25. Dreams of Her Husband

Alice felt Boss's tail repeatedly hit her leg. Two small kids had come over from another table and were happily showering him with head scratches and belly rubs. He was in heaven.

She was in one of Lisbon's parks, having lunch with her brother and sister-in-law in an open-air bistro. The May weather was wonderfully warm, and a gentle breeze blew from the river. The park was crowded with people enjoying the sunshine, and the bistro was lively with the sound of conversation and cutlery. The sound of a guitarist playing covers reached them from further up the park, but it wasn't enough to drown the noise of children playing.

"So, we are pregnant again," announced Leonor, her sister-in-law.

Alice hurried to put down her beer so she could hug her.

"Really? I'm so happy for you." She hugged her brother-in-law too. "So that makes three now. You're going to need a bigger house."

They both laughed and Hugo, her brother-in-law, pulled out his phone to show her the pictures from the ultrasound. His eyes sparkled and his smile was contagious. She sometimes forgot just how much he looked like his brother. A small pull on Bruno's broken bond made her wince. It had been months since she felt it; her bond with Gabriel now completely overwhelmed it.

"How about you?" Hugo asked.

"Me? What about me?" she replied, confused.

"How are things with Gabriel? We haven't seen much of you since, you know, the ‘incident'," Hugo mumbled. She could feel his nervousness, and she followed his gaze to Elijah standing at the edge of the tables. He was busy scanning the crowd and talking through his earpiece to Lemos, who was on the other side of the restaurant.

"Security has been a little more demanding, but can you blame Gabriel after what happened?" Alice explained.

"I know, I know… It was hard on all of us, almost losing you to those people." He sighed. "But are you okay with this? I remember when Bruno first imposed all the security measures around you. You were really upset."

She smiled with real affection at her brother-in-law. Even after all the years since his brother had died, he still viewed her pretty much like a real sister.

"I'm not happy about it, if that's what you want to hear." She took both their hands in her own. "But, believe me, I'm aware of how important my security is for everyone. The last thing I want is to cause you all distress."

"Always thinking of others," Leonor said. "Just make sure not to lose yourself in the middle of your concern for us."

Alice smiled but didn't reply.

"So can I at least count on you to go shopping for the baby with me?" Leonor asked.

"Of course. Maybe we can take Marina too? She only has three months to go, but has procrastinated all the baby purchases."

"She's got nothing for the baby yet?" Leonor was shocked.

"Yeah, she doesn't want to know the sex of the baby until it's born, so she's afraid of buying the wrong things." Alice chuckled. "It's her first baby, so she doesn't know there are no wrong things."

When they finished lunch, she hugged them goodbye and made her way with Elijah to the car. Boss sniffed the air and tried to pull her toward the river, no doubt to investigate some interesting smell. It was such a wonderful day, and it had been so long since they walked by the river. She must have looked wistful, because Elijah surprised her with a suggestion.

"Would you like to go for a walk?" he asked her.

"Is it safe?" she replied, unsure. She was unwilling to put herself in harm's way again.

"It's all right, don't worry," Elijah reassured her.

"Thank you."

They walked along the riverbank, keeping to the tree shade. Boss happily sniffed all the corners and the people who passed by. Elijah, on the other hand, tensed every time someone got too close to them.

Still, it was nice to stroll around for a bit and relax.

"Alice."

Alice turned around quickly to see who'd called her name.

"Everything all right?" Elijah asked.

"Yes." She hesitated. "I thought I heard someone call me."

Elijah glanced around for anything suspicious, but there were too many people around them for him to see much. They resumed their walk.

"So, a new nephew or niece?" he asked her.

"They don't know yet, but are hoping for a girl." Alice beamed. She was so happy for them.

"And what about you and Gabriel? Planning on having one of your own any time soon?"

Alice's smile slowly fell. "No, not really." She must have failed at sounding indifferent, because Elijah stopped and took her arm.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to upset you."

She gave him a reassuring smile. "It's okay, I'm not upset. It's just that… It's complicated."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Alice took a deep breath. Did she want to talk about it? She had talked with a lot of people about this before, and all her friends knew how she had felt at the time. But did they know how she felt now?

They started walking again. "You know I can't drive, right?" she asked Elijah.

"Yeah, Gabriel told me when he hired me," he replied, sounding confused.

"Did he tell you why?"

"No. I always assumed it was because of the rules in place to protect you."

"It's not in the rules. The others can drive, as far as I'm aware."

"Oh?" Elijah sounded confused, and she could feel he was really curious to know more.

"It's the same reason why I have panic attacks when I see needles." Alice gathered her courage to tell this story again. "Five years ago, I got pregnant. Bruno and I were super happy. We had been trying for a few years with no luck, and we couldn't afford medical assistance at the time."

Elijah glanced at her belly and back to her face, but didn't say anything. Sadness fought his curiosity now. He probably knew where this was going.

"When I was around five months pregnant, we went to dinner with a few friends. Bruno drank too much, and since I couldn't drink at the time, he asked me to drive us home. When we drove past a crossroad, a drunk driver passed a red light and hit our car on my side."

"Shit." Elijah stopped walking to look at her, visible concern in his eyes. Some people around them also stopped what they were doing to look at her. She smiled and waved at them, and continued walking. She didn't like upsetting people, but it was hard not to be emotional, telling this again.

"What happened next?" Elijah asked, though she could tell he already knew.

"My memory is very fuzzy. I remember the car was upside down. I remember Bruno yelling a lot, and the paramedics telling me everything was going to be all right. And I remember needles. Lots and lots of needles." Her throat felt tight.

She closed her eyes and tried to calm down. When she opened them, she made her way closer to the river, away from other people. Elijah walked beside her. "After the accident, we decided not to try again for a while. But then with the Tube, and the changes we went through, Bruno and I were ready to try again. And then you know what happened."

