#Chapter 40: Loneliness

Rita doesn’t leave Alex’s side.

Maybe I should actually feel good about that, knowing he has someone to support him when he’s clearly feeling off. He likely needs someone there directly there to help him through whatever’s happening.

Still, I can’t deny that it’s painful, watching him go from class to class with her by his side. The students all gawk at his presence, with teachers sometimes talking with him in the class, sometimes moving out to the hall. I hide around corners and in doorways, waiting for the moment he’ll finally be alone so I can try talking with him again.

Locked Chapter

Continue to read this book on the APP

Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Related chapters

• Fake Dating Alpha Hockey Captain   #Chapter 41: Return to Normal

  When I wake up the next day, I feel numb. Carved out.Hailey’s yells still echo in my ears.“What the fuck, Alex?! Why are you treating her like this, huh?! Do you know how long she looked for you? She was one of the only people who never stopped thinking you were alive! She even went searching in the forest for you! But this is how you treat her when you come back?! Fuck you!”She’d screamed it at lunchtime, skipping part of her class to help comfort me since her lunch period hadn’t started yet. I was sitting alone at the table Alex and I used

  Last Updated : 2023-10-03

• Fake Dating Alpha Hockey Captain   #Chapter 42: Wolf Attack

  When the stranger smiles, a shudder runs up my spine.Smiles have many different emotions to them. Sometimes they’re happy, or grimacing in pain, or tilted sarcastically. A smile is not always a good sign.And I don’t think I’ve ever seen a smile so malicious in my life.The school…has to be closed. The guards must have locked the doors so they can’t get in. Right?They watch me, tilting their head as I back up a step, wanting to sink back into the darkness of the school. Then, I see them dig into the pocket of their trench coat, pulling something out. They move the object in their hand to the upper corner of the door.I hear the telltale click of an undone lock.He has the keys.Immediately, I turn tail and run, darting back into one of the nearby hallways.The posters I’d been looking at before are a blur. There’s no time to focus. I have to call the police.But first, I have to hide.This building is so damn empty, so all my steps echo. If they come in while I’m running, they’ll he

  Last Updated : 2023-10-07

• Fake Dating Alpha Hockey Captain   #Chapter 43: A Pain Like No Other

  Finding out that Alex is a werewolf makes sense in hindsight. Of course, I wouldn’t have thought of it. I never knew werewolves were real.But they are. And when they fight, it’s vicious.It’s all claws and teeth, taking advantage of their weight and power. If it was against a human, I know for a fact they’d be reduced to a splatter in seconds.The stranger yelps again as Alex slams him into a row of lockers. I wince, curled up as I am, but I don’t make a sound.Alex grabs the other’s head and turns before driving it into the ground. I see blood dribble into the small new crater in the floor.But the other werewolf isn’t out yet. He reaches up and swipes with his claws before twisting his way out of Alex’s hold. He snaps his jaws at Alex’s chin, but Alex turns his head away.Back and forth, the shove and struggle. The stranger even pins Alex, but he kicks him off, quickly returning the favor.His mark doesn’t miss, clamping down on the stranger’s shoulder. Alex’s right hand grabs and

  Last Updated : 2023-10-07

• Fake Dating Alpha Hockey Captain   #Chapter 44: Lone Wolf

  School is out for the next three days for investigation into the damage in the halls. Though, there was more than just dented lockers and broken tiles. After Alex rode home with me, he disappeared into the woods near the house, returning to school to take the camera footage. He entered the school area from a different angle, so he was able to find Officer Giles, unconscious and bleeding from the head. Thankfully, police found him since Alex moved him to an easy-to-see spot near the parking lot after putting in a call. Because an officer had been attacked, the cooling anxiety around wolf attacks turned into a frenzy about violent thieves. The principal figured it would be best to let police handle some things while teachers sent us homework online. Even so, there’s a small light in this situation. Alex is texting me again

  Last Updated : 2023-12-12

• Fake Dating Alpha Hockey Captain   #Chapter 45: Too Fast and Furious

  “I swear, this lil shit—”“Wait up!” “Can’t. Either you catch up or you go to class or something!” Despite how sudden the running is, I manage to not pull a muscle as I follow after Rita. I don’t exactly know why we’re rushing, but I have an inkling of an idea. As we approach the front doors to the school, I see security perk up, quickly getting themselves together. I recognize them dimly. Maybe from around the pool months back? “Sss-orry! Family Emerrrgency!” They pause long enough for Rita to get through the doors, with me following closely after. We do a quick right turn, running around to the side of the school. I’m almost certain of what she’s looki

  Last Updated : 2023-12-16

• Fake Dating Alpha Hockey Captain   #Chapter 46: Snap

  I grunt as my body hits the ground, quickly looking over as I hear something crash into the trees. The man from the school night is back, his body twisted into the werewolf’s form. His gnarled teeth gnash as he turns, preparing to jump at me as his eyes glow in the low light of the overcast forest. He lets out something akin to a roar, and I scramble to my feet to run away. But Rita passes me, running toward him. Her body crackles and shifts, shoes left behind, as her smaller body gains a snout, sharp teeth, and claws. With an angry howl-like bark, she slashes toward his face, but he backs away. And just like that night in school, they begin trying to rip out each other’s throat as quickly as possible. I scramble to hide behind a tree and watch. My clothes get messy from the ground, my skirt feeling wet and tacky a

