VALERIE'S POV
"What do you mean?" His expression remained unchanged.
"Why did you behave like that in front of my friends? Now, what are they going to think? They would think I am dating you or playing hard to get. I have a reputation here," I said, still trying to figure out this mysterious alpha in front of me.
If it had been any other alpha, he would've stopped bothering me or called the council to see what he could do about me like it happened last time, and Logan had come here.
But this Alpha, he is different. He is powerful and dangerous, and he knows it. He probably can smell what kind of effect he has on me. I am sure my nervousness radiates off me when I am with him.
I have never felt like this before. No alpha has ever bothered me, no matter what happened. They either tried to lunge at me to take advantage of me or wanted to throw me out of their territories because my skills were a possible threat to them.
That's why Logan asked me to keep my identity hidden until he said so, and I was doing a good job at it until this Alpha showed up.
"A reputation of being a player? I don't see how I ruined your reputation. If anything, people were impressed that you have a handsome man like me," He leaned back in his chair, looking at me observantly, and I looked at the waiter to place my order.
"Hey, girl. How is your boy doing? Did you talk to him?" The waiter raised his brows at me.
I am a regular and always come here whenever I want to talk to anyone. So it wasn’t weird of them to treat me like this.
"No. I just can't reach him. He is probably busy with his tight schedule. I will let you know once he comes back to visit me. It would be soon," I smiled, and he nodded before taking our orders.
"Don't bother. I know your favorite picks like the back of my hand now," the waiter looked at Mr. Alpha, who had been gazing between the waiter and me since the beginning before he looked at the menu.
"I will have what she's having," The alpha dismissed, and the waiter looked between me and the alpha before winking at me, and I thinned my lips as heat rose to my cheeks for the third time today.
"Who were you guys talking about?" He leaned forward, and I sighed.
"About my friend. I am a regular here,"
"The one whose clothes you gave me?" He enquired again, and I nodded.
"Now, can you tell me what you want from me? Is there anything you want to ask or talk about? I can't have you showing up near me and acting like we are really friends," I stared at him.
"Why? Is being friends with me a bad thing?" He quirked his brows again, something that I feel is his habit.
"You are probably one of the strongest Alphas out there. I am sure you don't lack friends. Why would you want to be friends with a rogue like me? Let's cut to the chase and come straight to the point. I might be a rogue, but I am not dumb," I smiled at him.
"I have no intention of playing with you. I am mildly intrigued. You don't need to worry about that. Our meeting today was purely coincidental, like two days ago. I came to the University to look for a girl," Mr. Alpha said before he raised his eyes to look at me, and I felt my breath hitching before I gained my composure.
"Okay," I nodded.
"Do you not want to know about the girl?"
"Why would I? It's your personal matter. I am sure it's a pack thing. If I get curious and ask you things, you will think I want to know more about your pack and probably cast me as a threat. I have no intentions of hurting someone or being called a suspect," I smiled, and he hummed.
"You are overly cautious,” He commented.
“I learned the cruelty of this ‘pack’ world way before I turned into a rogue,” I smiled, and his expression changed slightly.
“So your kid stays in the kid care center all the time when you are studying or earning? It must be hard for him and you. Why did you adopt a kid at such a young age? You look barely in your early twenties. In fact, you look like a teenager to me," the alpha leaned back when our orders came, and I looked at the lemonade.
"This is on house. Keep visiting and bringing more friends," the waiter smiled, and I leaned back to look at the manager, who waved at me with a big grin, making me smile at both of them.
"You guys are such an opportunist. Fine. Just keep me happy, and I will bring more customers," I grinned at the waiter, who showed me a thumbs-up and left after a wink.
"You have a good social life. You said you arrived here a couple of weeks ago. It's surprising what kind of relations you have built in such a short time," The alpha took a bite of his cutlet.
"When you are a rogue and the werewolf world has turned their backs on you, you find ways to survive in this human world. It's not easy for everyone," I looked at my hand, my emotions starting to surface before I took a deep breath.
'Are you okay?' Adele asked, and I smiled.