"He was killed." Elijah's voice sounded normal, but there was melancholy coming from him that overruled his curiosity.

"Ever since the accident, I get panic attacks when I see needles, and when I sit in the driver's seat of a car. With Bruno gone, I lost all thoughts of getting pregnant."

"How does Gabriel feel about that?"

"He's not a fan of kids. He actively hides from his nephews every chance he gets and refuses to hold a baby. He's quite all right with the idea."

"I see," Elijah said, thoughtful.

Alice's phone rang, and she fished it out of her bag. She looked at the caller ID and suppressed a sigh. She should have known he would feel her sadness through their bond. "Hey, Gabriel."

"Are you all right? Did something happen?" He sounded calm, but she could feel his worry.

"No, everything is fine."

"I felt your distress. Why are you sad? Do you need me to come get you?"

"No, no need. I was just explaining to Elijah why I don't like needles."

"I see… Are you okay?" His tone changed, and reassurance came through the bond.

"I'm fine." She sent some of her own love back, her hand on her rabbit necklace.

"Are you guys driving back to the house?"

"No, we are taking a stroll near the river."

"That was not the plan. You were supposed to have lunch and go back." Again, his voice was casual, but she could feel his worry.

"It's just a short stroll, and then we will go straight home." She sighed, her joy in the walk dimmed by Gabriel's apprehension.

"All right, then," he relented and closed the bond on his side. "Just don't take long."

"I love you," she said in her sweetest voice.

"I love you too," he replied and ended the call.

Alice tried to enjoy the sun as they strolled. At least Boss was having fun.

Elijah and Gabriel were smothering her in security, their instincts still on edge since what happened in the nightclub. Elijah thought he had failed at his job, and was now overcompensating in every security aspect he could. And Gabriel was still a turmoil of emotions, his fear of losing her overcoming his better judgment sometimes.

Although all the security and stress were chafing her, she understood it. The worry her friends felt, and the stress that came from Gabriel, were a weight she could only alleviate by staying safe.

"Do you miss dance class?" Elijah asked, an odd feeling coming from him.

"Yes." She missed it terribly.

"I've reviewed security on the dance studio and talked with Naomi. I was thinking maybe you could go back this week."

"What? Isn't it too soon?" she asked, surprised. "We don't know when the strays will be back. Do you think it's safe?"

"I think you need normalcy back in your life." He squeezed her shoulder. "And it's my job to make sure you are safe, not yours."

"Alice."

She heard the voice again. She turned completely around, trying to find who was calling her. The voice sounded familiar.

"I would love to go back to dance class. Naomi will be thrilled too." She squinted at the sunlight as she looked up at Elijah. "Gabriel might not be okay with it, though."

"You let me worry about that," he reassured her as they made their way back to the car. "I have just one condition, though."

"What?" she asked, suspicious.

"We are going back to the shooting range," he told her, and ignored her loud groan. "And you are going to start carrying the gun I gifted you."

"But that's awful for me," she complained.

"But for me, it's peace of mind…"

Gabriel had barely strolled into the building, and he was already cursing at how easy it was to access it. No one at the door to check who came in? No security cameras? He was going to have a talk with the owner after he retrieved Alice.

He arrived at a reception desk next to a pair of double doors. There was a glass wall all around the reception area, with only a small opening to talk with the receptionist. But said receptionist was busy with her computer and didn't pay him any attention. He put his hand on the double doors to find them locked, and an alarm started blaring immediately. Two hulking alphas came out from another door and flanked him. The lady at the reception desk poked her head out from behind the glass and looked him up and down. Then she picked up a microphone next to her computer screen.

"False alarm. Please resume your classes."

The alarm shut down and the alphas stepped away from him.

"I understand that you are the First Chair of our country, but I would still appreciate if you checked in with me first before looking for your mate," she said from behind the glass.

"And here I thought you guys had no security at all."

"Please…" The woman rolled her eyes. "We've been following you on camera since you stepped out of the car. By the way, no parking allowed in front of the main doors. Please do remember that next time."

Gabriel stared dumbfounded at the woman. Was she an omega or something? Where did she get the balls to tell him off?

He stepped toward the glass to take a better look at her. An unchanged human. He was definitely going to have a talk with Naomi about this.

"I'll let Ms. Lopes and Ms. Diallo know you're here." The woman turned her attention back to her computer. "You may pass. The classroom is the last door on the left."

The doors unlocked, and he was able to open them without any more alarms blaring in his ears.

Inside, he found a corridor flanked on each side with several doors. He peeked through the glass on the first door to his right. In a brightly lit room filled with mirrors, he saw dozens of small kids dressed in tutus and tights, following the movements of their teacher. They were both clumsy and adorable. He chuckled as he watched them for a minute before continuing the search for his mate.

Different types of music drifted out of each door as he walked. Classical music, salsa, samba, and other tunes made him feel like he was switching the stations on a radio just by walking down the corridor.

Reaching the last door on the left, he could hear a pop song. He peered through the glass. Standing in front of a huge mirror, an agile full-figured woman was showing the class a complicated movement that ended with her kneeling on the floor. The class followed her movements, but most of the women ended up falling in an odd position, Alice included. Naomi gave her a hand up, and both women laughed. Gabriel couldn't help a smile of his own.

Starting the music from the beginning, the class did the whole choreography in one go. He watched as Alice spun and moved with grace to the sound of a fast-beat song. Most of the choreography was quick, but there were some moments where the pace slowed down, and the movements were more—how could he put it? Sensual.

He had expected to find Alice in one of those frilly tutus, executing elegant dance moves to classical piano. Not a devilishly seductive dance to a pop tune.

The class danced in perfect sync, only missing the last step, when most of the class ended up on the floor again. A big laugh erupted from them, and then they clapped and whistled. Then the students gathered their things and started to drift out of the classroom.

