Chapter 45: Part 45

"No!"

The word echoed in the tight space, making the hair on my next stand up. Rain drops shattered against the windows, providing a pleasant distraction. I didn't say anything, my knuckles turning white as I gripped tightly. The air inside the car shifted, skin itching as an awkward silence settled over us.

What did he mean by that? I kept on glaring at him, waiting for the Alpha to elaborate. The sound of our breaths mingling echoed in the cramped space, my toes curling. I could not take it anymore.

"Abel, what do you mean by no?"

He clenched his jaw, hands falling by his side. "No means no, Emma. I don't want you to see him."

Those words sat heavily in my stomach because his expression of open contempt and disgust was shockingly disarming, making my mouth want to run loose. "Listen, I don't know what's going on because neither wants to say anything. I am not going to walk on eggshells forever."

He sighed and leaned back, a hand running through his long and slightly damp hair, head dropping against the headrest.

"Can you please drop it?"

"No," I said, mimicking his tone, not caring how it sounded, all while maintaining a straight face. Avon's my friend, and he looked so hopeful when I agreed to the dinner. How can I crush that smile?

"What would it take for you to stop talking with him?" He said with a huff in his tone, arms crossed as he stared for a moment before looking up and meeting my gaze again.

"Nothing. He's my friend, Abel. Like it or not, we will see each other. I will not stop meeting him just because you don't like him."

He took a sharp breath, head thrown back as he stared at the roof, lips twisting. "It's not that...Why do you have to be stubborn?"

It's that tone again. Irritation flared in my stomach as I met his stare. "Can you not talk to me like I am a child?!"

"Maybe if you stop acting like one."

"Wow!" I exclaimed, hurt prickling at those words and turned to open the car door. The thought of sitting another second in the same space with him made my insides boil. I didn't want us to get into an argument, fully aware of how ugly it can turn.

"What are you doing?"

“Anywhere but here.”

“Emma, don’t be like this….” He gripped my arm, making me flinch, colour draining his face. The Alpha quickly pulled back, his shoulders sagging.

"I-I was not going to hurt you."

My face flamed. It was a habit, one that got instilled due to years of trauma. A shudder racked down my body as I thought about my past. Twisting my hand back, I nodded my head, not meeting his eyes. "I know."

"Emma, please look at me." His voice lowered, the snark and anger from earlier nowhere to be found.

Exhaling loudly, I turned around and watched as he hesitantly eyed my hand. I shouldn’t allow him to intertwine our fingers and brush a thumb delicately over the back of my hand. But I did, while a knot manifested in my chest and throat tightened. My lungs squeezed painfully, and I could barely stand to look at him.

"You are right; you should not be involved in this mess. I am sorry for losing my cool earlier."

"Can you tell me what happened between you two? If you don't want..."

"It's fine." He cut me off. "Avon's older brother Caleb was my best friend….” I froze at the use of his words, suddenly feeling the urge to make him stop talking. His grip on my hand tightened as he continued with a bittersweet smile. “After I moved from the old pack, he was the first friend I made. He noticed things others didn’t. So we were joined at the hip, always got in trouble together, us against the world kind of thing. A few years ago, our pack was under attack, and we were front in line as an Alpha and beta.”

I rubbed the back of his hand in soothing circles, watching his nose scrunch as he stared at the window behind. The Alpha exhaled softly, “It was brutal out there, but we survived; however, Caleb was severely injured. I asked him to stay back for help, but he was adamant.”

Abel was almost shaking, a glazed look in his eyes as if the mere memory of the incident was mentally suffocating him. The Alpha clenched his jaw and continued, “On our way back to the pack house, he lost his footing and fell off the cliff. I tried. Trust me, I tried to help him, but he gave up.”

I wrapped my arms around him as he started hyperventilating, his voice broken as he repeated the exact phrase again. My heart broke for him, a ball of guilt forming in my stomach as I realised I had made him tell the story. Closing my eyes, I could feel a heavy silence settle over us. I savoured the quiet and all that it bought along: the thumping of Abel’s heart against the shell of my ear, the sensation of his skin under my fingers as I traced circles into his lower back, my nose scenting along the crook of his shoulder.

“It’s okay…I am here.”

“I-I tried my best, but I couldn’t save him.”

“It’s not your fault.”

We sat there till the sky brightened, half an hour later. The rest of the drive back to our place was peaceful, and I found it hard to comprehend—the rush of emotions swirling inside.

***

As soon as I was out in the open, the air still damp and smelling of the rain that had just stopped, my heart felt heavier. The thought of leaving the Alpha all alone after his break down didn’t sit right with me. I opened my mouth to offer, but he quickly walked away, not even bothering to take a second glance.

Maybe Abel needed some alone time. I thought under my breath, watching the tensed back muscles.

When I entered my apartment, it was cold and dark, and I didn’t bother taking off my jacket before crossing the living room. My phone pinged with several messages from Avon, reminding me about the dinner date. A sigh escaped my lips.

Splashing cold water on my face, I bent forward, resting against the table beneath, my lungs becoming increasingly laboured. My heart felt strangely heavy as I stared up at my reflection, mouth twisting.

I let out a breath, quickly styling my hair, and dressed appropriately for a night out in tight cut off flared jeans and a white blouse pairing it with matching accessories. The more I looked at my face, I realised I appeared sombre, and my eyes lacked spark.

I heard the sound of a car pulling up and peeking from the window as Avon stepped, correcting the suit jacket atop his chest. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye as he made his way up to the front porch. Naturally, the Alpha was dressed impeccably; checkered suit, shoes polished and expensive, and his usual messy hair pulled up just slightly and nudged to the side. He looked sharp, and nothing like the Avon I knew.

The doorbell rang, and I was startled, realising that my face was pressed to the window. Allie was not home yet, so I had no choice but to rush and open the door.

“Hey…”

“Wow.” He breathed, his mouth dropping as he kept gaping at me. “Y-You look beautiful….”

Oh. I blinked at him before slowly nodding, a weak smile curving on my lips and nodded. “Uhh…thanks.”

“Here. These are for you.”

He produced a bouquet and thrust it in my direction, the white roses neatly tucked, arranged and wrapped by a pink bow.

“Oh. You didn’t have to….”

“Please accept them. When I saw them, I immediately thought of you.”

“T-Thank you.”

He extended his hand. “Shall we?”

This felt a lot like a date. I thought we would be having a nice dinner. What was going on?

“Let’s go,” I replied curtly and proceeded to stride right past him, ignoring his hand in favour of finding my keys without a glance back. I could feel his intense stare digging into my back as I locked the front door.

I reached him before he attempted to open the door to the car. Panic curled in my belly as I thought back to Abel’s denial. Did he know? Is that why he didn’t want to me go through this dinner? Or maybe I was overthinking.

I firmly averted my eyes as Avon climbed into the car without a word. It took a moment before he closed the door, but when he did, it was with a gentle push.

“S-So, where are we going?”

“My place. I’ll be cooking for us.”

***