Alex

Leah was passed out cold by the time we made it to the packhouse and I couldn't help but smile. My wolf and I were pretty proud of ourselves.

We wore our little human out.

I carried her up to her room and woke her up long enough to switch her into pajamas, then went down to the kitchen to get something to drink. I had my head in the fridge when a voice startled me from behind.

"Hey Alpha! How'd the date go?" I hit my head on the shelf as I jerked from being caught off guard, pain shooting through my skull.

"Ah, fuck." I turn and see Jon's smug smile and scowl at him.

"You didn't have to scare me like that." I admonish him, but he just chuckles and continues with that annoying smile.

"Thought it would take a little more than that to scare our big bad Alpha." He teases and I roll my eyes at his teasing.

"My mind was on other things." I say distractedly, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and closing it.

"Yeah? Like the date? Did she like it? I bet she liked it. What girl wouldn't?" He says excitedly making me chuckle.

"Yeah, she liked it. Thank you for your help in setting it up. I don't suppose you'd also help clean it up?" I ask and he shrugs.

"Yeah, it shouldn't be that hard." He says making me chuckle. "What?" He asks suspiciously.

"Well, I may have made a bit of a mess." I say with a sly grin and his eyes narrow in curiousity.

"And why did you do that?" He asks and I shrug, taking a swig of my water.

"We may have gotten a bit carried away." I say nonchalantly and Jon's eyes widen with mischief.

"Oh yeah? What happened?" He asks pulling up a chair, but I shake my head.

"That's between Leah and I." I tell him firmly and he grunts in annoyance.

"Where is the little bird?" He asks and I smile again.

"Sleeping soundly. I tuckered the poor thing out." I say and Jon roars with laughter.

"Did you mark her?" He asks and I shake my head.

"We're not there yet, but I think we're on the right track." I say and just then I feel Leah press into my mind.

'Alex? Where'd you go?' She asks sleepily, but there's still a hint of a whine in there.

'Just to get something to drink. I'll be right up. You need anything?' I ask her.

'No. But I'm getting cold.' She says and I chuckle.

'On my way, little one.'

"Little minx knows exactly what to say to get me into bed next to her." I muse to Jon.

"What's that?" He asks.

"That she's cold." I say and he laughs again.

"You do have a bit of a fear of her getting sick again." He says and I nod.

"I do. Don't you?" I ask pointedly and the humor slips off of his face. I know how worried he was when our little human was sick. We all were.

"Yeah I suppose I do." I hear him say as I exit the kitchen and bound up the stairs.

I slip into Leah's room and strip down to my boxers. I suppose she's seen everything now, no need for modesty. She gives me a warm, sleepy smile as I sneak across the room and slide under the blankets with her. Her hand lands on my chest and I let out a little yelp at how cold it is. She giggles at that then presses her feet to me, which also feel like ice.

"Holy shit, Leah. Do you need some socks?" I ask through gritted teeth making her laugh again.

"No. I have my wolf to keep me warm." She says, snuggling into me. The fact that she called me her wolf kind of makes up for the popsicles she's pressing against me that are supposed to be her limbs.

"You sure do." I murmur, kissing the top of her head and pulling her in close. I feel my body relax, even my wolf yawns and settles down, perfectly content.

"I don't like waking up without you next to me." She says with mock anger in her voice. I chuckle and kiss her nose. Her eyes look up at me, twinkling with joy.

"My apologies. I'll try to never let it happen again." I say seriously and she giggles before pressing a kiss to my chest, right over my heart. The affection makes my stomach flop and heart do a strange patter thing that I'm not familiar with.

She warms up quickly and I see her breathing begin to even out. She let's out a peaceful sigh and I grin as I watch her slip into sleep.

"Thank you for a wonderful date." She whispers against my chest. Her breath across my skin causes me to shiver and she melts farther into me.

"Anytime." I say quietly. Soon her quiet snores fill the air and I drift off to sleep with her.

The next morning I sneak into my office early, hoping to get some work done. My mind has been busy lately, only wanting to focus on Leah. Before long, I heard a timid knock at the door and couldn't help but smile.

Only Leah knocks like that.

"Come in!" I shout and the door creaks open to reveal Leah, carrying a massive tray of food.

"What's this, little one?" I ask with an affectionate smile. She smiles back and puts the food on my desk.

"Our Alpha didn't eat breakfast. I couldn't stand for that." She says happily. I tug on her hand and she lands in my lap with a squeak that makes me chuckle. I try to feed her a piece of bacon but she shakes her head and takes it from me.

"I already ate." She says, but holds the food up for me to take a bite. The breath whooshes for my lungs and I'm stunned into silence for a moment. Feeding someone is incredibly intimate for a wolf. I had done it for Leah, especially when she was sick, but doing it in this instance was very meaningful for me. It something that is done for people you care very deeply for. Mates, children, people you love.

"Everything ok?" She asks and I nod, clearing my throat.

"Do you know what it means to feed someone, little one?" I ask quietly and she nods.

"Yes. I've done a lot of reasearch, Alex. I think I know more about werewolves than some of the teenagers running around this pack." She says with a nervous smile. I lean forward and take a bite before capturing her lips with mine. She kisses me back eagerly until I pull away and tuck my face in her neck. I feel my heart expand with affection and I wonder if this is the thing she was talking about.

Falling in love.

"I didn't mean to interrupt your work." She says quietly, running her fingers through my hair making my pathetic wolf purr for her.

"You are my favorite distraction." I tell her with a bright smile that makes her cheeks pink. I eat my breakfast quietly as she sits on my lap, chatting about her day and helping me with paperwork.

Much too soon she stands to leave, saying she has things to do around the pack. Before she can leave, I stand and pull her into my chest, sucking in her scent to get me through until I can see her again. She nuzzles her face against me and I kiss her hair making her giggle.

"Don't work too hard today, Alpha." She says cheekily and I grin. Our little human has been such a bright light to my pack. I find myself more grateful for her everyday.

"I'll see you soon." I promise her and watch her go, shutting the door quietly behind her.

I take a deep breath and sit at my desk, trying to focus on what needs to be done. But my little human keeps invading my thoughts. I wasn't sure what the next step should be, how we move things forward. I like this getting to know each other thing. The spending time together, the affectionate touches and sleeping next to her. Neither one of us has had a nightmare since, but as my feelings grow, the urge to mark her grows stronger, my wolf more impatient. He wants his mate and he wants everyone to know that she is ours.

And so do I.

I could feel the bond getting stronger every time we were together. Her smell more inviting, the sparks more intoxicating, her voice more melodic. Everything about her draws me in, makes it more difficult to concentrate. I sigh and scrub my hand down my face before pulling up the search bar on my computer, typing in something I would never admit to searching on the internet.

'How to tell a girl you love her.'