Alpha Female - Book 1 -Under Major Editing-

Chapter 17

Nicole's POV

It was later in the evening when I had finally gotten out of my bed. Making my way to the bathroom, I turned on the shower, stepping under the spray as the water became a decent temperature. Aldrich had come back from his meeting and was in the kitchen fixing dinner for the two of us, and I couldn't have been more appreciative. After last night, I was craving a decent meal, and maybe even a bottle of wine.

My cheeks began to heat up as I remembered our antics the night before. He was so loving and caring; yet at the same time, dominate and relentless. He was an alpha, and being a alpha meant he was naturally dominant. But I was an alpha too, and no matter how dominate he may have been, he never fully could dominate me. His wolf, oddly enough, seemed to like that. And I hadn't heard Aldrich complain either.

He was a hell of a man, all alpha with his baritone voice, hardened chest, and.. other things.

"Look at me.. swooning over a male. Who would've thought?" I mumbled to myself. I turned off the water as I stepped out of the bathroom, grabbing my silk robe from the sink counter and sliding it on. It stuck to me in places where my body was still wet, but I didn't care. All that was on my mind were the smells coming from the kitchen.

  Of course, I could smell Aldrich, and his scent alone was enough to make my mouth water. But the garlic and thyme permeating the air is really what caught my attention. I walked out of the bed room and rounded the corner, smiling as a shirtless Aldrich placed a bowl of spaghetti on the counter. He looked up as he heard me walk in, and a handsome grin spread across his face.

"Sleeping Beauty finally emerges."

"Ha! More like the Beast. I'm no princess." I replied easily.

He rolled his eyes, kissing me softly on the lips as I walked into the kitchen. "Well, you're still beautiful either way, beast or not."

I giggled and pulled out a seat at the bar, sitting down as a bowl of spaghetti was placed on front of me.

"What do you want to drink?" Aldrich asked, turning to open the fridge and pull out himself a beer.

"That Cabernet in the back will be fine."

He chuckled, reaching in the back of the fridge and pulling the bottle of wine out. "I take it you're strictly a wine drinker?"

"I like other types of alcohol, but only if it's mixed into something. Wine is the only thing I drink alone usually."

He nodded in understanding, pulling out a seat beside me as he sat down with his own bowl. We began eating in a comfortable silence, enjoying each other's company and the quiet sounds coming from outside. As we finished, I grabbed both our bowls, hopping down from the barstool and placing the bowls in the sink. "Where did you go so early this morning? I woke up and you weren't there."

His body tensed for a half of second before he realized it, but I still caught it. "I had to meet with Josh about merging the packs. He had some suggestions for how to do it after our Mating Ceremony."

He was lying, that I knew. But at the moment, I was more intrigued about the Mating Ceremony. "Mating Ceremony?"

"It's tradition in our pack that the alpha and future luna have a Mating Ceremony in front of the pack. You don't actually.. mate in front of them. It's more like a wedding ceremony where you say your vows to the pack and mate afterwards."

My eye brows were furrowed as I listened. My pack never did any Mating Ceremony. But different packs had different traditions, and I would have to follow Nightshades traditions. "Okay. But we've already mated?"
Aldrich chuckled, taking a sip of his beer. "It's more for show than anything, baby. It shows the pack that you are willing to stand in front of them and be proud of your alpha and position as luna. They will all already know we've mated once we go back to my pack. Your scent has intertwined with mine. When my father was alpha, it was a law that once he found his mate, they would remain celibate until the night of their Mating Ceremony. My father never was one to follow rules, so he had the law changed as soon as he found my mother."

I felt my cheeks heat up as he talked. The one thing about being a wolf, everyone knew everything about you. Especially if you were an alpha. "So, when will we have this Mating Ceremony?"

Aldrich stood, coming to stand behind me, laying his large hands on my small waist. "The next full moon." His breath fanned my neck as he spoke, causing a shiver to run down my spine.

I nodded, not trusting my voice as he pulled me back into him. My butt hit his front as he leaned over me, a deep grumble sounded in his chest. "You just can't get enough, can you?" I breathed out, looking over my shoulder at him.

His eyes had dilated slightly, and the pheromones pouring out of his body clouded my mind, and made me and my wolf both crazy.

"Never." he said, nipping at my ear as his hands traveled to the front of my thighs.

I quiet moan fell from my lips as his mouth moved to my neck, biting and licking at the mark that rested there. His hands began making their way to my heat when a loud knock sounded through the house. He stilled, a deep, angry rumble ripping through his chest. "This better be something good."

I caught my breath, and reluctantly stepped away from him. "I'm sorry." I mumbled as I rushed to the front door. Opening it, I signed when I saw it was, once again, Lance. "Lance, this better be good."

His eyes widened as he saw my disheveled appearance. "I'm sorry, Alpha. I'm always busting in at the worse times, aren't I?"

I nodded, my lips pursed as I stepped to the side, allowing Lance to walk in. He did so, going straight to the living room and sitting his laptop on the coffee table. "I'm sorry, again, but the gamma from Nightshade called not long ago. They did some digging, and turns out, Dominic, his mother, and father all left the pack."

Aldrich walked into the living room, his look of annoyance still on his face. His eyes lit up at Lance's words though. "How do you know?"

Lance opened his laptop, opening an email and pulling up unfamiliar documents onto the screen. "These are from your pack. They state that on 3-22-14, three wolves came to Nightshades borders seeking refuge. Those three wolves just so happen to be Dominic and his family."

My eye brows furrowed as I sat on the couch by Lance. "They left from here and went to Nightshade?"

Lance nodded, glancing at me and Aldrich. "Yeah, weird right?"

"Why would they join my pack?"
Aldrich mumbled, mostly to himself.

"I'm not sure yet. Me and Josh are trying to work out the reasoning behind that. This whole thing just keeps getting weirder and weirder."

I leaned back into the couch, my head resting in my palm as I began to think it all over. "It has to be the Martinez's who are behind most of this. It can't be a coincidence that we were attacked, and then right after, Nightshade gets an attack."

"But what reasoning is behind all this? What's Dominic wanting?"

"Nicole, your grandfather took over when Alpha Martinez was caught conspiring against a allied alpha. Don't you see, these people are trying to take back their pack." Aldrich butted in.

I thought over his words for a moment. It did make sense for that being the reason behind the attacks. "Why go through so much trouble tho?"

"Pride. Men turn crazy when their pride is hurt. You became alpha when this Nico guy probably thought it should be given back to his family. It all makes sense."

Lance nodded, glancing at Aldrich. "That is a good point."

Aldrich nodded once, his voice going back to it's 'no nonsense' tone he usually used when giving orders. "Call Josh, tell him to have my best men looking into the whereabouts of the Martinez family."

Lance nodded, hurriedly gathering his laptop once more. "Yes, Alpha. I'll get right on it."