The Alpha's Slave Mate

Chapter Thirty-Two

Daphne's Point of View

Waking up the next morning I find my self tangled in Caleb's arms. The feeling is nice, but I have started to put up a wall between us. My emotions are a mess. After last night I just need some space. I ease out of Caleb's hold and edge myself off the bed. I do not want to wake Caleb; I need to get out and run. I need to clear my head. No lessons, no training, no mate business just me, my wolf, and the woods. Successfully making it off the bed, I hurry to the closet and find my old sweats and tee shirt. I throw them on and grab my tennis shoes and head to the door. I ease it open and look back at Caleb pleased that lam making it out without waking him up.

I head out the front door and sit on the steps to put my shoes on. It is early in the morning and the sun has not begun to rise yet, but the sky is lightening up in color making everything visible.

There is a crisp feeling to the air, and! know that winter will be here soon.

With my shoes on I take off jogging towards the training grounds. I feel like I know the area relatively well that I can get back after a short run. My wolf is itching to be free. She needs to stretch her legs and be free for a while. °

Past the training grounds I finally hit the tree line. I inhale the scent of the crisp air, turning leaves, moss, and sap of the trees. I undress quickly and shift, enjoying the breeze ruffling my coat. I take a moment to really stretch. I have been neglecting my wolf lately, and she is overjoyed that she is out and in the woods. We have not been running lately, and the only time she has been out has been during training. I start my run staying close to the tree line so that I can find my way back. For a moment I miss the river that ran through the woods by my old house. I recall the deer and hope that she is alive and well.

Since Caleb's home is higher on the mountains this terrain is rockier than what I am used to. It is still beautiful in its own way. I marvel at the new dips in the ground, the rock formations, the different types of plants, and even the difference in fellow wildlife.

My body is not the only thing running this morning, my brain refuses to shut off. I know that Caleb is a busy man, I mean he is an Alpha. I just thought that we would spend more time together. I remember the way he talked about his parents and the love they had. I wonder if he and I will ever get to that point. I know that we have a good physical connection, and when he touches me it is like rivers of lightening flow through my body. I know that I respect his leadership style, and I like that he is kind.

I am grateful for my new life, and grateful to Caleb for providing it for me.

I love learning new things and learning about werewolf etiquette and our history. I even enjoy training, although I was embarrassed at first, I do know that I am learning quickly. Is Caleb embarrassed by me? I do not want to appear to be ungrateful for everything that he has provided but I thought that as his mate we would be getting to know each other more. Maybe this is just the way things are done? I am starting to frustrate myself with all these questions that I do not have answers to.

I thought about talking to Hannah about it, but lam too embarrassed. ©

Frustrated more than ever I head back towards my clothes. The sun is really starting to rise, and 1] realize that I have been running longer than I realize. My muscles feel great after the run though, and I hurry and get dressed after shifting. I decide to walk back to the house, enjoying the after euphoria that always happens with a run. Aslam passing the training grounds, I can see that the younger pups are already preparing for their training today. I cannot help but smile at their rowdiness. Rounding the corner, I can see Caleb is pacing on the stairs to the house. There is a collection of warriors standing below him. Theo is off to his right and when he looks up, he catches my eye. Theo quickly reaches over and turns Caleb so that he is looking straight at me.

It is like Caleb is frozen in place he is just staring at me like he has seen a ghost. Looking at him I can tell his hairis disheveled and his shirt is inside out. I have never seen him look so sloppy. As if he is awoken from some trance, he jumps off the side of the stairs running through the rose garden and pulls me into a hug.

“lam so sorry, I thought you left me. I woke up and you were just gone. I did not know what happened we were going to look for you.” Caleb's words come out in a rush. He is squeezing me so tight it is hard to breath. I have to tap his shoulder to get him to loosen up his grip so that I can breathe.

“Caleb I am fine; I just went for a run.” Although he has loosened his grip on me, he is still hugging me close to his chest. I can hear his heart pounding and I feel guilty that I scared him. I am suddenly aware that we have a large audience, and I finally look over and see that Caleb has amassed a group of Walriors as a search party. My face flames knowing that I caused this disturbance. “I am sorry I did not think that it would be such a big deal, my wolf just needed to run.” I feel like I need to explain myself. °

Caleb finally releases his hold on me and reaches under my chin to tilt my head up, so 1 am looking him in the eyes. “Daphne you do not have to apologize for going for a run, but next time please leave a note or something that way I know where you are.” Caleb's words are soft, and a new wave of guilt washes over me. I nod my head in agreeance with him. Caleb dismisses the warriors and we head inside so that I can shower and have breakfast. *

I let Caleb know that I am going to go shower and! head up to the room. I feel bad for worrying him. I kind of like that he is a little overprotective of me, and I hope that this is a positive sign for our future. I love the shower that is attached to our room. It is a shower with tiles that appear almost stone like, dual shower heads make it feel like you are under a waterfall. The adjustable shower heads ensure that you can hit any sore spot on your body. Caleb explained that he installed a large tankless water heater, so it is almost impossible for us to run out of hot water. This is probably my favorite luxury that I could have never imagined before. I take my time letting the hot water relax my muscles, especially in my lower back.

