The Alpha's Unclaimed Mate novel Chapter 169

Chapter 169: Lap-Trapped By A Ghoster With 7 Witnesses

"Serena, we need to talk." Fin’s voice had the particular steadiness of a man who wasn’t afraid of those words and meant it.

The warmth left Serena’s face so fast he almost flinched, her anxiety washing into him through their matebond.

Xeon: Why would you open with that? What is wrong with you?

Before she realized what was happening, Fin quickly pulled her down on his lap. It was not a request.

Xeon: Good. Now she cannot leave. Proceed.

Fin: I’m not interrogating her.

Xeon: You are holding her hostage on a bench.

Serena’s cheeks heated.

He watched her with open amusement, not bothering to hide the smug look on his face. "You are cute when you blush."

She waited for him to say something else, but he had no plans on making her escape easy.

She gave a resigned sigh.

"Fin, there are at least six people who can see us right now."

"Seven. The one on the roof thinks I can’t see him."

She squirmed, trying to stand but his arms were iron, and he clearly had no intention of letting her go anywhere. After thirty seconds, she stopped fighting and gave him a flat look that would’ve made lesser men reconsider their life choices. It had no effect on Fin whatsoever.

"What." He grinned. Then kissed her before she could respond.

It was his favorite move. Ask a question, then make it impossible to answer. Tactically brilliant. Emotionally infuriating.

She gave a reluctant laugh at his persistence, the sound vibrating against his lips. He held her tighter, smiling against her mouth like an idiot, because that sound was worth more than all of Shadowclaw.

After a moment, his grin faded.

She went still, noticing.

Xeon: Watch her bolt.

Fin: She’s sitting in my lap. Where is she going to go?

Xeon: You underestimate her

"At the lake in Orosia," he began, voice steady, "there was more to why you were upset. And you didn’t say it."

Her eyes dropped to his collarbone. She didn’t answer.

That told him everything he needed. There were multiple wounds, and she’d been carrying every one of them alone. He picked the one that had kept him up at night.

"Let’s start with you thinking I left because of you."

She shifted, trying to stand.

"No. You’re staying right here."

She pressed her lips together, hard. She pushed harder the second time, and he didn’t give an inch.

He held.

"Fin."

"Serena."

He paused, choosing his wording carefully.

"We had sex. Then there was a battle. And when you woke up, I was gone with no explanation. And you thought it was because of you." He paused, reading her. "Is that part of it?"

Her face went scarlet.

Xeon: There it is.

Fin: I know.

Xeon: Mate is the color of a pomegranate.

Xeon: We do not leave mate right after mating.

Fin: I KNOW.

Xeon: Her shoulders just dropped four inches. We may proceed to item two.

Fin: You’re keeping a list?

Xeon: Someone has to. You were too busy staring at her mouth.

He kissed her again. Slower this time. She kissed him back, her arms sliding around his neck. He felt her fingers thread into the hair at the base of his skull, pulling him closer, and the sensation sent heat straight down his spine.

He pulled away. It took effort that bordered on physical pain, because her mouth was right there and she tasted like she always did, like a craving he’d never be able to name and would never stop chasing.

But there were other things.

Xeon: Focus.

Fin: I’m focused.

Xeon: You were pivoting toward her mouth again.

"In the cave," he said, shifting gears, "when the mages were speaking with you in another language. Was that about your shadow-tether and the nightmares Gavriel mentioned?"

"Yes."

"You were anxious then. And you are anxious now with me asking." He tracked every micro-expression she thought she was hiding. "I’m assuming Hyran spoke in another language to give you privacy. Why?"

She exhaled slowly, not wanting to get upset. "Because everyone treated me like glass and assumed I can’t handle things. I’ve never felt so misunderstood."