The Alpha King’s Human Mate

“Things go away to return, brightened for the passage.” AR. Ammons

The next time I woke up, morning sunlight was filtering through the room. Groggily, I rubbed my eyes and stretched my

sore muscles. They had felt like jelly last night, but today, they felt painfully stiff.

At least I don’t have another training session until tomorrow.

I turned my head to block out the sun and my eyebrows furrowed in confusion when I caught sight of Griffin’s side of the

b*d. It wasn’t surprising to see that it was empty ~ there were very few mornings when I woke up to Griffin.

No, the surprising part was the blank paper lying on his pillow. Did he leave me a note?

I fl*pped the paper over, my breath catching in my throat. It wasn’t a note but a sketch. Of me. A n*ked sketch of me.

It was done from the waist up with my bare breasts on display and my head thrown back. Chapter 70 Did he draw this

picture today? This almost looks like it’s supposed to depict last night.

“Do you like it?”

I whipped my head around. Griffin stood in the doorway, a tray of fruit and croissants in his hand.

I clutched the sketch to my chest. “Is this me?” I knew it was a dumb question. Although the girl in the drawing seemed

far more beautiful

than I’d ever felt, there was no mistaking the long hair or the freckles

on her face. It was me. .*

“Of course it’s you,” Griffin said, walking over with the tray and setting it on the nightstand. “So, do you like it?”

Griffin was smiling as he said it, but there was something vulnerable and open about his expression. As if he was offering

me a part of himself and waiting to see what I’d do with it.

“Griffin, it’s beautiful,” I replied. “Is this last night?”

Relief seemed to flicker through his eyes and he nodded. “The way you came last night has been practically engrained in

my brain,” he said, “I woke up this morning itching to capture it on paper.”

A blush swept over my face and I looked down at the drawing again. Was this really what I looked when I orgasmed? It

was hard to believe that the girl with glazed eyes in the drawing could really be me. Chapter 70

“You know,” I commented, “If this king thing doesn’t work out for you, you could always be an artist.”

Griffin raised an eyebrow. “Oh, you think so?” He sat down next to me on the b*d, handing me a bowl of fruit.

“Yeah,” I nodded, and I picked up a strawberry. “We could go to Paris, see the Louvre and all the art. Spend our mornings

at little cafes. I could sip coffee and you could sketch the view.”

The image brought a fond smile to my face. I’d always wanted to travel — especially to Europe. I’d always told myself I’d

do it after | graduated college. Once I got my degree, I’d dedicate an entire summer to backpacking through Europe and

seeing the sights.

Back then, the image had only ever included me (and occasionally some nameless and attractive European guy I met

along the way).

But now as I thought about it, it was hard not to picture Griffin next to me.

Not that it really matters. Griffin is too busy to even wake up next to me most mornings, let alone take a vacation with me.

“Even if I was in Paris, I’m pretty sure the only view I’d want to sketch is you.”

I smiled and tried to forget about the ache in my chest. As much as T loved Griffin, those old dreams and fantasies still

sometimes swept in. Chapter 70 “Little fox,” Griffin said, drawing my attention back to him, “There’s

something I need to talk to you about.”

Half-chewing on a piece of cantaloupe, I turned to look at Griffin. He looked somber for the first time since he’d walked

into the room. I also noticed that he was fully dressed, which was a little odd if he’d just woken up to sketch and steal

some fruit from the kitchen.

I swallowed down the lump in my throat. “What is it?”

“The council called me into a meeting this morning,” Griffin said, “You remember the situation with Alpha Liam?”

I nodded.

“I sent Beta Williams to handle it,” he explained, “But once he got there, he believes the situation is more dire than

anyb*dy thought.”

More dire? What could Alpha Liam be doing that’s raising such alarm bells?

“alpha Liam has completely overthrown Alpha Abel. Beta Williams even believes that Alpha Liam may be working to

convince other Alphas to join him, especially those that already have traditionalist leanings.”

My eyes widened. What had started out as some pack dispute seemed to be turning into much more than that.

“Do you know what he wants?” I asked, “Is it power? More lands?” Chapter 70

Griffin grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers together. The gesture was comforting, although I wasn’t sure if it was meant to comfort me or him.

“For now, more land,” he said, “He’s already overtaken Alpha Abel’s lands. But if I had to guess, I’d suspect he’s gunning

for my power. Probably for my position.”

My stomach sank. It shouldn’t have been surprising. Of course a power- hungry Alpha like Liam would want to gain as

much power as he could. And currently, the person holding the most power was Griffin.

The very thought of Alpha Liam overthrowing Griffin in some violent, bloody way made me want to throw up every piece

of fruit I’d eaten.

“He can’t do that, right?” I asked. “I mean, even if he tried, he couldn’t.”

Griffin shook his head, looking far calmer than I felt. “The only way he could become King was by killing me and every

single one of my warriors. Even then, there’s no guarantee that the rest of the werewolf world would accept his claim. He

has no birthright to the throne. It would be a very risky move, but Alpha Liam’s recent actions have convinced me that he

might just be crazy enough to do that. A man like that won’t be satisfied with more land. He’ll want more. It’s why I need

to go and strike him down before he becomes a legitimate threat.”

If my stomach had sunk before, now it felt like someone had dropped a rock in it. Chapter 70

“Woah, wait a second,” I said, “You just said that Alpha Liam’s endgame is probably killing you, and you want to go after

him? Won’t you just be giving him a prime opportunity to achieve that goal?”

Griffin smirked. “It’s cute that you’re worried for me, little fox, but you don’t need to be. No matter how bloodthirsty he

is, Alpha Liam would never be able to kill me. He’s simply not strong enough. But I do need to go and nip this problem in

the bud.”

Griffin might not have been worried about a potential fight with Alpha Liam, but I wasn’t so easily convinced.

“It has to be you? I thought you sent Beta Williams and your best

warriors.”

“I underestimated just how large Liam’s forces are. I don’t want to risk losing my men to some delusional, power-hungry wolf. When I go, I’ll be joining Beta Williams and the warriors I’ve already sent. I can help ensure their safety, but I can

also send a message to the rest of the werewolf world.”

“And what message is that?”

“That ’m not my weak father willing to let these Alphas get off with a slap on the wrist. That those who f**k with my rules

don’t get to live.” There was a hard edge to his voice. It reminded me that Griffin wasn’t just the strongest werewolf in

the world – he was the king too.

And even if the idea of him walking into a fight made me nervous, he Chapter 70

was strong enough to handle himself. I guess this is part of the job description after all.

“won’t be gone long, little fox,” Griffin said, and his fingers cupped my chin. His face was soft, and I could tell that he

didn’t want to leave me. “Less than a month. The council wants to have your coronation next month, and I’ll be back

before then.”

The thought of a month without Griffin left an odd hollow feeling in my chest, but I knew he had no choice. “A month

isn’t that long,” I said. Iwas lying – I was pretty sure a month would feel like an eternity. *

“No, it’s not,” Griffin said, and he reached over to k*ss my forehead, “I’ll be back before you know it. I love you, little fox.”

“I love you too.”

I just hope you’re as capable as you are confident, | added silently but did not say