In the Alpha’s Arms

Bonus Chapter- All the things She Smelled

“Don’t givethat “did you misscrap, Cole! Where the hell have you been?” Lita snapped, crossing her

arms over her chest so she didn’t ball her sts. Elise bold Lita that even when she was angry with Cole, she still

needed to remember that he wasn’t the enemy. She'd been accustomed to those who were supposed to love her

being against her. But he wasn't like those people and Lita tried not to forget that he was her partner, and she

shouldn't ever want to hurt him.

Imitation. Underneath all that love, She searched their bond for his emotions, finding only the warmth of his love.

It cocooned her, soothing sof her in though, Lita could sense a small remnant of guilt, but it was impossible

to know the cause. She was still so new to this wolf life; it was sometimes hard for her to tell if what she sensed

was triggered by a present event or a memory. Technically, Lita experienced those results differently, memory-

induced emotions feeling fuzzier and flatter than fresh emotions. But figuring it out was so nuanced, she couldn't

always be sure. And after embarrassing herself a few times when trying to read Cole’s emotions, Lita preferred

to be sure.

“Welp, that’s my cue to be literally anywhere but here” Ace blurted suddenly into the heated air between them

all. He swiftly fucked tail and practically ran back in the direction of the fajita stand.

“Traitor!” Lits and Cole both hissed at the stime. Cole narrowed his eyes, tracking Ace’s back as he fled,

while Lita fixed her gaze back on her mate “He's not getting out my line of fire that easily for leaving you alone.”

Cole said under his breath.

Cole sighed, sucking his teeth, as he met Lita’s stare, “What the hell are you doing to my friends, hmm? |

haven't seen Ace run from a fight in years. And Alex always goes throughif he wants you to know something.

Apparently, you threatened to let Nyx say hello. Is that code for something! should know about?”

Lita shrugged, “That's forto know and all your “bro-coders to guess. Plus, | haven't really done anything to

anybody. | can’t help it that Nyx gives off don’t fuck withenergy. What can | say? Eat one she-wolf and stage

a coup against Maxim and suddenly everyone looks at you differently.”

“Bro-coders? Do you mean men who are loyal to their Alpha? This isn’t a fraternity, Lita. It's a pack,” Cole

murmured, stepping into Lita’s personal space. “Of course, they all answer to me. It's not only the natural order

of things, but it’s crucial to how our lives run so smoothly, Can't have too many captains on the deck, love. You

know you're the only one that gets a free pass to be a pain in my ass, right?”

“You meant you're the one that's a pain in my ass, right?” Lita gave him a feral grin, toothy and dark, as Nyx

bled through

Cole chuckled. “That means | should try to stay off your bad side, huh, Luna? Cole whispered, dragging a

calloused thumb down her cheek. Their bond lit up, flushing heat through her like it did every tthey touched.

And when he called her Luna, Lita’s body vibrated as if he'd called her a queen. His queen. Cole leaned forward

as if to kiss her, and Lita palmed his chest to hold him back

“Don’t try to change the subject!” Lita barked, “No pulling on that bond until I get sanswers. You're

deflecting. Did you ask him to babysitsa you could

do whatever it is you did? And | swear to god if you lie, | will let Nyx say hello to your—"

Cole laughed. Loughed like she was adorable and nowhere near ready to sink her claws into his ass. The husky

sound made her knees weak and still, she forced herself to ignore it. The band was new to her, but she had

figured out how to supersede it, leaving most of her higher thinking intact. He clicked his tongue as if he read

her mind. The mate bond let enough emotions flow between them that even when he couldn't hear her private

thoughts, he could sense her private feelings.

Cole looked around as if to check for anyone nearby and nodded. He fixed her with a gaze, “Stop looking at me

like that, Lita. I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing because | missed you. Because it’s still so strange to feel

someone else here- he tapped the center of his chest “I don’t know how anyone wouldn't want this for

themselves. It’s a great feeling. No, that doesn’t do it justice. You're like... Like coming home.” Sliding a palm

around her waist and up the lower half of her spine, Cole pulled her into him. “And yes, | asked him to keep an

eye on you. | never said the word babysit, though,

H0.co

“Why?” Lita snapped, even as Nyx leaned forward to nuzzle their bond. The traitor couldn't stay mad at Midnight

if their life depended on it.