The women that came through the door greeted him with a big smile and some mild flirting. He greeted them back, but his eyes were still on Alice. She had gone to a corner of the room to pick up her bag. Naomi stood next to her, drinking water. Someone must have called Alice's name, because she looked suddenly to the other side of the room. Gabriel followed her gaze, but from his angle, he couldn't see who it was.

"Hey, Gabriel. Came to spy on our dancing?" Naomi called him out when she left the classroom.

He kissed her on the cheek. "I wouldn't call it spying. Enjoying would be more accurate."

"Ahh. Do you enjoy my studio, then? Think I did a good job?"

"Not sure about that. Why on earth do you have an unchanged human at the front desk?"

Alice poked him in the arm. "You mean Ms. Marques? She is a wonderful person, always reminds me to fill my water bottle before class."

Gabriel swallowed his next comment.

"An unchanged human is harder to boss around, including by alphas. Which means she won't open the classroom doors unless a very strong command is given," Naomi explained. "I asked Matts to check her out before Alice rejoined dance classes two years ago, and she pretty much told him to piss off. I knew I could trust her there."

"Told Matts to piss off? That doesn't sound right," he argued.

"Well, her words were more, ‘Either propose or stop grabbing my hand,' but close enough."

"Tough gal." Gabriel chuckled. Still, he was not convinced. Maybe he should have a talk with Matts about her.

"Going to take a shower, then I'll join you in the car," Alice told him.

"No, let's go straight to the car. You can shower at home," he said, grabbing her butt.

"I'm all smelly. Do you want me dripping sweat on your leather seats?"

"I'll crank up the AC. No need for you to risk taking a shower here."

Alice groaned and rolled her eyes while Naomi laughed and went to the showers.

He opened the car door for her and walked around to his side, always scanning their surroundings for anything suspicious. He waved to Lemos, who was in the car behind them, before driving off.

Alice lowered her window all the way down and leaned her arm on the car door, closing her eyes. She was tired, probably because of the class. Gabriel was hit with a pang of guilt. It had been a while since she attended, and it was at his suggestion. He reached out and held her arm, then trailed his fingers down until he took her hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss. He held it there, inhaling the sweet, if somewhat sweaty, smell of her skin. He felt a flutter of pleasure coming from her, and as soon as they hit a red light, he looked her up and down.

There were little droplets of sweat on her forehead, with one single drop crawling down her cleavage. He wanted to reach out and catch that drop. The dance movements she had done in class flashed in his mind, that seductive trailing of her hands over her body, and the way she rotated her hips. He felt himself getting hard at the thought. Damn, this was the leather dress all over again.

Gabriel wondered if she had danced like that for Bruno, and then he wondered if she would dance like that for him. He wanted to ask her but hesitated. Dance class was for herself, something she did because she enjoyed it. Would it be intrusive of him to want to turn it into something sensual?

He spent half the drive home vacillating between wanting to ask her and changing his mind.

"Just turn on the AC if you think I'm that smelly," she told him, chuckling. "You're the one who didn't let me shower."

He looked a little nonplussed before remembering what his indecision might seem like through their bond.

"It's not that." He laughed. "I wanted to ask you something."

She opened her eyes with curiosity. "What is it you want to ask that is giving you so much trouble?" She leaned in closer to him and gave him a sultry look. "Is my alpha feeling shy?"

Gabriel's laugh filled the car. He grabbed her leg, squeezing her thigh, inching up bit by bit until he reached between her legs.

"Not shy, I can assure you. Just not sure if I would be pushing any boundaries."

"Well, you can't know until you ask."

"Fair enough." He took a quick look at her before focusing back on the road. "Would you dance like that for me?"

He opened the bond wide to get a feel of her reaction.

"You would like me to dance for you? Like you saw in class?"

She was hesitating. Shit.

Alice turned to the window and seemed lost in thought for a few seconds.

"All right, I can do that for you," Alice agreed. "On one condition."

Raising an eyebrow, he looked at her again as soon as they hit a red light.

"And that would be?"

"You are going to be sitting on a chair, and you won't get up or do anything until I say the dance is over."

A wicked grin bloomed on Gabriel's lips. This could be a lot of fun.

Gabriel stepped on the accelerator, in a hurry to get home. Alice laughed and leaned back in her seat, watching the world outside the car. Suddenly she turned fully to the window to catch a glimpse of something.

"What was it? Someone we know? A cute dog?"

"No, nothing." Alice sat back into her seat, wearing a puzzled expression. "I thought I saw someone."

After reaching the apartment in record time, Alice took something from her gym bag and the closet and made her way to the bathroom.

"Get a chair, move the rug away from the dresser, and make yourself comfortable, alpha," she told Gabriel eyeing him up and down and disappearing behind the bathroom door.

Gabriel pushed away the rug with his feet, dimmed the harsh ceiling lights, and brought down the shades. Then he pulled up a chair, sat facing the dresser, and patiently waited for Alice to finish showering. Anticipation played with his curiosity.

When the bathroom door opened, he held his breath.

Alice came out with her hair still wet, wearing one of his shirts over a black bra, black panties, high heels, and thick socks that covered her knees. She put a portable speaker on the dresser and fiddled with her phone, searching for something. Then she smiled shyly at him. She was feeling bashful and a little insecure through the bond, so he let it slip how much the outfit was turning him on. As far as he was concerned, he was going to love this, even if all she did was the Macarena.

The music started playing, and Alice moved her ass and hips to the beat of the song, passing her hand over her breasts, and spinning slowly on the spot. He was floored as he watched her dance; it was the most seductive thing he had ever seen in his life. The music was a slow beat with suggestive lyrics, but he was only paying half a mind to it. His focus was entirely on Alice. She opened her legs and drifted to the floor, where she did a very sensuous movement with her ass, before turning around, her back and heels on the floor, and lifting her hips.

