Chapter 8 Brooder
Russell felt the sting of shame crawling into his body as he moved slowly.
No one else had been able to make him feel that way about his affair with his Personal Assistant except Mia. Not even the Beta.
“I am not here to talk about Nelly.” He responded, making himself comfortable in the chair.
Mia said nothing, but she had curiosity glittering in her eyes.
The Alpha cleared his throat, and then he pointed to her head.
“Why aren’t you healing?” He asked, showing intense concern.
“Those bandages and the plasters should have been taken off by now. I still see blood.” His eyes looked into Mia’s, but it was hard to tell what else was buried inside her pupils except pain.
Mia cleared her throat, and with a twisted expression she responded, “That’s because I don’t…” She paused for a while, still missing the courage to admit her weakness.
“Because you don’t?” Russell inquired, his interest lingering.
Mia sighed, then she broke her silence with a whisper. “Because I am yet to bloom.” She forced the words out of her mouth, and as soon as they left, pain and memories crawled in.
Russell stared with wide eyes, disbelief simmering inside them.
“You are yet to bloom?” He showed his feelings to Mia, and she nodded.
“Yes, I am yet to sense my wolf.”
“I know what that means.” Russell interrupted, leaning forward.
His countenance still expressed shock, his right hand pushing toward the bed.
“How is that even possible, Mia? You are…” He paused, not certain if the words were right.
Mia waited, but he didn’t say a word.
Then she scoffed, staring at him with a wry smile.
“Say it, Alpha. Tell me to my face that I am old.” She snarled at Russell, shortly before she looked away.
“Remind me how I am twenty and yet to shift. I know that many shifted even at the age of twelve, and I am still wolfless.”
Pain and anger still brewed in her nerves, and the memory of the betrayal of the previous night still played inside her mind.
There was silence, but it only lasted for a few seconds.
“I was going to say beautiful, Mia.” Russell retorted, taking a deep breath.
Slowly, Mia returned her eyes to him, doubt buried inside them.
“That’s not what you wanted to say.” She grunted, glaring at him.
Russell chuckled softly. “You tell me what I wanted to say since you are now a mind reader.”
Mia’s expression dropped, but she still had doubt buried in her eyes.
Russell cleared his throat, taking a deep breath.
“You look like the moon goddess, Mia. I have never seen anyone as beautiful as you are who is yet to shift. Such predicament is left only for the ugly ones, not you.”
Mia frowned, looking away at once.
“Flattery doesn’t look good on you, Alpha Russell.”
“Oh.” Russell chuckled softly. “But I wasn’t trying to flatter you, Mia. Look at your eyes…” He waited until Mia faced him.
“They look like the blue sea, Mia. And your body…” He looked down toward her chest, a smile beaming all over his face.
“Your body is perfect, Mia. Dazzling, curvy, and irresistible.”
Mia growled at him. “That’s enough!” She rolled her eyes at him, crawling backward.
She grabbed the duvet, but she couldn’t pull it because she was sitting on it.
“Why are you here?” She asked, her eyes glaring with contempt.
Russell sighed heavily, and then he leaned backward, resting his back on the chair.
“I am here to take you, Mia. We are going out.”
“I am going nowhere with you, Alpha Russell,” Mia growled at him, crawling backward until she was at the edge of the bed.
“We have no business together. If you are looking for someone to go out with, call your mistress.”
“You mean Nelly?”
“I don’t care what her name is.” Mia blurted, taking a deep breath.
“I want to be left alone, Alpha Russell. I was about to sleep when you knocked.”
Russell sniggered, his eyes still fixed on her.
“Is this the best response you have for the pain and betrayal you feel?” He drew her attention back, his words cutting through the barrier she tried to place between them.
“I am sure your sister is out there celebrating her victory after she snatched your supposed mate from you. And here you are, brooding when you should be living your life and making yourself better.”
Mia tried to fight the feeling, but she knew that he was telling the truth.
She looked into the Alpha’s eyes, and it almost seemed like she could still hear his words echoing inside her ears.
“I didn’t ask for your opinion, Alpha.”
“Yet, I am giving it to you freely, Mia.” Russell cleared his throat, rising from the chair.
“You are in Black Claw Pack, Mia. This is not Willow Pack where you only get to see a few things. You are in the middle of Luna City, where the eyes meet so much fascination.”
Mia sighed, and even in her silence, it was clear that she was paying keen attention, moved by the words Russell was saying to her.
“I will be waiting outside, Mia. Have a bath and come meet me outside. I am sure you still want to kill me, but you can’t do that by wailing in isolation.”
Russell walked away slowly, shutting the door behind him.
Gripped by uncertainty, he paced along the hallway.
Each time he looked at the door, he expected to see it open, but he was always disappointed.
Twenty minutes had passed, and there was still no sign of Mia.
“She is not coming, Russell. Forget it.” He grunted, prepared to walk away.
Then he heard the creaking sound, prompting him to return his gaze to the door.
He sighed heavily, feeling the sensation that gripped him.
“I almost thought you were not going to join me.” He broke his silence, watching as Mia walked out of the room.
She scoffed, staring with a deadpan expression.
“If going out with you will give me the chance to avenge the death of my parents, so be it.”
Russell nodded with a wry smile. “I am glad you decided to crawl out of your shell, Mia. That’s all that matters.” He took a deep breath, yet the cringe feeling lingered, tightening his chest.
Mia pointed at her bare feet, holding onto her glower.
Russell nodded. “We are going to do something about that.” He looked up to her outfit, and then to her face.
“A lot actually…”