After the outfit change, the Alpha and I did not speak to each other, merely maintained friendly conversations with anyone else."Are you okay?"Alba asks as I place my water on the table; I am tired of feeling depressed yet surprisingly hydrated.“Why do I feel like that is a trick question?”“Trick, how?”She retorts."My answer always borders on ‘of course’, but since you witnessed what happened before, you will not believe my answer.” “And will you blame me for your lack of believability?”She asks, and I smile tiredly.“Of course not. But my next question will be, what do you want from me, Alba.”“A reaction.”“To what?”I ask with a dry laugh.“What am I reacting to?”“Ruby, your husband left you when you were vulnerable at the ball to save another woman, and now you try to save him from the retribution he would have gotten from fighting his Beta? Don’t you want revenge, don’t you want… I mean, and what about what you said during my wedding? Isn’t it obvious that-”“That what,
"Leash?"I repeat, astounded by his gall."You would threaten to leash me as if I am a dog? A dog you would most likely abandon the second an attractive child so much as swoons before you."The fury in his expression is delicious.Is this why Alba asked me to react?If this is it, then I have been reacting.I have been tasting his regret, but...what if there are different layers to it? What if I can elicit more from him?"I'm sorry for that. I apologised!""Oh, come now, Alpha, if 'I'm sorry' worked, you wouldn't hate my entire family. We both know that word is just a b-"A smile crosses my lips as a bad idea pops into my head."I'm sorry."I utter, and his frown grows as his brows knit in understandable confusion."I'm sorry my father killed someone precious to you."A stillness follows my words, but the expression of more anger that I expected does not come instantly, only anguish that he then covers with a trembling sneer.His scoff follows, and for a second, I expect him to slap m
The arms of the Alpha’s mother are warm and soft too—I don't think the latter is brag-able; she also smells like freshly baked bread for some reason."Hello, I'm sorry I couldn't see you sooner-""I know, I know, I gave birth to such a brat."His mother devours my excuse, leaving me at a loss conversation-wise.What...do I say next?I know how to dominate a conversation, so...why don't I know what to say next?"He is a brat, isn't he?"My voice trembles. Mother would hate it if someone said that about me to her."Wait, no, I-"I try to take back my words, but she laughs a hearty sound that again makes me feel out of my element."Oh, he was worse as a teenager, something about puberty just..."She continues, but I cannot place her words.She is shorter than me, a little plump but not like Martha and her apron is covered in red soil despite her bready scent.Her hand on my waist feels warm and secure, like the blue of her eyes that promise comfort and support even though I am certain I
The meal was delicious; nothing tasted the least bit artificial, and every item was fresh. The setting for the meal was almost buffet-like, where the dining room in the manor held a various array of items, and there were numerous tables due to the number of people eating.On my table was the Alpha, his mother, Elaine’s mother (for whatever reason) and one of the women we undid bean pods with.I may have forgotten how it is to dine with others because, despite the delicious meal, I cannot seem to get anything past my lips.Aside from the questions on 'grandkids' that I try my best to navigate, the word 'mum' no longer leaves my lips.Each smile, each compliment, each forced polite laugh, and each posed question emphasises the feeling that I am not supposed to be here. I feel as if I am stealing moments that are not supposed to be mine.Is that what Elaine felt as she wore my gowns and paraded into my home—if you could even call the Alpha’s manor my ‘home’?Probably not.Everything prob
The hardness of his broad back is comfortable and warm compared to the cool of the evening. I should have skipped the helmet; the feeling of the wind in my hair is what I want, but either way, this is close. My eyes fly to the lights in the shops, at their dazzling brightness. I thought this would be scary, but it's not; even the sound of the motorbike's engine as we weave through traffic seems to want to put me to sleep with its repetitive yet smooth hum. Everything feels more vivid than it does when travelling by car, like I am not watching life pass me by, but rather, I am at its helm. The urge to scream, or is it to howl(?), finds my lungs, so I try and loosen my hold against his abs, ready to lift my arms and scream, only he grabs them with one hand and presses them against his stomach. "Don't let go." He yells against the rushing wind. I want to grumble but he is the expert here. “Okay!” I yell in response then rest my head on his comfy warm back, letting my eyes seal to
"I’m curious, why ‘Happy birthday’?"The Alpha asks as we walk from the convenience store. I craved ice cream; I did not expect him to respond in such a fashion.I don’t really crave sweets that often, or I have trained myself not to respond to the cravings either way, something I want it today.“Why not?”I respond with a laugh that echoes in the air while swinging my empty ice cream stick around recklessly.He takes my hand, removes the sticky item and dumps it in the nearby trash before lacing his very clean hands in my sticky one.He is oddly touchy when drunk.“Aren’t you a germophobe, or is it me that you cannot stand touching?”His expression shifts into a more sombre one, so I smile.“Just kidding, you don’t need to answer.”Let's not ruin the mood."As for why I chose that he sings… hmm, I have always had people wish me a ‘happy birthday’, but none has ever sung it to me."I confess as his hand in mine pulls me from where I walk, exchanging our positions so that he is the one
Adrian M. Knox“What the hell do you think you are doing walking around at this hour?”His question was laden with more irritation geared towards Elaine than concern for the first time in his life, perhaps a combination of guilt and shame from having been found intimate with Ruby by the one person he wanted to convince of their contractual relationship.“Me? I am not the one doing something absurd. You were kissing her, Muaas! You were kissing a ‘Clive’!”Elaine's disappointment did not jar him as much as he thought it would, that he wanted to run after Ruby; however, did.That kiss…"She is my wife. I do not have to justify that to you. Get on.""Your wife or not, she is a ‘Clive’. Have you forgotten what her father did to mine? Did to our town? Did to you? How could you betray us, all of us, you included, like this."“She is my wife; I do not have to explain myself to a child.”Her fury turned to a pained surprise in less than a second.Fuck.“A child?”His sigh came off more natura
Ruby M Clive"What?"What the hell is he asking me?Does...he know what he is asking? Is he playing dumb, or..."Elaine's eighteenth birthday? She wanted to have it at the Manor, so I was wondering if you mind."If I mind, his mate having her birthday in his Manor.If I mind having to see them recognise each other for the first time in a house, I am to stay in for several months after?What, what if they fuck in front of me?He is careless in that regard; he had me by the door once.Hah…what if they fuck in my room?She will be a legal adult, able to offer her consent, and once he gets over his hang-ups about her being ‘like a sister’, then…Fuck.Did he need to ask me this with her next to him?Or this early in the morning, is he trying to ruin my day before it starts?"N-no, I don't mind."I answer finally when Elaine’s lip turns downward.I know that face; she pouts every time she wants something from the Alpha that is not reciprocated, and he always yields."Oh really, that's grea