When the single button that was holding his shirt over her chest popped open, Gabriel wanted to get up and ravish her right there on the floor. The movements she was making were creating some very adult scenarios on his mind, and he wanted to try all of them. He held on to the chair like it was a life vest, afraid that if he moved or said something, she might stop dancing. He was intent on keeping his side of their deal, but boy, was it hard. So very hard…

When the song ended and another sensuous tune began, he moved to get up, but Alice grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back into the seat.

"No getting up until I say the dance is over, remember?" she teased him.

"Well, I am already up, in a way," he teased back, lifting an eyebrow. "But I'll wait."

She stifled a giggle and sank to her knees in front of him, undoing his pants and freeing his erection from its constraints. She grinned impishly and took him into her mouth.

"Fuck!" he let out. Her tongue played along his shaft, her teeth scraping his skin. This woman was going to be the death of him, but what a way to go.

He brushed her damp hair back so he could see what she was doing, and fought the urge to pump his hips into her. He wanted so much to get up, toss Alice on the bed, and fuck her senseless, but he was mesmerized by the way his erection disappeared into her lips. She could only take so much of him, but it didn't matter. Pleasure built up and he came hard into her mouth, a loud grunt deep in his throat.

"Fuck, Alice," he called.

She got up and kissed him, and he tasted himself in her kiss. He was spent, but he was in no way done with her.

"Is the dance over now?" he asked innocently.

She chuckled and nodded. "Yes, I think it is."

Before Alice could finish her sentence, Gabriel got up with her over his shoulder and his hands on her ankles. Then he tossed her on the bed and pinned her there with his body.

"Your turn not to move," he ordered, raising her arms above her and straddling her.

"Yes, alpha." Alice laughed. It filled him with pleasure when she obeyed him and called him alpha. Her omega nature pulled on his most primal instincts—to demand her submission, to control her. Maybe the fact that she could so easily disobey him made him want to dominate her that much more.

Gabriel moved his hands over her upper body, pushing away the shirt. He smiled when he noticed the bra opened in the front. He unhooked it and left it in place, passing his fingertips underneath it until her nipples felt hard.

Leaning back, he dragged his hands down to the curve of her hips, hooked his fingers on her panties, and slid them all the way down. Grabbing her by the back of her knees, he lifted her legs over her body and held them in place, making her ass curve upwards and exposing her most intimate of places. Caressing the curve of her ass with his palm, he could see her arousal. He bent down, kissed her between her legs, and licked every spot that drove her mad. In the months since they'd bonded, he had discovered everything she liked and didn't like when it came to sex. The knowledge of what made Alice scream with pleasure was one of his most prized possessions, his and his alone, and he played her body to whatever tune pleased them both.

Her legs shook, and her hips moved in tandem with his tongue. Her breathing became ragged—she was so close. He slowed down, letting the pleasure build but not allowing her to tip over the edge. He would spend all afternoon swimming between her legs if he could.

"Gabriel, please," she begged when he slowed his pace again.

Ready to grant her mercy, he focused on her most sensitive spot and danced his tongue over it with abandon.

"Gabriel," she cried out as she came, her body shaking with pleasure. He flipped her around, her back to him, and he lifted her ass in the air. He grabbed her wrists and pinned her arms behind her back, pushing her head to the bed. His knees on either side of her legs, he plunged his erection slowly into her.

So tight… Both moaned with pleasure. He watched Alice as he thrust into her, her ass pushing out to meet his hips. He grabbed her by the neck, her back making a graceful arc. He loved seeing her like this, a prisoner to his commands. It got him off, dominating her. And the more she challenged him, the more he wanted to rule over her body in return. It was a delicate balance predicated on trust.

Alice's moans became deeper, her body sliding forward on the duvet in tandem with the movement of his hips. He grabbed her hip with one hand to keep her in place, the other hand holding her wrists behind her back, and thrust harder.

"Come for me," Gabriel commanded, certain she was close to the edge. "Show me how much you love me fucking you."

She tightened and spasmed around him, making him come inside her. Then he guided her back down on the bed while still inside her and hugged her, giving both a respite.

"I love you," he whispered in her ear in between hurried breaths. Alice reached out behind her and drew him into a kiss.

"I love you too."

How did he get so lucky? Everything he ever wanted was his. The most powerful position in the country, all the high-tech toys he could possibly want, and the woman of his dreams in his bed.

Gabriel slipped out of her and let his hand explore between her legs. He was still not satisfied. He couldn't be, with just coming twice. That was the best part of being an alpha: an endless stamina that gave even Alice a run for her money, except maybe during her heat. They spent the rest of the afternoon and evening making love, with Gabriel eliciting all kinds of sounds from her, from gentle moans to desperate cries of pleasure.

It was heaven.

Pulling the blankets up, Alice rolled around in bed and rested her cheek on her husband's chest. An arm wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her closer.

"Wake up, sleepyhead." Bruno nudged her. "We have shopping to do today, remember?"

Alice breathed in his scent and kissed his skin.

"Can't we sleep in?" she asked him, drifting between dreams and awareness.

"We have to buy a bag for the trip, remember?" Bruno reminded her. He pulled her up for a kiss and grabbed her ass.

"We're still going to Japan?" Sleep was making her head slow; she couldn't remember if they had canceled the trip or not.

"Of course we are. Let's get up and go shopping." Bruno pushed her hair away from her face.

"All right, I'm up." She chuckled. "Dibs on the shower."

"I'll wait for you in the car."

She got up and took sleepy steps to the bathroom.

Inside, she splashed water on her face and checked the marks Gabriel had made on her shoulder. That man was going to ruin strapless tops for her. She turned to the shower, but a thought made her stop.

