172

172


ALTHEA

The next morning, I was preparing breakfast when the hair on the nape of my neck stood. My heartbeat spiked up. I already knew that he was standing behind me. I tried to stay focused on what I was doing. Until I couldn't. His hot breaths were fanning on the mark he had given me. More like, forced on me. I held my breath when I watched his arms stretching.

Instead of grabbing my stomach, he placed both of his hands on the kitchen counter, trapping in between his tall figure and the stove. “What are you cooking?” He whispered in my ear. His voice was deeper than usual, and there was a hint of that usual seduction. I gripped the pan and spatula so hard, my knuckles turned white.

“Pa.. pancakes. Blueberry pancakes.” I forced the words out of my mouth, despite those dangerous thoughts that were constantly invading my mind.

I closed my eyes when he gently placed a soft kiss on my neck, right above my mark. Wrapping his arms around my waist, he placed his chin on my shoulder. “I like blueberry pancakes.” He whispered in my ear. My hand suddenly moved and I burned my finger.

The moment I hissed in pain, he turned me around, grabbed me by my hips and made me sit on the counter. Within the blink of an eye, he was looking at my burnt finger. And to my surprise, the stove was also turned off. “You should be careful.” He whispered.

I held my breath as he pulled my finger into his mouth and sucked on it. I was shivering, feeling his tongue wrapping around my finger. He was healing me, and seducing me at the same time. When I couldn't take it anymore, I pulled my finger out of his mouth.

His eyes were blinging with mischief but he said nothing. “Don't do that again.” I tried to sound angry but my voice betrayed me. I hopped off of the counter and went back to preparing breakfast. I was thankful that he didn't tease me anymore.

After breakfast, Alpha Collin was leaving. But he stopped at the door. “Be ready after sunset. I am taking you out for dinner.” I just nodded my head, as I never argued with him. His smile widened and he walked away. Once he left, I took a breather of relief and got busy with my chores.

It was noon when I remembered that Alpha didn't take anything for lunch. I grabbed chicken from the freezer and made pasta for him as I didn't have much time. Once done, I took a shower and changed. As I stepped out, people of the pack were greeting me with smiles and respect.

Respect was something I forgot about when I was living in my birth pack. After my parents' betrayal, I was a punching bag to almost everyone. And Luna Mira got the chance to be worse than she already was for me. I went straight to the pack house.

Before I could find my way to his office, I found Beta Braxton who just got out of the meeting hall. “Luna! What are you doing here?” He asked, words were laced with concern for some reason.

“He didn't bring anything for lunch. And since he doesn't like getting anything from outside, I thought I should drop his lunch.” I replied with a small smile on my face.

Beta Braxton looked a little concerned. But after a while, he smiled and nodded his head. “Just make it a quick visit. He is not in a good mood.” Beta Braxton informed be before he walked away. That alone made my heart skip a beat.

Taking a deep breath, I went inside his office. He didn't look up at first. But then, my scent would have reached him. He looked up. Because of that fucking mask he always had on his face, I couldn't see his expression but I knew for sure that he was glaring at me. He stood up from his chair and walked toward me. “Why are you here?” His voice was deeper, and his words were collected.

“I forgot to pack your lunch this morning. So I brought you your lunch myself.” I replied, my eyes were down on submission. Submission saved me more times than I could count.

He grabbed the box from my hand and placed it on the rack beside me. I whimpered when he suddenly grabbed my neck and pinned me against the wall. He was hovering over me. “Are you positive that it was the only reason?” His words were laced with jealousy. I didn't know what was happening. I didn't even understand why he was behaving that way. He was in a good mood when he left home.

“I don't understand what you are trying to ask me. What could possibly be the reason for me to drop off your lunch? You don't like anything from outside.” I tried to stay calm despite my heart that was constantly trying to leap into my throat.

“Oh! Maybe you just came to catch a glimpse of your ex?” At first, I was too stunned to even react. Then a frown appeared on my face.

“Are you accusing me of something, me alpha? Because I don't remember you telling me anything about my birth pack and the visit.” I asked him, meeting his gaze behind that mask.

He pulled away from me. Gritting my teeth in anger, I walked out of his office. I thought he was really trying to make some progress. But then, he had to ruin everything in between us. I was shaking with anger as I walked away.

“Luna!” Beta Braxton called me from behind. I sighed just so I would take my anger out on someone who did nothing wrong.

With a small smile on my face, I looked at beta Braxton. “It's better if you just cook dinner at home. It is the safer option for tonight.” Beta Braxton spoke. He didn't wait to listen to anything from me. He didn't even try to explain anything. He just walked away right after he was done talking. And I knew exactly what he was referring to. At that moment, I made up my mind to pick up the groceries from the market to cook. Beta Braxton was absolutely right.