3. A Secret to Keep

Alicia’s POV

The heat inside me settles down a bit as he gently puts me in bed. This is unexpected. How can he show up at the right time? I have so many questions, but first things first. I don’t think I’ll be able to ask him questions until I solve my problem.

"It’s a mere guess, but I’m glad I came," he says as he palms my face. "Does it hurt?"

I nod my head like a child who is about to cry. Everything hurts, and even though I hate to admit it, having him by my side makes me feel better knowing he will be here to help me get through this. "Thanks for coming," I whisper in his ear, pulling his head to my chest.

"As you wish, princess." His words, along with his feather-like touch, make my body cry for more. "I don't want to disappoint you this time, but I'm afraid we'll have to make this quick," he adds as he holds my hands above my head.

"Why?" I bite my lower lip. I don’t expect I'll be asking him for the reason. Now that I think about it, what if he has a lover? My body stiffens at the thought. I always hate someone who gets in the way of others toward happiness. However, what if it’s me who’s the third party in someone else’s relationship?

Looking at the man on top of me, my heart clenches. If only I could ask about his relationship status without fear of knowing the truth.

"Is there something bothering you?" His voice pulls me back to reality.

It's a shame I'm having sexual relations with a man whose name I don't know. He emerges and vanishes like night and day, appearing to save me when I need him.

"I wonder," I mumble as I pull my hands from his grasp. "We’ve been sleeping for a while, and yet I don’t know your name." I wrap my hands around his neck and move my waist to his rhythm. I can’t help but moan as he fills my emptiness. "Won’t you tell me more about you?"

He put his weight on me as he thrust deeper, making me throw my head back in pleasure. I'm waiting for his response, but it appears that his reply is making me moan even louder. His movements speed up, causing me to catch my breath. 

Does this mean he has no intention of telling me about himself? If that’s the case, I will savor this moment instead.

"More!" I look into his eyes before kissing him on the lips. His tongue glides into my mouth as he continues to thrust inside me. "More... Ah!" It's fine if he doesn't want to tell me his name. I'll be fine if he has a lover too. Perhaps he doesn't want us to get closer for any reason other than to help me satisfy my carnal desires. 

"Oh, Alicia. Your moan is so sweet," he breathes in my ear just before we reach our climax. His soft lips push across my cheeks and down to my neck, reminding me that everything that happens is nothing special but a way to relieve ourselves.

I push him away and get up from the bed. The lights are still off, so I’m thinking of drawing the curtains apart to let some sunlight in. I’m also hoping to see his face.

"Princess." His hand stops mine just when I’m about to pull the curtains to the side. "Please go back to bed and rest. I’ve been rough earlier. You must be tired," he says, planting kisses on my neck.

"It’s okay. I’m not that tired," I reply. I feel rather energetic instead. Maybe because I have a lot on my mind, sleeping to rest is the least I can think of right now. "Are you leaving?"

I feel him nod behind me. "Do you want me to stay?"

What if I say yes? Will he stay? There’s no way I can ask him that.

I purse my lips and sigh. I can’t be more selfish than I already am. He must go back to the woman he loves. I’m not that woman.

"Ah, I’m having my hopes up," he mumbles and hugs me from the back. "I’m wondering when you will ask me to stay, princess?"

"When you decide to tell me your name and anything else about you," I turn around to face him. "I’ll think about whether to keep you beside me, then." I frown as the darkness helps to conceal his identity. If only I could see his face clearly.

"Is that so?" His tone becomes serious. "What if I turn out to be someone you don’t like? I’ve been thinking about it for a while, princess. My only regret in this relationship we have right now is that I can’t freely reveal my identity," he whispers, brushing my hair up with his fingers.

"Will you stay with me no matter who I am?"

His question lingers in my head for a few seconds until someone knocks on the door.

"Miss Alicia, I’m coming in!" It’s Elliot again. He must have come to check after the sudden power outage. Elliot knows I’ll be complaining to him about it later, so he’s beating me to it. He loves taking a step ahead of me, and I hate him for that.