Gabriel, not Bruno.

She looked into the bedroom and saw Gabriel asleep on their bed, one arm stretched out, reaching for her. Alice checked the time. It was five in the morning, way too early to get up. She closed the bathroom door behind her and leaned on the sink. All this talk of Bruno lately was making her head dig up the past and have weird dreams. And yesterday, she could almost swear she had seen Bruno on the street.

She splashed her face with water and went back to the bedroom, but when she was faced with the prospect of getting back into bed with Gabriel, she faltered. It didn't feel right when she had just dreamed so vividly about Bruno. It kind of felt like cheating on both of them.

Giving up on sleep, she went to the kitchen, made herself a big cup of coffee, and watched the sunrise over the river. Calmer, she tried to feel through Bruno's bond.

Nothing there. Still broken, still hurting, and Gabriel's bond hummed happily, overwhelming everything. Not for the first time she missed the omega chatroom, where she could share her worries with her friends and try to make sense of things.

A balmy June morning found Alice taking a ton of old proposals to the restricted records room. Balancing the files precariously in one arm, she used her keycard to get in. Once inside, she dropped the papers on a desk with a heavy thump, and looked around for the AC.

When was the last time someone has been in here?

The room smelled musty, and the hardwood floor looked like it hadn't seen a mop in years.

Turning up the AC allowed for some fresh air to circulate, but also lifted some dust, making her cough. Alice looked at the file cabinets, each protected with a fingerprint scanner. There was dust on the handles, and when she opened a drawer, it was stiff. She probably had to bring some oil up here.

She sighed; she'd have to bring a whole maintenance team, not just oil. It had been more than three years since they received commands from the Potentia ad Opus. All proposals until now had not been mandatory, the powers at work waiting for her and Gabriel to bond or for her to go with Matts to Norway before sending orders their way. Now that Gabriel was bonded, they were receiving every single mandatory law the other countries had received as well. And ignoring most of them.

Alice opened the first file at the top of the pile and turned the pages until she found the symbol of the Potentia ad Opus, a golden seal with a black-and-white code around the edge. She took a black marker from her pocket and carefully painted over the code until it couldn't be seen from either side of the page.

She didn't know how the code commanded the alphas' obedience. It didn't have any effect on her, and it hadn't had any effect on Bruno. But Bruno had created this procedure to make sure future alphas who might govern Portugal wouldn't have to follow these orders unless they wanted to. When Gabriel had read the older files, shortly after taking over from Bruno, he had been aghast at what he saw. She remembered showing him one of the files with directions for an espionage network directed at unconverted humans, to ensure the takeover by the alphas didn't meet with the same protests that it had in France.

Opening a drawer, she browsed for the right spot to put the new file. She spotted a big coffee stain on a file and smiled sadly. An order to deny regular medical care to the people refusing to use the Tube. That one had left Bruno in a particularly foul mood.

She put away the file and closed the drawer.

"Alice?"

"Yes?" She turned but there was no one there. Of course there was no one there—only she and Gabriel could be in this room.

Frowning, she returned to the pile of papers while absentmindedly rubbing the skin above her heart. She opened the next file and used the black marker again. This one was a command to start pushing the unconverted population for conversion with more sanctions and restrictions for them. She was sure that a command to make it mandatory wasn't far behind. No wonder other countries were in such a hurry to hurl themselves at Portugal's feet. They had to enact each of these commands while Portugal could easily ignore them. Well, if things went smoothly next month, Spain wouldn't have to worry about it either.

An hour later, Alice returned to her desk, her mind already focusing on preparations for the Spanish First Chair's visit. She received a message on her phone, Bruno reminding her that he was waiting in the car downstairs. She put the phone in her bag and was about to pick up her coat when the speaker on her desk beeped.

"Alice, can you come in here real quick?"

She went into Gabriel's office, a little confused.

"Hey," he greeted her with a smile. "I've got a ton of shit to do today. Could you order us something good for lunch?"

"A ‘ton of shit' is not the appropriate way to refer to the reports from the regional chairs," she chided him.

He grinned at her. "It's my way of coping with future boredom."

"I'll order us lunch." She chuckled. "Does sushi sound good?"

"Perfect."

Back at her desk, Alice took the phone from her bag and checked her messages. There was nothing there. Her mind had been playing stupid tricks on her for the past month. Maybe she needed a vacation. Last time they had one was in the Azores, and her and Gabriel weren't even bonded yet. Maybe they could go to Madeira this time. Or maybe Spain, if it was to be considered Gabriel's territory. She wondered if Jerome would let her visit Barcelona once the Iberian Union was in place.

The last week of July was a carousel of meetings, lunches, dinners, more meetings, tours around Lisbon, tours of the countryside, and even more meetings. Alice tried to keep her calendar as legible as possible, but the whole thing had become a kaleidoscope of colors and symbols that trampled each other on every page. She had to prepare briefs, oversee contracts, connect the team in charge of the meetings with the team in charge of the tours, and make sure Gabriel was present and prepared for every single thing.

On top of it all, she had to contend with Jerome calling her three times a day to ask how things were going, and Elijah breathing down her neck about security. After this, she was going to demand of Gabriel that they spend a whole month in the beach house, doing nothing but eating, sleeping, and swimming.

Alice was sure by now that it was the stress that was messing with her head. Bruno had been on her mind since May, and the fact that his dream of a unified Peninsula was now being achieved by Gabriel had been a weight on her thoughts.

At least Diego had been a positive surprise. The man was a flirt and a joker, and he seemed to take every opportunity to tease Gabriel's patience, but he was an honest man and quite easy to work with. His mate, Lucia, was also wonderful company. She would say "precioso" to everything, and appeared as if she was having the time of her life.

