Alpha Queen (Claimed by Wolves #4) - Callie Rose Page 0,15

leans her head against my arm, and I feel like my heart could explode with happiness as she adds, “I just thought maybe you could use a little reminder.”

6

Sable

I give Trystan’s arm a squeeze in a kind of awkward arm hug, and he draws to a slow halt.

When I look back up at him, he’s staring at me with such a funny, un-Trystan-like expression on his face, that I almost laugh. Then his hands wrap around my elbows and he drags me against him, that bewildered expression falling away as it’s replaced by something warmer.

“Goddammit, I love you,” he murmurs, conviction ringing in his voice.

Without another word, he drops his head and kisses me.

His arms wrap around my waist, and his palms send little tingles up my spine as he tugs me closer. I rise up on my toes, pressing my body against his, and a low rumble of desire comes from deep inside his chest. Our kiss deepens. Quickens. His lips taste like ambrosia, like I’m standing in heaven and about to be as high as a goddess can go. Our tongues touch, and his fingers sink into my hips to yank me against his growing erection.

I lose all concept of time and give myself over to the sensation of him in my arms.

Before the kiss can go even further south of publicly indecent, Trystan finally breaks away, breathing hard. His fingers slide up and down my back, stroking me as if he’s unwilling to let me go just yet.

I know the feeling, I think, as I lace my fingers together behind his back and hold on tight.

“I love you too, you know,” I whisper.

He chuckles, then clears his throat since his voice is still thick with desire. “I’m lucky as hell you do. I’ll spend my whole damn life trying to deserve you.”

“You already do.”

He makes a soft noise in his throat. “Only because you make me a better person.” He draws back a little to look at me. “Hey, I need to go talk to my pack. Do you want to come with me?”

“Of course I do,” I reply with a nod. “My place is at your side.”

He beams. The smile is so boyishly happy that it sets my heart racing all over again. I could spend the rest of my life making him smile like that, and it still would never be enough. I’d always want more.

First, we stop at a house near Archer’s little cottage, where two of Trystan’s buddies have been shacked up with a young East Pack family. I love that we find them in the yard with the kids—two huge meathead shifters having a tea party in the grass with tiny teacups and two towheaded little girls.

When they see their alpha, they leap to their feet, looking slightly embarrassed at being found in such a compromising position. But Trystan just grins at the little girls and apologizes for interrupting their tea party.

I think I fall in love with him all over again in this moment.

He explains to the two men that he wants to have a meeting with what I surmise is his inner circle—a group of pack members who are well-respected and liked. His buddies agree to help us track down those people, and while they say goodbye to the little girls and then take off in one direction, we head in another. Trystan knows that one of the people he wants to talk to is staying nearby.

I remain silent as we go to three different houses, picking up people along the way. The shifters are intrigued by Trystan’s sudden arrival and cryptic request for a private meeting, but not a single one of them refuses their alpha. When we finally gather in the East Pack meeting house, there are about ten people, including Trystan’s two buddies and myself. I hang back behind him to give him center stage, and I’m surprised when his two friends fall into place on either side of me. One gives me a kind smile, and the other winks.

Score one for the mate. Maybe I’ll win all these packs over yet.

I’m only here to observe and support, so I stay silent in the background as Trystan begins to speak.

He sits at the large table with his pack members and drags his chair closer before he folds his hands on the tabletop and addresses the group. “Ladies, gentleman, thank you for agreeing to this impromptu meeting. I know I might’ve taken you away from important duties or