*MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!*

For *mature* audiences only, this ch gets a little steamy 😏😉

That's kind of her dress 👗

Alec

I hung up the phone and rolled a pen back and forth between my fingers. My mind started running wild as ideas started flipping through my head, I wanted to plan something for Elena to celebrate her new job. Luke entered the room interrupting my thoughts, I raised an eyebrow at him. 

"You do know that just because you're my best friend and Beta, doesn't mean that you can just walk into my office without knocking right?" I asked, narrowing my eyes slightly in irritation.

He smirked at me then tossed a thick envelope on my desk, it landed with a soft thud, " Well, I thought you might want to see this," he said, his grin suddenly vanished and was replaced by a very grim expression. 

"I'm starting to understand why you wanted info on the ex. Elena was adopted, but not by this Gianna woman," Luke said, as I started flipping through the papers. I thoroughly scanned page after page and I felt my blood begin to boil. 

"There's something I don't understand though. I feel like Dalton and this Gianna woman have a connection, but I can't actually find anything," I said, a bit confused. Suddenly Luke froze.

"What?" I growled, looking at him quizzically.  

"You remember you said that tree was cut? Well, some pack members and I went back out there and we picked up the scent of a rogue wolf. It was all around the tree and the car. I also thought I might have smelled it on Gianna but I wasn't sure..." he said. 

I shot out of my chair and balled up my fists, I tried to keep my anger at bay. If I didn't get control of myself I would do something I'd regret. I walked over to the window and started trying to process this new information. 

"Anything else you forgot to mention to me?" I asked coldly.

"No, Sir," he said, bowing his head slightly.

"Then leave my office, and tell my nosey parents I said hi while you're at it," I said, looking down at him. 

His slightly submissive head position calmed me a little, but the anger still radiated off me. He met my eyes then sheepishly looked away.

"Your parents are just worried about you, since you never go to see them," he said as he got up from his chair and moved towards the door. 

I let out a deep breath as I heard the door close. I rubbed a hand across the back of my neck then decided I needed a break. So I walked down the hall to the daycare. I had only been there a couple of seconds when he spotted me. He jumped up and ran towards me almost tripping over his own feet several times in his haste. I smiled to myself and felt my whole body suddenly relax. 

"Hey there buddy, are you having fun?" I asked,  as I squatted down next to him.

He smiled at me, "Yeah! I made a picture for you and momma! This is you," he pointed at a weird shape I didn't recognize, "and this is my momma," he said beaming at me proudly. 

I smiled at him and told him how good it looked.  I glanced up and sighed in defeat when I saw Elena's mom standing on the other side of him. I honestly wasn't all that surprised. 

"I should have known that you wouldn't give up and leave them alone. Elena's just as stubborn as you are... I hope you didn't tell him anything you shouldn't have. He's still very young and I think his mom should tell him. I'm sorry it has to be like this," I said, running a hand through my hair. 

She let out a breath and rolled her eyes, "Of course I didn't say anything. But I wanted to see him, maybe get to know him a little.  I just want to have a bond with him, something I've been denied his whole life, and hers too," Marina said softly. 

"I understand that, that's why I was okay with your husband taking Elena to work instead of one of my guys," I said, sympathetically. 

Liam looked up at Alec then at me with confusion clear in his eyes.

"Anyways, I came here to take a quick break. Now I have to get back to it, but I'll be back to pick you up before I go get your mother from work," I told Liam, ruffling his hair. He smiled, nodded his head, then turned and ran back towards his group of friends. I stood up and looked at Marina, she seemed a bit nervous but obviously wanted to say something. 

"You know, I could take care of Liam for a bit. If you wanted some alone time with Elena… For, you know… I think people nowadays call it... a date?" Marina said, with a hopeful look in her eyes. 

I hesitated because I wasn't sure if it would be okay with Elena. "How about I ask her when we pick her up? If she agrees then we can drop him off at your house on the way back. How does that sound?" I asked her. She looked a bit stricken for a couple of seconds then smiled and nodded her head.

"Okay, now go back to work," she said smiling, and started shooing me away from the room. 

I smiled back and shook my head. I went back to the office to finish the last bit of paperwork I had before I went to get Elena.

