After One Night with the Alpha (Brad and Elle) novel Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Brad’s POV

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I stepped out of the car, the urgency that had driven me back from Vancouver still pulsing through my

veins. The meeting with the Frostclaw Pack had ended bruptly-because of me. For the first time in my

life, I’d cut short critical pack negotiations, citing a vague emergency back home.

The truth was more disturbing. For nearly 10 hours, my wolf had been restless, pacing beneath my skin,

pulling me back to Moonshade Bay. Back to her.

“Sir, shall I bring these reports to your-” Alex’s sentence died as his eyes fixed on something above us.

Following his gaze upward, I felt my entire body tense.

Elle was on the terrace, her golden hair cascading in soft waves, catching the morning light as she swayed

sensually between potted plants with a watering can.

She wore nothing but my white dress shirt, unbuttoned down to her navel, the fabric teasingly parted to reveal the smooth, creamy swell of her breasts with each fluid movement. The shirt’s hem skimmed the tops of her thighs, barely concealing the curve of her hips, and as she twirled, it lifted. Her long, bare legs gleamed under the sunlight, every step a slow, seductive dance that made my blood heat.

I heard Alex’s sharp intake of breath, watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed hard, his eyes locked on the endless expanse of her toned, glistening thighs. Something savage and possessive surged through me. A growl rumbled deep in my chest as I released a wave of Alpha energy that hit him like a physical

blow.

Alex immediately lowered his eyes, face flushing. “I’ll…’ll wait in the car, sir,” he stammered, backing

away without looking up.

My attention snapped back to Elle. She was humming softly to herself, lost in her own world as she glided

across the terrace.

The mate bond had been pulling at me relentlessly, making it impossible to focus on anything else. I’d told myself it was concern for my heir, nothing more. But watching her now, barefoot and radiating a raw, unconscious allure in my territory, I wasn’t convinced my own reasoning.

She was breathtaking, fucking irresistible.

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Chapter 25

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For a bizarre moment, I had the urge to capture this image-Elle in the morning light, wearing my shirt,

her body a tantalizing blend of innocence and raw seduction. The thought disturbed me. What the fuck was happening? She was just a human vessel for my heir. A means to an end. Nothing more.

“Wait here,” I ordered Alex, who had returned with folders, then moved toward the entrance, my wolf pushing me forward, drawn by the mate bond I couldn’t seem to ignore or control.

The front door closed behind me with a decisive click. Upstairs, I heard Elle gasp, followed by the clatter of something dropping. When I reached the terrace doorway, she was standing frozen, her hands clutching the edges of my shirt in a futile attempt to cover her chest. The fabric gaped open despite her efforts, revealing the soft, inviting curve of her cleavage and the rapid rise and fall of her breaths. Water from the fallen watering can pooled around her bare feet, droplets clinging to her calves, trailing down her skin in a

way that made my mouth go dry.

My eyes locked on the expanse of flesh visible at her throat, trailing down to where her trembling fingers desperately held the fabric together. The shirt hung loosely on her smaller frame, slipping further off one shoulder to expose more of the mate mark and the delicate line of her neck I ached to bite again. Her unique heterochromatic eyes were wide with shock, her lips parted slightly, pink and plush, as if begging to

be claimed.

I felt my wolf rise closer to the surface, responding to the sight of her dressed in my clothing yet so exposed, so ripe for the taking, available to anyone who might dare look. The conflicting emotions of possessiveness and irritation battled within me.

“I… I didn’t expect you back so soon,” Elle said, her voice small as she tried to pull the shirt closed tighter, her cheeks flushing a deep, enticing pink.

The radiant smile that had been on her face moments ago when she was dancing had vanished.

“Clearly,” I said coldly, my eyes narrowing as they swept over her barely dressed form, lingering on the way the damp fabric clung to her curves in places where the water had splashed.

She shifted uncomfortably under my gaze, her bare toes curling against the wet floor, the subtle movement drawing my attention to her perfect, dainty feet and back up the length of her legs. “I was just watering the plants,” she explained unnecessarily, nodding toward the fallen watering can.

“Is this how you take care of my heir and yourself?” I asked sharply, gesturing toward her state of undress, though my mind was fixated on the way her thighs pressed together as if to hide the secrets beneath that too-short hem. “Half-naked, where anyone could see you?”

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Chapter 25

Her face fell further. “I didn’t realize-”

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“We have new human staff and gardeners arriving today” I cut her off, my voice harder than intended. “Did you plan to greet them like this, teasing them with every inch of your body?”

“No, of course not,” she whispered, her shoulders hunching slightly, making the shirt slip even more, revealing a glimpse of the soft skin beneath her collarbone.

Something inside me twisted painfully at her submissive posture, but I couldn’t stop the words that came next. “Don’t enjoy the privileges of being a Rayne mate while parading around like a temptress.”

The moment the words left my mouth, I regretted them Elle’s head dropped, her hair falling forward to hide her expression. But I didn’t need to see her face to know I’d hurt her. Her scent changed instantly, the sweet, intoxicating notes of contentment replaced by the sharp tang of pain.

“I understand. It won’t happen again,” she said quietly, refusing to look at me as she stepped around the puddle and headed for the door, careful to keep her distance as she passed, the shirt swaying with her hips, offering fleeting glimpses of her curves with every step.

My eyes followed her movement, lingering on her small bare feet as she walked away, the sight of her vulnerable and half-exposed stirring something fiercely protective and possessive within me. I wanted to stop her, to apologize, to drag her back and claim every inch of her until she forgot my harsh words-but

the words wouldn’t come.

What the hell was wrong with me? Why had I rushed back from Vancouver like some lovesick teenager? Why had I lashed out at her for simply enjoying a moment alone? This wasn’t like me. I was always in control, always rational.

As I watched her disappear inside, I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. The mate bond was affecting me in ways I hadn’t anticipated, making me act against my better judgment.

I didn’t like it one bit.

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After One Night with the Alpha