Page 24 of Alpha Claimed

He glanced over his shoulder to the alley where he'd left Chad, the drunk human, before pulling away from the curb. He hadn't been entirely truthful with River. He'd hurt Chad, but nothing permanent. He'd suggested somewhat physically that Chad not stare at women on the street. Chad had promised he wouldn't. Then Apollo suggested Chad get to a doctor to have his nose looked at so it didn't heal crooked.

They'd traveledfor nearly fifteen minutes on the highway when River relaxed into him. She laid her head on his back and swirled her fingers over his belly. Her touch made his wolf chuff.

Easy boy. We still have a long way to go.

His wolf grumbled and then turned his attention back to River. They rode another twenty minutes, and Apollo pulled off the road onto a small dirt path. It'd been years since he'd been down the road, but he still knew every inch of it. He slowed the bike as they neared the clearing that led to the cliff's edge overlooking a canyon.

Ten feet from the edge, he stopped and cut off the engine. He pulled off his helmet, took his and River's, and sat them on the bike. Taking her hand, he pulled her closer to the edge. About five feet away, she stopped moving.

"Uh… I don't do heights," she confessed.

He pulled her chin so she looked at him and away from the edge. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Her eyes held uncertainty, but she nodded anyway.

He pulled her a few feet closer, and when he caught the scent of her fear, he stopped, and they sat.

Her hand stayed firmly clamped in his for several minutes before she relaxed. He could still hear the rapid beat of her heart, but she'd stopped sweating, and her fear diminished.

"It's beautiful."

Apollo nodded. "It's the best view of the canyon."

"How did you find it?"

"I used to come up to the cabins with my family when I was young. Back then, there were a lot of cousins and extended family who used the cabins when they got married or gave birth. They all sort of stopped, though, after my parents died. But when we came, I would explore everything I could, and one day, I stumbled onto this spot." He laughed. "My mom was so mad. I didn't realize how long I'd been gone, and we had to get my father to the airport. She was frantic when she found me. I wasn't quite sure if she'd hug me to death for not being dead or kill me for being alive."

River smiled. "I've been there. Though I'm pretty sure I was closer to death with my mom than you ever would have been with yours."

"Your mom's tough, huh?"

"The toughest. She's our pack enforcer for a reason. I've never met anyone who didn't back down from my mom except Ares. Even our pack Alpha gives into her on occasion."

"Wow. Is she an Omega?"

"Nope. Just one stubborn bitch."

"I think I'd like her."

River snorted. "Don't say that until you've met her. Maybe it's better if you don't meet her until after we are mated."

River stopped abruptly, and her gaze met his.

"I… I mean, if we are mated," she said softly.

Apollo's emotions went from ecstatic to deflated in two seconds. He pushed a smile onto his face anyway and fought for something to say.

"Thank you for today," said River. "I can't tell you how amazing it was, and the fact that you let me do it and just sat and watched… it was unbelievable."

"Well, you did give me a good show. It was hard to tear my eyes away."

She blushed and pushed at her hair. "Yeah… uh… I've never done that before."

"You mean a strip tease pole dance while holding a chainsaw?"

She snorted. "Flirt."

He smiled. "You were flirting with me?"