 As I was finishing up I got a phone call, "Hello?"

"Hello dear how are you?" My mother responded from the other end of the phone. 

I ran my hand through my hair. "Mom, I'm fine but I don't really have time to talk to you right now," I said. 

I heard a muffled sniffle. Oh shit, I thought to myself.

"You never have time to talk to me like you used to…" she said sadly. 

"I know mom, and I'm really sorry about that but I really have to go. I promise I'll talk to you tomorrow after work."

"You know you won't have time tomorrow either of you wait until you're done with all the pack business, you have to make time."

"Actually, tomorrow I'll be at the police station. And you're wrong, I just finished all my paperwork and don't have anything else to attend to today," I said confidentiality

"Ah good! So you're free now! Great! Come over and visit us. We miss you, and bring your mate, we need to meet her," she said excitedly.

"Actually I was thinking about spending some time alone with her mom…." I sighed.

"Oh… okay, I didn't know that dear. Fine, how about you guys come over tomorrow night then?" She asked.

"Fine, I guess you're not going to take no from me anyway huh?" I said with a chuckle.

"You're right I'm not. So the whole family will see you tomorrow!" She responded cheerfully.

"Huh? Wait! What?"  I yelled into the phone, but it was too late she’d already hung up. 

Damn it! I looked down at my watch and got up from my seat. I walked down to the daycare to get Liam. He was patiently waiting for me just like the other kids at the daycare. I smiled as he ran up to me, I picked him up and spun him around.

"Hey there little man, we have to go pick up your mom, are you hungry?" I asked, he nodded his head.

"Yeah, I'm hungry. I had a lot of fun today daddy," he said happily. 

I stood still, completely shocked. I was extremely happy that he'd said it, but I was also sad.

"Liam, I'm sorry, but I'm not your dad," I said softly. 

I started walking again. We reached the car and I opened the door to put him in his car seat. When I looked up at him he had a serious look on his face.

"I know, but I want you to be my daddy. My momma said that sometimes family isn't blood." 

I smiled at him, "I agree with that, but how about we ask your mom first, okay?" 

"Okay…. but I really really want you to be my daddy, and I think my mom does too," he said stubbornly.

"So do I bud." I said laughing.

 I shut his door and got into the car. I drove to the hospital, which was right down the street from the police station. I parked near the front door and got out. I stood in front of the car to keep an eye on Liam and wait for Elena to come out. It wasn't long before she exited the building, she looked just as amazing as the first time I laid my eyes on her. 

She spotted me immediately, "Hey, Alec!" 

I was pleasantly surprised when she ran towards me and hugged me tightly. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed the top of her head. She looked up at me and smiled.

"Hey there beautiful, how was work?" 

"It was great actually, I helped deliver a baby!" She said excitedly.

I smiled down at her proudly. She suddenly seemed to realize that she was wrapped in my arms and blushed. She pushed away from me and turned shy. I felt a sharp pain in my chest and my wolf whimpered, but I just continued smiling at her.

"S-Sorry! I guess I got kinda excited to see you… and just randomly hugged you… I'm sorry I wasn't thinking," she said, looking away. 

That bastard has hurt her so badly she gets scared just from hugging me. My wolf growled dangerously. I pulled her back into my embrace and held her, she stiffened in surprise.

"You never need to be sorry for any kind of physical contact with me." I said softly into her ear. I felt her body start shaking, then she buried her head in my chest and let out a soft sob.

"Momma?" Liam yelled from inside the car. I could hear the worry in his voice. She glanced inside the car but couldn't make out anything through the tinted windows.

"Liam? Is that you baby?" She asked, pulling away from me. She went to my side of the car and opened the back door.

"It is you! Oh baby! I missed you so much!" She said happily. I heard Liam start giggling.

"I missed you too momma!" Liam said, grinning from ear to ear.
 
I decided to cut in at that moment," Well, shall we head home? I have a surprise for you."

She smiled and nodded then closed Liam's door. She walked around the hood and got into the car. While we were driving I decided to ask her if it would be ok if I dropped Liam off at Marina's house so we could have some time alone.

She hesitated before saying, "Well… who is this Marina lady? Have I met her? Have you already spoken to her about it?" She asked with concern.