'Don't worry. I am not some pathetic girl who would cry in front of an Alpha, knowing all too well how these alphas are the reason behind my miseries.
'He feels different. He has not judged us once, and these friendly vibes are oozing from him,' Adele sighed, and I nodded.
She was right about this. Though this alpha has mentioned that I might become a possible suspect, I never sensed any hatred from his side for me.
Maybe he doesn't judge a book by its cover.
Seeing my phone ringing, I looked at the caller ID before smiling.
"Excuse me," I said before picking up the call.
"How is my baby doing?" Logan's soft voice soothed my ears, and I smiled before stuffing my mouth.
"Enjoying life," I answered, and he chuckled on the other side, his happiness making me smile.
"Good. I hope you didn't create any trouble so far," His question immediately made me raise my eyes to look at the alpha, who was already looking back at me with an intense gaze.
"I hope not," I thinned my lips.
"Good. I will be visiting soon. Don't mess up till then, okay? We love you," Logan said to remind me that there were still werewolves who care about me and I shouldn't give up on this werewolf world, and I nodded.
"I am glad," he ended the call right after, making me sigh. No matter how busy he gets, he doesn’t forget to check up on me.
"Your friend?" The Alpha's words made me look at him before I nodded.
"Would you like to dance? You danced pretty well in the canteen. I would like to see it myself," his words shocked me.
"How did you -"
"I was in the building in front of the canteen. Werewolf sight and ears have their perks, no?" He looked at me, amused, and now I realize why I was constantly feeling uneasy.
He was watching me from the beginning. He knew I was there.
"Okay," I said absentmindedly, and he smiled before we walked to the dancing area of the restaurant, where three couples were already dancing.
I wasn't sure what kind of dance he was talking about, and my stupid self said yes without thinking twice.
"Are you just going to stand there?" Mr. Alpha asked.
"You are the alpha. Lead the way," I replied, trying to save myself some embarrassment, and he nodded before he held my hand.
He pulled me closer with a jerk, making me bump into his chest, and I looked into his intense eyes that had a storm brewing in them.
"You can't dance like that, can you?" He whispered into my ears over the soft music, and my heart started to pound again.
However, this time his heart was beating a little faster too. I don't know what came over me, and I placed my hand on his chest curiously, wanting to feel his beating heart under my palm.
It was serene. Though his heart was beating faster, it felt calm. I rubbed my thumb over his fitted shirt.
"You know, if I did the same, it would be called sexual harassment," the alpha whispered in my ears before looking at me with a sensual-amused gaze, and I froze when my mind registered what I was doing.
"I... I am sorry," I turned around to leave, but rather than letting me go, he grabbed my hand, pulling me close again, half-hugging me from behind.
"I didn't say anything, did I, sunshine?" He cooed in my ears before twirling me around, making me place my hand back on his chest, accidentally.
"What are you doing?" I asked, meaning more than just the direct question.
"Dancing with a girl that is way more mysterious than anything I have encountered. The girl who is like a ray of sunshine to everyone around her. What secrets are you hiding, Valerie? Will you let me in?" He bent to my eye level as if peering into my soul, his words penetrating me deeper than anything ever had.
"I... I need to go and take care of my kid," I looked at his changing expression before removing my hands from his grip and practically running out of the restaurant.
I didn't even look back, not even once.
This was the first time I ran away from something, or should I say, someone.
No matter how tough the situation became, I never ran away before.
What was this feeling building in my heart? Was this fear? Fear of what?
'Fear of being found out. You are afraid he will peer away from the fake shell you've created around yourself,' Adele answered my unasked question, and I stopped at the park, breathing heavily, as I sat on the bench before closing my eyes.
I can't let this happen. Never.
Get a grip on yourself, Valerie. He is a flame, and you better not act like the moth. He will destroy you in seconds. I know it has been hard on us without a love life for so long but take a chill pill.
Falling for an Alpha's looks is the last thing you want now. He is way out of your league.
I told myself. I know I wasn't falling for him. It wasn't possible. This was something else.