Page 34 of Link with Me
“Oh, you’re on,” Lena said, her voice laced with feigned challenge. “But be warned, I’ve improved my structural engineering skills since then.”
Their laughter mingled with the rustle of the leaves above them, creating a symphony of sounds that felt almost magical. Alex reached over to tuck a stray lock of hair behind Lena’s ear, his touch sending a warm shiver down her spine.
“Speaking of skills,” Alex continued, his voice lowering to a more intimate tone, “I think you’ve mastered the art of making me fall more in love with you every day. Is there a tutorial for that, or is it natural talent?”
Lena blushed, her heart fluttering at his words. “It might be natural talent,” she flirted back, “but I think it’s your presence that brings out the best in me.”
Alex smiled, a deep, genuine smile that reached his eyes. “Then I’ll just have to make sure I’m around all the time. For inspiration.”
The air between them thickened with unspoken promises and the electricity of mutual attraction. Lena leaned in closer, her head resting against Alex’s shoulder. “I’d like that,” she murmured, feeling the solid comfort of his body next to hers.
Their conversation drifted then to lighter topics, each sharing ridiculous tales from their youth. Alex recounted a particularly embarrassing story about a high school dance where he had worn pants that were way too tight— “It was a fashion statement,” he insisted while Lena laughed so hard she had to catch her breath.
“Tight pants at a dance? That must have been quite the sight. Were they at least a decent color?” Lena asked between giggles.
“Bright red. I thought I was so cool,” Alex admitted, his face turning a shade that nearly matched his described attire.
Lena laughed even harder, picturing Alex, the serious, often intimidating alpha, in bright red pants. “You? In red pants? Oh, I need photos. We could make it an annual holiday card.”
Alex groaned, pretending to be mortified, but the sparkle in his eyes told Lena he enjoyed the banter as much as she did. “Only if you promise to keep loving me after seeing them,” he joked.
“Deal,” Lena said, her voice soft with affection. “But only if you promise to keep making me laugh like this.”
“Always, love. Always,” Alex replied simply, pulling her a bit closer.
TWENTY-FOUR
Just before the sun set, they came back inside from their impromptu outing in the backyard. Alex filled a tub of hot water and set candles around the bathroom.
“You just relax,” he said, helping Lena into the tub, “and let me get carry-out for dinner.”
“God,” she sighed, lowering into the water, “can you be any more perfect?”
He chuckled. “I’ll be back in a bit.” He looked at her all naked and stretched out. Damn, he’d have to get a two-person bathtub. He wondered if anyone delivered overnight.
Before he changed his mind about leaving, he strode out of the bathroom and through the house to the back door.
Alex lingered there, his hand on the knob, a sense of unease prickling at the back of his neck. Something felt off, an instinctual warning that gnawed at his resolve to leave.
He had only made it a few steps toward his car when the instinct to return surged overpoweringly strong. Trusting his instincts had always served him well as the alpha, and today was no exception.
Without fully understanding why, he turned back, his strides quick and silent. As he approached the house again, his sharp eyes caught movement in the bushes—a subtle shift that to any human would have been imperceptible.
His heart hammered as the shadows materialized into forms—two of them, large and undoubtedly shifter.
The first stranger stepped out, his posture menacing, a smirk playing on his lips that Alex wanted to rip right off his face. “Thought you’d be gone longer, Alpha,” the shifter taunted, his voice a gravelly sneer.
Alex’s response was terse, his body coiling into readiness. “Not today. You’re on Shadow Pack land. What do you want?”
“Just checking to see if your mate is okay after her attack,” he laughed. “Is she still breathing?”
“Who the fuck are you?”
The man gave a low childish laugh. “Darren Hillside. I came to finish what I started.”
Without warning, the second shifter lunged from his hiding spot, forcing Alex to react swiftly. He dodged to the side, feeling the whoosh of air as powerful jaws snapped where his arm had been just moments before.
The night erupted into a whirlwind of snarls and clashing bodies as Alex shifted, his human form melting away in a heartbeat. Fur as dark as a moonless sky rippled across his skin as his body contorted and grew, bones snapping and realigning. His senses sharpened to a razor’s edge, the world around him suddenly alive with scents and sounds that his human mind could barely comprehend.