he could mask it. I had already dealt with  the bastards thar had assaulted him earlier.

I frowned, realizing that Caden was still trying to put on a brave face despite the ordeal he had gone through. "You don't have to pretend with me, Caden. I know that must have been terrifying for you," I said gently, sitting down next to him.

Caden sighed, looking down at his hands. "Yeah, it was pretty scary," he admitted. "But I'm just glad it's over now. And I'm grateful to Preston for standing up for me."

"You shouldn't worry about them as I've already dealt with Frank and his buddies," I said, smiling. "I'm glad that you made it out with minor injuries."

Caden nodded, a grateful look in his eyes. "I know. I just hate feeling so vulnerable and helpless."

I reached out and squeezed his hand. "You're not helpless, Caden. You're strong and brave. And I'm here for you, too. We all are."

Caden's eyes welled up with tears, and he gave me a small nod. "Thank you."

"I don't want you to feel like you're a burden to me because you're not." I said and he nodded.

"Preston said the same thing," he said and I smiled, "but I feel like he feels like he is one to you as well." I frowned at his words. "But I told him that he shouldn't feel like that because you don't see him as such."

I sat down next to him, feeling a pang of guilt for unintentionally causing them both to feel this way. "I never meant for him to feel like that," I said, "I care about both of you and I want you both to know that you're not a burden to me."

He sighed and looked at me with troubled eyes. "It's just hard sometimes, you know? but I feel like I'm just adding to your stress and problems."

"Neither you nor Preston are burdens to me." I said shaking my head and squeezing his hand and he looked up, "you're like a brother to me while Preston is my mate, the other half of my soul."

"You should tell him that," Caden said, "make him see that he's not a burden to you. He needs to hear it from you because in his mind he thinks that you'll get tired of him and reject him as your mate. He needs reassurance even though I don't see why he should considering you've already proved that everything to you." I nodded and after a few more words exchanged, I bid him farewell as I headed back to the pack house to look for my mate who I knew was still here since I could smell his scent.

I followed the scent to the kitchen where I found him humming to a song only he could hear in that head of his. I leaned on the threshold and crossed my arms as I watched him. He still didn't realize I was there so I basked in the view of him.

He was beautiful with black shaggy hair and bright blue eyes that he got from Princeton. He got his cute button nose, soft pink kissable lips and height from Jessie. He was the perfect mix of his parents. It was crazy to think that he was self conscious of himself because all I saw was beauty. And I was lucky to have him as my mate. As if finally sensing that he was not alone, he looked up only to jump and drop wash the had been making. He cursed as he reached down but not before I saw a blush coat his face. I smiled and shook my head as I pushed off the threshold and walk over to the island.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, "I didn't mean to startle you."

"So you decided to stand and watch me making a sandwich instead?" He asked with a red face as he got back up after gathering his ruined sandwich.

I chuckled and shrugged, "Well, I was just admiring the view."

He rolled his eyes playfully and threw the sandwich away. "Yeah, well, I'm not exactly a masterpiece in the kitchen."

I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around his waist. "You're a masterpiece in my eyes, no matter what you're doing." He smiled as he buried his face in my chest.

"That's the cheesiest thing I've ever heard," he mumbled before he looked up, "should I get used to that?"

"Absolutely," I replied with a smile before it fell as I remembered what Caden had told me earlier about how Preston felt like he was a burden and how he felt like he didn't deserve to be with me. He titled his head.

"And should I be worried about how quickly your mood change, too?" I shook my head with a small smile but I could see he wasn't convinced. "Preston," I said gently, taking a seat beside him. "I need to talk to you about something."

He looked at me, his eyes filled with concern. "What's wrong?" he asked, reaching for my hand.

I took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. "I spoke to Caden earlier, and he mentioned something you said about feeling like a burden. Is that really how you feel?"

Preston's gaze fell to the floor, his shoulders slumping. "I... I don't know," he admitted quietly. "Sometimes it just feels like I'm not good enough for you, like I'm holding you back."

Tears welled up in my eyes as I listened to his heartbreaking confession. "Preston, no," I said firmly, cupping his face in my hands. "You are not a burden. You are the person I love, and I don't want to be with anyone else but you."

He looked up at me, his eyes searching mine for any hint of insincerity. When he found none, a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "I love you," he whispered, pulling me into a tight embrace.

****

"How are things with you and Preston ?" Morgan asked as she sat across from me in my office as we looked over the pack's finances.

"Good, I'm actually taking him out for dinner tonight." I replied putting down the file I was holding, "I'm going to bring up the fact we're mates and see how he will feel about us about announcing it to the pack."

"Does his pack know about you two being mates?" she asked and I shrugged making her raise a brow.

"His family knows but I don't know about the rest of SavageKing Packs." I said and she nodded.

"I'd tell the pack before Frank decides to announce it before you got the chance to talk Preston about it." Morgan said.

"Frank is the only one aside from you, my family and Nick." Nick was my third in command and also the only other person I call best friend. We had met when we were pups much like how Morgan and I had met. We've been friends for years.

"Frank is already spreading the news," Nick said as he walked into my office and I looked up at him, "I just saw him talking to one of the warriors." I clenched my jaw, "which means that the pack will eventually know that you and Preston SaintClaire are mates."

I stood up from my chair making both Morgan and Nick look at me, "where are you going?" Morgan asked.

"To see Preston and tell him that it's time that we announce our mating."

I could hear whispers as I walked out of my office with Morgan and Nick trailing behind me down the hall.

>you think our little mate is ready to be the Luna of our pack?< Zeus asked in my head.

>honestly?< I asked and he nodded as I stepped out of the pack house and walked toward the woods letting the shift take over >I don't know<