My Possessive Alpha Mate

Chapter 8

There was a certain sense of excitement that coursed through me at the thought of seeing the town in the light of day but I found myself wondering how I would ever fit in again. Not only do I basically have a child now, but I was also to be Luna of this pack of werewolves, as a human. I was worrying over situations that hadn't even occurred yet before I took a deep breath.

"Ari, what's wrong?" Derek had been by my side all morning and it was starting to feel a bit weird. I was trying to be respectful of his... culture, and he was perfect in every way for me... literally made for me, but I just wasn't used to so much attention after fending for myself for so long.

And yet, I knew what would happen if I was away from him for longer than an hour, I thought to myself ruefully. I couldn't believe I reacted that way but Derek assured me that was somewhat normal. Apparently Alphas and their mates experience things more strongly than the average werewolf and he blamed himself for not thinking of that sooner.

"The town's population, is it 100% werewolf?" I asked, trying to deflect.

"Other than the mates of some wolves and their family members, yes. Majority werewolf." His watchful gaze took in my facial expression and body language. With him, I felt naked. Already I could tell that I could never hide anything from him and I had never been more myself with anyone else.

"You don't have any cause to be nervous, baby girl. They are the ones who should be nervous. They are expendable, you are not." My eyes widened in response.

"Baby girl, huh?" I teased him. He ran his hand through his hair, taking my breath away with the cutest sheepish smile.

"You don't like it?"

"You can call me whatever you want, babe. I am just trying to understand where my innocent mate heard this term of endearment." He blushed and I knew he had watched 365 dni. After incriminating himself, I leaned up on my tiptoes and kissed him. He took this opportunity to pick me up and spin me around.

"I don't think you have enough fear of me."

"That wouldn't be right."

"On the contrary, I think a little fear is healthy." I looked up from the spinning ground to find his eyes glittering dangerously. Derek could cut me to the deepest parts of me and make me feel things so much more deeply than I ever had before. Even the simplest things.

I rolled my eyes in an effort to blow it off. He set me down and held me from behind. I closed my eyes as he kissed my temple.

"Don't worry, everyone will love you."

***

Walking around the town, I was surprised to see how well everyone seemed to know each other. There were a lot of small businesses and it seemed to be busy. As we passed, every single person stared at us, especially me. I didn't know how to react and I could feel my heart rate rising, my cheeks becoming flushed. Derek growled loudly. The people quickly looked away and continued on with whatever they had been doing previously.

Derek squeezed my hand reassuringly. I tried to hide my smile. The walk through town was long, but it was nice to see where I had chosen to live. He introduced me to a select few people along the way. Including, an older woman leaving her bakery. She had white hair, cut into a face framing long bob. Her blue eyes sparkled when Derek guided me gently toward her.

"You must be Arabella." She smiled, leaning in to hug me. Unsure how to react but seeing her sincerely, I hugged her back.

"This is my mother's best friend and my own nanny, Adsila." My eyes widened significantly, flashing from Derek to Adsila.

"What was Derek like as a kid?" I immediately blurted, blushing after. He snorted and she smiled.

"He was very sweet, thoughtful, and moral. Even as a small child, he was a man of his word and very fair." She smiled wickedly before adding, "Which is why when he acted out, he knew exactly what the consequences would be and had already accepted them."

Derek groaned, "Please, we came to see if you knew of anyone who was interested in looking after Arabella's niece, Alexa." His tactic to try to change the subject was very obvious. Adsila's eyes and mine met, laughing together.

"I'd be interested. I only come into the bakery on weekends now." That was so much easier than I had thought it would be. Derek quickly ended the conversation but I made a mental note to question her properly when I got her alone.

***

The school was bigger than I thought it would be. After registering for my classes, Derek and I walked back through town toward the old hotel.

"So I guess we should figure out how to move your stuff to the new hotel." He said, looking forward as we walked. I looked up trying to gauge his mood. It clearly wasn't his first choice.

"About that," I started and he seemed to perk up. "What is going to happen to the old hotel?"

His brows furrowed in confusion, " We thought we would renovate it into a corporate business building."

"Oh," I vaguely remembered Jason saying that but forgot until now.

"Why? What did you have in mind?" He looked down at me, his facial expression so serious and focused that I lost my train of thought for a minute.

"I thought... I thought maybe I would buy it and renovate it into apartments and live in the penthouse while I finish school." His face never changed and it made me nervous, "It's a good location, right off main street and I'm sure there is a need for more housing."

He remained silent for a little while longer, pondering the situation I suppose. I squirmed, nervously.

"I won't sell it to you," His eyes met mine, "but I will gift it to you."

He walked towards me, holding my hands in his, "I want you to be happy here. If renovating the old hotel or living apart from me makes you happy then it makes me happy." He brought my left hand to his mouth. "I can smell your anxiety and hear your accelerated heart rate. You never have to fear telling me how you feel or what you want. All feelings and thoughts are valid in our relationship, remember?" My heart melted. How did I get so lucky with him?

I jumped into a hug, with little thought as to who could be watching or where we were. He caught me, assisting me in wrapping my legs around his waist. My hands held his face and I kissed him repetitively.

"Thank you," kiss, "thank you, thank you, thank you," kiss, "you're," kiss, "the best mate ever," kiss. He began laughing, his chest vibrating. I was so attracted to him in that moment, I couldn't help it.