The Alpha King's Human Mate by HC Dolores

The Alpha King’s Human Mate

Chapter 71

Chapter 71

“Romantic love is an addiction. A perfectly wonderful addiction when

it’s going well, a perfectly horrible addiction when it’s going poorly.” )

Helen Fisher

The hollow feeling in my chest never dissipated.

If anything, it only seemed to get worse the farther Griffin got from me. Every time that I thought about him – which was

quite a lot – the claiming bite on my shoulder pulsed. Like it yearned for Griffin’s touch.

Deep down, I knew it was the mate bond making me feel this way. It had to be. As little attention as I paid in my werewolf

education classes, I’d remembered that. Once you completed the mate bond, it became stronger. It got harder to spend

time apart.

But hearing about in a classroom couldn’t compare to how it actually felt. As cheesy as it sounded, it felt like Griffin had

packed my heart into his suitcase. \”)

And even thinking that felt embarrassing.

Even with the mate bond, I’d hardly known Griffin more than a month. Amonth – that’s all the time it had taken for him

to burrow his way Chapter 71

into my soul like he’d always lived there.

You survived eighteen years without Griffin, surely you can stand another month.

So much for wanting to be independent.

The worst part was the nightmares that started a couple of days after Griffin left.

I dreamed of Alpha Liam and Griffin in a stand-off, like one of those old Western movies. Instead of guns, their claws were

unsheathed.

I always woke up at the same part ~ right when Liam sliced Griffin’s head clean off his body. I usually woke up gasping in

a cold sweat too, and it would take me a moment to realize that the dreams weren’t reality. That was Griffin was still alive,

and had he died, | would’ve known. Not only would the castle be in an uproar, but I was sure that I would’ve felt it

through the mate bond.

Suffice to say, I wasn’t sleeping that well these days. There wasn’t even a reliable way for me to contact Griffin either. He’d be traveling, meeting with Beta Williams, and possibly walking into a fight. That didn’t leave a lot of time for casual

texting, although it’s not as if I had a phone to text him on.

my phone is still sitting cracked on the pavement of

of Griffin’s absence. I knew

myself into one of the few

sharp criticism kept my mind focused on something

a reason you can’t seem to land a punch today?” Ivan asked, his accent sharp

for me even though my hits hardly seemed to move it anyway. “You look like you’re

too.”

with him, Ivan’s comfort level with me

going to tattle to Griffin every time he offered a little

well, that’s probably because I feel like I’m half-asleep,” I said, reaching

is that?” Ivan asked, raising an eyebrow, “Are the king’s

Ivan’s tone was sarcastic, but I’d learned that was just him.

didn’t mind it these days. He was about the only person

around me, afraid they’d offend

I rolled my eyes, “It’s these…well, can I ask

“What is ii

mated, right?” Ivan’s eyes

separated before?” I asked, “Like,

crossed Ivan’s face — he knew where I was going with this line of questioning. “A couple

went on missions to settle pack disputes. I had to

did you

“It is… not easy,” he said, “There are no shortcuts for

of the mate.

you ever have…nightmares?” I asked. I wasn’t sure why I

it. Maybe it just felt like I was admitting something

paused, looking me over in what it looked like pity. Or,

my absence, I dreamt of my mate dying in odd ways,” Ivan confessed, a

Sometimes in Chapter

rogue attack. Sometimes just in a mundane way, like of a heart

just me. Is this

part of

the mate bond.

continued,

“The source?”

the mate bond,” he explained, “It’s the bond’s way of trying to force

leave

silent for a moment and then he asked, “What is it you’re

he’d been truthful to me.

Alpha Liam and losing,” I said, “Getting killed.”

talking. Every anxiety

few days spilled out of me. “I know that it probably wouldn’t happen. That

and Alpha Chapter

be the victor. But it still keeps me up at

head.”

mate bond,” he said, “The moments together

all the more

that withdrawal, which

mate bonds? Their view of love is heavily skewed,” Ivan sneered, and then after a moment, he added, “No

you want, but I can tell

Human love is very different from the

being independent. They don’t feel the overwhelming need to