"Well you remember the driver that took you to work?" 

"Yes, what about him?"

"Well it's his wife. I don't think you've met her. But she was the one who suggested I bring him over." 

"Momma, I'm okay going to Marina's house. She's a nice lady, she was playing with me and my friends today," Liam said, surprising us both because he'd been quiet up until now.

"She did sweetheart?" Elena asked.

"Yeah, she watched me paint you a picture. Plus, I want you and daddy to spend time with each other," he said smiling innocently. 

I flinched and waited to see if Elena would get upset about him calling me that. I watched her out of the corner of my eye, a soft smile spread across her face. She looked back at Liam then she looked at me. I glanced at her with a shy smile then looked back at the road.

"Liam, I told you we should ask her if that's okay before you start calling me that," I said softly. I felt electricity go shooting down my thigh and knew she had placed her hand there.

"Alec… of course I'm ok with it. I'm glad that Liam thinks of you as his dad. I understand that you might not want that, but please don't deny him…" she said just as softly.

"Elena, I would never deny him. I want to be his father just as much as he wants to be my son. I just didn't want to upset you." 

She squeezed my thigh. I looked into her eyes that were full of understanding, then quickly looked back to the road. 

"So can I call you daddy then? And we can do things together too? Like momma and me?" He asked excitedly. 

I looked in my rearview mirror and saw his hopeful little face. I smiled at him and nodded, I was afraid my voice would break if I tried to speak. We spent the rest of the ride in silence. 

We arrived at Marina's house which was just as big as the Pack Mansion. I parked the car and got out, so did Elena. As I was getting Liam out Marina came outside and walked over to us. She stood in front of Elena and didn't say a word. She looked like she would burst into tears soon if someone didn't do something.

"Elena this is Marina, Marina this is Elena," I said. 

She snapped out of it, smiled, and hugged Elena.

"Hello dear, I'm assuming then that you're okay with Liam staying here so you can go have some alone time?" She asked and gave me a wink.  

I could tell Elena was having a moment of confusion but then she smiled at her and replied, "Yes it's okay. I hope we aren't troubling you at all." 

"Oh of course not! Liam is a delight to have.  Go have some fun!" She said. 

Elena squatted down to Liam's height and whispered something into his ear. He smiled and nodded his head. Then ran up to me and lifted his arms up for me to hug him. I picked him up and held him tightly.

"Be a good boy for them ok?" I whispered.

"Okay daddy," he tried to whisper too but it was loud enough for both Elena and Marina to hear.  

They shared a small smile. I let Liam go and he went back to Marina. We hopped into the car and headed back to the pack house. 

"I have a few things to do down here first, do you wanna go shower or change or something?"

"Yeah that sounds great," she replied with a relieved sigh. 

"Awesome, I'll have someone show you to where we're going to be when you get done."

"What should I wear?"

"I don't know, whatever you want. Whatever makes you feel pretty."

"Okay, Mr. Mysterious." she said with a girlish grin. I chuckled as she walked off up the stairs then headed in the direction of my private garden. 

About a half hour went by and I was just putting the final touches on everything when I felt sparks run down my left arm. I looked back at her and she took my breath away. Her beautiful blue eyes were accentuated by makeup I didn't know how she'd had the time to put on so perfectly. She met my eyes then quickly cast them downward in shyness. She was in an amazing dark blue gown that showed off some of her curves while keeping others hidden. It looked exactly like the night sky, it even had the constellations sprinkled across the skirt. As my eyes made their way back towards her face they stopped briefly to admire the nice curve of her bosom. They paused again when I noticed the thin black choker around her graceful neck with a round white stone in the middle that reminded me of the moon. I had to swallow hard as I met her gorgeous eyes again. She seemed to know I couldn't stop staring at her, she blushed and looked away again.

"Is it too much? I can change?" She asked shyly, her cheeks the color of rose petals.

"No, no! It's quite the opposite my xiǎo tián tián, I have never seen someone as breathtaking as you are," I said as I slowly looked down and back up at her face. She blushed even more.