  Last Updated : 2023-12-19

• Fake Dating Alpha Hockey Captain   #Chapter 47: Digging in Deep

  As I start explaining my logic to them, Alex and Rita calm down. Their expressions go from pensive to considering. Then, Alex tells me something shocking. “Actually…after we came back from the movies, that guy… He was there, watching your house.” My mouth gapes in shock. Then, the wolf growling and snarling I heard that night…that was Alex fighting him. And the next day, his eyes were brighter than usual. Even now, his eyes still have bright remnants of gold, and his smell is stronger than normal. Rita’s eyes are also gleaming, the smell of rosehip tea coming from her direction. I’m really not sure how other people don’t notice these things when it seems so obvious to me. “Fuck, okay,” Rita murmurs. “So, that guy was already after her from the jump.” &l

  Last Updated : 2023-12-23

• Fake Dating Alpha Hockey Captain   #Chapter 48: Where the Werewolves Dwell

  It takes some talking, convincing. I slide past details leading anywhere near werewolves, sticking to more human-based facts. She listens intently as I explain what I can to the best of my ability. At first, she balks immediately when I mention that I’d be leaving to help before school’s over, perhaps even missing graduation. We argument about me finishing classwork and ensuring my safety, not wanting me off in who knows where with a boy and his family. Neither of us budge on our points. Then, after a while, she sighs. “You’re serious about this?” I stare into her eyes, feeling every bit of passion I have in my body channeling through my veins. “The mossst serious I’ve been in my life.” She examines my resolve, looking for any chip or crack in it. Then, she hums, her shoulders sa

  Last Updated : 2023-12-26

Latest chapter

• Fake Dating Alpha Hockey Captain   #Chapter 100: Pitter-Patter

  The house is a mess because I’ve been in town visiting my mom for a few days. I knew it would be, which is why I returned early in the morning, so I could clean up before I had to begin my day.Things aren’t exactly how I expected when I walk in. Yes, the house is a mess, but Alex is scrambling to clean up the kitchen. I drop my bag and look around at the array of clothes and shoes thrown around the living room.“Hey, babe… I really was going to have this cleaned up before you got home.”“I see that.”He smiles at me and I can’t help but forgive him. The problem is that he knows that, and someday that charm might run out. Except with my luck it won’t.“When are you leaving?”“I’m going to hang around a couple more days.”“That’ll be nice,” I say as I give him a hello kiss.We’ve been married for almost two years now, and even with our duties, I feel like we’re in our honeymoon stage. I’m every bit as in love with him now as I was when we first mated, and I wouldn’t change any part of

• Fake Dating Alpha Hockey Captain   #Chapter 99: Goodbye Old Life

  My senior year is a whirlwind. I’m in all advanced classes and spend a lot of time studying. When I graduate, I will have a Bachelor’s of Creative Arts and Writing. That was my Epiphone. Just because I’ll be required to love among and lead my pack, doesn’t mean I can’t still express my creativity.In fact, my senior project is the play I began writing as a 17-year-old human with intense complexes and assassins on her heals. The story follows my own, sometimes a little too closely, but it seems like the perfect way to blend my two lives together.Alex is supportive. So is my pack. When I approach the Council with the idea of working on the side as a freelance writer, they are supportive so long as the pack and our home remains anonymous. I tell them I will work under a pen name, and when I release my first play, Furry Butterfly, I do so under a pseudonym.It turns out to be a success, and the money I receive allows me to conquer my first project as Luna.That summer, I officially join

• Fake Dating Alpha Hockey Captain   #Chapter 98: Finding Balance

  Right before finals my freshman year, I receive the dreaded call. “It’s Michael,” Alex says. His breathing is loud, erratic. “He passed away last night.”Of course, there’s nothing I can do over the phone. I borrow Hailey’s car and leave that very night.When I get there, it is after dark and Alex is at Michael’s house, sitting in the kitchen with Rita. When I walk in, it’s quiet. They’re not talking or doing anything aside from staring at the table.They look up at me and I see their sorrow. I run over to Alex and wrap my arms around him, absorbing his sobs of mourning as I cry into his shoulder.I hear Rita sniffle, and I let go long enough to cross the table and give her a hug. “I’m so sorry!” I whisper into her ear. “I’m so sorry…”That night is when Alex and I take our physical relationship to another level. I wanted to make him feel better, if only for a little while.When we get back to his house, I follow him into his room and lock the door behind us. I don’t care if his paren

