Her Alpha Mate 24

Freya hummed along to the radio, bobbing her head and swaying her hips as she mixed the pancake batter. For some reason she was very happy this morning, and no, it had nothing to do with waking up on Zack.

"Good morning, Freya," Xavier's voice said behind her.

She turned and smiled broadly, "Morning Xavier."

"You seem to be in a good mood today," he remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's just one of those days," she said, sitting down next to him at the island, "What would you like on your pancakes?"

"Strawberries, please," he yawned.

She nodded and set to work cutting up the fruit. Meanwhile, Xavier tapped his hand on the island as if looking for something.

"Have you seen my eye drops anywhere?"

She looked around and found them on the other side of the island, so she quickly bent down and handed them to him, "Here you go."

"Thank you."

She watched him squeeze a drop of the liquid into each eye and pursed her lips.

So many questions burned inside her, but she wasn't quite sure it was appropriate to ask him. After all, they'd only met yesterday.

"Are you wondering about my eyes?" he asked, turning his head toward her.

She swallowed slowly, "Was it that obvious?"

He chuckled, "You're not the first person to wonder about them. Although I appreciate that you didn't ask me about it right away. Most people do when they first see me."

"It just seems... rude to ask."

"Maybe, but some people are just like that. We can't change it. But anyway, to give you a simple and nice answer: I was born blind."

Freya wasn't quite sure how to answer that. She couldn't say she was sorry, because Xavier didn't seem upset about it. He actually seemed quite comfortable the way he was.

She hesitated to ask her next question, "If you ever had the chance to see again, would you take it?"

He sucked his lower lip into his mouth and seemed to ponder her question. She almost thought he wouldn't answer until he said, "I don't know. I've been blind all my life, so the thought of being able to see again is ... ...tempting, but scary at the same time. I wouldn't know how to get used to seeing after living in darkness for the last twenty-three years of my life. But I also don't want to sound ungrateful for the chance to see. Not many people get that."

"No, I understand. It would be like turning your whole world upside down."

"Yeah," he nodded, "how about I cut the fruit now and you make the pancakes. I'm starving."

Freya laughed softly and pushed the cutting board toward him, "Knock yourself out."

While she got the pan out and waited for it to get hot, Xavier called her name. He shook his head in amusement, "I'm not an idiot, I know you were going to use your blood to heal my eyes."

She stared at him like a deer in headlights.

How could he possibly suspect that I was thinking about this, she thought.

He raised his head briefly and gave her a genuine smile, "I appreciate the offer, Freya. I really do. I hope I didn't offend you by not accepting it."

She returned the smile, "Not at all. I'm not going to force you to accept my offer. I just want you to know that my veins are ready if you change your mind."

"Thank you."



***



As Freya finished the pancakes, Zack, Chance, and Reece returned from their border checks.

"Morning Freya," Zack said, wrapping his sweaty arms around her. She tried to push him off her, but he just laughed and squeezed her tighter, "What? I thought you liked me hot and sweaty."

"Not when you stink! There should be a warning sign on you!" scolded Freya, trying not to choke in his arms.

To be honest, he smelled delicious, but she still didn't like the feel of his sweat on her dry skin. It made her shiver and shudder at the same time.

"All right, you two, stop with the PDA or else. Or else I'll puke all over my pancakes, and the moon goddess knows that's a big sin," Chance said loudly, pulling her away from Zack. She grinned in Zack's face and grabbed the plates to take them to the island.

"What took you guys so long?" she asked, shoveling a mouthful of pancakes into her mouth.

Reece snorted, "We'd to stop so Zack could yell at Hunter for trying to get laid with one of the pack warriors."

Freya grimaced, "He needs to get his act together. Has anyone ever told him that?"

"Many times. I've thought about punishing him, but he hasn't offended anyone, so it would be considered unfair under pack law."

"Then tell him that the only way he can get laid is to crawl up a chicken's butt and stay there."

The four men suddenly burst out laughing as Freya stared at them with a serious expression on her face.

"Oh my God, just the picture," Chance gasped out between his laughs. She slapped a palm to her forehead and shook her head at her immaturity. Of course they would sit there and imagine a chicken laying Hunter.

Unfortunately, they could not seem to stop thinking about it, because for the next ten minutes, one of them would randomly giggle or grin at her, which irritated her greatly. It was not that funny at all!

Freya growled softly and took her empty plate to the sink, leaving them to their giggling. In the meantime, she started washing up while they threw their dirty dishes in the sink and thanked her for the pancakes.

She was rinsing one of the plates when she felt the familiar presence of a certain person.

Zack dropped the plate into the sink and propped his hands on the counter so she was sandwiched between them. His warm chest pressed against her back as his warm breath tickled her neck.

"Your hair is beautiful," he whispered, "I like the way it feels."

She snorted, "Your hair is beautiful too. I love the way it curls out of your nostrils like that."

His body vibrated against hers as he let out a loud laugh. His lips twisted into a smile as he brushed them over the crook of her neck, making her shiver slightly. She quickly set the plate down and wiped her hands on a towel before turning to the man behind her.

He raised an eyebrow in amusement and tilted his head, "What do you have to say for yourself, Freya? You just insulted an alpha. You need to apologize before you get punished."

Freya rolled her eyes, "Sorry, Alpha, but you deserve it."

"Really?" he muttered, leaning closer to her face. Her breath hitched as they were so close. If she moved even an inch, her lips would be on his.

Did Freya want to kiss Zack? That was probably a stupid question, of course she wanted to. She just hoped he would not hesitate like he had last time, or she would have to take matters into her own hands. Although Zack did not really seem to know what to do. She had to remind herself that anything they did together would be his first.

She swallowed hard and licked her dry lips as he stared at her hesitantly. It was as if he was afraid to lean forward and press his lips to hers. She decided to take the opportunity to slowly lift her hands and place them on his chest. She heard his breath catch as his heart began to pound beneath her fingertips, and his eyes darkened as the air around them grew tense.

It was as if electricity was flowing between them, and they did not know how to control it, thanks to the overwhelming mate bond. It was hard to describe the feelings that were building up between them.

But for some reason, she was able to recognize the wave of trust that suddenly washed over them. It felt like something was calling to her, and it caused an ache throughout her body. She stared at his soft pink lips and bit her lower lip hesitantly.

I should just do it. What could possibly go wrong, she thought.

Before she could even think of different scenarios of what could go wrong, she stood on her tiptoes and captured his lips with hers.