Chapter 53

Noah

The alpha was a complete idiot. Noah could not imagine what had possessed him to choose the shallow princess over Almara. Still, he supposed he should be grateful. Almara had come running to him and he was all too happy to give her as much comfort as she needed.

That first night had been torture though. He had held her in his arms, undressed her, bathed her. His hands had touched every inch of her skin and it had almost driven him mad with desire. It had taken everything, every last bit of strength, to keep from ravishing her.

Noah longed to claim her. To make her his. That filthy mark the alpha left on her neck would be gone soon enough. And as soon as it was, he planned on leaving his own mark. Though he would have to make sure that she was willing.

As much as he wanted her, Noah did not mean to take her if she did not want to be taken. Still, he was not above using his gifts to his advantage. Almara still thought he was a werewolf, an Omega. She had no idea what he really was.

And he was going to keep it that way for as long as he could. Until she was fully in love with him. Until she was fully his. Until her feelings for the alpha were no more than a distant dream.

They were going to be one big happy family. At least that was his plan. And that was why he was going to slip her a drop of his blood tonight. If she ingested just the one drop, he’d be able to keep track of her physical whereabouts as well as her emotional state. There was also the bonus side effect of her being more open to him as a potential mate.

Of course, if there were no feelings there, his blood would do nothing to her. But Noah was well aware of how Almara felt about him. How confused she was about being attracted to him. Noah knew his blood would work.

After their lunch, Noah had let Almara decide what she wanted to do with the rest of her day. She had said she wanted normalcy and so they painted the morning away, but afterward had been new territory. She usually didn’t stay at his house for this long.

Almara had chosen to watch some movies in his cinema room. Comedies, naturally, and none that had anything to do with weddings. Since Noah was seemingly a shut-in, he had a great many movies. When she had settled in, he had excused himself. There were things that he needed to prepare for tonight.

It wasn’t often that someone of his stature took a liking to someone outside of his race. And definitely not with a werewolf. Their two species had been warring since the beginning of time. He had to make sure that he had permission from the council before he proceeded. If they rejected his request, he was just going to do it anyway, but politics were politics.

When he got to his study, he made sure to close the door behind him. His office was completely soundproofed. One couldn’t be too careful when everyone on his staff could hear a pin drop. He definitely didn’t want Almara over-hearing him if she happened to wander over this way.

He pulled out his cell phone. The phone rang several times before Axel picked up.

“Hello?” Axel answered groggily and Noah smiled. He should have known Axel wouldn’t be awake yet. Out of all the council members, he was the more laid back one, which was why Noah had chosen to call him.

“Late night, Axel? Who or what was it this time?” Noah asked, not bothering to hide the amusement in his voice.

Axel moaned. “Noah…what do you want? I need my beauty sleep, you know. That’s how I have so many late nights with pretty humans.” A feminine giggle erupted from the other side and Noah rolled his eyes.

“Axel, dearest, do me a favor and leave your pet for a second. I have something important that I need to discuss with you. It’s urgent.”

There was a rustling of sheets and more giggles while Axel excused himself. After a few seconds of waiting, Axel finally said, “This had better be good, Noah.”

“Oh, I think you’ll find it worth your time. You’ve heard of the Hurricane Pack, have you not?”

Axel hissed and muttered a few curses. “Of course I’ve heard of those mangy mutts. What about them? Do you have something to finally take them down?”

Noah pulled his lips back in a feral grin. “Perhaps. The alpha was supposed to be married today. But the future luna ran out of the rehearsal. And where do you think she is now?”

Axel didn’t say anything so Noah pressed on. “I have her at my house. She’s pregnant with the alpha’s unborn child. I plan to make her mine. With the council’s permission of course.”

He made sure not to mention his feelings for her. It would be better if the council thought she was just a pawn to be used. They wouldn’t understand it any other way.

“What makes you think we’d agree?” Axel’s voice had lost its sleepy edge. He was more alert now, more the council member than the man whore. Noah had to tread carefully. He might have been close to Axel, but that meant nothing in the grand scheme of things.

“If she were mine, I could raise the alpha’s child as my own. The heir would belong to us. I would say that is a proper bargaining chip, wouldn’t you?”

Noah held his breath. He had made his case. Now it was up to Axel on whether he would put the request to the rest of the council.

“I do believe you are right. I will bring this matter to the council. Once we have reached a decision, we will send you text. I think they can overlook that you wish to mate yourself to a flea-ridden wolf if it benefits us,” Axel said and Noah could hear the glee in his voice. He had won Axel to his side, at least.

“Thank you, dearest. I do hope that I hear from you soon,” Noah said and hung up. Now all he had to do was wait. If he didn’t get an answer by dinner time, he was going ahead with his plan, the council be damned.

Noah did not have to wait long. Only an hour after he had hung up with Axel, his phone vibrated.

Claim your mate. Tonight. We will be there to ensure that all is well.

His lips pulled back in a sneer. He had not expected them to drop by for this. The council usually kept to themselves. No matter. He would just have to put a strong sleeping potion in Almara’s drink as well. He didn’t want her to wake up to a room full of vampires.

As a single vampire, he could blend in with the wolves and alter his scent. But if the whole council were here, she’d easily detect that faint musk of death that they could not conceal in large groups.

He’d wait until dinner to give her the concoction. He could easily disguise it as a digestif. Noah didn’t think she would say no to one cocktail. Not today of all days.