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Bite me,

she snarled, nuzzling the bond even harder. This is between you two humans.and my mate are perfectly

fine.

Lita rolled her eyes at her snarky inner wolf, secretly happy with how far they'd cfrom the early days. Nyx

was loads happier and more social, even if she did bust every other male wolf's balls,

Cole blinked lazily, leaning down to run his nose along her jaw. Once again, Lita got a whiff of his doused scent

and stiffened. Sdistant memory of Brian reacting when he inhaled her, sprang to the surface. She could

understand now that he’d smelled other wolves on her even before she knew anything about wolves. Hell, he

might have even smelled human males on her. It would explain the sudden fits of anger.

And here Cole was, blocking his smell too. It went against the grain on an instinctual level. Their scents were

always mixed, mingled so closely through their bond that it would be impossible not to know he was mated. And

yet, she couldn't scent the bond at all. Instead, she smelled perfumes and something familiar that she couldn't

remember.

Boma Chapter All the things She Smiled

“For one,” Cole said, pulling her out of her thoughts, “this is your first showcase and your first outing since

becoming Luni. It makes sense that | would have a park member with you at all times. Alphas don’t leave their

Luinas unattended. Second, | didn’t want you to be blindsided by Asher or anyone else in his circle. You used to

live here and there's bound to be mutts like Tom that want to take a dig. There's no way I'd leave you to face

that all on your own. Though obviously pretty she-wolves working the fajita stand were enough to leave you

vulnerable, anyway” Cole's voice deepened into a growl that rumbled through her chest. Lita didn’t have to look

up to know he was glaring at the back of Ace’s head again. She leaned closer, trying to sift out the scent that

was bothering her. Smoke and Teakwood? Where did she know that scent? There was a note of something else

ton, but she couldn't sort it out

“That doesn’t explain anything. You were supposed to be my protection, Cole. Then you disappeared. Where'd

you go?” What if he was hiding someone! Old insecurities flared up. Things that Brian had done and said to make

her wonder about who he spent his twith when he wasn’t with her. Lita didn’t think Cole was like that. But

her emotions weren't always rational. She'd done a great job holding everything together so far, but it would

only. take another strong trigger to push her over the edge. What if there was another woman? A hot bolt of

jealousy sliced her mood, exploding across the bond before she could reel it in

He sucked in a sharp breath, “Lita- Embarrassment was hot on jealousy’s heels, making Lita’s face and neck hot,

sweat breaking

out under her clothes. It was ridiculous. Cole would newer-and still her heart didn’t care about what made sense.

Lita tried to turn away, to give herself a moment to calm down, but Cole's grip was unyielding. “Hey, stop.

What's going on? Why are you-Lita jerked her arms harder, pushing away from his chest in an attempt to

breathe.

She prayed to the moon that she wasn’t making a scene.

“I just need a minute,” Lita insisted, her chest heaving. The problem with triggers, Elise always said, was that a

person couldn’t control when or why they happened. Lita couldn’t stop her body from reacting to him blocking

their scent. She couldn't pull herself out of the knee-jerk reactions that memories of Brian caused. It was still too

new, too fresh

Much like the searing wound James’ memory evoked. She couldn't breathe, couldn't stop herself from trembling.

Nyx whined, pawing Lita and nosing those inner walls. Cole cursed somewhere overhead, and suddenly her body

was moving. Cole had a hand wrapped around her arm. They went through a set of swinging metals doors and

Lita’s mind flashed to Maxim's basement, hairs raising over her arms. Lita wasn't sure where they were heading,

but after a moment, a door was opened, and she was herded inside.

She looked up through bleary eyes enough to see Cole close the door behind them. He flicked the light switch,

illuminating a storage closet full of cleaning supplies.

“I j-just n-needed a m-minute. I'm okay-

“You're not,” Cole shook his head, “And I'm not leaving you out there for others to see you breakdown. What's

going on? Your emotions are all over the place.” He inhaled and speared her with a look. “Fear and anger.

Jealousy. Confusion. Lita, tellwhat you're thinking.”

She shrank away, embarrassed and annoyed at how different their power dynamic was. He was always more in

tune with his wolf. He could read her far easier than she could read him. It was irrational to let it make her angry,

on top of all the other things that were gnawing at her, and yet, it did.