My hands grab the man in front of me, dragging him to my closet. "Get in," I order him in a firm voice. "Don’t move. Don’t make a sound. Don’t breathe if you have to. Stay still and wait for me to open the door for you. Do you understand?" I can see a spark coming from his blue eyes before he holds my hand and kisses its back.

"I understand, princess."

I yanked my hand away from his clutches and shut the door to my closet, picking up the clothes spilled on the floor before leaping to my bed and hiding beneath the blanket.

"Oh, are you sleeping already?" Elliot mumbles.

The side of the bed moves as he sits next to me. He could have just left!

"I was told the power outage would be fixed soon," he continues. "I just came to tell you that in case you’re worried," he says. "Do you not have anything to say? I’m all ears."

I remain silent, pretending to be asleep. My effort will be in vain if he realizes I’m awake. I find it hard to talk to Elliot after everything that happened. There’s no way to return to how we used to be. It’s just impossible. It will be easier if we can ignore each other, but he seems to enjoy irking me whenever he has a chance to.

Elliot takes a long sigh before leaving the bed. I feel him touching my arm, tapping me a couple of times, and leaving. As the door closes, I pop out of the blanket and gasp for air. My head automatically turns to the closet, where I hide the stranger I’ve been sleeping with. I can already imagine what Elliot will look like if he knows about my secret meeting with a man I don’t know. I want to smack him in the face and tell him I'm not interested in him, but telling Elliot about my situation will just get me in trouble.

I rush to the closet and open the door, hoping he hasn't already suffocated. When I discovered no one inside, my brows met and my mouth gaped.

"What the hell?" I take a step back to check the other parts of the room. "Hey, where are you?" I wait for a response, but there’s nothing.

He must have left. When? I have no idea.

As I’m about to get some clothes from the closet, thinking about taking a shower and going downstairs to meet the guests again and apologize, a hand grabs me from behind, and just like that, I end up getting pinned on the wall.

"Alicia," Elliot whispers. It annoys me to easily recognize his voice, even when it’s dark. "Why do you have to do this?" His breath hitches as his hand tightens around my wrist.

I look up to face him. His eyes glow like citrine jewels. I used to adore them until I met that man with the prettiest eye color I had ever seen.

"You have a dangerous hobby there, Alicia. Are you so desperate to get laid by me that you'd take off your clothes when I'm around?"

As I raise an eyebrow, my ears perk up. I don't have to think about it this time, so I hit him across the face. "How dare you?" My voice breaks as I glare at him in the darkness.

Did he think I was seducing him? For hell’s sake, I don’t even want him to touch me! Not anymore after he broke my heart and embarrassed me in front of others in the Pack.

"Let go of me." My voice is clear and firm as I give him the order. "It disgusts me just to be held by you," I say as I push him away.

I want to see his reaction, but unfortunately, the lights are still off. He should not have expected me to cling onto him and the relationship we had in the past after he rejected me as his mate.

"This is my bedroom," I start. "Surely, I can do what I want here, can’t I? I can walk around naked, and you have no right to complain, because this is my bedroom."

Elliot clicks his tongue. "Are you still going to deny it, Alicia?"

"Stop calling me by my name as if we’re close." I cut him off. Since it’s dark, I can’t clearly see his face. "Don’t you still get it, Elliot? The moment you rejected me, it’s over between us. Don’t expect me to treat you the way I used to."

I balled my hands into fists. "Leave my room and never set foot here again. Otherwise, I’ll take it as you wanting me back."

Elliot remains standing in front of me quietly. I don’t know what he has in mind, but I hope he understands what I just said to him.

"Alicia, I—"

A knock on the door interrupts Elliot. I don’t like it when people keep knocking on my door, but the timing is accurate this time. I have no time to listen to Elliot talk.

"Who’s there?" Elliot asks as he saunters to the door after putting his coat on me.

As much as I want to find out who it is, I decided to continue what I was supposed to do instead. Taking out a dress on a hanger, I throw Elliot’s coat somewhere on the floor. I’m walking to the bathroom when I realize I can’t take a shower yet without electricity.

"It’s okay," a low and cold voice whispers to my ear. "The power should be back by now. How about we take a shower together?"

I feel my ears turning red. Just how? How is he still here?