When the last of the wolves and imprints were out the door I carefully carried my mate up to our room and laid her on the unmade bed. I covered her body with my own, nestling myself between her thighs, but holding my weight well away from our child. For the first time in what felt like much too long I stared down at my Bella. She was so beautiful even with red, swollen eyes from crying. She looked exhausted, both emotionally and physically. After we talked all of this out I was thinking that we would both benefit from several days of sleep. Maybe I'd give the pack to Jared and Paul for a few days while Jake was on his spirit walk and then Bella and I could catch up on sleep and each other.
My gaze shifted to her pouty, red lips and despite all the stress and everything we so desperately needed to talk about, all I wanted to do was kiss her. I leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her plump lips, needing something to tide me over until I had the time and energy to show her how much I loved her. Desire swelled in me so fast and powerful I was nearly overwhelmed by it, and though I could feel her desire for me blossoming, I could also sense her reticence. She was still upset, and soothing her was far more important than slaking my desires, regardless of how powerful they were.
So I kissed her once more and then painfully pulled myself away. I settled myself beside her so that I wasn't crushing her and wrapped her in my embrace. I needed her close to me, to feel the comfort of her presence. My chest felt heavy with all the emotions from both her and myself and I was so ready to get everything out in the open.
"Bella, are you okay?" I whispered in to her silky hair. She tensed in my arms, but remained silent. So I tried again. "What made you so upset just now?"
I stayed quiet this time, instinct and experience telling me that she would answer only when she was ready. I was beginning to doubt she was ever going to respond when she finally spoke. Her voice was so quiet that if I wasn't a shifter with enhanced hearing, I doubt I would have heard her at all. "It's my fault."
When she didn't continue I gripped her pony tail in one hand and gently titled her head up to meet my eyes. "What's your fault?"
Her eyes filled with tears and her lower lip began to tremble. "Everything. The pack falling apart. Jake hating you." A quiet sob escaped her as she pressed further in to my chest.
My heart ached at the pain in her voice. She had been through so much in the last few months and I could completely understand why she was feeling overwhelmed. I just wished she wasn't blaming herself for problems she had nothing to do with.
Jake and I were both alphas. Our wolves wanted, no needed to be in charge, his because of birthright, and me because I was the active alpha. Though Jake did not want to have anything to do with being alpha right now, his wolf disagreed. Tensions between us had been raising since the second he had phased the first time. At some point things between us had to come to a head. Bella just happened to be the catalyst.
I hugged her closer, loving the way her baby bump fit perfectly against my stomach. I shushed her quiet sobs and rocked her. "No. No baby, none of this is your fault. You did nothing wrong." I leaned back and gently pulled her chin up so she was looking in to my eyes. "We did nothing wrong. Do you hear me?"
She nodded slowly, looking anything but convinced. "Yes, but…."
"No, no buts. We were both single when we started seeing each other. No one gets to be angry about two people finding happiness together." I kissed her little button nose. God, I loved her nose. I loved her, and I couldn't wait to tell her that, but first she needed to know that the pack would be okay. "And for your information, the pack is not falling apart. It's growing stronger."
She wrinkled her nose in confusion. "What?"
I stared at her for a moment, wondering how to explain the shift, to explain all of this to her, without scaring her off. How could I make her understand that the alpha knew what he was doing and his actions would profit the whole pack? "Do you remember when I told you that the wolf took over and did the marking?"
She nodded warily. "Yes. You said the wolf took over while we were…" She blushed so prettily, clearly still too embarrassed to say the words. "And it was the wolf that bit me that first time." Her eyes widened suddenly. "You didn't lie to me about that right?"
"No, I didn't lie about that. It was the wolf who marked you that first time. And several times after that." I admitted, trying to force the erotic imagery away as I became hard. "But today, when Jake pushed you and you fell, something else took over."
"Something else?" Her brown eyes went wide as she tried to comprehend what I was saying.
I nodded. "The alpha of the pack. He took over when he saw you fall. He recognized how out of control Jake had become, how his weakness was harming the pack."
Bella simply stared at me with those chocolate brown eyes as she mulled over my words. She watched me as if she was studying my every feature, cataloging it for future reflection. I stared back at her, wondering what she was thinking. What could be going through her mind as she processed this new information? She knew vampires and shapeshifter were real, she understood imprints and at least the basics on markings, but would this new information be the straw that broke the camels back?
She tilted her head slightly as if seeing me in a new light. "So you're a man, and a wolf, and an alpha? Three separate entities."
I was relieved, though not surprised, that she was catching on so quickly. "Yes, and no. The man and wolf and alpha are separate, and yet they also function seamlessly together most of the time." I shrugged trying to think of a better way to explain it. "It's like I'm all three combined, until one part is needed more than the other. Like the wolf knew it needed to mark you so he took over." I gave her mark an affectionate squeeze. "And when the alpha saw how out of control Jake had become, he took over to reestablish our dominance over the pack. The alpha is the part of me that is concerned solely with the pack dynamic."
She bit her lip between her front teeth and I barely stifled a groan at how sexy she looked. "And what exactly did the alpha do to Jake?"
"He dominated him physically, and then sentenced him." I whispered, starring down at her rapidly widening eyes. She looked completely horrified. I quickly realized my mistake and hurried to finish. "Sentenced him to a week without phasing, while he meets with the elders and goes on a spirit quest, to bond with his wolf."