"I think the whole world is watching this right now," said Elijah.

Gabriel and Diego were officially signing the document that put Spain in an alliance with Portugal under Gabriel's rule; Alice and Elijah watched it on a television in a room next to the conference room.

"This isn't the real document. The real one was signed two days ago and sent to the Potentia ad Opus for review."

"Did they agree with it?" Elijah asked, concerned.

"Of course," Alice replied. "If they hadn't allowed it, Diego wouldn't be able to sign the document at all."

"So, what happens now?"

"Diego can run every decision the Opus sends by Gabriel, and Gabriel can say no to any of them. And Diego, being under Gabriel, has to obey."

"Alpha logic can be strange sometimes," Elijah complained. "You know, some of my friends have been telling me that Canada is thinking about doing the same with America."

"Makes sense. Although we are the first ones to do this, there have been talks in other countries wanting to be under the protection of alphas with omegas."

"Do they know it's because of the omegas?"

"I would guess they suspect. We are becoming less and less of a secret." She shrugged. "Diego knows what I am, but has been politely feigning ignorance."

"Alice?" a male voice called, but there was no one there. She could swear she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Everything all right?" Elijah asked her.

"Yes," she lied.

"You've been acting strange lately. I've never seen you this easily distracted before."

"That's because you've never seen me this tired before. I'm going to sleep for a week after this."

Elijah laughed. "You and me both. I could also use a rest." He swept her hair behind an ear, radiating concern. "Maybe we could stop by the Tube, just for a few hours, and make sure everything is okay?"

"No. Nope." Alice covered her earlobes and shook her head. "Every time we do that, I have to pierce my ears again, and you saw how hard it was last time."

"All right…" Elijah took a deep breath, still concerned.

They looked back at the TV. Gabriel and Diego were shaking hands, both offering brilliant smiles to the cameras. Alice picked up her tablet and perused her schedule.

"Lunch, then interviews all afternoon." The afternoon schedule was marked in red, all things she couldn't attend.

"They don't need you for that, right?" Elijah consulted his own calendar in his phone. "You've got a free afternoon."

"Oh, I think I'll do something outrageous and sleep," Alice replied, already dreaming of soft pillows.

"Or you can go shopping with Marina, like you promised," Elijah reminded her.

"What?" Alice quickly shuffled through her calendar, trying to push Gabriel's afternoon appointments away from her own. And there it was, Shopping with Marina in bright pink, hidden under a ton of television stations scheduled for Gabriel.

"I forgot about it," she realized.

"We can skip it if you like." Elijah's tone was casual, but she could feel his doubt. "I'm sure Marina would understand."

"No, I don't like to break promises. Besides, she's been begging me for this since June."

"All right. Tell you what." Elijah gave her a half smile that, for him, meant mischief. "Why don't we ask Gabriel if he can do lunch without you, and we both go somewhere he would never take a foreign chair to?"

"Greasy Tasca?" Alice asked with enthusiasm.

"Greasy Tasca," Elijah confirmed.

There are few foods as satisfying to the Portuguese people as the homey food made in a family-owned, tile-walled, soccer-paraphernalia-filled Tasca. The first time Alice had taken Elijah to one, he had been very unimpressed by the space and suspicious of the people. But when the food arrived, and the waiter started a conversation with him, he had quickly become a fan. The only problem with the delicious food was that it sometimes liked to linger in your stomach for the whole afternoon.

"I think I overate. I still feel stuffed, like a turkey on Thanksgiving," Elijah complained.

"Why don't you go drink some sparkling water? Marina and I will be right here," Alice suggested, feeling sympathetic.

Elijah looked around until he spotted Lemos hanging back unobtrusively.

"Okay. But don't leave the store, and make sure you are in Lemos's eyesight, always."

"Yes, sir," Alice teased.

Elijah gave her his trademark "don't play around with your security" look before making his way to a coffee shop.

"Everyone's still stressed about the incident, I see," said Marina.

"Yes, I don't think it's gonna pass for the next fifty or so years."

Marina squeezed Alice's arm in sympathy and tried to disguise her worry.

"Don't worry about it," Alice reassured her friend. "Matts is going to catch the guys sooner or later, and then I'll be free. Or, free-ish." The last thing she wanted was for Marina to worry. She already had enough on her mind as it was.

Picking up a cute baby-grow from a rack, she put it in front of Marina's belly.

"How about this one?" Alice asked.

"It's cute. But it has blue buttons. What if it's a girl?"

"Then she'll have a cute white baby-grow with blue buttons. There is no wrong or right here, you know?"

"Yeah, Daniel says the same. Poor guy, he's more nervous about the birth than I am." Marina sighed. "He's been in contact with every researcher, trying to figure out a way to safely put a pregnant woman in the Tube."

Alice could feel the fear and anxiety in her friend, despite Marina's casual tone.

"It's going to be all right." Alice hugged her friend, and tried to put as much love and security into the hug as she could.

"Thank you," Marina told her simply. Then she put the baby-grow in her shopping basket.

"Alice?" a familiar male voice called out from behind her. She turned around but no one was paying her any mind.

Alice turned back to the cute piles of baby stuff, but she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Lemos was scanning every person in the vicinity, and Elijah was probably still gulping down as much carbonated water as his stomach could handle. No one else could have called her.

"Alice?"

Now the voice was somewhere in front of her. She saw a familiar male shape pass through the crowd outside the store.

Alice followed the figure with her eyes. It looked just like… No, stop being silly, Alice. You should know better than that.

"Alice? Are you coming?" she heard.

Now she was sure exhaustion had taken over her mind.

"Did you hear someone call my name?" she asked Marina, who was reading the back of a bottle-warmer box.

"No," Marina replied absentmindedly, immersed in her reading.

"Alice? Come meet me." he insisted.

