Full Circle (Central Florida Pack Book 1) by Chudney Thomas Read Free Book Online Page B

scent of food. Ria expected Drake to let her go. Instead, he held her closer. As the Pack flowed in and around them, he held her. Just held her, while the Pack took note.
    ***
     
    It wasn't until they were settled in on his couch again and she'd gotten halfway through her plate that he spoke.
    "Do you have vacation time?"
    Poised to take a bite of chicken, Ria put it back down. "I do. Why?"
    "I'd like you take time off."
    This was new. Drake never asked for anything as the Alpha. It might sound to an outsider as if he had, but this was an order.
    "You want me to take time off for what?" She had an inkling of what he wanted, but Ria wasn't about to let him dictate when she took time off from work.
    Drake took the plate from her and placed it on his battered coffee table. When he faced her, his eyes had turnedto a bright yellow. The veins on his forearms stood out and his voice, his voice when he spoke was barely human.
    "I'm the Alpha. I get busy, and in order for me to be able to court you, one of us has to be available."
    She blinked up at him. "You didn't just say that to me."
Submissive, Beta, not even Beta, Omega. She was lowest of the low.
    There was only one way she knew of even in the human world to establish some sort of respect, and it was to stand up for herself. The only difference was that in the Pack she just might end up ranked even lower. "You expect me to be available…whenever."
    He sat back. The intensity of his gaze had her pinned to the seat. It took all she had to keep eye contact. If she had any sense, she would show him her throat in surrender. Something deep inside her refused to give in. She knew if she gave in now, she would be giving in for the rest of her life.
    "Do you remember who I am?"
    "I'm pretty sure some spoiled celebrity is wondering who stole their line right now." She pushed herself off the couch and made her way to the door on shaky legs, brushing past him as he gazed down at her in what she was sure was amazement. "I have work tomorrow."
    She was surprised that she made it to the front door without him stopping her. Surprised and disappointed.
    Paolo emerged from the game room, pool cue in hand. "You are the only person I know that can get Drake into this mood."
    Ria didn't slow down as he fell in beside her.
    "What mood? Annoyed?"
    "Annoyed, frustrated, confused…" He leaned against the door and kept an eye on the hallway while talking. "You can pretend all you want, but you'll end up mated to him." Paolo looked straight at her. "He needs you. This Pack needs you. Don't listen to the idiots that like to treat you like a submissive wolf, Ria. They don't know shit."
    Paolo moved away as Drake's bedroom door slammed. Drake was coming after all. She stood silently by the front door, her back turned to the man who would make her his mate.
    Drake reached out and opened the door for her and she stepped through, making her way to the truck. The heat of Drake's hand at the base of her spine burned its way into her memory as he guided her to the truck.
    Ria's nerves felt stretched to the breaking point. She could almost feel her heart beating out of her chest. She was aware of every move he made as he backed the truck out of the driveway. He said nothing.
    His eyes never left the road, his hands strong and steady on the wheel. He'd always been that way. He always knew in which direction to take the Pack. It was hard to believe that he was older than he looked. He'd already been Alpha when she was a child. Very few questioned him, except the old guard, his advisors. It was a measure of his competence that he needed so little input.
    "Why me?" she asked.
    He snarled in frustration at her question.
    "Why not one of the other females of the Pack?"
    He glanced in her direction. "Until recently, you've never run from me. You've always given me your honest opinion." He let out a gruff laugh. "What I mean to say is, I've been aware of you for most of your life. As a kid, as a teenager..."
    The way he