• Fake Dating Alpha Hockey Captain   #Chapter 97: Star of the Show

  I plan on visiting during my fall break. Mom thinks I have a trip for drama, so she’s not expecting me. I hate lying to her, but it really is for her own good.The following week leading up to our opening night is stressful. The play only runs for two weekends, but everything has to be perfect for the first show. I scramble to make last-minute changes to costumes and learn a few lines that just don’t seem to be sticking.Which is what makes opening night more stressful when Alex and Mom both show up with flowers. Talk about feeling loved…and feeling the pressure to perform!Alex plants a big kiss on me and Hailey, who plays another one of the teens, ooh’s and ah’s over us. So does Mom, and I’m starting to wonder which one of us she likes more.Alex and Mom sit with Lenard through the show. I peek out from the back curtain to find their seats, so I know not to look there. I can’t risk catching one of them smile at me and throwing me off. Tonight has to be perfect because I’ve worked so

• Fake Dating Alpha Hockey Captain   #Chapter 96: Freshman at State

  The next day really is my birthday. Mom makes me a cake and we celebrate in the morning over coffee. Then we spend the day in Marona, a nearby hippie town with awesome shopping, and Mom splurges on a few new outfits for me to take to school.I’ve realized I’m grateful for every moment. When I was at the Ayzena base I was grateful for their hospitality, when I’m with Alex I’m grateful for his love and attention—not to mention his body! Now that I’m with Mom, I’m grateful I ended up with her. In spite of our hardships, I’ve realized she endured everything for my sake. There’s no greater love than that.And today is a great day. We share food and laughs in a way we’ve never been able to before. It makes me determined to help take care of her when I’m able, so we can spend more time like this when we’re together. Away from drama, having fun.Alex comes by later that day and brings me a present. He was sweet to give me the day alone with my mother, though it helps that I reminded him he’ll

• Fake Dating Alpha Hockey Captain   #Chapter 95: Back to Normal…For Now

  Over the next couple of days, things go back to normal. At least as normal as they can be now. I’m not able to hide my appetite or my newfound desire for meat. I tell Mom it must be my hormones.The stutter is becoming difficult to hide, mostly because I don’t want it anymore. I’m finally free of the one thing that placed the wrong kind of spotlight on me and when I finally get the chance to be free of it, I have to fake it again.I just have to remind myself that it’s temporary.Alex and I meet Hailey and Lenard for a double date, and it’s like nothing has changed.Except Alex isn’t shy about public displays of affection, though I wonder how much of it is a put-on for shock value. It works.We meet at the diner down the street from the school. As soon as I walk in, I can smell grease and meat, and my stomach starts to rumble. “I have to hide my appetite at home so Mom doesn’t get suspicious,” I whisper to Alex, who can’t help but cackle.I nudge him in his rock-hard belly. “It’s not

• Fake Dating Alpha Hockey Captain   #Chapter 94: The Truth Comes Out

  The ring of the doorbell startles me, rattling my nerves even though I’m the one who rang it. The chime doesn’t make it through two rounds before the door is open and Mom is gaping at us from inside.We stare at each other for a few seconds before either one of us moves, while Alex waits awkwardly behind me. I can smell fresh-baked cookies and cinnamon.Finally, Mom rushes through the door and wraps her arms around me. “Oh my god!”Her body begins shaking with sobs, and I can’t help but start crying. We stand there, holding each other and crying, for what feels like several minutes.When we finally break apart, Mom grabs my hand and pulls me in, using her other hand to wipe her face.Alex stands on the doorstep, not sure what to do. “No—come in Alex, please,” Mom says, ushering him in.Once she closes the door, Mom looks us over with a curious eye. “You two look…good.”She takes my hands again and grips them in hers. “You look…older.”She noticed! My mom doesn’t disappoint. “I mean, I

• Fake Dating Alpha Hockey Captain   #Chapter 93: A Sad Goodbye

  With so much resolved, my time to leave finally arrives the following morning. I have to say, I’m sad to go. I feel like I’ve found a place here…and with the Malkeye pack. I never thought my life would turn out like this, but I’m grateful for the turn of events.Alex decides to escort me back, so the most difficult goodbyes are with Michael and Rita. I feel like I’ve come to understand Rita and hope our connection can last the distance until I return. But I know I may never see Michael again.I hug Rita, who holds on a little longer and a little tighter than I expected. “You know where to find me,” she says with a smile, but I know that I may not see her for a long time.I turn to Michael, unsure of what to say. “I am so glad my brother found his future with you,” Michael says as he embraces me. “You are a strong female and I pray to the Great One that your union is blessed,” he adds after a light squeeze.I try really hard not to cry, but this moment feels so final.If Michael passes

• Fake Dating Alpha Hockey Captain   #Chapter 92: A Truce Between Packs

  Once I decide to hold a meeting—my “Unification Council”—with both packs to discuss the future, I clear the idea with Michael. It takes a little explaining, not necessarily because of prior distrust between the packs, but because packs are private.“Traditionally, when members of different packs mate, one member leaves their pack to join the other,” Michael explains. “They may see other members of their family, but they are no longer members of their family’s pack.”Rita, who hasn’t left Michael’s side since his meeting with Alex, knows where I’m going with my request. “They won’t be able to do that,” she observes.I explain to Michael that this is exactly what our packs can’t expect if Alex is going to inherit the Ayzena pack and I am the only remaining descendant of the Malkeye’s Alpha. “We will have to find a way to lead them both—together.”He immediately understands the issue and the need to get both packs on board. I discuss with him and Rita what Alex and I have in mind, Michae