Alice left Marina's side and walked to the door. Half hidden by the crowd outside was a familiar dark-haired man, smiling at her. Alice's heart hurt when he walked away. The bond pulled at her, a familiar feeling on the other side.

It couldn't be. He was dead. But he was calling her…

She left the store, forgetting her friend and her bodyguards. She fought the crowd to reach him, but he kept walking away, the feeling through the bond telling her that he missed her, that he wanted her. Telling her to follow him. But where? Was he going to the parking lot? To the street outside? Why couldn't he wait for her?

Alice hurried her pace, nearly hitting someone who stepped on her path. The man called out to her, probably upset at the way she had stepped on his foot, but she didn't care.

Hewas calling her. They were going to travel. Yes, she had to reach him, it was important that she reached him. The bond hurt, like it was straining under an unknown weight, but she could feel him on the other side.

Alice stepped outside the shopping center, frantically looking around. There, by the car. I have to get in the car with him. He's waiting. Alice couldn't focus on anything else but him. There was only him.

She stepped off the curb to cross the road, but a strong hand grabbed her by the back of her blouse and pulled her back. A car drove by right in front of her, angrily blaring its horn.

"Are you insane?" Elijah roared at her. He was furious, and his anger broke down something in Alice's mind. She desperately looked around. The car was gone.

He was gone.

"What is going on?" Elijah turned her around to face him.

"I… I thought I saw someone," Alice stammered. "I saw him, but he was faster than me."

"Who?" Elijah's anger had changed to concern. Alice scanned the area, but then he held her face and made her look at him. "Focus on me, Alice, please. Who did you see?"

"Bruno."

"He's haunting me." Gabriel rubbed his face. "It's the only explanation. I promised I would take care of her, but I've been smothering her instead. So he's haunting me."

"You know, I started believing in a lot of new shit since the conversion. But ghosts? Not one of those shits," Elijah replied.

Gabriel leaned back in his chair and tried to feel the bond. It was unusually tight, as if something else was pressing on it. As if there was another bond fighting his.

"We didn't recover all the bodies, you know?" Gabriel confessed. "The fire was too severe, burned everything down."

"Do you think he could be alive?" Elijah asked, dubious.

"The bond was broken, and the only way it could be broken is with one of their deaths," Gabriel explained.

"Are you sure about that?" Elijah sounded unconvinced. "There are only nine omegas, and only one other has lost her mate like Alice did."

"Yeah, but…" Elijah's comment made Gabriel double back. Could Bruno be alive? Could he be coming back for Alice?

"The Bruno I knew would never put Alice in danger like that. If he was indeed alive, and for some reason only returning now, he would march straight here and punch me." Gabriel scratched his stubble. He could almost feel the imaginary punch. "But he would never call Alice into traffic. That kind of behavior is for strays."

"She said he was waiting in a car." Elijah perched on the corner of Gabriel's desk. "Could it be the strays doing this?"

"I don't know how they could be doing something like this. There is no technology that can interfere with someone's mind like that," Gabriel replied. "And Henryk checked on Alice after the kidnapping and found nothing. As far as I know, they can't interfere with someone's mind unless they are touching the person."

"It might be something else, then," Elijah agreed. "It could just be exhaustion. And there has been a lot of talk about her deceased husband lately. It could be stirring up something in her memories."

"True. We'll go to the beach house this weekend. If she gets better with rest, then we'll know it's exhaustion."

"And if she doesn't?" Elijah asked.

"Then I will have to swallow my pride and call Matts for help."

Every time he promised himself he would stop, he would find some new reason to take up the habit again. Gabriel lit a cigarette and took a deep pull, letting the smoke go deep into his lungs before expelling it in a long, lazy wave of smoke.

He was watching Alice and Boss play around in the grass. She had a toy in her hand, and mimicked throwing it away, but instead hid it behind her back. Boss followed the invisible object to its probable landing spot, but instead of sniffing around for it, he made an immediate U-turn and went straight back to Alice. That dog was no fool, and things like this often made Gabriel wonder just how smart he really was.

Alice laughed as Boss tried to steal the toy from her hands. The dog had several opportunities to take it from her, but every time he failed, Alice giggled, so Boss kept pretending to miss just to make her laugh. Or, at least, that's what Gabriel thought. Who knew what really went on in the mind of a dog?

It was good to hear her laugh, though. She had been so taciturn lately. He had expected that after a few days by the beach, she would relax, but instead it was like a downward spiral of closing off from him. Even their bond felt strained. It was like a heavy weight was sitting on it and stopping airflow.

And the more Gabriel tried to fight it, the worse it got.

Alice would often stop and stare into the distance, or glance around as if someone was calling her. She would sit by herself, lost in her thoughts, and Gabriel couldn't catch her attention. And she would wake up in the middle of the night from a nightmare and turn away from him, rolling to the far side of the bed.

More than one night, he was awakened by her disentangling herself from him. He would call to her, only for her to offer some excuse, like she needed to get a glass of water, and not return to their bed.

Gabriel was at a loss. Was Bruno's bond active again, or could it be a consequence of the strays messing with her mind? Was there something deeper at play here? There was only one way he could find out.

"Hey, Matts." He sighed into the phone as soon as the other man picked up. "I need help."

"What happened?" Matts asked immediately. "Was there another incident?"

"No incident, no. But something is happening that I can't quite put my finger on," Gabriel confessed. "I was hoping you could come by and take a look at Alice. Something's not right."

"Describe ‘not right' for me, please."

"Alice has been distracted." Gabriel hesitated in putting his fear into words. It was as if saying things out loud made them more real.

"Distracted?" Matts sounded confused.

"Yes, for a lack of a better word. She's been hearing voices calling her, and she saw…" Gabriel steeled himself. "She saw Bruno. She said he was calling for her and she obeyed, putting herself in danger. I think she's been dreaming about him too. It has been taxing for us."

