Cedar lay with her hand on Alexei's chest feeling the rapid beating of his heart against her palm. His eyes opened slowly and she was pinned in their smoky brown depths as he pierced her with a look that screamed possessiveness. She was already fighting to control her breathing after the wild, tumultuous passion they had just shared, but now she couldn't seem to draw a single breath for the space of at least three heartbeats.
He knew!
The way his gaze kept her pinned mercilessly was enough to convince her that he knew everything, that he understood what was happening between them. When he had come to her last night, he had not been so certain, she was sure of that. He had been calmer than she had expected him to be, less aggressive despite his little game, but the utter conviction of knowing he was her mate had not been in his eyes. Now it was and she didn't know what to do about it.
Cedar hated being uncertain. It wasn't in her nature to question herself. She always knew what she was doing and why she was doing it. But for the life of her she couldn't work out what to do at the moment. Should she ask him outright? He hadn't said anything and despite his intense gaze he didn't look like he was about to either.
"Cat got your tongue, Cedar?" he suddenly whispered silkily, his lips tugging in a slight smile. "You look like you're about to choke if you don't spit out whatever it is you're trying so hard not to say."
She swallowed loudly at the slightly mocking tone in his voice. He was bloody playing with her! He wasn't about to admit to anything. He was waiting for her to be the one to ask, to bring the whole question of their being mates out into the open. She bit the inside of her lip to keep silent, struggling not to frown as another thought struck her.
Would he class it as a lie if she kept silent? It was technically a lie by omission if she said nothing. Would that breach the rules of his game or could she work it into the condition applicable to the pack? It would be extremely detrimental to the pack if it came out that Weres could mate with vampires. She knew even as she thought it that it was a weak argument. Alexei could counter that easily with him being her mate and being unable to do anything which would cause her any harm.
Alexei tried hard not to laugh out loud at the consternation on Cedar's beautiful face. She seriously did look like she was about to choke as she tried to work out what to do for the best. She managed to school her expression for the most part but she kept swallowing hard, a slightly panicked look entering her eyes. He really should put her out of her misery but now he had scratched his itch he was more of a mind to continue playing with his sexy little wolf.
The ringing of her cell phone put an end to his entertainment and he growled softly as he reached out to the bedside table on his side and picked it up. A quick look at the display showed the name Jared. "It's your Alpha," he drawled softly, handing her the phone. "Probably calling to see if you're still alive," he added with a laugh.
His monitoring of her call irritated her and she scowled at him as she rose from the bed and answered the call.
"I believe you have something you want to tell me?" Jared asked curtly in his no nonsense Alpha voice.
Cedar swallowed again only this time it was not the annoying vampire in her bed who was making her uneasy. "Jared," she answered, trying to make her voice sound normal even as she was trying to hide a slight flush to her face at the rebuke in her Alpha's voice. "I had every intention of telling you as soon as I knew if it was a real possibility."
"And was it?" he barked back at her, still clearly annoyed. "Did he come to your house last night? Or should I be asking if he's still there?"
"Yes to both questions," she said quietly crossing the room to pick up her robe from where it was lying on a chair in the corner and sliding into it. "Do you want me to come to the compound?"
"I want you to tell me I didn't make a mistake giving Alexei your address last night, that you're okay," he answered, his voice slightly less irate, a hint of concern creeping into his tone.
Cedar blinked in surprise and sat down in the chair she'd just liberated her robe from. "It was you?" she gasped softly. She hadn't even wondered how Alexei had found out where she lived. She had just assumed he has found the information out somehow using his vampire skills. That it was her Alpha who had supplied the information shocked her immensely.
"He was skulking around the compound," Jared answered, almost sounding sheepish this time. "Luckily for him it was me who scented him and not some of the younger pack members. You know how skittish some of them still are. It was also lucky that Loretta had visited with Andrei earlier too and so I was informed of the situation which had arisen." His tone hardened slightly making it clear that he was still put out by only now finding out about the matings.
Cedar felt herself wilt slightly. She had disappointed her Alpha and she felt bad about it. Jared and Millie had placed such trust in her and she had let them down. "I'm sorry, Jared," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
There was silence on the other end of the phone and then a long, weary sigh. "As I told Loretta, we'll work something out somehow. What's done is done," he conceded. "Both of you will have the full support of the pack, the same support we would give to all pack members." Jared's tone was gentler now, more supportive and it helped ease her discomfort.
A low growling noise from the bed had her looking over to see Alexei watching her with eyes there were glittering with barely controlled rage. She suddenly realised he could most probably hear both sides of the conversation on the phone and he was clearly unhappy about what he was hearing.
"Jared, do you want me to stop by the compound?" she asked again, her tone brisker and almost back to normal.
"No, just keep me informed on what's happening. Call me daily if you're not planning on visiting the compound any time soon, just so I know he hasn't killed you."
