FULL NOVELXO Chapter Togetherness
Living in bliss for the next few days felt like a fairytale. Making love to my mate every morning and night then waking up and training together, even if I never could beat him but I was starting to get close.
"It's getting harder to fight you off, Red." He said while wiping the blood from his lip.
Laughing, I threw my towel in his face then raised both my hands up making a give me your best shot gesture. He lunged quickly but I knew what he was going to do before he made his move, call it the mate thing or whatever you want but I was about to beat him at his own game.
Dodging his attack, I quickly turned and jumped on his back wrapping my legs around his torso. My sudden action took him by surprise, bringing him to his knees and as soon as he was on the ground I had him pinned beneath me.
"We can keep going all night mate but let me warn you, I'm not tired and I won't give up."
Feeling the rumble of his chuckle through his back, I stood up and held out my hand as he rolled over, taking it and letting me help him to his feet.
"You won this time but only because I'm starving."
After walking back to the pack house and taking a shower, we found our way to the kitchen where Naomi was just finishing up with lunch. She smiled as she brought a few dishes to the dining room leaving a delicious smell trailing behind her. My nose lifted into the air following her as she placed the food on the table.
"Naomi, this looks delicious." I said grabbing one of the chicken legs off the tray then taking a huge bite.
The crispy, spicy flavored crust hit my tongue, dancing around my taste buds like heaven in my mouth. Moans leaving my lips had both Naomi and Bishop clearing their throats. I sat there with my mouth wide open and the leg in my hand as they both looked at me.
"What? I'm hungry!" I said as I waved them off and sat down, pulling the plate in front of me.
"I'm just going to go into the kitchen and make some more." Naomi responded while laughing.
Bishop sat down next to me and grabbed for a piece when I growled and pulled the platter closer to my chest.
"Whoa there, Red."
Realizing what I had done, I released the platter and slid it to him saying, "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me." Blushing from embarrassment, I placed the bone back on the platter then wiped my hands with a napkin.
Turning towards me, he grabbed my face in his hands and looked deep into my eyes then kissed the tip of my nose. The blush on my cheeks turned to heat in my belly but it quickly cooled when the other members began entering the dining room.
His disgruntled growl made me laugh earning me a pinch to my inner thigh. I let out a yelp as he chuckled from my pain before turning to back towards the people gathering around the table.
Looking around, I watched as everyone surrounding us ate and talked like a family. A family that I was growing more fond of every day and just the thought of disappointing them in anyway made me sick to my stomach. The sudden sadness filling my heart hit me like a truck but it suddenly vanished when Bishop placed his left hand on my thigh.
I looked over and noticed that he was stuffing his face and wondered how he knew what I needed when he said, "You can't hide anything from me, Red. Now eat."
Lifting my fork to my mouth, I finished off the delicious meal before me just like everyone else and chatted as the plates were cleared away. A few of the women asked me to join them for wine night and I graciously agreed. Once everyone was done, Bishop and I went to his office to get some work done.
Sitting next to him behind the big wooden desk made me feel important and not just because I would be the Luna of Black Claw pack but because these people believed in me even when they knew nothing about me. They had only just met me and had accepted me into their pack without question, yet my old pack knew me for my entire life and had no faith in my abilities. I had finally found my worth and there was no way I was going back.
For hours we sifted through hundreds of pages of paperwork, mostly spreadsheets with financial garble but there were also medical documents, legal files and forms from other packs discussing possible treaty's. One pack in particular caught my eye and when I began reading through it, I stopped and looked at Bishop.
"The Red River Pack hasn't been around for years why would they have sent a request for union?"
He took the papers from me and looked them over and sighed. "This letter was dated last October when I wasn't here. They probably reached out for help but Deacon wasn't qualified to make that decision so he never responded."
Watching his face harden, I took the papers from him and grabbed his hand. "Don't blame yourself, Bishop. That pack had issues for years, they even reached out to our council for help but we knew they never had the best intentions for their members. You not being here to help them was not the reason they went under."
He turned his head but I grabbed his chin and forced him to look back at me. "You are a great Alpha and an even better man. I know you would never let anyone down despite being dealt such a horrible past but this was not your fault."
"I swore to all of my members and fellow Alphas that no matter what they needed I would help them. It's what my father would have done and I wanted to make him proud."
"And you do every day but you can't help everyone. Trust me, I know what it's like to let people down even if you never meant to but that doesn't make you a bad person, it defines who you are."
"You would have made a great Alpha, Red."
"It's not what I was meant to be and I am more than happy to step aside and let you lead things, plus it's really sexy when you do."
"How about we agree to lead together, like we're supposed to."
"Deal."
Having settled the argument of who was the better leader, we finished up and headed upstairs to get some sleep. Spending time here had strengthened our relationship substantially and life was finally beginning to settle down. If I would have known finding my mate would have caused this much joy, I would have dropped my ideas of being Alpha long ago but I guess it all happens for a reason.
Em has gotten ballsy since she met Bishop and I like it. I wonder if they will continue to train together if she starts getting stronger and keeps beating him.
Well dang Em, I like my food too but why you going all animalistic like that. HAAAAAA. Her members seem like they have taken to her well and are ready to have her become their Luna.
I hope Bishop stops taking the blame for things he had no control over, it wasn't his fault his first mate was a flake so why is he always beating himself up.