Chapter 37
The Alpha's Mate
The next day…
"We're heading to New York tomorrow," Sion said, his voice soft as against a low growl that always vibrated through the air between them. "I told the Stans I'm married to you and put a stop to Tisra's incessant advances. They were disappointed, but who cares." He shrugged, a casual gesture that belied the simmering storm within him. "I tried to resist her politely, but she wouldn't back down."
Why was he trying to explain to her the situation between him and Tisra? He never did that before. Safia was over the top of the world after learning about the news. Finally there was something that paid off about their marriage. Sion wasn't the tasteful, edifying treat she had once seen him as, nor the immortalizing nectar she craved in her dreams. On the contrary, an angry Sion was a beast—unpalatable and scary. He was a force of nature, a raging storm that left destruction in its wake.
"Pack your bags. The chopper is arranged for six in the morning." With that final order, Sion turned and disappeared into his home office, leaving Safia in a daze.
Why was this man so angry? He seemed to get ticked off at the drop of a hat. But a secret smile played on Safia's lips. She didn't understand why his simple statement—that he had claimed her as his wife—filled her with such an irrational sense of happiness.
"Hi Tyla" Safia said into her phone, her voice bright with a happiness she couldn't contain. "I asked Sion about the company's dues. I don't know why the manager lied, but all the debt is cleared. If he puts a seal on my company, I'm going to rip his throat out." She chuckled, the threat a joke she knew she could never make good on.
Tyla was clueless. "I wonder how that could happen. I checked the bank statement myself before I called you."
"Don't think too much about it. All's well that ends well. I'll be back in New York the day after tomorrow." Safia sighed contentedly, unaware that Sion had meddled with the dates, manipulating the situation to make it seem as if he had cleared her company's dues long ago. In reality, he had forgotten all about it until Albert, his Beta, called and reminded him.
"How is the hero who doesn't know how to smile?" Tyla's teasing was a light jab.
"I can tell you're taking a lot of interest in him," Safia replied, twisting her lip in annoyance. "Not that I'm jealous, but he's not quite a mix of ambrosia when you look at him up close. Just a caution, in case you need it."
"Sweet heavens, I'm not a she-wolf to eye my friend's mate. I'm your well-wisher, and I want you to be happy with him."
Tyla fanned her face, the sound a soft flutter over the phone.
Safia giggled like a pup. "His hands are so strong, worn, and reliable. But as a cherry on top, I admire his ability to ruin things whenever I feel the attraction. He does all of it with a wicked panache."
"Maybe sarcasm is not only his trait but yours too," Tyla chortled.
Safia chewed on her lips, a look of indignation on her face as she continued her narration. "He's the kind of man I'd like to call a Controllo. It's either his way or the highway. He can charm the pants off you at first, make you feel like you're the center of the universe. But once he's got you hooked...Bam! The other shoe drops. He has a heart incapable of love. My boss is a dick and nothing more to me."
Innocent Safia had no idea that Sion was listening to every bit of their conversation. Eavesdropping was not a good thing to do, but he wanted to know his representation in her mind. He was a ruthless Alpha, but, her opinion of him mattered because he was still in love with her.
A smile played on his face, one that wouldn't die even though she was cursing him like a crazy villager. Someone might call him a lovesick pup. So be it. He was fortunate that his love was back and had not betrayed him like he thought. Safia's words from the previous night replayed in his head—"Everything you see may not be the truth. I truly loved Guild, and what I told him that day were not the words from my heart."
Did she have any pressure to say those heartless words to him? How was he going to make her tell him the truth?
By the time he finished studying, it was late. He twisted the handle of Safia's bedroom door. As expected, she was sleeping soundly, her red hair sprawled on the bed like a crimson river.
"Damn girl, how do you rest that way? You weren't sleeping like this earlier. What changed in these few years?" He muttered, moving her hair aside and removing his shirt before he made a place for himself to sleep.
Half an hour later, sleep was still far away. The only solution was to have Safia in his arms. He got closer to her and pulled her into his embrace, his body molding against hers.
Safia snuggled more into him in her sleep. "Hmm," Sion groaned, inhaling the scent of her hair, his nose trailing from her face down her long, slender throat, reaching the swelling of her breasts. He kissed her there and removed the top button of her night shirt to kiss the heart tattoo of his name on her left breast.
His fingers ran appreciatively over the mark. "You're mine, my love, forever," he whispered.
Safia moaned in her sleep. "Guild, please stay with me. PLEASE, don't run away. We need to talk. Talk to me, Guild. I'm going crazy here. ANSWER THE FUCKING PHONE. You need to hear me out."
"How is it you see me each time you close your eyes, yet when you open them, you don't?" He looked so torn, so heartbroken. "I'm here with you, sweetheart. Where can I go without you?" He pecked her lips softly.
