Alpha Tristan

Half-asleep, I felt the absence of a warm body beside me and I reached out, hoping to feel Tristan's soft skin. When I didn't, I lightly frowned and opened my eyes a fraction to see that his side of the bed was empty. The sheets were fresh and it didn't look as rumpled as I would've expected since he didn't like to stay in one position as he slept.

Sitting up slowly, I clutched the silk sheets to my n.a.k.e.d body as I fully opened my eyes and confirmed that he wasn't in the room. I could, however, sense that he was somewhere in the house. "Tristan?" I softly called out, focusing intensely to hear the shift of his b.a.r.e feet against the tiled floors of the kitchen. 

"I'm downstairs, αγάπη." He replied clearly, his voice raised slightly so I could hear him a bit better. 

Holding the sheets to my body, I lightly placed my feet on the floor and I couldn't hold back the wince when my legs protested at the slight action. Tristan had been true to his word and I knew that we were closer than ever. He had been so attentive to everything and acted accordingly. I could still feel his tender kiss on my forehead. 

After a shaky attempt at standing up, I reached for the bed rail that held up the black canopy over the bed and slowly hoisted myself up. A pleasant ache surged through me and I smiled softly when I lazily slipped on one of his dress shirts and a fresh pair of u.n.d.e.r.w.e.a.r. 

I knew he could hear me when I slowly made my way downstairs, and when I stepped into the kitchen, a tilt of his head signified that he was completely paying attention to me. Slipping my arm through his, I pressed a kiss to his b.a.r.e shoulder and peered at the spicy sauce he was cooking. 

"What are you making?" I cleared my throat and glanced at him to gauge how he was feeling. The ache in my c.h.e.s.t was still present, but it had significantly reduced, which only meant that he was feeling a lot better than he did in the morning. 

"I thought you'd like to have a taste of Greenlandic food—it's a surprise." He reduced the temperature of the stove and turned to me, glancing at his shirt that I had pulled on. His thumb brushed over the first two buttons and he undid them with one hand before his fingers splayed across my collarbone. 

I watched him silently, willing myself to not shudder under his touch like I always did. Instead, I sn.a.k.e.d my arms around his waist and pulled him closer into a hug. I rested my head on his c.h.e.s.t and he curved a hand around the back of my head, lightly c.a.r.e.s.sing my curls.

"Did you sleep?"

I felt him nod against me. "Not for long, but enough to get my energy back again."

I lifted my head to see the accomplished smirk on his lips and my face heated up at the reminder of what we had done—over and over. He pressed his cool hands to my cheeks and slanted his lips over mine softly. 

"I loved it—All four times." He whispered against my mouth and I shivered, my eyes closing of their own accord as my body yearned for him again despite the pain. He smiled softly and slowly pulled away. "You haven't eaten in hours. Let's eat first."

Pulling away, he switched the stove off and retrieved the seafood from the oven. He plated the food and I leaned against the counter, simply watching him as he linked our fingers to lead me to the tall chair. Instead of sitting across me, he took a seat beside me and began eating. 

Picking up the fork and digging it into the halibut, I almost m.o.a.n.e.d at how good it tasted. Silently, Tristan placed his hand on my t.h.i.g.h, lightly gripping it as he continued eating with one hand. I peered at him and noticed how he wasn't staring at me for once. It was almost ritual for him to watch me as I ate, thinking a million things as he focused on me. 

I slowly smiled as I tried getting into his mind, slightly surprised that I could take in the image in his mind easily. He seemed so focused on his thought that he couldn't even tell that I was in his head.

When I registered what he was thinking, I couldn't stop the quiet gasp that fell from my lips. I saw myself laid back on the counter as his hand wrapped around my neck. His steely blue eyes were locked on mine while he pinned me against the cold granite with his h.i.p.s moving at an unrelenting pace. 

I couldn't say anything as his hand absentmindedly squeezed my t.h.i.g.h. The heat travelled throughout my body and I quickly hoisted myself into his l.a.p with a graceful swing of my leg. Caging his face with my hands, I lowered my lips onto his and welcomed the ache as I kissed him with fervour.

His hands slid up my back underneath the dress shirt and he almost pulled the material clean off me before I heard the distinctive footsteps of my mother. I froze in his arms as I pulled back, opening my eyes to glance at him. My skin was hot with d.e.s.i.r.e and only he seemed to have a soothing touch. 

I so desperately wanted to make his imagination come true, but I knew for a fact that I didn't want my mother walking in on us. I sighed, knocking my forehead on his as his hands travelled down to the curve of my waist.

"I can't get enough of you, Kara." He murmured into my shoulder, reluctantly pulling back to button the shirt up to the top. He made no move to lift me off his l.a.p and I decided to turn slightly, pulling my plate of food towards me as I dug in again.

When my mother entered the house, I heard her stop in her tracks and subtly sniff the air. A shaky breath fell from her lips and I knew she could smell Tristan's scent heavily mixed with mine. I braced myself for her arrival in the kitchen as Tristan continued to eat his food, the frown back on his face. 

