Mated to the Alpha Queen (Book 12 of the Regal Eclipse Pack Series)

Chapter 25

"What? I did think she was your girlfriend," Kyra reminded him. "And both Carson and Dawson thought you would take her to Pennsylvania with you."

"Because she's been telling people within the last few days that I was about to take her as my mate." He looked up at her.

"Spreading rumors?"

"Yeah. We've never been a couple. I.." he stopped and sighed. "I've never gone on a date with her or anything else. She asked me about being her Chosen and I'd pretty much told her no. Jaxon wasn't interested in her at all. But she just told me that she rejected her fated for me."

"What?" Kyra s mouth dropped open. "She's insane."

"I think you and I know that better than anyone," Cole murmured.

Kyra turned to him. "Can I touch you Cole?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Last night I slept on you, and now you're asking if you can touch me?"

She shrugged. "You don't feel the bond."

"Maybe not, but I still feel drawn to you. I'm still very attracted to you," he said softly, looking up at her.

She stepped closer, between his legs, and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him against her soft body.

Cole smiled, appreciating her holding him like this. It was nice to have someone who cared about him like... Like a mate. He liked that he was actually going to be able to truly experience the mate bond again, and Kyra would be his for more than just forty-eight hours. "Sit, Kyra."

She settled down on his thigh, looking at him, then rested her head against his. "I didn't think I'd ever want to be this intimate with someone again," she admitted, cuddling into him.

"How long has it been, Kyra?" He was curious about that.

"Too long. Not long enough," she said vaguely.

"Oddly enough, I completely understand that," he said. He felt the same, though not as much as he used to. It has taken him a few years before he was willing to be intimate with anyone else. If Kyra had shown up not long after he'd lost his first mate, and told him she was his second chance, he would have had a hard time accepting her. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close against him.

"Seven years. In some ways it feels like an eternity, and in others, I can't believe it's only been seven years," she murmured.

"Did you love him?" He hadn't. He hadn't known her well enough to fall in love. But he has a feeling Kyra had.

"Yes," she whispered.

Cole lightly rubbed her back, wondering if his touch calmed her the same way hers calmed him. "Has this new bond helped?"

"More than I thought. I wasn't looking forward to meeting my second chance. But the heartache has eased so much," she said quietly.

"I'm glad, Kyra." He held her for a while longer until finally there was another knock on his door, startling them both.

Kyra stood as the door opened and Carson poked his head. "Training in twenty, Gamma."

"Is it already that time?" Cole glanced at the clock on the wall, then looked back at Carson. "You want to run it?"

Carson's face lit up. "Sure!"

"Give me a moment alone with the Alpha and I'll be out. People are going to start showing up and some of them will have questions," Cole said.

"That's not a problem, Gamma," Carson reassured him.

"If you need something, link me," Cole said.

Carson nodded and stepped back out, closing the door behind him.