Another Half
REX -- Chapter 18

June 2012

Azul Springs

As soon as Rex pierced the skin on his mate’s neck, he heard Ax react.

“Holy fuck! EVERYONE! OUT!” Ax shouted. “Get the fuck out here!”

A stampede out of the large room ensued, and Rex was grateful for Ax’s common sense and agility in clearing the room. An alpha was never more prone to violence than after he had just Marked his mate. There was no telling what could set him or Nakon off after waiting so many weeks to replace their mate. Not to mention that Nakon would not soon forget Blade’s threat to abandon them again. He knew there was little he could do about the intense possessiveness that was already gripping them.

After he had released his hold on her neck, Rex held his mate tightly against him as he began to feel her emotions, and his heart broke for her. Fear was what she felt the strongest, followed by sadness, curiosity, hope, regret, and, as of late, resignation.

He finished licking her wounds as gently as he could, and she stared up at him. Her beautiful eyes had purple and violet specks that looked like tiny stars lost in a sea of warm chocolate. Rex was not surprised when her eyes started to flutter shut; he knew she would be out soon. The scent of her alpha blood was so strong, he wasn’t surprised she had lasted awake this long. He only regretted that they were not in a private space so that she could have Marked him, too, and they’d rest together.

“Please, don’t hurt Andy. Please. Promise me,” she whispered.

“Who’s Andy?” Rex asked, trying but failing to keep the sternness out of his voice. “Who’s Andy, mate?”

But Blade was out.

Fuck. There’s someone else, Nakon.

Nakon seemed unbothered. We replace him and we kill him. Simple.

Did Talon say anything about this Andy?

No, she didn’t have time. Because it was me that Marked them, she was out before Blade.

You should have waited. We did not have their consent.

I had Talon’s consent. She didn’t want to leave me, and now she can’t. That shit wasn’t going to happen to me again, Rex.

We needed both of their consent. There’s going to be hell to pay for who-knows-how-long after Blade wakes up. She doesn’t strike me as the submissive type. She’s an alpha female; she’s so fucking strong. Damn, she hits hard.

You hit harder.

Rex groaned. There was no reasoning with Nakon.

He looked up and saw Sergio and Ax approaching very slowly. Unfortunately, Nakon saw something different. He saw two males approaching to take away their hard-earned mate and he sprung into action while retaining Rex’s form. He snarled.

Both males brought up their hands.

“Nakon, you know us and our wolves. We’re mated males and we have no interest in your mate,” Ax said. “She’s all yours to keep forever and ever.”

“We’re just here to help you take your mate to your suite, so she can be more comfortable and you can take care of her in peace, okay?” Sergio said.

Nakon’s electric blue eyes dimmed as he relinquished control again, and Rex stood up.

“Who the fuck is Andy?” Rex said through his teeth.

Sergio and Ax widened their eyes and glanced at each other. Wisely, they kept their distance.

“You know who I’m talking about, don’t you?”

Both men nodded.

“Well?!” Rex was losing patience faster than usual. “Who is he? And why does my mate not want me to kill him?”

Sergio cleared his throat. “Andy is her baby, Alpha. We’ve told you about Blade. She took in Crystal and my son after the she-wolves were attacked. She took care of them, made sure they were safe.”

“She also took in Rachel and made sure that she—”

“Who’s the father? And where is this kid?”

Sergio took a deep breath. “Rex, we think you should first calm—”

“Don’t you dare tell me to fucking calm down!”

“We don’t know for sure who the father is, but we think it’s her mate,” Ax said quickly.

“I’m her mate!” Rex said with a snarl.

“Oh, yeah. Her now former mate,” Ax said.

“I want to see that kid.” Rex turned toward the exit and stalked out with his mate in his arms.

Once in his suite, Rex carefully laid Blade down on his bed. He took off her shoes and chuckled despite his burning rage. Each black tennis shoe had a small knife and a lockpick embedded in them. He couldn’t wait for her to Mark him. He absolutely needed to know how her fascinating mind worked.

His mate looked very beautiful while she slept peacefully. Rex reached for a blanket he kept in a chest at the foot of the bed and covered her. He reached for her long thick braid and unfastened it. Her long soft black hair fell into his hands and caught the late morning light from the window revealing streaks of purple and violet highlights.

