Chapter 67 ISN’T ALPHA BORN
Edeline
“Hey, Percival! What on earth are you doing here?” I asked, trying to sound casual but feeling a bit flustered.
He flashed a grin at me, dimples showing under his perfectly sculpted cheekbones. “I guess we’re both in the same boat, huh?”
I glanced quickly out the window, feeling a bit paranoid. It seemed like someone had been here before us. I definitely felt it. “We should probably come at different times,” I suggested, crossing my arms and shifting my weight to the side. “I don’t want anyone getting suspicious if they see us together.”
He straightened up, his gaze moving over me with an intensity that made me squirm a little. “Sure, we can do that. No problem. Sorry for any inconvenience. I just wanted to give you this.” He held out a letter. I took it, feeling a tingle where our skin briefly touched, sending a shiver down my spine. I shoved it into my pocket, deciding I’d read it later.
I grabbed my own envelope from the cubbyhole and handed it to him. “Percival, you lied to me yesterday. You said you saw Tatiana before coming here,” I said, locking eyes with him, hurt clear in my voice.
He sighed and looked down for a moment. “Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I wasn’t exactly lying. I didn’t actually see her. I just checked with Nixx to make sure the pup was okay. My bad, Edeline.” He met my gaze again, and I could see he was being honest.
I nodded, figuring he’d say something like that.
“Where’s your necklace?” he asked, a hint of hurt in his voice. I cringed, remembering I’d taken it off earlier.
I fished it out of my pocket and put it on casually before meeting his striking blue eyes once more. “Hey, guess who I ran into? Darius. And you know what? He totally knows that you’re the one who gave me this.”
Percival’s smile grew a little. “Yeah, he definitely should. I showed it to him right after I got back from the North. I was like, ‘Dude, I’m totally stuck.’ And you know what he said? He told me not to give it to you. But hey, look at us now.”
His smile was infectious, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of being out of place. Being around him was enjoyable, yet it seemed ultimately detrimental to my well-being. His gaze was captivating, drawing me in despite my better judgment.
“Hey, Percival, I wanted to fill you in on something,” I started, my voice a bit hesitant. “My brother had a conversation with Tatiana recently. She made it clear she has no interest in finding her mate and doesn’t want one. She told him that even if she wasn’t set to mate with you, she still couldn’t be with him because he isn’t alpha born. When he asked her what would happen if she lost the pup, she said it wouldn’t matter because she’d already be mated to you or another alpha. She needs an alpha to bring to her father’s pack. Just between you and me, Percival, she seems to assume that you and she will be mated soon.”
Percival’s expression turned intense, his jaw clenched tightly. I could feel the heat of his frustration. “Nah, that’s never gonna happen. Edeline, I couldn’t even sense her heat before, and now this new info about her being desperate for an alpha mate... I’m starting to think she’s behind all this.” His gaze softened as he looked at me, noticing my sadness, but his anger quickly resurfaced.
I hesitated for a moment, weighing whether or not to share what I was about to say.
But, yeah, I should let him know.
“Hey, just wanted to mention that Conor is coming. He’s in the loop about Nixx being her mate, but let’s keep it quiet for now since she’s still in the dark about it,” I said, my voice pleading.
Percival took a deep breath, nodding seriously. His eyes locked onto mine, searching for understanding. “Edeline, I’ll figure out what went down while I was gone. I’ll uncover Tatiana’s game. I swear.” His hand landed on my shoulder, sending a shiver down my spine as I instinctively pulled away from the touch, which was pleasant but unsettling.
I glanced around, trying to push aside the discomfort. “I gotta go. Just wanted to give you a heads up… and maybe get some answers. I’ll reach out again if anything comes up.” I started heading toward the exit when he suddenly grabbed me. One hand tangled in my hair, the other resting on my lower back. His gaze was intense, almost desperate. “I love you. Don’t forget.”
I felt my cheeks flush as I nodded and smiled, a rush of excitement flooding me from his touch and words.
If things had turned out differently, I could have been happily with him. But with another puppy on the way, it felt like there was no competition.
I hurried down from the treehouse, eager to avoid any more moments that might stir feelings for him. The sensation of being watched lingered, making me quicken my pace as I left, anxious to avoid both unwanted emotions and getting caught.
I sprinted down the path, the sun shining brightly overhead, quickly drying up the remnants of the rain. Bursting out of the woods and onto the grassy slope, I finally slowed my pace. The sensation of being watched still gave me the creeps, and I couldn’t shake the feeling. As I strolled leisurely, catching my breath, I glanced around at the wolves swimming, lounging, and even playing volleyball on the beach by the lake.
I spun around in surprise when someone tapped my shoulder, my heart racing in my chest.
“Oh, it’s Darius,” I said, recognizing him.
“Darius?” I frowned, glancing back towards the woods where I’d just come from. There was a path on the left leading to where Tatiana was staying with the oracle. “So, you’re from Tatiana’s, huh?” I raised an eyebrow.