Refusing my Alpha mate
Chapter 18

Arthur

I just took a quick shower and drove to Tommy's Pack, it was much bigger than mine, but it was much smaller than the Troffendoll's, the Pack House was right in the center, and shared a central square right in front, I parked and I went directly to his office.

I hadn't come here after Tommy took over, my memories of this place were still of me and Tommy 10 years ago imagining what we would be like when one day we took over our parents' Packs. The secretary let me in, and the office that used to belong to Ronald, Tommy's father, now had more modern armchairs, but the rest was exactly the same, the large mahogany table, the high-back chair, a small bar to the left, and a fireplace in the background. I stopped for a few seconds at the door analyzing my friend, with a stack of documents in front of him, he took a while to notice my presence, but when his eyes lifted he saw me and smiled leaving his desk.

"Archie, what a pleasure. What brings you here?" He asked, opening his arms and hugging me tightly.

"I wanted to talk to you and see how you're doing as an Alpha. To see if I can handle the job." I said smiling, and Tommy took two steps to the side until he reached the small bar, he raised the bottle of whiskey, I nodded, and he started to pour us two shots.

"I'm sure you could handle it, friend. But that paperwork over there is scaring me a little." Tommy said, handing me my glass and taking a sip of his own. "But what did you want to talk to me about?"

I took the glass from Tommy's hands and shook it until the ice turned into circles, mixing the drink. I rested my hip on his desk, searching in my mind for the right words to say.

"Listen, friend, I talked to Clair today, and in the middle of the conversation I asked if she would come out on her own since she asked for my rejection." I started to say it, but it was difficult to say it out loud. "She told me yes, or that she would talk to you, to you reject your mate and perhaps take over the Pack with her." I vomited the words, let them escape, but it hurt just the same. Tommy almost spat the whiskey out of his mouth, and his eyebrows widened, I knew he was going to say something, but I continued. "I came to tell you that if by any chance you think about accepting, I just want you to take care of her as if she were the most perfect thing in the universe, I want you to know that I won't be upset with you, I know it would be for the sake of Packs. I just need you to promise me to be the most amazing mate anyone has ever had." I was going to continue talking, but Tommy put a hand on my shoulder and interrupted me.

"Archie, don't even continue…" He laughed, but it was a nervous smile. "I don't know what Clair said to you, but she's never even spoken to me directly, let alone brought up a subject like that. And I plan to meet my mate at a ball and honor her. I think what you're doing is beautiful, but I wouldn't agree to stay with Clair, because she already has an incredible mate that is you, and I wouldn't marry because of politics." Tommy's words brought me to reality at the same time as they calmed me. "But why did she tell you that?" Tommy still asked.

"I don't know friend, I really don't know. Monica thinks she repeats Ethan's speech." I said taking another sip of my whiskey and shaking my head.

I spent the rest of the morning with Tommy, he showed me the dynamics of his Pack, and it was nice to take a break from my dad and Clair. More and more I could see myself directing the Pack, I could see myself managing everything.

I still had lunch with Tommy and went home afterward, the next day I would have the last test of the games, but I still didn't know if it would really happen, after the attack in the rabbit game, and all of this made me even more anxious. I went out to train and I hoped that with each repetition the strength I exerted would erase some of my concern, but it wasn't exactly like that.

When I was in the last group of exercises, Hank, one of my guards who went to school with me, came into the training center.

"Alpha Arthur, you have a visitor. They are waiting for you in the living room." Hank said and my eyebrows furrowed instantly.

Who could it be? My heart jumped thinking it was Clair, but it would be too good to be true, wouldn't it?

Tommy, maybe?

But I literally just spent half the day with him.

Perhaps some informant from Clair's Pack canceling tomorrow's games was the most likely possibility.

"Thanks, Hank, I'll be right there," I responded to him and he saluted me and left. As I grabbed a towel and headed towards the Pack's house, as I was probably just a guard, I didn't even bother taking a shower or changing my clothes, I went from training straight to the living room, wearing just shorts and a towel on my shoulders, and I wasn't surprised when I saw David through the living room door.

It would probably just be him to give a message and see Monica for sure.