Who would sire a pup with this beautiful she-wolf only to reject her afterward? I’m going to replace him and fucking destroy him.

It was the only thought that brought Rex a small amount of comfort and distraction because he didn’t want to deal with the idea that his mate had already been with some other male long enough to become pregnant with his offspring. It hurt to think of that, and that hurt would come out as rage.

Alpha, Sergio mind linked him, I apologize for the delay but Crystal took Rachel and all the boys to see Rachel’s parents in Saxe Oaks when word got to them that Blade was your mate. They wanted to give you and Blade time alone together. Would you like me to call them back?

Rex looked at his sleeping mate. To bring her child back would likely wake her and force her to give him answers, but that also meant that he wouldn’t have her to himself at all. He wasn’t sure he was in a place where he could watch his new mate take care of an offspring she bore for another male without losing it.

No. Leave them. Tell them to stay as long as they want. At least a week.

He cut off the mind link. He didn’t want to deal with Sergio’s chronic apprehension.

Rex looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror after showering and ran his hand over his black stubble. His father had shaved every day; Rex shaved whenever he remembered, which wasn’t very often. In fact, he had played with the idea of letting his full beard grow out.

And then there was the hair. If his father were alive, he would have used a serrated knife on Rex’s long hair to teach him a lesson on personal responsibility. Julia had offered to cut his hair several times, saying that short hair suited him better. He had declined. Rex told her he didn’t have time, but the truth was he didn’t want her hands on him. As it was, Rex simply shaved and changed into a black shirt and black slacks. He’d ask his mate later how she preferred his hair.

He lay next to his mate. She hadn’t Marked him, but he felt exhausted. He pulled his mate toward him, inhaling her tantalizing scent, and he wrapped his arms around her waist.

Rex woke up to someone fiddling with his hair. He opened his eyes and she was facing him on the bed.

“Your hair is very soft and shiny,” Blade said. She was twirling one of his long curls around her finger and was looking at the strands with fascination. “I’ve never seen such beautiful curly hair.”

He cleared his throat. “I was supposed to cut it months, probably years ago, but I kept putting it off.”

“Oh? Are you still going to cut it?”

Rex opened his mouth and shut it. He opened it again, and then realized he didn’t know how to ask her, so he shut it.

“What is it?” She looked worried, and he could feel her concern tinged with confusion. “You can’t cut it? You don’t want to cut it? Or are you forbidden by some law to cut it?”

He shook his head, feeling horribly embarrassed.

Blade stopped playing with his hair, and she must have realized his feelings because she put her hand over his heart.

“It’s okay,” she whispered. “You can ask me anything, you know. Just spit it out. We’ll work from there. This is new for me, too.”

Rex had no idea why he felt so nervous. He swallowed hard. “I was going to ask if you wanted me to cut it or if you liked it like this,” he said thickly, suddenly interested in her collarbone.

It was not lost on him that his zero experience with females had finally caught up with him. He had been so busy consumed by getting a proper mate that he had never put much thought into what he was going to do with her once he had her. In short, he had no idea how to talk to her. He needed her to Mark him so she could just read his fucking mind.

Worried because she didn’t say anything for a long time, he finally looked up at her. Her eyes had softened considerably, and she was blinking rapidly, fighting the tears that had welled in her eyes. She started to touch his hair again.

“I like it like this,” she said, her voice tight. “It’s very sexy.”

Rex gaped at her. He was overwhelmed by what it felt like to be wanted and accepted even when he didn’t look his best. But he still had no idea what to do or say next.

To shock him further, however, Blade slowly leaned over and placed a soft kiss on his lips.

Rex lurched forward to deepen the kiss while he tightened his arms around her and rolled over her. She gasped and he used that opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth. She sighed and did the same, wrapping her arms around his neck.

They continued to kiss and explore each other for a long time. If he was doing something wrong, she didn’t seem to notice or care, and he didn’t know or care if she was doing something wrong either. He found that he liked this physical closeness, but he soon wanted more.

