Alpha Tristan

Tristan laid a kiss of greeting on my lips as I reached the western border. His hand slid from my waist to the small of my back before he led to me to what he wanted me to see. Standing at the threshold between our pack territory and Alpha Aren's was the best tracker we had, Hendrik. 

"What do you smell, αγάπη μου?"

I glanced at him briefly before closing my eyes and inhaling deeply. At first, all I could smell was the flecks of dirt in the snow but I quickly caught onto something potent—aconite, or more commonly known as wolfsbane. 

"Wolfsbane." I looked up at Tristan quickly. 

He c.a.r.e.s.sed the small of my back gently and nodded. "Not enough to hurt anyone but enough to catch Hendrik's attention."

Hendrik quietly pulled a pack of tissues from his pocket and taking the whole wad, he scooped up some snow. Bringing it up towards us slowly, I examined the snow that blanketed the tissues. The specks of deep purple starkly contrasted against the white snowflakes. 

"Why would there be wolfsbane at the border?"

Hendrik's hazel eyes settled on mine. "I'm not sure but that's a question for Alpha Aren. I can't say much on the scents I've picked up because it could be members of his pack." He walked towards a tree where his backpack was and pulled out a small ziplock bag. Sliding the wolfsbane in, he closed it and handed it to Tristan. 

"We'll take it from here, Hendrik." Tristan smiled warmly and tucked the ziplock bag into his pocket. "Good work."

Hendrik bowed his head in respect and Tristan linked his fingers with mine. As we walked away, I squeezed his hand and glanced at him. 

"Is this going to be a problem?"

Tristan pondered over my question for a long moment. "I wouldn't think so. There could be an explanation for it but it does seem suspicious that it's right on our border, and it happened right under our noses."

"Then we need to strengthen security."

"We'll double the night patrol for now. No one in their right mind would approach our borders in broad daylight."

He nodded in agreement and his eyes glazed over as he entered a mind-link. 

"I'm thinking Alpha Aren might have the explanation we're looking for too." 

Tristan sighed and I had to fight the smile. As Aren was the alpha of the neighbouring pack, we had a strong alliance with him and that meant we would often visit each other's packs to maintain the amicability. 

The funny thing about it all was Aren was the biggest flirt. It was harmless and just a part of his rugged charm. The first time I met him was the time I remembered just how possessive Tristan was.

I saw a glimpse of it the first time I spoke to him in Ramiel's office. He was prepared to flip my world upside down if another man was in the picture. While it had been shocking then because I barely even knew him, his possessiveness soon turned downright s.e.xy to me. 

He was an alpha male through and through, and he exuded such sheer masculinity that anything he did was attractive to me. I also couldn't complain because I loved having his attention on me and if Aren was teasing him, he wouldn't take his hands off me. 

"I'll give him a call now. If we can both squeeze in a meeting, we'll go tomorrow." Tristan had a blank expression on his face but when he sensed my gaze on him, he glanced at me and he quickly bore a warm countenance. 

I continued to stare at him, smiling when I felt the love hit me then and there. The mate pull always emphasised any emotions and because my love for him naturally was so strong, the pull completely knocked it out of the ballpark.

He came to a stop and sn.a.k.e.d his arm around my waist. Tugging me flush against his body, he peered down at me with a smile as I settled my hands on his broad c.h.e.s.t. "What's that look for? What are you thinking about, Kara?"

I watched the way his lips moved with his words until I forced my gaze back to his. "You."

Tristan's smile quickly turned smug. "When are you not thinking about me?"

Gently pushing at his c.h.e.s.t, I rolled my eyes. "I was going to say something so romantic but…"

He chuckled deeply, leaning in to press a kiss to the corner of my mouth. "Normally, I'm the romantic one. Are you switching up on me, αγάπη?"

His warm blue eyes stared into mine and I couldn't help but think about how much I loved his eyes. They were expressive and the most honest part of him. If I couldn't feel exactly what he was feeling, his eyes would tell me everything I needed to know. 

"Say it…" he probed, moving his lips ever so slightly to the side. 

"After four years together, I still get caught off-guard by how handsome you are." I closed my eyes and felt him smile against my mouth. "It makes me wonder if our future son will look exactly like you."

He leaned back with a grin. "Have you been thinking about what I said last night?"

I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Maybe."

He kissed me deeply for a long moment before pulling back. "You say the word and we can do it."

My hand found a place in his hair and I gently threaded my fingers through the silky strands. "Soon. And what if we have another girl?"

The love that I saw in his eyes when he found out about Alina's gender flashed in his stormy blues. "Then I'll love our little girl with everything in me. If we have our first boy, then it's the same."

I smiled warmly, stepping up onto my tiptoes and pressing a firm kiss to his lips. "Well, whatever the gender, we'll have another baby together." I stared up into his eyes and gave him another soft peck. "I should get back to Alina and Brielle."

He nodded and kept me close to him by gripping my hands gently. He brought them to his lips and kissed them both. "Give Hummingbird a hug for me?"