He expected a snarky remark or a laugh or, at the very least, a scoff. But there was only silence on the other side of the line.

Matts finally spoke. "The dead don't come back." It sounded more like he was thinking out loud than replying to Gabriel. "I have never seen that kind of manipulation, Gabriel. It could be her own mind creating this."

"I know that. But I would still appreciate it if you would come and see her." It pained him, but Gabriel made the request. It pained him even more to say what came next. "And Alice trusts you. Something is pushing her away from me, but she should still trust you."

"I understand. I should be there in a few days," Matts conceded.

"I appreciate it." Gabriel thanked him and ended the call.

He went back to watching Alice. Boss had taken the toy now and was challenging her to catch it. Somehow, they both ended up lying in the grass, Alice mercilessly tickling him. Gabriel chuckled.

She got up and made her way to him, a smile on her lips. "Hungry?" she asked him after a short kiss.

Gabriel smiled at her. In moments like these, it was almost as if everything was normal. "Starving. Do you want to go out for dinner?"

"I don't feel like going out. I can just make us something to eat."

"We are supposed to relax, remember?" He grabbed Alice for a much deeper kiss. She hesitated before melting into his embrace.

"So, are you going to make dinner?" she teased him.

"I don't think food poisoning would help us relax either."

Alice giggled and made her way to the kitchen. She opened the fridge and frowned at the contents. "I guess we need to go grocery shopping." She groaned.

"Or we can order dinner and groceries, and spend the evening in bed," he counter-proposed.

She smiled at him but didn't say anything. As she closed the door, she started rubbing the skin above her heart. He hated that gesture. It was a reminder of Bruno's bond with her.

"Sure, let's order food." Alice replied absentmindedly. And just like that, her mind was far away again.

"I asked Matts to come and visit us," Gabriel confessed.

"Really?" Her eyes snapped to him. "And here I thought you'd be happy if you never saw him again."

"Well, circumstances ask for a specialist's expertise."

"You mean… Yeah, I understand," she replied, a sad look on her face. He couldn't stand that sadness.

"Besides, and you won't be able to prove I said this, but I kinda like the guy."

"What?" Alice put her hand over her heart and tried to conceal a chuckle. "What is the world coming to? Maybe we're both crazy?"

He laughed and picked her up, setting her on the kitchen island. Opening her legs so he could snuggle up to her, he embraced her, setting his head on her shoulder.

"I love you. You know that, right?" he asked into her neck, inhaling deeply. He would never get tired of her smell.

"I know." She kissed the top of his head. "I love you too."

Then she showed him his phone.

"And you can take care of dinner tonight," Alice teased him. "Without food poisoning, preferably."

She jumped off the counter and went out to the pool, taking off one piece of clothing at a time. Alice looked back at him when the last piece of discarded clothing hit the patio, and jumped naked into the pool.

Gabriel couldn't hold back a laugh. He ordered Italian for dinner, along with a bottle of Alice's favorite wine, and he hoped pasta was not all he was going to eat tonight.

All the craziness of the past few days was forgotten. Gabriel was in his office with Alice, both poring over a file. He let his hands creep up her legs and underneath her skirt, pinching her skin along the way to her most intimate of places. She chuckled and closed the file, giving him her full attention.

Alice placed delicate kisses along his jaw line, driving him mad. Then she licked all along his cheek. He pulled back his head, dumbfounded, but she leaned in and slobbered all along his face with a tongue too wide to be hers.

He woke up and found himself face to snout with an incredibly nervous Newfie, that immediately started barking when he opened his eyes.

"What the fuck, Boss?" Gabriel barked back at the dog.

Boss whined and raced to the door, waited for a second, and ran back to Gabriel. Then he tried to shove him out of the bed.

Utterly confused Gabriel looked around for Alice. She was not in bed, and the bathroom light was off. He got up, adrenaline clearing away his drowsiness.

"Where is Alice? Boss, where is Alice?"

Boss howled in such a deep voice, Gabriel was certain it could be heard all the way to the front gate. Then he rushed to the door again and turned to bark at Gabriel.

Gabriel tried to feel the bond, but it was shut so tightly, it hurt. Something was very wrong.

He ran after the dog, following him to the living room, and from there to the outside. The glass door was open, but he couldn't see Alice anywhere.

Boss smelled the floor and sprinted toward the stone wall.

"Shit. Shit. Shit!" Sprinting after him, Gabriel dashed to the stairs that led to the beach. Down on the sand was Alice, hugging herself and pacing. Then she looked at the ocean and stepped toward it.

"Alice!" Gabriel cried at the top of his lungs.

The sea was deafening and crashing on the sand with the force of a coming storm. Still running toward Alice, he watched in panic as she went into the waves.

Both man and dog raced desperately to Alice, and both dived into the water after her.

Gabriel was a strong man. A very strong man. He had trained and built his muscles since before his conversion. But the sea was stronger. He swam to Alice as best he could, but when he reached her, she was unconscious. He grabbed her and tried to drag her to shore, but the ocean had an iron grip on her. Then he felt a bite on his arm, not a painful one, just a huge mouth circling him, and it was easier to swim back toward the beach.

Boss! He was going to get that dog a mountain of treats. Hell, he was going to buy him a whole butcher's shop.

When Gabriel felt the sand beneath his feet, he carried Alice out of the water.

"Boss, go get help," he begged the dog, unsure if he understood the request at all. Boss ran to the house.

Gabriel tried mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on Alice, but he had only done it once before.

"Come on, Alice," he begged between breaths. "Please."

She suddenly coughed up the water in her lungs and opened her eyes, dazed, before falling unconscious again.

She is breathing! It's all that matters! She is breathing!

He picked her up and hurried back to the house.