His intuition told him that to get what he wanted he had to take care of business first. Rex couldn’t afford to fuck this up and that meant getting the worst out of the way. He stopped them before they could go further--before he found himself unable to stop.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered looking into her confused eyes. “For Marking you without your permission. That’s not how I wanted it to happen. I was-–”

“Afraid,” she said, her brown and purple eyes reflecting understanding.

Rex nodded.

“I know. I felt it.”

“You said you were going to leave me, and since you already had that once. Nakon—”

“Took over and made sure that didn’t happen?”

Rex nodded again.

“Well, I don’t know what he expected. He chased us down. He looked murderous.”

Rex shook his head. “You didn’t see them, but there were two males that were getting ready to attack you from the side. And then Nakon thought Talon wanted him to follow her so that we could be alone.”

Blade looked bewildered as if none of this had occurred to her. “Did you know—then?”

Rex nodded. He was relieved that she hadn't run away because she didn't want to be with him.

“Nakon and I have been looking for you for weeks.” He disentangled himself from her and got up to pick up his duffle bag at the foot of the bed. He set it on the floor on her side, opened it, and took out the boots.

“I believe these belong to you.” He sat on the bed next to her and handed them to her.

Blade squealed as she grabbed them and hugged them.

“Thank you! I thought I would never see them again!”

Rex smiled feeling warm all over. It felt good to do something that made her so happy.

She grabbed the right boot and took out the black inscribed tanto knife.

“That knife has special meaning for you. It’s the only one that’s inscribed.”

“It was my grandfather’s knife,” she whispered. “My father made it for him for his birthday. It was the last knife he made before he died.”

Rex stared at her. “How old were you?”

“When my father died? Five, I think. I don’t remember him.” She smiled. “But I had my grandfather, and he always said I was the daughter he never had but always wanted.” Blade snickered. “My grandmother hated it when he said that.”

“Sounds like you enjoyed favorite granddaughter status.”

She shook her head. “I enjoyed favorite grandchild status, and whenever he introduced me to people, he said I was his only daughter. What about you?”

Rex shrugged and sat down on the bed while Blade tucked the knife back in her boots and set them on the floor.

“My mother died when I was nine. She and my little brother were attacked by a band of lone wolves when they were traveling back from the city. I remember her. She made me brownies almost every day and loved to laugh. My dad passed away a couple of years ago—”

Rex was unable to continue. The pain from his father’s violent passing and absence was still raw and unabiding. He felt better when Blade got up and sat on his lap, put her arms around him, and her head on his shoulder. He knew she felt what he did, but it surprised him to feel how much she understood his pain.

“It’ll get better, right?” Rex said with a chuckle.

“No, but it will get easier.”

“It will?”

Blade chuckled. “That’s what I keep telling myself.”

They shared a soft laugh, and he put his arms around her. He felt strangely at peace.

A knock at the main door of the suite interrupted them.

“Dinner is here,” Rex said. “Let me get that.”

Very soon, Rex moved her and the dinner trolley to another room with a bar and a small table with formal dinner settings for two. He had one of the maids dress the table with a floor-length red tablecloth and two white dinner candles.

She smiled at him as she went into the room. “Where did you learn how to impress a girl?”

Rex shrugged. “Don’t be impressed. This is all Maude. She’s the Pack House’s housekeeper and pretty much the boss of everyone that has ever lived here since my grandparents Paired and Mated.”

Blade stared at him. “How old is she?”

“Old. Very, very old,” he said with a wide grin and a wink that reminded her of Ax. “But don’t let that fool you. When I was a pup she had enough energy to chase me down after stealing brownies. She wants you to think she’s old and feeble.”

She laughed until he opened the drapes and curtains.

The view from the ceiling-to-floor window was spectacular. The evening was falling and the moon was not yet full as it hung over the darkened mountains and lit with a soft silver light the large blue lake below.

Once she was seated, Rex took from the trolley the hot large silver platter in the middle of the table, placed it on the table, and uncovered what he had ordered. Although not his favorites, Maude said it would cause an impression: Grilled salmon, creamy mashed potatoes, and roasted vegetables.

Blade got up as if the chair was on fire. She looked at him with shock and horror.

“How did you know?!”