I squeezed his hands and nodded. "We'll see you at dinner."

——————

Alina and Brielle were playing chess when I got back to Brielle's house. My daughter was sat cross-legged on the floor and she moved her piece with a blooming smile. Brielle's king was left under attack with no place to go and Alina jumped up. 

"Checkmate!" her eyes met mine and she squealed excitedly, clapping her hands. "Mummy, I finally won!"

I caught her when she ran up to me and lifted her into my arms. Pressing a kiss to her cheek, I grinned. "Well done, Alina!"

One of Brielle's favourite things to play was chess. I had played her a couple of times when I came to visit with Alina and naturally, Alina gained an interest for it. Of course, she was only three years old so it was very hard at first to teach her how to play properly. But she was a determined child. She would get frustrated but would never give up and even asked Tristan and me to get her her own kid-friendly board so she could finally get the hang of it. 

She was already proving to be such an intelligent little girl and Tristan and I were beyond proud. She was extraordinary in every single way. 

"You did well, Hummingbird." Brielle had a warm smile on her face and began clearing the board. She was closing the box when Leo began to cry upstairs.

As she went to tend to her son, I hugged Alina and kissed her forehead. "I'm so proud of you, honey."

She smiled so wide that her eyes almost disappeared. She nuzzled her head into my neck. "Thank you, Mummy." She mumbled quietly before pulling back. "You smell like Daddy."

Her senses were getting stronger. I smiled. "Daddy needed my help with something. He told me to give you a hug for him."

Alina giggled and hugged me tightly. "Tell Daddy I miss him."

Thinking of him, I slipped into his mind. 'Alina says she misses you.'

Tristan's voice filtered through my mind, warm and rich like melted chocolate. 'I miss her too, baby.'

I relayed the message back to her and she widened her eyes like she always did when we'd tell her that because we were mates and part of the same pack, we could talk in each other's minds. 

"Talk in my mind, Mummy!"

'Hi, Alina.'

She laughed excitedly. "How do I say hi to you?"

I sat down with her on the sofa. "Daddy wants to teach you that. I'll remind you later."

She pouted slightly and began to touch my curls. Sensing her slight disappointment, I kissed her forehead again. 

'Smile, Princess.'

She slowly smiled and l couldn't help but admire her. Whenever she smiled, she looked so much like Tristan. They smiled the same way and even laughed the same way. I could already tell that she was a daddy's girl but I couldn't feel sad about it because I clung to Tristan whenever I got the chance too. 

It also helped that her first word was 'mama'. 

For the rest of the day, Brielle and I spent much needed time together. We spoke about motherhood and I helped her with Leo when I saw she desperately needed to sleep. It was when Christian came back that I knew it was time to go home. 

He closed the door behind him and pulled his jacket off as his son sensed his presence. Leo was playing on the floor and he turned towards the door as Christian grinned at him. 

"Hey, buddy." He lifted Leo into his arms and kissed his chubby cheek. Leo went to put his tiny fingers in his mouth but Christian stopped him as he began to babble instead. 

I could hear some distinct words like 'dada' and it was endearing to watch my beta's relationship with his son. Standing up, I lightly shook Alina awake. She was taking a nap because like usual, she had tired herself out. 

"I'm guessing Elle is asleep." Christian smiled warmly. "Thank you for looking after them, Luna." He bowed his head in respect and gratitude. 

Alina stirred and groggily stood up. "It was no problem. I know how hard the sleepless nights are."

He chuckled lightly. "It's worth it though." His grin was bright as he spoke to his son. "Did you miss Dada?"

I bid Christian and Leo goodbye as Alina and I made our way back home. Tristan arrived minutes after us and Alina was washing her hands in the kitchen as he came through the door. 

Before she could rush washing her hands, I called out to her. "Remember to sing happy birthday twice!"

Tristan chuckled as he pulled off his jacket and pulled me into his arms. I instantly wrapped my arms around his neck as he silently leaned in and kissed me slowly. "Hi, baby." He murmured against my lips. 

I slowly smiled and felt the warmth flood my face. "Hi."

He almost kissed me again before Alina came running out of the kitchen, talking so fast we almost missed what she said. "I got checkmate today, Daddy! I beat Auntie Brielle at chess!"

Her hands were still wet when she pulled on Tristan's hand. He lifted her into his arms and walked back towards the kitchen, retrieving the hand towel before drying her hands. "I'm so proud of you, χαρα μου."

"You should've seen her face when she realised she won." I stood by the door of the kitchen before walking towards them. 

Tristan grinned and c.a.r.e.s.sed the back of her head. "I wish I did."

Laying a hand on his arm, I peered up at him. "Alina wants to learn how to speak in a mind-link. Can you teach her while I make a start on dinner?"

He nodded, adjusting Alina in his arms as he lowered his head to peck my lips. 

They were almost out the door before he turned around to tell me something. "Aren is free tomorrow morning for a meeting."

I smiled at his unbothered facial expression. "He has absolutely nothing on you, Tristan."

Tristan chuckled. "I know."