I walked into the room, draping the towel over my head, wiping the sweat from my hair, and her scent hit my nose first, the sweet, floral scent coming before I looked up to find Clair wearing a simple, form-fitting dress to her body, I had never seen her in casual clothes, and they added an extra layer of sweetness to her, in addition to showing me all her curves, and reminding me that even that day in the morning my fingers covered every inch of her. This all gave me an extra shiver, one of the usual ones I already felt when I saw her.

But when our eyes met, and I saw Clair swallow hard, I saw her eyes widen slightly, and her gaze slowly descended all over my body, making me go crazy for just imagining what was going on in her head, but when Clair took too long to look up again I cleared my throat.

"Clair, I'm sorry about the outfits, I didn't think it would be you, the guard didn't warn me and…" I started to say, but she opened a smile when her eyes met mine.

"No, I came without warning, but I didn't want to wait another second after the gift was ready." She said reaching back and taking a long black box from David's hands.

"Gift?" I asked without understanding.

"I just couldn't let go of the fact that you saved my life." She raised her eyebrow and tilted her head to the side as she handed over the box. "Twice."

I almost choked, I felt my heart speed up and I would never have imagined it.

How could she be so rational and sweet at the same time?

It was as if she was trying to confuse me on purpose, and with every rude action to push me away, she followed it up with a sweet, gentle, and kind gesture that made my fucking knees weak.

I stared at the box for a few seconds, I was afraid of moving and ruining everything. Monica interrupted my thoughts and asked me.

"Alpha, do you want your protein shake?" She told me making me look up and nod my head.

"Sure, that would be great, Mo," I said and she grabbed David by the arm.

"David, you'll join me in the kitchen, right darling?" She said, almost dragging him, and only then did I understand that she wanted to give us privacy more than feeding me.

And in less than 10 seconds the two left the room, at the same moment I opened the box, I moved a flowing red fabric aside to face a dagger, the piece was beautiful and completely carved, every detail encrusted and designed, there were arabesques and leaves that they outlined a red stone in the center, and then a damask steel blade made the piece simply perfect. I lightly ran my fingers over the piece, still not quite understanding what kind of emotion I was feeling.

"I asked our best blacksmith to make the blade, but I made the ornaments and set the stone myself." She said smiling, and my eyes looked into hers while a silly smile appeared on my lips, but to make things better she added it. "I chose a ruby because it's red, I think it was to remind you of me." She said, shrugging her shoulders while throwing her hair back, justifying the red hair, and as if I needed something to remember her by.

"I don't need a stone to remember you by." What I actually needed was something to get her out of my head.

My smile grew even wider. My jaw muscles almost hurt. I stared at the piece again for a few seconds, trying to digest it all.

"Did you like it?" She asked and when my gaze met hers, I saw Clair with a worried expression, her eyes wide.

Have I not made it clear yet?

"I loved Clair, it's beautiful, I…" I smiled again speaking. "I didn't expect it."

She now smiled with her hands clasped in front of her body.

"But you didn't need to give me a gift for saving you, I already told you it was my obligation, I couldn't not do it," I said, holding the dagger in my hands, wielding it, and taking another step towards Clair.

"I still wanted to." She said with her usual decisive and firm tone of voice, and now she took a step forward too, standing just a few centimeters away from me.

I saw her eyes go down again, she was staring at my chest and it made me remember that it was the first time she had seen me shirtless in a relaxed environment, without me taking her to the hospital. I took another half step forward, just to close the distance between us, Clair looked up, and at that moment she had to completely raise her head to look at me, and it was she too, who stood up on tiptoe just to make our lips touch and an electric shock ran through my entire body making me tingle, this was one of the good moments, the moments that I wanted to keep forever, that I would have all the time, that my body cried out for.

She placed both hands on my chest, a movement she made in every kiss of us, and which began to be my favorite part, her signature. I placed my hand that held the dagger against the side of my leg so there was no risk of its blade touching Clair, but I wrapped my free hand around her waist, pulling her close to me, gluing our bodies together and making her release a moan inside my mouth.

Okay I need to know your opinion on this.

Next chapter will be by Clair's perspective. I hope you are all excited the same way I'm.

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