Chapter 45 – The Alpha’s Defiant Mate Novel

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Jay-la POV

Her fear of Sophia’s retribution if she ever found out was real. No Luna would stand for bastard children trying to claim what was her children’s birth right. She bit her lip, wondered, did he have children with Sophia? Alpha Blaine had told her Sophia was gone, but that didn’t mean there weren’t children running around. Just one more thing to ask him, perhaps she should make a list and just hand it to him, let him answer in whatever order he saw fit.

She was in the pack house headed for the laundry to find suitable clothing for the triplets. They were all looking around at the pack house. Stephen had walked over to her the minute she walked into the pack house and smiled at her. “how are you feeling?” he asked her. She could hear the concern in his voice.

“ You’re all bastards, do you know that?” she shot at him. Knowing he would understand her meaning.

He laughed “yes…but that’s okay.’ his Gamma Charm fell over her and his southern accent fell out of his mouth, she punched him hard in the arm and he burst out laughing “sorry Jay-la, I did want to tell you but was under orders not to. You’ll need to speak to him about why, but he had his reasons. I personally would have just sedated you and dumped you right in his bed, boom, problem solved” he grinned.

“ You think so, huh?”

“yep.” he nodded, “on the topic, Suzzy, could you call her and have her come here to assist with the pups?”

Jay-la stopped walking down the hallway, turned to look at him. “Why?” but she wasn’t so dumb, no wolf would just ask for a human to be brought here for no reason, and the stupid boyish grin on his face told her she knew the reason. Well, thank the goddess she had insisted on Suzzy not letting them in the apartment that day, he might have bloody seduced her.

“She’s my mate.” he shrugged, but couldn’t wipe that stupid grin off his face. then handed her her phone, surprisingly.

First Rae-Rae and now Suzzy, poor women had no idea what they were in for.

“Where are you going?” he suddenly asked her.

“Well, I have no winter clothing appropriate for the children”, she indicated the three of them wearing oversized adult jackets. “so I figured the Pack Laundry would have some in the lost and found.”

He shook his head. “No, that won’t do. Come on. Alpha has been preparing for your arrival for weeks now. The pups are already enrolled in school, just no start date I believe, and their rooms are all set up and though I was not here, my Luna was with you, the whole time. He has likely gone ahead and prepared clothing for them, as well as you, I’m sure. Come, let’s go up and see.” he grabbed on to her arm and turned her to head back the way they came.

“What, wait…I don’t want to go up there.”

Stephen laughed “Oh yes you do…and I know Kora definitely does.” he turned to tease her lightly.

Just great Kora was already excited, wagging her tail and prancing happily inside Jay-la’s mind at the thought of being in her Mate’s room. He called to the children and they ran towards them, catching up to him.

“Stephen,” she warned him.

“What! you think you can get past my Charm…” he laughed softly “I dare you to try,” he teased her playfully. As he punched the elevator button and they stood waiting for it.

“Where is he?” she asked nervously. She had made the decision to accept him and this would be the first time coming across him since then. Goddess knows Kora was crazy happy with her, and excited that finally she and Nathan would mark and mate each other, which would give her access to her mate via the mind-link.

“Haven’t seen him this morning. I crashed out after Havoc ran off to find Kora. You my dear, are an emotional mess and exhaust me to know end.”

“Sorry about that.”

He shrugged, “comes with the job.” They stepped into the elevator and rode it up the five floors.

She found Luna Darla and Alpha Blaine standing not far from the elevator, clearly expecting them. Both their eyes fell on the triplets right away as they stepped out and onto the floor.

She watched as Alpha Blaine’s eyes glazed over for a few seconds, then he refocused on the children.

Could she introduce them to his parents before him? he was the Alpha. She had no idea what the protocol was here, but clearly Alpha Blaine and Luna Darla didn’t seem to care much, as they walked over towards them. To her surprise, Luna Darla sank down on her knees and introduced herself and her Mate to the triplets right away, no hesitation at all, clearly she didn’t care what Nathan might think about it. Her interest was in meeting her grandchildren, that much was clear. The triplets looked up at her for confirmation and she simply nodded at them.

