The Rogue Alpha’s Claim

Ariel slowly opened her eyes, her sight still foggy and hazy from waking up. She stretched her limbs and hands, loving the softness of her bed and the cozy warmth of her blanket.

Her skin tingled from her pairs of brown eyes that had been watching her closely, and she looked up to meet his gaze. The culprit’s lips pulled up in a soft smile, and he looked at her with such love that her heart almost exploded.

“Have you been watching me all this time? Isn’t that the quality of a pervert?” Ariel teased him, but she was rushing to his warmth as he motioned to her, snuggling into his warmth.

“Good morning, beautiful.” Kane whispered, planting a kiss at the top of her head. “How was your night?”

“It was perfect,” Ariel sighed as the memories of last night came rushing back. She was sore down there, but deliciously sore, and she wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. “I have missed you so much.” Ariel’s voice was barely above a whisper as she spoke, brushing her hair back to see his face better.

“I missed you too, my love.” Kane mused, snuggling into her. “I didn’t think it would take as long as we did.”

“It is fine; you are here, and that is all that matters. Do you have to work today?”

“No, today is strictly for us. We could watch Netflix and chill with some popcorn and white wine. How does that sound? Or we could go out on a fancy date. It is your choice.”

“Hmm.” Ariel looked at him through her lashes as she gave it some thought. “A date wouldn’t be bad, but I don’t think I can bring myself to leave this bed today.”

“It can be arranged.” And Kane was standing up, and he hooked his hands around her neck and the back of her knees, and he was carrying her up.

“Kannee…” Ariel shrieked in excitement, the sudden movement startling her. “What are you doing?”

Kane cocked an eyebrow, a hint of a smile escaping from his lips. “What do you think I am doing?”

“I don’t know; you tell me.” Her hands circled his neck in a tight grip, not ready to kiss the earth.

“I am going to have a bath with the most beautiful woman I know, then we would snuggle back in bed and watch Netflix, maybe do a little bit of exploration.” There was a deadly glint as he listed out his thoughts, but it only got Ariel excited.

Kane had turned on the tap, and as the water began to fill the tub, he helped her undress. There wasn’t much there was to it. She had worn his shirt after their session last night, and Kane easily slid the shirt over her body, making sure to caress her skin.

Kane lowered her gently into the tub of warm water, and he entered, taking his place behind her. The relief was immediate as he felt the knot and the tension loosening as he relaxed in the water, and he couldn’t help the sigh that left him.

The couple sat in silence, letting the warm water work its magic, until Ariel broke the silence. “Have you gotten permission from the alpha king to move to this new place?”

“It was useless asking him in the first place. Mason was right; we are rogues, and we shouldn’t be taking orders from them. It is better this way; he doesn’t have to know where we are.”

“Hmmm.”

“What is it?” Kane asked, angling his mate so she could face him. “I am sensing some hesitation within you.”

“I don’t know; I don’t just think we are making the right decision. We are literally uprooting everyone from where they are known to somewhere unknown. People don’t do so well with changes.”

“You have forgotten that we are rogues; we are wanderers. We were never meant to settle in a place.”

“You don’t expect me to know that.” Ariel said under her breath, and she was sure Kane could hear her, but he ignored the comment and instead focused on washing her.

The rest of the bath was a quiet affair, as they were both absorbed in their thoughts. They decided the bath was over when the water began to get cold, and they went to the room, drying themselves clean.

The couple had worn their clothes, and they went back to bed, cuddling into each other as their gaze was fixated on the screen as the latest series played.

Kane had sent someone up with a bowl of popcorn, but their mouths were moving faster than the time they were using to watch the movie, and the once-filled bowl was only a little above a quarter full.

“Have you given any thoughts about Maddie?” Ariel suddenly asked, her focus barely leaving the moving objects on the screen.

“What about her?” Kane asked offhandedly, throwing a handful of the salted popcorn in his mouth. He was rather fixated on the movie-a first for him.Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

“Really?” Ariel rolled her eyes, annoyed with his attitude. “I was suggesting that you make her the beta in place of Mason.”

“We have already spoken about this, and I have given you my opinion on the issue and that we should forget about the topic.”

“I know, but that was before the whole incident with the pack.” Kane opened his mouth to talk, but Ariel placed a finger on his lips, hushing him. “Just listen to me.”

“Go on.”

“I don’t think anyone is better suited for the position than Maddie; she had shown great commitment to the pack during the last battle, and I am sure she would risk everything to protect the pack. Plus, she is Toby’s mate, and he would like it; just think about it. It would be the best decision you will make.”

“Are you through?”

“Hmmm.” Ariel mumbled, the words swallowed in her mouth.

“I have already told you what I think about Maddie, and I don’t care how committed she is to the pack; she is not going to be the beta.”

“But she fought with…”

“She fought with the pack? Is that an excuse to hand over the pack to an enemy? Have you ever considered that it may even be her handiwork? She was once in a pack, and who knows if she had asked them to come to test out our strength?”

“I don’t think Maddie is like that; she is Toby’s mate; surely she wouldn’t want to destroy his pack.”

“That is the thing about you. You always want to believe everyone has a little good in them. Then you will keep pushing buttons without knowing when to stop. This is not a human world. This is different, and you have to know that. There are wicked people in this world, and the earlier you know that fact, the better your chance of survival.”

“But I was just…” Kane gave her no chance to defend herself.

“Have you even asked her if she wanted the position? Have you forgotten she was in the lineup for the potential alpha? Surely it would be an insult to suggest that to such a high-ranking wolf.”

“Kane I…”

“I just came back from rather stressful work, and I wanted a day alone with my mate to catch up and make up for the lost hours, but you have managed to ruin the mood, and I don’t think I can’t stay.” Kane stood up from the bed, but Ariel reached for his shorts before he could slip from her hands.

“Where are you going?”

Did he notice the panic in her voice?

“I think I have some work to do in the office.” Kane hissed, removing his shorts from her hold, and he walked out the door.

Ariel stared at the empty space he had once occupied, the scent of his cologne still lingering, and she shook her head.

“Great!”

She had managed to turn what was supposed to be a romantic movie date into a fight, but was she exactly at fault?

Surely there must be a reason he was so opposed to Maddie taking over the pack; none of the excuses he had given made sense, and she was going to do everything it takes to find out the truth.