Her Alpha Mate 29

Zack buried his face in his pillow and sighed inwardly when someone gently ran his hand through his hair.

So this is what heaven feels like, he thought.

"Zack, can you stop burying your face in my chest?" an amused voice asked, causing him to crack open an eye. A small grin formed on his face as he realized why his pillow felt softer than usual.

"But I like this position," he muttered, closing his eyes again, even though he hadn't slept in a long time.

"My breasts are crushed thanks to your big head. I probably don't even have nipples anymore."

"I can check for you," he offered, raising his head briefly to grin at her. She blushed and tried to push away his arms that were wrapped around her. He found that he was lying on top of her, his legs intertwined and his head resting on her chest.

He chuckled and adjusted himself so that he was lying next to her and pulled her closer to him, "Good morning, beautiful."

She moaned and buried her face in his neck, "It's too early."

He kissed her mop of hair and smiled at the familiar scent. It was always better in the morning when he woke up with her in his arms. It reminded him that there was a reason he wanted to wake up every morning - so he could see her face every day.

"My heat cycle is supposed to start soon," she murmured, her lips brushing his neck with each word. He bit the inside of his lower lip to keep from kissing her senseless, and decided to just pat her butt.

She lifted her head and frowned, "Why are you patting my butt?"

He tilted his head and gave her an innocent look, "I felt bad because it didn't get any attention."

"Zack, I'm trying to have a serious conversation with you," she grumbled, pulling his hand away regretfully.

"Go ahead, then. I'm listening," he murmured, leaning closer to press kisses to her neck. She let out a low moan that made his blood rush to his abdomen.

"How are we going to handle the cycle this time? It's supposed to get worse the second time," she asked, tangling her fingers in his hair and pulling his head up.

"We can figure out what's comfortable for you once it starts. I think as long as I stay with you, you should be fine."

She gave him a pointed look, which he returned with a small smile, "I'm not going anywhere this time. Don't worry about it."

She hummed in agreement, "Good. Otherwise. I'd really let you live with the squirrels."

"Freya, you're as threatening as a newborn puppy."

"Are you saying you want me to make good on my threat?"

"Not at all, my Sweet Pea."

"You need to find a new nickname, Kit Kat."

"All right, little girl."

"That's even worse, baby daddy."

"I better be your only baby daddy, Freya."

She said nothing for a moment before bursting out laughing. He watched her throw her head back because she couldn't contain her laughter. Her laugh was just beautiful, and not because it sounded so great, but because it was real.

When she stopped, she gave him a small smile and fingered the dimple on her chin,
"You're staring."

"How could I not when the most beautiful girl is sleeping next to me?"

Her cheeks turned pink as she turned her head and looked at him questioningly, "Who knew you were such a sucker under that cold exterior of yours?"

He chuckled, "I don't think anyone knows that side of me."

He pretty much had three sides - one for his pack, one for his family, and one for her.
The closed side was for the pack so they didn't think they could walk all over him at will. The friendly side was for his family because they were there for him through thick and thin. The sappy side was for her because she made him feel like a giddy teenager, as disgusting as that may sound.

She just stared at him curiously. He loved that she wanted to know everything about him, as he did about her. It was the greatest feeling in the world to know that even when everything was going down the tubes, he still had her to comfort him and remind him that the world wasn't so fucked up.

And to think that he was willing to push her away for the sake of his pack, most of whom loved her.

She may have the blessing of the Moon Goddess, but it was obvious who was more blessed in this relationship.

He bent down to kiss her when there was a knock at the door, "Um, Zack? Freya?"

He was going to murder Chance, regardless of pack rules.

"What?" he growled, breaking free of Freya's warm embrace and yanking open the door. The look on his face worried Zack, as he didn't grin like he usually did to annoy him.

"We've another problem with the pack boundary. One of the warriors smelled a griffin nearby."

Zack's eyes widened and he looked back at Freya, who was already putting on her sneakers.

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to..."

"Shut up, Zack, and move your ass. There's a griffin on the loose here," she snarled, pulling Zack by the hand so they could leave. In a few minutes they hurried to the western border, where the warriors of his pack stood ready with their weapons. Reece stood there with his arms crossed and a deadly look on his face, as if he wanted to burn down all the trees to get to the griffin.

"Warriors, watch out," Zack growled loudly, whereupon they all straightened their stance. He could smell the griffin nearby, but oddly enough, it didn't smell as bad as the last griffin that had paid them a visit.

Freya and Zack pushed their way to the front of the group and stood next to Reece.

Zack's wolf shook out his fur and began to pace restlessly up and down in his head. Zack frowned at his behavior because he only did that when he felt uncomfortable or threatened.

'What's wrong?' asked Zack.

'I'm uncomfortable with the smell, but it's a different kind of feeling. I don't know why.'

Zack clenched his fists and looked down at Freya with concern. Freya had an expressionless face and stood confidently with her chin up.

Zack wouldn't let anything happen to her, and that was a promise.

Suddenly, Zack heard a rustling in the woods, causing him to take a step forward and stand in front of Freya. He held his breath, expecting a man or some ugly creature with wings to emerge.

Instead, it was a little girl holding a teddy bear and a blanket in her left hand. She'd her right thumb in her mouth, which she took out to wave her hand.

Zack blinked in shock.

Zack thought: This can't be happening. We've gathered here with deadly weapons and our best pack warriors to face a little girl who can't be more than four? What was Chance thinking? For heaven's sake, the most the girl can do is throw her teddy bear at us!

Zack looked at Reece, who'd the same expression on his face, except his mouth was slightly open. Chance looked a little amused, while the pack warriors were still trying to figure out what had happened.

Finally, Freya stepped forward and squatted in front of the girl, "Hello. What's your name?"

The girl stuck out her thumb and smiled,
"Gigi!"

Freya smiled kindly, "That's a nice name. But Gigi, what're you doing here? Won't your mommy and daddy be worried that you left them?"

"Mommy and Daddy aren't here anymore. Juilet said they went to heaven, where all the good griffins go."

So this little girl was a griffin.

Freya pursed her lips, but still spoke in a gentle tone, "Who's Juilet?"

As if on cue, a woman's voice from the forest began to shout, "Gigi! Gigi!"

A petite woman stepped out of the line of trees and ran toward Gigi, "Oh my God, don't do that again. I almost had a cardiac arrest..."

A loud growl interrupted her, "Mate!"

This time Zack's jaw dropped and everyone turned to stare at the wolf who'd spoken.

Reece.