The Alphas’ P**n Star Mate

Mick cheered loudly. "Fuck yeah! That was fucking awesome!" He high-fived his brother, then threw his arms in the air, carrying on until he looked at me. I don't know what sort of expression I was making, but his cheerfulness slipped away pretty quickly. Miles tossed his cue stick to Mick, then marched over to me. I tried to smile to congratulate him, but couldn't bring myself to do it. I was working hard not to stomp on his foot and call for Lenny to help bash heads. "You won," I said dejectedly. "Guess I'll be stuck in my office for the foreseeable future."

Miles pressed his chest to mine, not saying a word. He just peered down at me with an intense look on his face.

"What? You want to bend me over the table right now?" I scoffed. I was getting pissed thinking about the loss. "Can we take a rain check? If someone hadn't cheated at the start, you couldn't be this smug, you pompous, too-tall jerk." His mouth twitched. "Too tall?"

He was standing over me, and it just slipped out. "Don't forget pompous."

"Oh, I won't," he said darkly. "Rain check denied." He growled, then surprised me by lifting me into the air, carrying me over to set me on the pool table. "You're going to be pretty busy from now on. We're doing this now while we have the time." My bows pulled down in confusion. "What do you mean? Busy doing what?" Picking out floral arrangements? What did he mean?

His arms rested on either side of my hips, trapping me there. His forehead pressed against mine, and I felt like I was crossing my eyes to hold his stare. "Elite training starts at six in the morning. Then we have meetings until noon, and mom will probably try to take you away for a few hours to get your Luna duties done. Then, we meet at the witches' house before dinner. Most of the time we have to go back to the warrior center after dinner because of your asshole ex." His eyes narrowed, then he added, "You aren't going to join the hunt, and you are keeping guards with you, even when you are with us, but you can help."

"Really?!" My chest started to tingle as his words fully registered. "You're not going to make me stay here like a doll."

He exhaled heavily, nuzzling his nose to mine. "You're not a doll. You're our mate."

"Miles, I don't like this," Mick spoke. "I don't think she should be exposing herself-"

"She will be with us," Miles cut his brother off. "She's right. She's just as capable as the rest of us, and has more in this fight than anyone. She's our equal, and I'm not going to hurt her anymore out of fear." "I still don't like it," Mick growled.

Miles looked his way with a crooked smile. "Then you play her."

Mick sighed, crossing his arms more tightly across his chest. I couldn't resist sticking my tongue out at him.

Miles lifted my chin, bringing my attention back to him. "I'm meeting you halfway, Chloe. I still don't want you to risk your safety, but you will be as involved as I can let you be from now on. Is that enough?"

"It's more than enough," I wrapped my arms around his neck. "You can beat me at pool anytime. I don't mind losing to you."

M

Miles POV

"What the hell were you thinking, man?" Mick growled. "This wasn't the plan."

"It wasn't your plan maybe," I snapped back, enjoying the feeling of my mate in my arms. After exhausting the pool table, we carried her over to the couch. Taking turns, we sweetly loved her, pouring all our affection into her writhing body. Now, she's asleep in my arms, while Mick sits on the couch opposite of us, pouting like a brat. "You weren't complaining earlier."

"Obviously not," Mick snapped.

I laughed softly, kissing the corner of my mate's mouth. "She's relaxed. For the first time in a while, she is completely relaxed and at peace in my arms."

"Yeah, because you're a traitor. If she gets hurt, then it's on you."

"She was already hurting, Mick. Did you not see her face when we walked in? Did you see the way she looked, broken and depressed when she thought she lost the game?"

Mick was silent, staring at I nuzzled and kissed Chloe's sleeping face. I craved my mate's happiness just as much as her safety. "How are we any better than him if we keep her safe, but she's not happy?"

"He's right," Rome said to Ivar. "She looked unhappy, just like she did at Fire Moon. It was hurting your bond."

"The bond needs to be protected just as much as everything else," Ivar agreed.

Mick's eyes swept down Chloe's body, wrapped in an old blanket that was resting on the faded couch. "She did look more like her normal self," he sighed. "It just scares me to think about losing her."

"She won't go anywhere without us and Lenny," I reassured him. "The biggest thing is to keep her informed. We weren't telling her anything." Ignorance is not always bliss. Especially when she was hurting so badly as we were trying to protect her from even knowing the extent of her problems.

I knew better. From how Mick reacted to our father's lack of communication, I should have known it would hurt her to keep her in the dark. She's not a doll, as she said. She's our mate.

If I lost my mate the way I lost my brother years ago due to miscommunication and silence, I wouldn't be able to live with the loss.

"You know, neither one of us pulled out," Mick reminded me.

I almost laughed. "Yeah. I know."

"I don't think she's ready for a baby."

"It wasn't about having a baby. It was not knowing why we weren't trying with her." I brushed her hair from her neck and inhaled her scent. "If it happens, I think she'll be okay with it now. Now that she knows that she's not our breeding machine." "Or a doll," Mick muttered. "More like a sex doll. I'm a fucking pro and can't keep up with her sometimes."

"Good thing she has two of us."

He snorted, but agreed. "We should get her up to bed for now. I need to check in with Rodger and Billy to see how the operation is doing."

"No news must be good news," I said. "When Chloe wakes up, we'll head over to the witches' house for word on how it went."