Somewhere in the middle of the night, Safia felt mild stings of sweat from various parts of her body, which reminded her of passionate exertions. Her hand reached her neck, which had several love bites. Between her legs was the evidence of her lost virginity. Her lips were swollen from endless kissing and lip biting. Where had Guild gone off to? She lazily swung out of bed, searching the room.
Her eyes suddenly snapped open. Damn it, it was only a dream. Safia felt the necessity to pee and woke up from sleep. To her surprise, Sion was right there, sleeping soundly beside her.
As if she was bitten by a cobra, she immediately looked around and found she was in her own room. But he was in hers. Anger flashed in her eyes like a whirlwind. "How dare you, Sion Canes, to intrude in my personal space?" She could not stop herself from asking, even though she knew he was sleeping.
Only then did she understand why the bed beside her had been a crumpled mess the previous night. He had slept beside her all night, making her believe there was an intruder. Fuck! She hated him for all the turmoil she had endured in the last 24 hours. Wasn't he the one who asked her to get out of his room on their wedding night?
Safi was hot under the collar. She reached the door to escape his presence and twisted the knob. But to her surprise, she found it locked.
"That won't open," he said, his eyes still closed. "You have no way but to sleep beside me on the same cot."
"How the hell could you enter my room and sleep in my bed without my permission?" Safia shouted at him.
"Calm down, my Boo Boo baby. Remember this is my house? So I have the keys to every room. I can sleep wherever I want. You can't stop me. We have an early morning flight to catch. Rest for sometime, and we can be back tomorrow morning to being Tom and Jerry." Sion replied in his usual cocky nature, bringing in his all-pervasive personality.
"Is there a word called privacy in your dictionary? If you could recall, you were the person who asked me to vacate your bedroom on our wedding night." Safia's patience was walking on thin ice.
"People change. Earlier, I didn't want you because I hated you, but now I know there can be misunderstanding, and you are not the person you projected to me earlier." Sion spoke sternly but with repentance for his previous action.
"Uh huh?" Safia blinked her eyes in mockery. "Good evening, arm candy, but you can't woo me with your words. I'm the same person from a month ago. Nothing changed in me. But I understand you are a chameleon for changing your colors."
He moved beside her to create more space and then looked at her with sleepy eyes. "I don't understand how there appears to be a word called privacy between a husband and wife. You are fortunate that I accepted you back in my life. Thank your lucky stars for it." He replied, his Alpha ego on full display.
If Safia had the authority, she would have strangled him to death. "Thanks for your extreme generosity," she spoke with pompous indignation. "But I don't require it, and I am glad the way we are—husband and wife only on paper. I don't love you."
Somehow, her last sentence did not seem palatable to his ears. "You don't like me, or are you afraid of falling in love with me? Look, I know I am irresistible, but you don't get to choose every time you get a chance to cover your attraction for me. I am the one with authority here, and I decide." Sion pulled her back to bed and started kissing her, his lips a demanding force against hers.
Though Safia was desperate to get over him, his smooches were addictive, pulling her more and more into the oasis of love. Sion's hands went around her curvaceous body, keeping her firmly under him. His knee went between her legs, bringing in sensations she had not experienced in a while. "Stop there. Put on a shirt," she squealed and put a pillow between them. "This pillow will serve as a border between us. You don't cross yours, and I will not mine. In this way, we can amicably sleep in one bed." She smiled at him with innocence.
"Okay, as you say." Sion scratched his eyebrow and looked at her playfully. "What if this border is thrown away?" Within a blink of her eye, Sion was back, snuggling with her on the bed. "Are you drunk because you can't sort out things with me in your sobriety?"
Sion didn't reply, his eyes situated on her breast. Safia's eyes followed him. She gulped and immediately fixed the button of her shirt. "Eyes here, mister," she snapped her fingers to get his attention.
Sion raised his eyes to her but was still in a stupor. "Why did you get a heart there? Don't tell me it's none of my business. It is my business because I'm your husband now, either you call me a contract husband or a real husband."
Safia gave a defeated look. "It is a tattoo I got done for Guild. But that doesn't matter now because he is no more."
"When you loved him so much, why did you reject his proposal?" Sion held her hands in support.
Safia wiped her tears. "I do not want to speak about Guild," she said, turning around.
"Sophia, I need to talk to you. We need to talk about Guils. Running away from the truth doesn't help us in any way. I know he is the gray area of your past. But you need to overcome it. Look, I'm not jealous of him. I just want to know about your past." Sion urged, but there was no reply.
On the contrary, he could hear the soft sound of her breathing. She was fast asleep.
A deep sigh flew out of his throat. Another one of his attempts to know the truth had failed. He was the Alpha of his pack, used to getting what he wanted, but with her, every step was a battle.
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