After One Night with the Alpha (Brad and Elle) novel Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Brad’s POV

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I cleared my throat as Elle finished the last of her milk,

“Next week,” I said, ensuring my voice carried the appropriate authority, “the Alpha of the Steel Forest Pack from Germany, Otto, and his Luna Ada will be visiting Moonshade Bay.” I paused, watching her reaction

with interest. “As my mate, you’ll need to join in receiving them.”

Elle was surprised, “Foreign werewolves? Alpha and Luna?” The words tumbled out of her mouth, her heart

rate immediately accelerating.

“You’ll need to temporarily pause your work at the company and focus on preparing for this,” I continued, deliberately ignoring her obvious panic. “Martha will guide you through the appropriate protocols and

etiquette.”

I could smell her anxiety spike.

“I understand,” she managed to say, gripping her glass tighter. “I’ll do my best.”

I studied her for another moment, noting the slight tremble in her hands that a human wouldn’t notice. “I have matters to attend to. Martha will begin your training immediately.” With that, I left the dining room.

As I climbed the stairs to my office, I found my thoughts drifting back to Elle.

After an hour of working, I found myself distracted. Standing to stretch my legs, I moved to the window that overlooked the garden pavilion. To my surprise, Elle was there, surrounded by books and papers, her

brow furrowed in concentration.

“Guten Tag, Alpha,” I heard her practicing, her voice carrying on the breeze. “Es ist mir eine Ehre, Sie

kennenzulernen.”

Her pronunciation was terrible, the words clumsy on her tongue. Yet something about her determined expression stirred an unfamiliar feeling in my chest. Sh repeated the phrase several times, each attempt marginally better than the last.

Over the next hour, I noticed Elle’s movements becoming slower, her head nodding occasionally as fatigue set in. Finally, she leaned back, her eyelids fluttering closed, the German phrase book sliding from her fingers onto the cushion beside her.

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Chapter 28

“She’s fallen asleep,” I observed, surprised at how my voice had softened.

Alex glanced up from his notes. “Would you like me to send Martha to wake her?”

I found myself shaking my head. “No. She’s been working hard. Let her rest.”

“I’ll need you at the office early tomorrow,” I told Alex, still watching Elle’s sleeping form.

༥ ཏཱི 63% –

“Of course, Alpha,” Alex replied. From my peripheral vision, I caught him glancing between me and Elle. I

recognized the subtle shift in his expression-he’d worked with me long enough to notice things others

wouldn’t.

After dismissing Alex, I found myself still drawn to the window. The sight of my mate sleeping so peacefully in my territory stirred something primal in me. Before I fully processed my decision, I was

heading downstairs toward the garden.

The afternoon air was warm as I approached the pavilion. Elle remained motionless except for the gentle

rise and fall of her chest.

Standing over her, I could hear her steady heartbeat and smell the faint sweetness of her scent, untainted by the anxiety she usually carried in my presence. Without that tension, she looked younger, more

vulnerable.

I bent down and carefully gathered her into my arms. Elle was lighter than I expected, her body

automatically curling toward my warmth.

As I carried her through the house, Elle shifted in my arms, unconsciously pressing closer to my chest, seeking more warmth. I stiffened momentarily as her scent enveloped me-honeysuckle and something uniquely her-and felt myself hardening against my will. I clenched my jaw, forcing my thoughts

elsewhere. This wasn’t the time for such reactions.

“Mom,” she whispered in her sleep, her face contorting with pain. “Mom, please…”

I paused at the doorway to my bedroom, looking down t her face as she called for her mother. Through our mate bond, I felt a wave of her distress-a deep, acting sadness that made my chest tighten

unexpectedly.

“What happened to you in that human community,” I wandered silently, “to make you cry out like this in

your dreams?”

With extraordinary care, I laid her on my bed, my movements deliberately slow and gentle to avoid waking

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her. Her fingers released my shirt reluctantly, and I found myself watching her for longer than necessary, studying the way her heterochromatic eyes moved beneath her eyelids as she dreamed.

I reluctantly pulled myself away and headed to the bathroom. The shower’s hot spray helped clear my

mind, but Elle’s scent still lingered, permeating my personal space. Water cascaded over my shoulders as I

tried to focus on tomorrow’s agenda instead of the woman sleeping in my bed.

Once finished, I wrapped a towel around my waist and stood at the bathroom doorway, observing Elle still

sleeping peacefully.

Against my better judgment, I decided not to move to one of the guest rooms as I had been doing since

Elle moved in. This was my territory, after all. I would sleep in my own bed. The rational part of me argued

that it was simply impractical to displace myself, but deeper instincts recognized the truth-I wanted to be

near her.

Pulling on sleep pants, I slipped under the covers on the opposite side, maintaining a careful distance between us. To my surprise, I found I didn’t mind her presence as much as I’d expected. There was

something almost… comforting about having her nearby.

I stared at the ceiling, listening to Elle’s soft breathing. After two days of non-stop pack business with minimal rest, exhaustion quickly overtook me, and I drifted into sleep surrounded by the soothing scent of

my mate.

Some hours later, I woke instantly when Elle shifted, m Alpha senses alert to any change. She had moved closer in her sleep, one arm now draping across my chest, her head finding a spot on my shoulder. Her body was warm against mine, her golden hair spilling across my skin.

My first instinct should have been revulsion at such close contact with a human. Instead, I felt an odd

sense of… rightness.

This is… new, I thought, studying her sleeping face in the moonlight filtering through the curtains. But not

unpleasant.

After a moment’s hesitation, I gently placed my arm around her, allowing her to nestle closer.

With her soft breathing against my chest and the weigh of her arm across me, I found myself drifting back to sleep more easily than I had in years,

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After One Night with the Alpha