After I am fully relaxed and feeling great, I step out, dry off, and get ready for the day. I choose to throw on some jeans, with a short blue top and throwa flannel long sleeve over the top. I tie my hair back in a low ponytail, give myself a once over in the mirror and head down to the kitchen. Walking down the steps I am already thinking about making myself some eggs with cheese, and toast before Theo shows up for more history lessons. I am surprised to find Caleb in the kitchen when I get there. "Hey, I thought you would be in training already, or in meetings.” Caleb stops flipping eggs and looks over at me flashing me a smile.

“I handled most of my business yesterday, and Theo is going to handle most of it today. I figured that you and I have not gotten to spend time together lately, and I was hoping that we could spend some of today together if you want.” Caleb's voice wavers at the end and his uncertainty is causing cracks in the wall I had built between us. Caleb is standing there waiting for my answer, looking vulnerable and the wall breaks even more.

“I would like that. What did you have in mind?” Caleb flashes me a boyish smile that melts my heart. “Well for starters I cooked us up some breakfast. Then I figured we would do whatever you want to do. I know that you have been training and learning these past couple of weeks, so I figure you need a day to do some fun stuff."l am touched by Caleb's words. I realize that he has been mindful of how busy the last couple of weeks has been for me andl am surprised that he is focused on how 1am feeling. I have not had much experience with people caring about my emotions.

Caleb sets our plates on the table, and he has prepared a delicious looking breakfast. My mouth is already watering looking at the scrambled eggs with cheese, crisp bacon strips, and perfectly buttered toast. We sit and enjoy breakfast in comfortable silence. I find Caleb looking at me from across the table, and I wonder if there is something on my face. I wipe my face with the napkin hoping that I got it off, but I still find him staring at me throughout the meal. ©

“Caleb is everything ok? Dol have something on my face?” Caleb seems startled at my questions. “No Daphne you are beautiful. I was just admiring the fact that you are enjoying my cooking, I am not the best chef.” Caleb replies laughing at himself.

“It is very good; I was actually thinking about cheesy eggs after I got out of the shower” I tell Caleb with a little laugh. “I like having protein after a good run.”

“Well I am glad that I could make your fantasy come true.” Caleb's words spark a familiar fire within me, and 1 am no longer thinking about breakfast. Instead I am thinking about him taking me here on the table, and my face flushes red with my thoughts. Looking at Caleb it feels like he can read my thoughts and my face flushes even more red.

"So, my dear what would you like to do today?” Caleb's voice is husky, and it helps to relieve some of my embarrassment. I am pretty sure that he was having some kinky thoughts himself. His eyes have that look of fire again and I can feel my heart speeding up. As much asl want to indulge in the carnal pleasure that comes so easily between us, I want to get to know Caleb.

“Um how about we go for a walk and play twenty questions. So, then we can learn about each other, and enjoy the town.” I speak the words in a rush, afraid that if we continue staring at each other that we will end up in bed. Losing the opportunity to really know more about each other. Caleb looks at me like he does not understand what I am saying. “Twenty questions is a game, we take turns asking whatever question we want, and the person has to answer honestly.” ©

Caleb thinks on my words for a moment, claps his hands together and jumps up from the table. “I think this is a great idea.” Caleb is grabbing our dishes off the table and rinsing them in the sink. lam almost regretting my choice, seeing how excited Caleb is for this. lam a little apprehensive about the questions he intends to ask. '

Once we finish cleaning up our breakfast mess, we get ready to go out. Caleb goes and changes into a pair of jeans and tee shirt. When he comes back downstairs, I already have my tennis shoes on. We head out the front door, and I am still nervous about the questions Caleb may ask.

“So, who gets to ask the first question?” Caleb seems eager to begin the game, and his childish excitement is contagious.

"How about we play rock, paper, scissors and the winner gets to ask the first question.” lam hoping that I can beat him and get to start the game.

Laughing on the front steps of the house, we look like little kids playing. I throw paper, thinking that Caleb will throw rock, he surprises me though by throwing scissors.

“Looks like I win.” Caleb grabs my hand and we walk down the steps. I am still nervous, but him holding my hand is comforting. It is scary knowing that I am opening myself up and being vulnerable, but I am also looking forward to asking him questions.