I cupped the cheek farthest from me and turned his head. "Look at me, Tristan." I whispered quietly so only he could hear me. "Nothing can keep me away from you. I'm yours—okay?"

He cracked a small smile and I softly pressed my lips to his for a comforting kiss.

My mother entered the kitchen and to my complete shock, she bowed her head slightly. "I-I'm sorry for yesterday." She addressed me solemnly. "I overstepped a boundary and it won't happen again."

I stared at her with a surprised expression on my face. I knew it didn't matter whether or not I accepted her apology or not. The person she had hurt was Tristan. He already had a lot on his plate and the way the bomb was dropped on him led to a heightened sense of distress. 

It amplified his pain to the point that it was crippling for us all. 

"It's Tristan who deserves the apology, Mum. Not me." I linked our fingers under the counter and squeezed it. 

My mother squared her shoulders, but reluctantly turned to Tristan when she caught my gaze. I was dead serious and she knew that if she didn't apologise to him, I wouldn't speak to her until she would. "I apologise for disrespecting you. I won't interfere again."

Tristan, ever so forgiving, nodded in acknowledgment. "I accept your apology, Dahliah."

She stood there awkwardly for a few moments before she realised she was intruding on what was to be one of the hottest moments of my life. Bowing her head again, or at least trying to, she left the kitchen.

As soon as I knew she wasn't in earshot, I let out a sigh of relief and turned back to my mate with a weary expression. "If this isn't what you need right now, we can leave and go somewhere."

He shook his head lightly. "It's okay." I pressed at the downward curve of his lips with my fingertips. "Let's just finish our food and I'll take you back to bed. We can talk about everything tomorrow when it all hurts less, but today I need you. Underneath me or on top of me, I don't care."

As if to reiterate his point, he pressed me against his hardening length. I dug my face into his neck to mask the m.o.a.n and relished the way he held me against his body. 

"You make it all feel better."

Wrapping my arms around his neck, I hugged him to close the distance between our bodies. As much as I wanted him to talk out his feelings with me, I knew he just needed to find a way to get through the day in one piece. It was almost the evening, which meant we didn't have that long to go. 

We sat there hugging until I slowly pulled back, hoping the food wasn't going cold as I picked up my fork again. His arm wrapped around my waist as we ate and once we were finished, he quickly cleared the plates away before reaching for my hand. His enveloped mine with warmth and I followed him up the stairs as he smiled softly at me over his shoulder. 

"I couldn't show you your surprise yesterday." He murmured as we stepped into the bedroom and he moved behind me, covering my eyes with his fingers. "Walk forward until I tell you to stop."

I advanced until he stopped me with a gentle hand to the waist. Covering my eyes with his other hand, he reached for something quickly before allowing me to open my eyes. He was holding up two plane tickets…to Crete, Greece. 

"It's not until your birthday in June, but I would love for you to see my home island with me."

I pivoted on my heels to face him and the grin slowly pulled at my lips. "You're spoiling me, Tristan. Thank you so much." I stepped onto my tiptoes to hug him tightly. "What did I do to deserve you?"

His fingers threaded through my hair and he lightly pulled my head back to look me in the eye. His lips hovered in front of mine and he smiled softly before kissing me gently. "You changed and gave us a chance. I get why people yearn to find their mates—finding you is the best thing that's ever happened to me."

I stared up at him with a shy smile. "I love that you see me as this perfect and beautiful woman. No one has ever looked at me the way you do."

He placed the tickets on the shelf and leaned down to lift my legs up around his waist. He walked us to the bed and lightly dropped me onto the newly-changed sheets. The material of his trousers did nothing to hide his arousal and he leaned on top of me, resting his forehead on mine. 

"Do you want to know what I find perfect?" he whispered against my lips and his cool blue eyes were locked on mine. "The way you make me feel. You were made for me, Kara—that's why I think you're perfect. Even in the beginning, the one thing that gave me hope was that you could never be away from me for too long."

I arched into him, seeking to close the distance as he teasingly pulled back slightly to continue speaking. 

"What I find beautiful is how my name sounds on your lips. I always want to make sure that I hear you m.o.a.n my name." The tip of his nose brushed my jawline and he lowered his lips to my neck, lightly kissing the skin and settling his hands on my h.i.p.s. He pushed himself against me again, eliciting a desperate m.o.a.n of his name from me. 

"Tristan…please."

"Watching you come undone is the one of the most beautiful sights in the world." He applied pressure behind his h.i.p.s and I wrapped my arms around his waist to pull him closer. He leaned back slightly and began to slowly unbutton my shirt. "But the sight that takes the cake? Seeing you keep your promise and choose me over anything else."

"Tristan—" I gasped his name as undid the last button and tugged my u.n.d.e.r.w.e.a.r passed my ankles, leaving me b.a.r.e in front of him again. "I need you."

"I choose you too, Kara. I want you to know that no matter what, I'll choose you too. Always." And with that he pulled the dress shirt off my body, ridding himself of his trousers and boxers before easing into me. 

As he claimed my lips with his, and my entire body, I realised one thing. I had found my home with him in the Underworld—the last place I would've expected to come to love.