Alpha Tristan

Those in wolf form tipped their heads back and released a howls of happiness while those in human form cheered loudly. Tristan's grin seemed to widen and it was then that I finally smiled with him. 

The feeling of being wanted by both Tristan and his pack was indescribable, and I realised that even they were different from the rumours. They showed happiness, for one, which the rumours said they did not. 

Once they all bowed their heads to me, they began dispersing and all headed away from the fields as Tristan and I hung back. When they had all left, I was taken by surprise when he pulled me flush against him and covered my mouth with his. 

The gasp died on his lips and my hands gripped the front of his jacket as he applied enough pressure to make me dizzy. I couldn't get enough of the way his lips passionately moved against mine so I stepped up onto my tiptoes to push back. 

His hands settled on my waist and my body curved against his as I m.o.a.n.e.d his name. The receptive growl vibrated deep in his c.h.e.s.t when he pulled me so close to him that it almost hurt. And when my lungs burned for oxygen, I pulled back slightly and stood flat on my feet. The only sound I could hear over our harsh breaths was the sound of my heart pumping violently. My gaze lifted to settle on his flushed lips and the mere sight had me wanting to kiss him again, but it seemed he had other plans. 

"If you say my name like that again, I can't guarantee that we'll be just kissing." His voice was deeper than usual, which was already deep enough and when I glanced at his eyes, I could tell from the darkened irises that the Tristan standing in front of me was more primitive than human. 

My body burned at the thought of it and I could feel his hands close into tight fists against my back as he lowered his head to the crook of my neck. He inhaled deeply against my skin for a few moments before he stepped back and closed his eyes. 

I couldn't help the way I stared at him as he regained control right in front of me, breathing in and out as his hands slowly opened again. When he opened his eyes, they were back to an icy blue and he didn't look at me. 

Maybe because he could smell my scent and how my body burned for him. I quickly took control when it dawned on me that what I wanted was something I had to do with a clear head that wasn't clouded by pure l.u.s.t. 

I knew I wasn't ready to take that step with him just yet. It didn't feel like we were at the right place. 

"How about an impromptu training session?" Tristan spoke up, gesturing to the vast space behind. "Or would you rather train in the indoor training room?"

Something about being in the open where anyone could possibly watch me train made me feel uneasy. "I'd rather be indoors." I responded. He leaned over to grab my hand and lead me away from the training ground. 

The room was impressive. Stocked with all the equipment one could possibly need, I wondered why Tristan hadn't brought me sooner. Turning back to him, my eyebrows lowered in curiosity. "How many people do you have in your pack?"

His answer came within a beat. "Five hundred."

My jaw slackened in surprise. If he had five hundred wolves in his pack, and they were all formidable warriors, it suddenly dawned on me why Tristan was one of the most feared alphas. Typical packs only had one hundred to one hundred and fifty wolves. Not only did he have the extra numbers, but they were all strong as hell. 

"Two packs merged into one." He clarified, raising his hand to close my mouth. "But, there are more people on this side of my territory."

Suddenly, training was the last thing on my mind. Curiosity took me at a stronghold and I had a thirst for knowledge about him. "How do you manage it all?"

Tristan stared at me for a moment and his lips twitched up into a small smile. "I'm connected to all of them—they swore their allegiance to me."

The backstory to Tristan's pack made it to the forefront of my mind, but something stopped me from asking that question. I knew that a war had occurred after Tristan reclaimed his birthright, but the rest had become hazy to me since I knew the rumours twisted the story. Tristan's truth was in there somewhere and I wanted to know. 

But, I saved it for another time. Staring up at him, I focused on the way his eyes held warmth when he looked at me, but behind it all, there was a sense of darkness. I couldn't blame him—I was more empathetic to his past than I was when I first met him. Lifting my hand to cup his cheek, I couldn't help the way my body leaned towards him. 

"You surprised me, Tristan." My eyes scanned his face and I felt my knees weaken at just how handsome he was. His beauty was powerful, evident in his strong eyebrows and strong cheekbones. I was certain he could bring any woman to their knees with his hypnotising look. 

"How so?" he murmured lowly, peering down at me. 

"There's more to you than meets the eye." I spoke truthfully, briefly remembering something he had said to me a couple of days ago.  'You were supposed to be the one person who didn't care what people say about me'. "You're nothing like I expected."

Something sparked in his eyes and his tongue darted out to lick his lips. "Is that a good thing?"

My hand barely covered his cheek so I threaded my fingers through his dark hair and felt the beginning of his lips moving into a smile against my palm. I nodded and cleared my throat. "I was so quick to believe the rumours, but today changed my mind completely. Your pack wouldn't love you if you were who the rest of the world believe you to be."

His c.h.e.s.t fell with the deep exhale and he hooked his fingers around my wrist, pulling my hand to rest against his lips. "Kara…" he breathed against my skin. "That's all I want from you. For you to see the  real  me and want to be with me."

I stepped towards him and leaned up slowly. The urge to kiss him again took me at a stronghold again, but my motives behind it was far less l.u.s.tful. With a hand on his cheek, I tipped my head back and softly slanted my lips across his. It was a short kiss and when I pulled back, he followed me with closed eyes as if he was seeking for a longer kiss. 

"I want to." I murmured, placing my finger on his lips to stop him in his tracks. "I feel like I'm drawn to you in ways I never knew possible."

A smile pulled at his lips and he lightly swatted my hand away to close the small distance between us. "That's because I'm your mate." He spoke against my mouth and lowered his head to my neck again. As he took in my scent, he wrapped his arms around my body. "I'm the only one who can make you feel the way you do."

His confidence was far from c.o.c.ky because it was true. I knew that I had never felt this way before and Tristan's alluring and powerful presence was too hard to ignore. I had tried that already and it was safe to say that my efforts at resisting him were futile. 

Lifting me slightly, he buried his nose into the crook of my neck, overwhelming me with how close he was. There was completely no space in between our bodies and we just stood there, Tristan taking me in as I relaxed into his embrace. The heat emanated off his body and I closed my eyes as his lips moved against my skin. 

"Your scent drives me crazy." He softly uttered. "Mine is all over you and you don't even bear my mark yet." He punctuated his sentence with a kiss to my hot skin, and coupled with his words, my knees weakened of their own accord. He held me up with ease and I gripped onto his shoulders tightly. "You're mine, Kara. Now that I know what it feels like to have you in my arms, I never want to let you go."

Driven by the pull and the pull alone, I muttered out a sentiment that I otherwise wouldn't have in a clearer state of mind, purely out of shyness. But nevertheless, it was something that I knew he wanted to hear. "I'm yours, Tristan. I'm yours."