Alpha Tristan

I had to truly give him a fair chance.

The realisation hit me when he tucked a sleeping Arianna into bed, gently brushing the hair away from her face. I stood at the door and watched him lean down and press a soft kiss to her forehead. I had never seen an alpha care for the children in his pack the way Tristan did. The entire day showed me a new side to him and I purposely stayed on the sidelines to see the way he interacted with all seven of them.

When he stood up from her bed and turned around, I pushed myself off the door frame and mustered up what I hoped was a comforting smile. He took a few steps forward and stopped when he was stood right in front of me. He seemed happier than he was in the morning, but I could tell from his eyes that there was something eating away at him.

I hadn't noticed it before because I had never looked at him to truly see him. I wasn't observant nor did I take the time to see the man behind the stories. But, something deep inside me wanted to change all of that. The mate pull was getting stronger with every minute we spent together and I figured I would let nature take its course and see where it lead me.

What would make me the monster would be ignoring the pain that had filled his eyes at the reminder of the war.

I didn't want to add to that pain by being another person who misunderstood him.

Raising my hand, I softly threaded my fingers through his hair and stepped closer to him. His eyes slowly closed and I found myself admiring his features. Black eyelashes brushed the skin under his eyes and I followed the slope of his nose to lips that were pulled down into a light frown. "Tristan, are you okay?" My whisper cut through the silence and my hand slid down to cradle the side of his face.

Touch, I concluded, had to be ther.a.p.eutic. The simple act of touching him sent blood rushing through me at a faster rate and it was like I was more alive when I touched him.

His lips twitched into a barely there smile and he lifted his eyelids to reveal beautifully azure eyes. "I'm okay, Kara." He leaned into my hand and there was a sudden urge to wrap my arms around him. But, before I could act on it, he hooked his hand around my wrist and lead me out of the bedroom.

I stayed silent and followed him down the stairs. He turned back to me and smiled in a way that I could tell wasn't genuine. "It's just one of those days."

Something told me that he still wasn't in a sharing mood so I pushed down my curiosity and I mustered up the courage to wrap my arms around his waist. He visibly stiffened at the sudden movement but when I stepped onto my tip toes and pressed my lips against his cheek, he relaxed in my arms.

Glancing up at him, I sighed. "I really want to see you smile, Tristan. Please." I implored as I leant closer to him to have my lips lightly move against the corner of his mouth. I repeated my request and didn't stop until a gentle smile lit up his facial expression.

He exhaled slightly harder through his nose and his gaze flickered between my eyes. "I must be dreaming."

Placing my heels back on the floor, I hesitantly pulled away as I registered the look in his eye. It was the same look I saw in Alpha Ramiel's office…like he was enamoured with me. As my hold around him loosened, his hands tightened around my wrists. 

"No," he lightly murmured. "I like it when you touch me." Then, a small smile settled on his perfect lips. "This is you trying, right?"

I audibly gulped and nodded. "This is me trying."

Tristan curved his hand around the back of my head and pulled me against his c.h.e.s.t. As I stood in his warm embrace, I couldn't help but feel the force of the mate pull. The feeling was electrifying, like I was hyper aware of every single thing about him as he touched me. 

The way the blood rushed through his veins, the way his diaphragm expanded with every calming breath, and most importantly, the way his heart raced in his c.h.e.s.t. 

I couldn't help but feel like the pull between us was as strong as the force of which an archer would shoot his arrow.

Uncontrollable once released from the bow, almost like the power that thrummed to life in Tristan's body. I could feel his dominance from the way he held me against him. I couldn't move even if I tried. 

His c.h.e.s.t vibrated as he uttered my name. "Kara…" he paused and his head turned to the door. "Maggie will be here any second now."

Taking my focus from him, I tuned into the sounds coming from outside and heard her approaching footsteps. He slowly pulled away and reached towards the door, pulling it open before she could knock. He greeted her with a warm smile.

Maggie was a woman who seemed to be in her mid-thirties, much younger than I was expecting. I briefly found myself wondering what her story was until her gaze flickered between me and Tristan. She bowed her head respectfully before grinning gratefully. "Thank you for babysitting, Alpha. I appreciate your help today." She took his hands in hers and bowed her head once more. "I know you had other things to do."

I couldn't see his face, but I was sure he was smiling when he answered her. "You're welcome, Maggie. I love spending time with them—so do the rest of the pack so don't hesitate to ask anyone for help with them. We're all a family here."

Maggie laughed airily for a brief moment and nodded. "I will. They got to meet our Luna, didn't they?" she looked over Tristan's shoulder and directed a warm smile my way, releasing his hands to approach me. "It's an honour, Luna."

I took her hands in mine and shook my head with a smile. "Please, just Kara. And they were all angels."