She saw him appear in the hallway, stepped out of the Alpha Suite, he was running his hands through his blonde hair, was trying to smooth it over. He was wearing blue jeans and a white tee-shirt that was well fitted and showed off his chest muscles, as well as his abdomen. She could see the outline of his eight pack. Wow, he’d only had a six pack last time she’d been with him, he was barefoot and there was stubble on his chin, he honestly looked like he’d just rolled out of bed, and thrown on what ever was closest to him.

When her eyes met his, there was a smile on his face, and she realised he’d seen her take him in from head to toe, damn it stupid Mate Bond. She heard Kora chuckle inside her head ‘our Mate is hot.’ Jay-la shook her head and tried to stop the blush that was creeping up her face at being caught checking him out. How embarrassing.

He walked right over to her, the triplets were all staring at him, he smiled down at them, bloody hell how was she supposed to keep her senses about her when he smiled like that, she’d forgotten how much his smile could affect her. Had buried her feelings for him for so darn long that some of them were actually forgotten, but now they were coming back in full force due to the Mate Bond.

Being this close to him, after making the decision to accept him was not helping her, she was being drawn to him and she really did want answers before being seduced by him.

Kora chortled in her mind, ‘Mark and Mate, then get answers.’

‘No, I need answer’s Kora. I know we want him, but too much stuff to ignore. I’m sorry I know you want full access to your mate, but please…’

Kora huffed ‘fine.’

She refocused on the people around her to find Nathan staring right at her. He had probably asked her a question, she realised but she had been talking with Kora and had not been listening. So used to them being on their own that she had just tuned everything out like she always did, giving Kora her full and undivided attention.

“Sorry, did you ask something?”

“What brings you this way?”

Her eyes turned to the children who were all still staring at him, “um, well I wasn’t coming up here but Stephen kind of dragged me.”

“Mum says your our father.” Lilly said quietly. She had a hand on his jeans on his knee, tugging at it to get his attention.

Jay-la bit her lip, and watched as his eyes moved to the small girl in front of him. She was staring up at him and even Jay-la could see the look of hope in her daughters’ eyes. They would feel a connection to him as they had with her father, it would likely be pretty instant, especially with him being the Alpha.

She watched as he hunkered down and smiled at her, “ Yes sweetheart, I am your father, now let me see…which one are you?” his head tilted to the side and his eyes narrowed, as if to really look at her.

Jay-la watched as Rosalie hurriedly stepped up to stand next to her twin sister. They were identical and the girls were clearly wondering if he could tell the difference between them. She had no idea if he knew which girl was which, was a bit curious herself if he could tell them apart. Lilly was the more brazen whereas Rosalie was a little reserved, but if you didn’t know that you wouldn’t be able to tell them apart, Jay-la and Kora could pick them by the inflection in their voices and their scents were different, though not by much.

He looked from one to the other for a full minute then tapped Lilly right on her cute button nose. “ You are Lilly, I believe.”

The squeal that peeled out of her in her excitement and joy that he knew which child she was, was ear piercing, even Kora whined and shook her head. She watched as both her girls jumped on him in their excitement that their father could tell them apart even though he’d never met them before. He laughed out loud and hugged them to him, as they knocked him off balance and he fell backwards onto his backside.

Jay-la watched him close his eyes as he hugged them, felt tears well up in her own eyes and had to turn her head to look away from the scene before her. It was something she had always dreamed about, but never ever dared to let herself believe would ever happen. It pulled at all her heartstrings, to see him accept them so readily. She felt a hand on her back and knew it was Stephen “breathe”, he whispered to her through the mind-link.

Oh, this was going to be more difficult than she thought. She took a moment to pinch the bridge of her nose and gain her composure, blink away the tears that were threatening to spill down her face, it took a good 30 seconds and she had to breathe her way through it. When her eyes finally moved back to them, he was looking right at her, concern written all over his stupid handsome face. She waved him off, not trusting her voice. If she had to talk to him it might just break her resolve and she was still mad at him.

She watched as he popped the girls back on to their feet and turned to look at his son. Nate was standing there with his arms folded over his chest, he wasn’t going to be so easily won over. Jay-la thought, that’s my boy, get your stubbornness from me. Nathan got up off his backside and hunkered before Nate, extended his hand “you have looked after your sisters very well.”

“Someone had to.” the boy shot at him and turned and walked away to stand next to his mother. His tiny hand reached up into hers and his grip was very tight.

Nathan dropped his hand, sighed softly and stood up. There wasn’t much he was going to be able to do about it. Nate would come around only when he was ready.

