Contractually Yours Alpha (Riley)

hapter Twenty One

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"Oh. Knowing him, I didn't think he would have given you a heads-up. I am surprised."

"It's just a party," 1 began, but Axel's questioning gaze gave me pause. "Right?" I questioned, suddenly unsure.

"It is a party, but no, it is not just that. It is the joining ritual."

"Joining Ritual?-he hadn't told me anything about that."

"I knew it; damn Thane, he didn't see the need to give you a little heads up at least?."

"What is the joining ritual, Axel?"

"Just as the name implies..." He trailed off, as if unsure.

"What does this ritual imply, Axel?" I questioned him again, pushing him. The nerves built in me, and I knew Axel wasn't keeping something to himself. "Okay, he would be tparking you."

"What?"

"That's expected of you both as 'mates'." I didn't miss his emphasis on the word 'mates'.

"He didn't tell me a thing about that; he did this on purpose." I turned to stare at Axel. "There is more you aren't telling me."

"You are to be marked before the whole pack, and there could be some.. other things involved."

"What other things, Axel?"

"He is an Alpha wolf; during the joining, his hormones spike up, and most of the time, the Alpha and his mate are required to be intimate." "Intimate... as in..." I couldn't say the words.

"Sex. Yes"

"Before the whole pack?" I asked, and the blood drained from my face.

"Yes. But who knows?"

"Earlier, you told him you were done with the preparations. Had these preparations been a part of this 'ritual'?"

"Yes. I did think he was going to tell you something, but I had to confirm."

"I can't... I can't do it in front of the whole pack, Axel; I just can't."

My eyes teared up, but I held it in. I couldn't cry, but I couldn't deny that I was panicking.

"You have no reason to be ashamed; I think you are beautiful," Axel said, and I couldn't help but remember the embarrassing moment when I had been forced to undress before him. 1 Chapter Twenty De

"You had been looking... earlier, when... when he told me... to undress in front of you?"

"This isn't the first time this has happened," Axel sald, and though the nerves were eating me out, I was sure going to think about that statement some other time.

"You need to eat, Riley," Axel said. Of course he liad abandoned the title, not that I minded.

"I lost my appetite, sorry."noveldrama

it helps, I'll talk to him."

I looked up to him and said, "You will do that? Why?"

"You look afraid, but I don't think you have to worry."

"Axel?"

"Yes"

"Could you not go? - I know you have many things to do, but I need someone to talk to." Gosh I sounded desperate, but I couldn't bring myself to care.

"I didn't plan on leaving."

"Thank you,

"I said to him, and I honestly meant that. "This is a stupid question, I began.

"Not surprised," Axel teased.

I rolled my eyes at him. "I want to know... before me, there had been others."

"Nosy, now are we?"

"I just want to know."

"Yes, there had been 'others'," he answered, and he said no more. As much as I wanted to push him, I knew I wasn't going to be getting anything out of him. There was this finality in his tone that told me this discussion was over.