The King (Alpha Trilogy #3)

Chapter 27

Lorenzo

There are no words to describe what I feel as I casually dine with my mate, at last having her near me with no fear. It was deeply saddening that her initial reaction to finding out what I am, but now she doesn't seem as bothered by it. I know it's probably because I'm one of the very few people she knows right now, but it doesn't change the fact that I can finally earn my mate's trust and maybe love.

Over the last months both me and Onyx have been going crazy without Ivy near us, but now that she's finally here with us, I haven't even heard as much as a whine from my wolf. He's only purring contentedly in my mind, basking in the warm feeling of having our mate with us every night. He even went as far as waking up in the middle of the night just to stare at Ivy sleeping in our bed.

Because of that little shit, I couldn't even get enough rest.

But I'm not mad. If I could, I would just spend every second of my life staring at my mate as she is resting comfortably, pressed against my chest.

"Is the food to your liking, love?" I break the silence, getting a cute startled gasp from Ivy as she quickly wipes her mouth with the napkin. She was so unbearably cute with the small sauce stains on her mouth. How can someone so sweet and adorable be treated so harshly by the people closest to them? How can anyone even think about harming such beautiful, kind and gentle woman?

"I love it. – Ivy smiles sweetly – It's delicious."

I love hearing her voice. It's angelic for lack of a better word. I'm so glad she can finally speak; it was torture to not be able to hear her voice. Over the time she's been staying here, she recovered quite a bit from that asshole alpha's bite, but she still needs to be marked to fight it off completely.

"I'm glad to hear it." I smile back at her. I don't even care about the food in front of me, I just watch my mate enjoy her meal, like a lovesick puppy.

"You're a puppy, idiot. I'm not." Onyx mocks all of a sudden, as if he wasn't purring like a damn cat mere seconds ago.

"You're the dog here. So obviously, you're the puppy." I taunt, barely stopping myself from chuckling out loud at the angry growl Onyx releases. He doesn't like to be called anything else but a mighty alpha wolf. And that's exactly why I'm going to make Ivy call him a puppy. Just to annoy him.

"You're smiling." Ivy shyly comments, pulling me out of my thoughts. "I like it. You... you look really handsome when you smile." She bashfully adds, melting my heart into nothing with the adorable blush that appears on her cheeks.

"Thank you, love. – I grin at her – But it's you who should take the compliment. You're so beautiful." I gaze at her lovingly, feeling unexplainable warmth fill my entire body and soul.

"T-Thank you." She nervously fiddles with the blanket covering her legs. "Can I... Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, my love."

"Will the mark hurt?" I should've expected this.

I sigh lightly, still not taking my eyes of the stunning beauty in front of me. "It will hurt just like a bite would. You might also feel a little tired afterwards, which is why I proposed to do this in our bedroom. Once the mate bond is in place, you should feel more... connected to me, just as I will to you."

"Can I... Can I get sick from this?" I feel my eyes widen slightly at the unexpected question.

"Sick? How exactly?"

"You know, I don't think people are meant to bite each other." Ivy mumbles cutely, making me chuckle.

"But I'm not a human and we're not just average people. You're my mate, you bear a half of my soul. I know it might sound conceited, but we are meant to be together. It has become really rare for wolves to find their mates over the last centuries, so forgive me if I come off as too pushy, but I can't afford to lose you, my love. I've waited thousands of years for you."