She relaxed in my arms and heaved a heavy sigh. For a long time she stared blankly at my bare chest. I began to worry that she would never accept me now that she knew the truth of my split personality, but when she finally looked up at me she had a broad smile on her beautiful face.
"So the pack is okay now?" She asked in a hopefully. "Jake is gonna be okay?"
I won't lie. A small part of me wanted to lie and tell her nothing about the last proviso of the alphas edict, but I couldn't do that to her. I couldn't live with myself if I started our relationship with lies. "The pack is fine. I promise you that. They recognize how much stronger the alpha makes the pack as a whole. We're young and will only get stronger." I hugged her tighter, praying she didn't leave me after this. "And I think Jake will be okay after the week, but…. If he doesn't change his attitude after the week, then he will be banished from the pack and tribal grounds."
Bella stared at me blankly for several long minutes, her teeth biting into her plump lips. During the silence my heart began to beat harder and faster. My mind was running away with thoughts of her leaving me and taking our baby with her. She was shutting down just like after the Cullen's left. I had overwhelmed her. She hated me for this. She couldn't accept the alpha and she would never love me as much as I loved her.
"Alright." she whispered, startling me from my spiraling thoughts. I stared at her in silence, not really able to contemplate what she'd just said.
I shook my head, wondering if I had just imagined her saying that. "What?"
She smiled as she gently cupped my cheek. "I said alright." She kissed me, her lips feeling cool against my heated skin. "Jake has made a lot of mistakes lately, but I still think he can change. I'm glad the alpha gave him a chance."
My mouth gaped open at her. That was it? No other questions? "You…you believe me?"
She kissed me again and then her deep brown eyes met mine. " Of course I believe you! After everything that's happened in the last few months, finding out that there's another part of you is the least of my worries."
I was so incredibly relieved that she wasn't freaking out that I had to kiss her. I cradled her head in my hand as I brought my lips to her, kissing her as sweetly and deeply as I could. God, she tasted amazing. I had missed her taste, missed the feeling of her soft lips pressed against mine.
Arousal swamped through my body, intoxicating me, emptying my mind of every thought but how to bring her closer. The scent of her arousal was thick in the air and I felt the wolf rise to the surface, fighting me for control of our body. But I, Sam the man, wanted to be in control right now. I needed to touch her with my hands and lips, to taste her with my human tongue, and feel her pussy wrapped so tight around my cock. I wanted to ground myself in her, wanted to forget all the stress that was hounding us, and just be Sam and Bella for a little while.
So I did. I literally tore her clothes from her body, beyond desperate to feel her naked against my body. As soon as I saw her strawberry pink nipples I sucked one in to my mouth, lapping at the turgid skin before nipping it. Bella threw her head back and moaned as her dexterous fingers ran up and down my back, alternately scratching and caressing the naked skin. I licked her mark, thrilling in the way she mewed and pressed herself further against me. She reached one hand down and gripped my cock, squeezing it tight in her small hand.
"Fuck." I ground out, a shiver running through my body.
"Sam…. please." She nipped at my chest as she pulled my cock towards her wet slit. "I….I need."
"Shh." I soothed, taking my cock from her and running it between her dripping pussy lips. "I'll take care of you." I pressed my cock against the little bundle of nerves and felt her whole body tense deliciously.
She grabbed my head and kissed me, shoving her tongue into my mouth. When she leaned back, her swirling eyes met mine, and she smiled almost drunkenly. "I know you will Sam."
Joy surged through my body. She trusted me, at least with this, she trusted me to take care of her. All I had to do now was convince her that we could and would work. But first, first we both needed this.
I buried myself inside of her with one hard thrust. Her internal muscles rippled around me as if trying to pull me deeper inside of her. I gripped her sweet ass in my large hands, adjusting the angle so I could bury myself deeper inside her.
"More." She groaned, thrusting back against me.
I nipped her mark, priming her for what I was sure would be an explosive orgasm. "Always." I assured her. "I'll always give you more."
I clenched her hips tighter and began to ride her harder and faster, ever aware of keeping my weight away from the baby and my thrusts from becoming too animalistic. I could feel her body tense and knew she was getting close. I reached my hand between our bodies and began to circle her clit.
"Don't stop." She whimpered, her voice now husky with arousal.
I circled my fingers faster and bit down on her mark with my human teeth, loving the rough feel of the scar in my mouth. Both my wolf and I loved seeing and feeling our mark on her smooth skin. It meant she was ours and I was definitely a possessive bastard when it came to her.
"Yes… Sam." She screamed, coming completely undone. Her pussy began squeezing my cock rhythmically as I chased my own orgasm.
I removed my teeth from her mark and attacked her mouth, kissing her with all the passion I felt for the sweet, brave woman beneath me. I felt my rhythm begin to falter and then buried myself as deep inside her as I could to spill my seed.
"Bella." I could hear how deep and growly my voice had become, showing me just how close the wolf was to the surface.
Instead of collapsing on top of Bella I rolled to the side, shaping her against me as we caught our breathe. I felt amazing, almost high after the sex we'd just had. I wondered if it was related to the marking, but felt too fucking great to really think about it.
I looked down at my mate to find her face buried in my chest, inhaling my scent in deep, calming breaths. I was glad my scent was as powerful and soothing to her, as hers was to me. I gently nudged her with my chin, needing to see her eyes. She lifted her face until her satisfied eyes met mine. I smiled at her. Fuck, she was so beautiful. She was everything I never knew I'd always wanted. I just prayed she wanted me too.
"I love you Bella." I whispered. "I love you so much."