She squeezed my hands in response. "Nonsense! This pack hasn't had a Luna in a very long time—it'll make everyone happy to call you by your correct title." She glanced back at Tristan. "Could I get you two anything?"

Tristan shook his head and grabbed both of our coats. "It's time we go. I put the children to bed a little earlier today so I need to check in with everyone in person."

Maggie nodded and gently ushered me towards the door. "Ah! That's right. Don't let me keep you longer than necessary. Thank you again."

I uttered a goodbye as Tristan passed me my coat and lead the way out of the house. As we began walking, he glanced at me and held his hand out. The thread between us tightened and pulled me towards him as he linked our fingers together. 

The walk back was silent until he cleared his throat to speak. "I have to go to the training grounds to see the progress made today. I'll be back in an hour."

Squeezing his hand, I looked up and my lips twitched into a barely there smile. It was a foreign feeling, wanting to be so close to him especially since it had only been a couple weeks since I promised myself to hate him. 

One of the things I'd learnt since then was that promise was made to be broken. I would be the worst person ever to rob him the chance of having a mate. 

"Could I come with you?"

If he seemed surprised, he didn't show it and instead agreed instantly. Pivoting on his heel, he changed the direction of our walk so that we passed Maggie's house again. The snow was thick and I had to tug on his hand to slow him down. It was like he was a master of the terrain, but I rarely ever saw snow and I certainly didn't know how to walk fast on it. 

He chuckled lowly and it was like heaven to my ears. "I forgot that you're not from here and not used to snow."

When the walk proved to be longer than I thought it would be, I visibly had enough of trudging in the snow. It was nothing to do with stamina just the fact that my shoes, the only ones I had brought with me, weren't very snow-proof. Tristan, ever so observant, stopped walking and shook his head with a smile. 

"Get on my back, Kara." He bent his powerful legs and I stared at him unmoving for a moment before I settled my hands on his shoulders to propel myself upwards. 

His hands lightly gripped the back of my legs and he shifted me higher on his back as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. He then began walking as normally as he did before, and I found myself impressed with the ease of which he carried me on his back. 

He was as strong as the stories said he was.

When we reached the training grounds, my eyes fell upon a mixture of werewolves in human form or wolf form. A chill surged down my spine when every single person, about thirty or so, turned to look at us as they bowed their heads. Tapping Tristan's c.h.e.s.t lightly so he could let me down, I unwrapped my arms from around him and slid down as gracefully as I could. 

"Carry on." His voice travelled across the field with the simple command, and everyone instantly went back to training. Watching the way they all moved swiftly and smoothly, I quickly realised for myself why his pack was so powerful. 

Standing slightly behind him, I waited as he examined every single member of his pack and eventually his eyes settled on two people in human form engaging in one to one combat. I watched as the beautiful woman moved gracefully and blocked every swing that was sent her way. From the first minute, I could tell how experienced she was and I wondered if I would get to that level soon. 

If I fought as well as her, I would be less reluctant to partake in the initiation duel. 

When she successfully pinned the other woman down on the ground and won the fight, she jumped up and held her hand out to help her fellow pack member up. I couldn't help but smile at the display of good sportsmanship and neither could Tristan because he stepped towards them. 

"You've improved, Mindy. Well done." He praised as she bowed her head in respect.

When she looked up again, a wide grin climbed onto her face and she smoothly pulled the tie that held her hair back, allowing her deep red tresses to flow over her shoulders. She was extremely beautiful and from the look in her eyes as she stared up at Tristan, I couldn't help but feel a sense of jealousy spark through me. 

"Thank you, Alpha. I've really been trying." Her body language displayed her attraction to him crystal clearly.

On the one hand, I couldn't fault her for finding him so attractive. Tristan had to be the most handsome man I had ever seen, but I felt jealousy burning to rear its ugly head when she turned back to the woman she was fighting with yet kept looking back at him as he walked over to me. 

Before he cleared his throat to address members of his pack, I slid my hand into his and rested my head against his shoulder. He glanced down at me and smiled, lifting our linked hands to press his lips against my fingers. 

"Training is done for today. Grab something to eat and get some rest. We'll pick this up early tomorrow morning." Tristan spoke, and he was received with soft smiles and sighs of relief.

The training seemed extreme, but everyone proved to be good fighters. Curiosity took hold of them all as their attention turned to me and they all inhaled to catch my scent. I could tell that Tristan's scent was all over me and it was the same for him. 

I glanced up at him and his lips twitched before he spoke and sated their d.e.s.i.r.e for an answer. "I know you've all been wondering if I've found my mate—and I have." Quiet gasps filled the gap of silence. His face broke out into a grin and my breath halted in the middle of my throat at the sight. He seemed truly happy. "After almost twenty years, this pack finally has a Luna again."

From the way he stared down at me with eyes that seemed to commit my face to memory, it suddenly dawned on me. 

He was truly happy that he had found me.