"You're just saying that. I have seen plenty of women out there much prettier than I am," she said, I took her hand and led her towards the entrance of a small maze more meant for privacy than anything else. This was my small escape from work. No one was allowed here without my permission and very few even knew it existed.

"Maybe you have but I haven't, my xiǎo tián tián. Trust me on this," we reached a fountain with a table not far from it that I'd had set-up for us and I guided her to a seat. "I'm sorry for not taking you out to a fancy dinner. It's just, I thought you might be more comfortable here." 

"You're right, I'd prefer home cooked meals and privacy. Not saying that I don't like going out once in a while. I'd just rather be alone with you and not have to worry about anyone else interrupting us." 

I nodded my head in agreement as I looked over the small spread of food with approval, my cook had done an excellent job. We jumped from topic to topic learning more and more about each other as we ate our dinner. I learned that she is a very dedicated, kind, warm woman who I'm completely in love with. When we finished our dinner we decided to take a walk through the garden. I'd brought a couple of blankets in case we decided to sit on the ground which turned out to be a good thing.

"It's so beautiful out here," she said, as she lay back on her elbows and looked up at the sky.

 I was layed back on my elbows beside her but I had eyes only for her, "Yes it is." I answered. 

As if she felt me watching her she lowered her gaze until her eyes met mine. It felt like time had stopped. I could barely breathe as I slowly leaned down and very lightly brushed my lips against hers. Her lips were so soft just like I'd imagine they would be. I only meant to give her a single kiss but it was like my body suddenly had a mind of its own. I continued onward, wanting more and more of her and she wasn't protesting. I deepened the kiss pushing her back into the blankets. A shiver ran down my spine when I felt her wrap her arms around my neck and pull me closer. I heard a moan release from my lips when she tugged on my hair. I bit her lower lip softly seeking entrance, she moaned against my mouth causing me to harden against her belly. 

I pushed my tongue into her mouth and moaned again because she tasted even sweeter than I thought she would. I had to feel and taste every inch of her. I ran my hand down her body and pushed her skirt up, feeling her bare thigh. She moaned into my mouth and wrapped her legs around my waist. I grinded my pelvis into her heat and grew even more excited when I felt her wetness against me. At that moment my wolf wanted to take over and complete the mating bond but I couldn't do it, not completely, and not here, and definitely not without her knowing everything. 

I was fighting with every cell in my body and she was not helping with her sexy little moans and touches, so I did what I thought was right at that moment. I marked her. Her shrill scream rang out in the quiet night air and reverberated throughout the maze. I pulled away from her just in time to see her pass out. I carefully picked her up, not caring about the blankets, as I rushed to get her inside and up to our room. As I ran I could hear the wolves from the house as they started howling in unison. When my teeth broke her skin a connection had been made linking her to the pack forever, and now they called out to their new luna in celebration. 

I ignored everyone in my path as I made my way upstairs and into my bedroom. I placed her gently on the bed and laid down beside her cuddling up to her, I felt horrible, I couldn't believe I'd done that to her. I yawned and glanced down at my watch. When I realized what time it was I jumped up and rushed to the phone. 

"Hey, Marina. I know it's really late but is it possible you could bring Liam in the morning?"

"Actually we're already at the pack house," she said, sounding kinda upset.

"Huh? What do you mean you're here? Is everything ok?!"

"Well I felt my daughter in pain, so we all came here," she said, before the phone was ripped out of her hands.

"What the bloody hell did you do to my daughter?" Frederick yelled.

"Well, umm I–," I let out a deep breath then tried to just spit it out. "I may have started the mating process–"

He cut me off, "You marked my daughter without her consent?"

 "It was an accident..." I said, groaning.

"Did you mark my daughter without consent?"

"I–, yes, I'm sorry… I didn't mean too…"

There was no way around it. I knew I was in the wrong. I felt really bad about it. I'd lost control, only for a second, but that's all it took.  The line stayed quiet, the next thing I knew my bedroom door had been turned into splinters with a loud bang waking up Elena. Great, but before Elena could fully wake up, Declan pushed Fredrick out of the room and back down the hallway until they were out of sight. I heard them start yelling at each other but I ignored them and focused on Elena. When my eyes met hers I winced, if looks could kill I'd be dead as a doornail right now...