The Alpha King's Human Mate by HC Dolores

The Alpha King’s Human Mate

Bonus Chapter – Aria & Sebastian (12) Bonus Chapter – Aria & Sebastian (12)

“You could fill three lifetimes with the things people say about you when you’re not there.”

Stewart Stafford

Aria woke with a jolt to someone stroking her hair. For half-a-second, her sleep-addled brain thought she was back in

Liam’s domain, stuck in her bunk bed or his bedroom

Her anxiety spiked — but only for a moment until she realized she wasn’t with Liam anymore, but her mate. The

comforting scent enveloping her was Sebastian as was the soft touch to her hair

“Are you okay? I didn’t mean to startle you.” He must’ve realized she was awake because his hand stilled in her hair, and

Aria had to bite back a whimper. She liked his touch

She shifted to look at him, rubbing the sleepiness of her eyes. “No, it’s alright. I didn’t mean to actually fall asleep, but I

guess I was more tired than I thought from the trip.”

Sebastian, who was sitting on the edge of the bed and still dressed in the same clothes, gave her a cheeky grin. “Oh, I

have no complaints

You did fall asleep in my bed, after all.”

Bonus Chapter – Aria & Sebastian (12)

What? Aria shot up like a wire. “Wait, this is your room?”

She glanced at her surroundings, and berated herself for not realizing it before she’d passed out. The room was all dark,

neutral colors but the personal touches were undeniably Sebastian: several family photos of him with both his sisters, a

photo of his parents, and a couple of unwashed t-shirts scattered on the floor

As if that wasn’t enough confirmation, the room reeked of him. Not in an unpleasant way — more like a wanting-to-rollaround-in-his-sheetsforever kind of way

She flushed. She hadn’t meant to end up in his bedroom, but after rushing out of Clark’s room, she’d just followed the

comforting scent to…here

Sebastian must’ve seen the red decorating her face because he said, “Hey, there’s no need to be embarrassed. Finding

you up here, wrapped in my sheets, was like waking up on Christmas morning. You looked beautiful.”

Her cheeks became redder, and she couldn’t bring herself to look at him as she asked, “Do you think I could have some water? My throat is feeling a little dry.” It wasn’t true, but it was the first thing she could think of to change the subject

“Of course,” Sebastian said, and then he stood up, “There’s still some

Bonus Chapter – Aria & Sebastian (12)

pack members mingling downstairs with my parents, so I’ll get it for you.” He shot her another smile before stepping out

of the room, leaving the door cracked

She waited until his footsteps echoed into the soft noise of voices downstairs before she grabbed the pillow — his pillow — and inhaled deeply

Her eyes fluttered shut

He smelled so good

She could live in these sheets, in this bed

“T can’t believe our future Alpha has a mate now.”

Aria’s eyes popped open at the unfamiliar, tinkling female voice she could hear coming from down the hall. She didn’t

the second floor —

second female voice joined in, just

so, not if they

the first girl

Chapter – Aria

“What?”

knew she could’ve gotten up and walked out

didn’t. She curled further under the covers, and strained her ears

to say about her

was the first girl’s voice, and she could hear the smirk. “She came from weird traditionalist pack all

in Texas, and Sebastian pulled her out of Alpha

“No way! Really?”

That’s why

talk to anyone.”

her, how they saw her. She knew

about

second girl’s was syrupy with faux-pity. “He’s been waiting so long for his mate and our

he gets stuck with someone

a caregiver and less of a mate,” she sighed, “Oh, well. He’s stuck with her now. Nothing he can do to change it.” That was the last thing they said before they moved on to gossiping

member of their pack

– Aria &

covers,

felt like her worst fear come

leaving Liam’s pack and meeting Sebastian, Aria had spent many nights, laying awake and agonizing over

deserve a mate, let

hallway only

me, makes sure I’m okay, soothes my anxieties, and does

man I’ve ever met, and what have I ever done for him?

all I’ve ever done is be an ungrateful burden. Those girls are right.

be my caretaker

Sebastian didn’t see it that way, some part of her wondered if, deep down, he felt that way.

of him – even a small part — had to be tired of constantly being patient, of constantly looking after her. And if he wasn’t, she was sure

suddenly cut through her spiral as he swung the door open, and strode

it took me so long. I got roped into a conversation with one of the Elders who wanted my opinion

– Aria

absolutely riveting, if you can imagine.” He sat down on

drank greedily to hide

a friendly reminder that if you’re not reading

there to dive into the next

circling in her brain, of

life

Her heart pounded furiously

long until he began to resent her? Began to resent that

had nothing to offer

was one thing she could

as the thought came, she didn’t

so fast that water sloshed over the sides, closed the

and pressed her lips to

feeling was

to, and her entire body tingled with

settled in her

was frozen for a moment, and then, he

Chapter – Aria &

back

slowly against hers, letting her

his lap, and his hands

but when they didn’t, she took one of hers —

and

chest until her palm clasped over the bulge in his pants. Just as she began fiddling for

zipper, he stilled

away from the kiss with furrowed

“What are you doing?”

take care of you.”