Nathan’s eyes moved to her, “you said Stephen made you?”

“She was headed for the laundry to find winter clothes in the lost and found for the children.” he shrugged.

“Oh! Well, that I can fix that.” he nodded to Stephen. “Jay-la, if you and the children come this way, I have made sure already, they will want for nothing.”

She wanted to yell at him about what right he had to do that, but Kora was warning her not to in her mind, he was trying to show her that he had already accepted them.

Both girls ran up to him, taking a hand each and smiled brightly up at him, willing to go wherever he wanted to take them. Already accepted him just like that, Alpha blood’s she shook her head.

Found he was watching her with a raised eyebrow, she didn’t say anything, better to keep her mouth shut lest she piss off Kora, heck she would wind up marked by Havoc if Kora got really mad at her. So she just motioned for him to lead the way.

She followed him with Nate holding onto her hand tightly. The boy didn’t know what to make of the situation. She hesitated at the doors to the Alpha Suite, did she even want to be in there, he would have been in here with Sophia and she didn’t want to think about that woman. He noted her hesitation and said “you can leave the room anytime you like Jay-la.”

He was standing just inside the doors. He had pushed them both open. She noted it was very neat, all black and white, white walls and white rugs on dark hardwood flooring, with black furniture, even the lamps were black and white, there was a large mirror over a fireplace and several doors off the room. She had a vague memory of the Alpha Suite but it didn’t look like this in her mind. She had no idea where all those doors went.

“It was mum and dad’s suite until about a year ago, they moved out and into a smaller suit, seeing as it’s just them and Halley, now. And I renovated to make more room. So it doesn’t look like you would recall from your childhood.”

“Whose Halley?” she asked, not knowing the name.

He laughed softly, and a shiver ran down her spine. It was deep, gravelly and filled with amusement ‘My little sister, actually she’s 5, same age as ours babies.”

‘our babies’ Kora was suddenly purring at him. So loud he could hear it, they all could.

Jay-la frowned and rubbed her chest. But Kora wouldn’t stop, just eased off to a mere hum.

Nathan chuckled again “I think Kora likes it when I say that.” his tone was light and a little playful to her ears.

“ You said you could fix the clothing issue.” Jay-la changed the subject, trying to ignore how his laugh was starting to affect her. The longer she was in his presence the harder it was going to be for her to resist him to get her answers.

“ Yes I did.” he walked past her off to her left, and pushed through a door. There were several other doors down the long corridor. She counted 6.

“Bedrooms, three of which I have set up for our children, of course if they don’t like it they may make changes at will.” he stepped through the door and pointed to the second and third doors. “ Girls go check out your rooms.” they ran off screaming with excitement. His eyes moved to Nate. “This one is yours son.” he indicated to the first door.

Jay-la noted that each door actually had their names on them, she watched him let go of her hand and walk over to it and push the door open. Jay-la followed him into the room. The twins, it appeared from all the yelling and squealing she was hearing, were completely happy about their rooms.

Nate’s room had a large bed against the back wall, with light blue bedding and there was a desk off the left of the bed, over by the window, along with a school bag and uniform draped over the back of a chair. He had his own bathroom and large walk-in closet which stood open, she could see it was filled with clothing, to the right side of the bed was a sitting area with bean bags, a TV up on the wall, a couple of gaming consoles were set up and there was a remote on the small table which told him he had access to pay TV, and there in the corner was a small fridge and a shelf full of snacks.

He was walking around touching things. He had never had a room like this before, “If you want to change anything son, you can.”

Jay-la froze. She hadn’t realised just how close Nathan was to her, she had been looking around and watching Nate’s reaction to realise that Nathan was standing almost directly behind her. It was only when he spoke did she realise it. She glanced at him, her eyes met his. He was no more than a foot away, and his deep dark blue eyes were on her, and he was looking at her almost as he used to, with desire burning in them. She swallowed hard and took a hasty step away, further into the room before she was sucked into them and unable to move away.

He smiled right at her, ‘do you want to see our room?’ he asked softly, through the mind-link, his voice had deepened quite a lot and his undertone was all seduction.

Her eyes widened in shock at his suddenly seductive tone, which only made his smile deepen, ‘no’ she shook her head a little bit terrified and little bit excited at the same time. She turned and walked clear across the room to get away from him, the damned Mate Bond that was becoming harder by the minute to resist.

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