7 - Damaged Ego

~Alpha Devlin~

From across the booth, Gemma frowned at me. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. She never made it easy for me. I shook off my feelings of inadequacy. I was her alpha and in control of the situation. I grinned at her.

Her glare narrowed on me. “Is there something specific you wished to discuss?”

I ignored the way she clung to her wine glass as if it embodied her sanity. “No more sleepovers with Tyson. I mean it.” It was a demand, actually. I resented the bond she shared with my younger brother. Sure. It may have been jealousy over her spending time freely with him while avoiding me at every turn.

Her smile devastated me. I felt the unrelenting tug of my soul seeking hers. It tore me up inside that she never seemed affected by the bond I knew to be there. I took a swig of my whiskey. It was nearly impossible for werewolves to get drunk. No. It didn’t stop us from trying. I enjoyed the burn of the alcohol in my gut replacing other sensations.

“Is that all? Easy. Done. We could have had this chat in my office.”

Again her smile stole my breath. “I also want to discuss the future.” My wolf growled unhappily as the smile disappeared from her face.

Gemma cleared her throat. “Look. No matter what happened in our past, I wish you and Twyla all the best. You will make beautiful babies. And I meant what I said to Tyson, just don’t ask Aunt Gemma to babysit.”

“Twyla?” When Gemma confirmed this by nodding, I scowled. “Damn. I just thought…”

“Don’t think! You always overthink and complicate shit. Let life take its natural course. We have no idea when you or Sadie will bring your spawn into the world. It could be this year, or five years from now.”

She surprised me by covered my hand with her own. Gemma deflected any attempts at physical contact so I savored the small gesture. My thumb caressed her hand. I closed my eyes and inhaled sharply. “Whenever I am close to you, all I can think about is dragging you to my room and fucking you until my wolf is satisfied.”

Her mouth fell open. She glanced at the people around us. Not that anybody gave a fuck about what we were talking about. Still, her cheeks turned bright pink.

“Rude, sir! Are you crazy? Someone might overhear you! This is my favorite restaurant. I’d like to be able to return sans humiliation.”

Since my feelings were already on display, I decided the best course of action was to keep the lines of communication flowing. “And when I’m away from you, I can’t stop thinking about you. It’s driving me insane.”

Gemma squirmed in her seat. “Isn’t Twyla satisfying you in the bedroom department? You seem very close.”

“Hell no! My wolf lost interest in her weeks ago.” I nearly choked on the words. I should just tell her the truth already, that there never was a me with Twyla. But her Gran had seemed so certain...

“Forget about your wolf. What about you?”

“You don’t understand. My wolf is stronger than most. Even now, if you allowed me, I would drag you on top of this table and eat your sweet cunt until you begged me to stop.” To prove my  point, I grabbed her arm and thigh and pulled her around the circular booth until our bodies were touching. I didn’t stop there. I kept my hand buried between her thighs.

“Do you have nothing to say?” My voice sounded grumpy even to me. I needed some sort of reaction from her. Fuck it! I was going to push my luck with her. She moaned when my thumb caressed the hard little nub between her legs. My wolf rumbled with satisfaction.

“What am I supposed to say? I don’t understand what you want from me!” Gemma shoved my hand away.

I smiled, knowing I still had the power to affect her. “It’s simple, sweetheart. I want to take you back to my place and fuck you into next week.”

“Why your place and not mine? It’s closer.”

I felt my cheek twitch in response to her question. I leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I want your scent to linger in my bed.” I  My lips pressed gently on the side of her neck. It was the very spot I would mark her if only she would agree to be mine!

“Nope. Not interested.” Gemma insisted.

My lip curled. I tired of playing games. Time to assert some authority over my wayward human. “You mistake me, witch, by giving me more credit than I deserve. I am not asking your permission. I am informing you as a courtesy that I intend to mate with you until you are out of my system.”

“And do you have any idea how long it will take to rid me from your system? You know, so I can make plans?” She asked calmly, taking another sip of her wine.

I sensed a shift in her mood. Unfortunately for her, I had no fucks to give. “I’ve no idea if it is even possible. I’ve never gotten away from my desires for you. It’s bordering on obsession.”

She set her glass on the table. My eyes widened as I heard her inner thoughts. She debated whether or not my feelings for her were true and whether she, a lowly human, could ever be good enough for an alpha. I downed the rest of the amber liquid in my glass. Gemma must have been rattled to let her thoughts slip through. She was normally greedy with her inner dialog.

I put a finger under her chin and tilted up to force eye contact. “You aren’t any human, Gemma. You are my human. And I would forsake all women just to have you at my side.”

Her eyes turned glossy. “Damn you. I do my best to respect your privacy. Why can’t you do the same for me?”

Again, her thoughts slipped through. Of course she plotted about running away from me because all men were the enemy. Really? Florida? It was too damn hot and humid there. “I am the reason you’ve grown so cynical and for that I am sorry.”

“You are?” She wore a suspicious expression.

“Yes. I am also sorry it changes nothing. I will have you. Again. And again.”

Gemma snorted. Loudly. She mentally projected an insult my way. ‘Our clan should have been named Pig-Headed Alpha Pack’.

“Gemma, that is not funny. My head does not look like a pig.” My anger began to build. Dammit. Her continual rejection damaged my ego. I had no problem with the female gender. Too bad the only female I wanted was fucking stubborn as hell.