Her jaw ground together before she spat, “You're suppressing our scent.”

dragged those hands down

Cole’s mouth dropped, “I'm not! I would never, oh fu- He sighed, rubbing his palms into his eyes. He looked at

Lita and dr over his jaw. “I fucked up,”

“What did you do?” Lita’s stomach dropped, every ugly thought rearing up at once.

“Not like that, Lita, damn,” he stepped forward, holding onto her shoulders. Cole sighed so hard she started

tearing up, dreading whatever it was he would say. After working his jaw a few times, Cole seemed to cto a

decision and said, “I went somewhere today. Somewhere | needed to go because | couldn't let it go. | couldn't. |

hope you can understand that, baby.”

His voice dropped, taking Lita’s heart with it as she swallowed the knot in her throat.

“I didn’t suppress our scent. At least, not intentionally,” he admitted. “I fucked up. | didn’t think about our scent

at all when | was showering. | was trying to bury another scent. At least until enough thad passed that you

wouldn't care anymore.” He was rambling, which was completely unlike Cole. It only made Lita more nervous.

“What the hell is that

Cole cut her off immediately, lightening his hold on her shoulders. “I went to Brian's place.”

Silence blanketed the room, every thought in Lila’s head going quiet at once.

“And | had a conversation with him,” Cole continued, dragging it out. “I may have used force when having said

conversation.”

Bonus Chapter All the things She Smelled

Cinnamon. That was the final scent she hadn’t placed. Brian's body wash was a custom mix of teakwood and

cinnamon. And he smoked.

“You bastard, Lita said without an ounce of bite. If anything, the shock had stolen all her fire.

a « q

Cole winced, “I know. You said you

wanted to be the bigger person, but |

), )

couldn't, baby. You understand, don't

, ong

you? I've been waiting for months,

Months, Andres.codidhd at AEs

dewin ais: and when we finally did,

Maxim had taken you. There was no

way | could cto this city and not

hunt down the wolf that made my

mate bleed. That made you hurt so

x

, q

badly that you'd even consider me

being with someone else. Your scars

: »

run so fucking deep-" He choked off

the last words. The content is on

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chapter there!

Lita snapped her mouth closed, at a loss for words under the soft anger in his tone.

“I would do anything for you. But | couldn't do that. | couldn't ignore what | knew and look the other way. | don’t

care how miserable he is. | don’t care what he’s lost. It wasn’t enough,” Cole snapped, eyes flashing red.

“Everything short of death isn’t enough for what he’s done to you.”

“And did you?” Lita asked, angry and heart warmed at the stime. It was going to be a surprise which one

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emotion would win out. Her heart made a complete mess. Cole raised a brow.

“Did you kill him?”

He shook his head and then added.

« o

In case you changed your mind and

2 . )

decided to do it yourself. I'd never

» :

take that from PY lqwered his

hoy pling Heh € by the cheeks.

" )

ease tellyou understand that

neither Midnight, nor |, could build

any kind of life with you without

balancing that wrong. It would be the

sas leaving Maxim alive

knowing what he did to you. |

) won :

couldn't. I can't.” The content is on

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chapter there!

Lita could hear the desperation in his

voice, could feel the anxiety and love

threading through the bond. She

f q

thought about how she'd feltiy m

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anced how, if Cole

heh ealt with him, she would

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have. Lita knew it. Nyx knew it. He'd

done too much to Cole. And those

: Pp

innocent women. He couldn't be left

to spread that rot into the world.

) q

She'd never considered that Cole

might feel exactly the sway

about Brian. The content is on

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chapter there!

“Please say something.” Cole begged, placing his forehead against hers. He didn’t beg. He didn’t mince words or

placate people. He was firm and unyielding and, as an Alpha, he hardly ever felt bad about a decision he made.

But in this instance, he was shaken up. Unsure. Because for her, he would do things he never did. Make

allowances he never made. He wasn’t her enemy. He wasn’t trying to hurt her.

So Lita leaned up and kissed him. Gently. Just for a second.

“I understand, and I'm a little honored,” she said, pulling back. “But I'm also ready to wring your neck.”

Cole exhaled. “I know. I'm not sorry for doing it-“he gently kissed her back, then pulled away as if he knew she

wouldn't want too much contact at that moment="But | am sorry it upset you. | fixed one thing and fucked up

another. So what can | do to make it right?”

Lita shrugged, pulling away. “I don’t know yet, but | can promise you, you're not going to like it.”