The Alpha and The Assassin

Chapter 5

I skip down the stairs, a happy pep in my step. As soon as my feet touch the bottom step, I launch myself at Drake. His hands instinctively grab onto the backs of my thighs, keeping me from falling.

"Emmet, is there any reason that you're on my back?" Shea looks over at us with a small smile. Her small hand lifts up in a wave, the small stone glittering off her ring finger. I'm so excited for their wedding, and I'm so happy that he finally proposed to her.

"Hm, nope." I slide off his back carefully just as Hayden enters the room. With a mischievous smile, I launch myself instantly at my mate. He has no problem catching my small form, easily sliding me around his back and grabbing onto my thighs to hold me in place. I rest my chin on his shoulder lightly as I take in everything going on in the room around us. Lizzie and Ren are harassing Jake, which happens pretty much on a daily basis now. Since they had finally admitted to being mates, they're rarely separated anymore. 

"Hey angel," Hayden whispers softly as he presses a gentle kiss to my temple. I hug him tighter, pressing myself further into his back. He has been gone since yesterday doing pack business and I have been missing him like crazy since he left.

"I missed you," I mumble.

"I missed you too love," he says quietly as he slides me around to the front of his body. His lips press softly to mine as I slide my hands into his silky hair. Almost as if on instinct, he starts to deepen the kiss. That is until a cough from behind us disrupts it.

"So I have another mission for you guys. This one is a little bit more dangerous though. Ren, Emmet, Lizzie:  you are in the field. Ren and Emmet will be the distractions. You will need to get the keys and thumbprints to get into the vault. Lizzie, you will need to help with hiding their scents. Drake will be there for backup in case anything goes wrong. This is his kind we're dealing with after all. Shea and Isabelle will be behind the scenes, give security codes and directions through the castle. Like I said before, this is a bit more dangerous than usual, but not the worst one. We need to meet up at the agency in two days to go over everything in full details. Until then, go enjoy your time off for now," Red states looking between us. He nods to Lizzie and everyone is flashed back to their homes.

"So what do you want to do today," I mumble as I place a kiss against Hayden's neck. He growls softly, but says nothing. His form is tense with anger rolling off of him in waves as he storms up to our room silently. The door slams shut behind us before he roughly tosses me onto the bed. Okay. I sense he is mad about something.

"Are you okay," I ask softly with a tilt of my head. He growls softly as his eyes shoot to mine, fire burning deep within them. He paces back and forth in front of the bed, angrily growling every few seconds. A deep growl suddenly rumbles through his chest causing me to instinctively flinch back from the sound.

"Am I okay? Seriously? You're really asking me that? Hell no, I'm not okay. Of course I'm not okay. There is no way in this situation that I could possibly be okay," he growls out, his voice low and full of anger. My eyes are wide in shock and confusion as I stare at him. He's never acted like this towards me.

"What's wrong?" His eyes flash to mine again as more anger fills them.

"What's wrong? Are you really that dense? My mate is an assassin and risks her life nearly every week. How do you think I feel about that? How do you think I feel every time you go out there knowing that I could lose you at any moment? Let me give you a hint, it tears me apart. I want nothing more than to lock you in our room and never let you out every single time it's even brought up. I want you to quit. I can't handle this feeling anymore. I can't risk losing you," he grits out, his voice lowering as he ends his rant. The anger dims slightly from his eyes as a deep sadness replaces it. Anger bubbles in my chest as I register his words.

"I'm not quitting. Until I met you, this was all that I had left. I'm sorry that you don't like it, but I'm damn good at my job. I'm not quitting, that's the end of it," I growl out lowly as my sharp fangs extend.

"Yes. You. Are," he growls out enunciating each word. His body is tense as he stalks towards the edge of the bed. He grabs onto my arm, trying to pull me into his chest. I let out a low growl as I instinctively growl at him before ripping my arm out of his grasp.

"Screw you. I'm not quitting. There is nothing that you could possibly say or do that will make me change my mind," I grit out before turning towards the door. I storm out of the room, the door slamming behind me. My claws extend as Smokey presses forward in my mind, trying to get through. I can feel the shift starting to take grasp as I run towards the door. The last thing I need is to shift while I'm still in the house. No sooner than the front door has opened, I shift into my sleek black panther.

My legs instantly take me into the direction of the forest, my sleek body darting between the trees with ease. I run for hours, my mind occupied as I let my feet carry me. The sun lowers in the sky before slowly disappearing behind the mountains before I stop. Smokey whines softly as we collapse onto the cool forest floor, staring up at the stars above me. I can't believe he asked me to do that. No. He didn't ask. He demanded it. I slowly lift my body from the ground, resolving to just go back home already. Judging by the unfamiliar surroundings, it's probably going to take me a while to get back.

I follow my scent, leading me back in the direction I had come from with a slow walk. It takes at least an hour before I end up back in our territory, and another 45 minutes before I have made it back home. The house comes into view, lights from the windows shining brightly against the dark night. With one last sigh, I shift back into my human form and slowly walk into the house. Not for the first time I'm thankful that my clothes shift with me. The second I pass the threshold of the door, I'm tackled into a hug. The sparks flowing from the assailant clues me in to who it is. My arms remain glued to my side as he presses me to his chest.

"I'm sorry love. I'm so sorry. I was just angry, so angry. I don't like the thought of losing you. I don't like that you do what you do every week. I'm just so scared that one day you won't come back to me. I just don't want you to leave me. Please don't leave me again. Please," he whimpers as he sinks down to his knees. He buries his face into my stomach as he whimpers softly, keeping my pressed firmly against him. Smokey instantly wants to give in, to forgive her mate and ease his worries. I, however, am a little more stubborn than she is. And I don't want anything to do with him right now. I push at his shoulder, getting enough space to slip out of his grasp.

"Just, just leave me alone. I'm going to bed," I mutter before heading up the stairs. I crawl into our bed, burying my face in the pillow as his scent flows around me. Curse him and the stupid mate bond. I just want to be mad at him right now. With a soft grunt, I bury my body under the blankets, instantly drifting off to sleep. The door slowly opens and softly closes as I feel another presence in the room. My mind is too far gone to wake up and yell at him though. I feel as he gently tugs my jeans off my body before slipping into bed behind me. Luckily for him, he doesn't grab onto me. With him beside me and his scent filling my senses, I fully drift off into a deep sleep.