Love Letters from an Alpha Read Free Page A

justify them or provide empty assurances. In a way,
that was more comforting than anything she could have said.
    One of Victoria's bouncers finally approached just as Luther
finished his second drink. "Ink is leaving," the man whispered in her
ear.
    She nodded and dismissed her employee with a wave. Luther was
already on his feet, ready to go. Owen hadn't approached Victoria to ask her
about him. What did that mean? Was it a good thing or a bad thing?
    "Good luck, Luther," his friend told him with a
smile. "I expect you to let me know what happens—and if I need a new
dancer."
    Her tone suggested that she believed Owen might be amenable
to what Luther had in mind, but he couldn't afford bringing his hopes up. If he
did and if it turned out his mate rejected him, he would never recover. Instead
of replying, he kissed her hand, then turned on his heel and left the club.
    He waited at the entrance of the alley that led into the back
of the establishment, knowing that any time now his mate would be showing up.
He could practically feel it, buzzing over his skin, the awareness of Owen's
proximity increasing more and more. He closed his eyes and let his senses flow,
falling back onto the powers given to him by his hybrid nature.
    With his mind's eye, he watched the alleyway. At first, he
could only see the bouncer, and while he could have pressed further, it turned
out that he didn't have to. The door opened, and his mate stepped out of the
club.
    It wasn't the first time Luther had seen Owen without the
incubus mask. He'd tried to rein in his power, but sometimes, it simply refused
to obey, and he found himself drifting, seeking out his other half. An ability
of astral projection could be really difficult to handle for a werewolf who wanted
nothing more than to be by his mate's side.
    Owen didn't linger to chat with the bouncer, which was a good
thing, given that Luther would have probably had a bad reaction to that.
Thankfully, his mate was already heading his way, so Luther quickly released
his hold on his astral self and gathered his composure, affecting a nonchalance
he did not feel.
    Finally, Owen came out of the alleyway, only to freeze in his
tracks when he saw Luther. A few seconds ticked past, and then Owen took a deep
breath and crossed the rest of the distance between them. "Hi," the
human whispered, fidgeting slightly. "I take it you're... waiting for
me."
    Luther swallowed around the knot in his throat, his aloof
demeanor flying straight out the window. Yes, he'd been waiting—but longer than
Owen imagined, and longer than he should have. He'd wanted to have a mate for
centuries, and then, when he'd found out the mate in question was human, he'd
reacted in a way that now filled him with shame and frustration.
    He couldn't hope to articulate that, not just yet. The words
that would have come easily when written on paper refused to be let out through
his vocal cords. "Yes," he said lamely.
    They succumbed to silence, neither of them moving a muscle.
Luther's wolf was snarling at him to do something. This was definitely not the
way he'd wanted the meeting to go. He didn't want this awkwardness, this
silence that threatened to swallow all of Luther's hopes.
    But the fact of the matter was that they were both very aware
of their current circumstances, which were peculiar to say the least. They
hadn't met at all, but Owen was perhaps one of the few people in Luther's life
who knew his doubts and burdens. However, he most definitely did not know about Luther being an Alpha werewolf—and half-human, to boot—and he was
already wary because of the way Luther had chosen to approach this.
    Well, Luther hadn't come this far to back down. "I see
you got my letters."
    That drew a small, bashful smile from Owen. "Yes. Thank
you. I... I really loved the roses."
    "I'm glad. I was hoping they weren't too much like a
present for you to accept them."
    "Even if they had been, I don't think I could have
refused." Owen reached into his