Page 88 of Alpha Brock
“Alive?” I groan, shifting to prop up on my elbows. My body’s still sore; my muscles feel like they’re made of razorblades, stinging with every movement.
“Awake,” she blinks, reaching out to stroke her fingertips along my jawline. Like she’s testing if this is a dream or reality. “You’ve been out for day and a half.”
“Shit.” I wince as I scoot my back up against the headboard, sitting up further. The memory of how I found Astrid that night suddenly comes flooding back, panic gripping in my chest as I give her a frantic once-over with my eyes. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine,” she breathes, slipping out from under my arm and sliding off the bed. She’s wearing a little pair of grey cotton booty shorts and a white tank top that’s straight-up see through, her curly hair hanging loose and wild around her shoulders and down her back.
“See?” she asks, doing a little spin. “All healed.”
Damn, she’s adorable. And hot as fuck. It’s a killer combination that has me swallowing past the tightness in my dry throat as Astrid twirls for me and I get a glimpse of her ass cheeks hanging out of the bottom of her little shorts. I rake my eyes up and down her body, and at this point I’m not sure whether I’m assessing for injuries or just ogling her as she moves fluidly over to the nightstand. I take in my surroundings for the first time, realizing we’re in her room in the Denver packhouse.
“Here,” she offers, and I detect a hint of concern in her voice as she plucks a bottle of water from the nightstand and shoves it in my direction. “Drink this.”
Wordlessly, I reach out to take the bottle, cracking the top off and bringing it to my lips. I waste no time in guzzling the whole thing down, the water soothing my parched throat.
“Are you hungry?” Astrid asks as I cap the empty water bottle.
“Starving,” I growl, wetting my lips with my tongue and staring at her intently. “Bring that pussy over here, baby.”
Her cheeks flush. “Clearly you’re feeling better.”
I give a little flick of my head, tossing the water bottle aside. “Come here.”
Astrid blows out a little puff of air and starts to climb back onto the bed, too slowly. Suddenly I’m impatient as fuck- I reach over and grab her by the waist, pulling her body on top of mine and wrapping my arms around her, holding her tight to my chest. Her arms loop around my neck as she nuzzles into it, straddling my waist.
Fuck, I missed this; this closeness with her. In the days after she was taken,thisis what I thought about- just fucking holding her again. Guilt gnaws at my insides as I think of how the absolute hell I went through in those days pales in comparison to what she must have suffered at the hands of the shadow pack.
I bury my face in Astrid’s hair, pressing a kiss to her head. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get to you sooner,” I rasp.
“Don’t,” she whispers, her lips moving against my neck. “All that matters is that you came. I knew you would.”
I press my eyes closed, drawing a breath. Swallowing past the guilt. “Are you gonna tell me what you went through in there?”
“Are you just going to blame yourself?” she murmurs.
“Maybe.”
Astrid sighs, pulling back to look at me. She shifts on my lap, my dick stirring beneath her as she rubs herself against me. She stares intently into my eyes, her arms still draped around my neck. “I have to tell you something.”
I stare back at her, lost in the depths of her dark brown eyes as I wait for her to go on.
“I might’ve known we were mates,” she blurts.
I arch a brow in question.
“I had a vision,” Astrid continues excitedly. “Well a bunch of visions actually, kind of right in a row. Back in Riverton, that first night I stayed in your room with you. Visions about our future together, about our family and how happy we’re going to be.”
“And you didn’t think this might be pertinent information to share?” I ask, brow still arched.
She sucks in a little breath, sinking her teeth into her lower lip. “I didn’t want to freak you out.”
I reach up, tucking a wild strand of hair behind her ear. “Who says I would’ve freaked out?”
Astrid gives me a look, and my lips spread into a grin because I know she’s right.She knows me. She giggles, and the sound of it is contagious- I can’t help but chuckle too, shaking my head.
“Think I kinda knew, too,” I admit, running my hands along her smooth thighs. “After you were taken, I lost my damn mind. At that point, I didn’t need a vision to tell me you were the one, I just…feltit. Like part of me was missing.”
I don’t consider myself a sentimental guy, but when Astrid was gone, I promised myself that if I got her back, I’d tell her how I feel. I’m done holding back when it comes to her, because if the past week has taught me anything, it’s that life is too fucking short. And I fully intend to enjoy every second of it with my mate. No more regrets.