Chapter 147 - The Alpha King Is My Second Chance Mate
Something was happening and Delilah wasn’t sure what it was. Jake was starting to become distant…he wasn’t the adamant man trying to persuade her to love him anymore.
Most times he’d stare off into space instead of looking at her. He also preferred to sit in silence rather than starting up a conversation with her, and he stayed out way more than he stayed in.
She was confused…how could his personality towards her change so drastically in the span of four days? She tried talking to him, she’d even stepped out of her shell enough to walk to his office with dinner…and though he’d thanked her, though he’d smiled…he still seemed distant…
Too far away to notice that his actions were bothering her. Sometimes she felt as though she’d done something wrong…but every time she tried to figure out what, she only became more confused.
Did she say something bad the night she blow-dried his hair? Or perhaps it was in the morning…? What exactly could she have done to make him not want her anymore?
Delilah gripped the fork in her hand tighter as she turned the chicken she was frying on its other side. She wasn’t even sure why she was cooking when she knew he wasn’t going to come home tonight.
Last night…he didn’t come…
This was starting to feel like a repeat of what Jeo had done to her. He’d been all over her for a week; he told her he loved her and promised to stick by her, and yet she’d caught him trying to get back with Quinn…
Was that what was happening? Beatrice was still here, wasn’t she? Was Jake with her?
Her thoughts snapped when the smell of the meat burning clogged her nostrils, and she hurriedly turned them again. She cooked whenever she was angry, but right now, she wasn’t really angry…she was sad.
She’d been warming up to him…it was hard to admit, but she knew she liked him. She’d denied it long enough. She really missed his hands climbing up her legs like they did that night…and she missed his lips…those lips that had done unspeakable things to her…
Or probably she just missed his company…his eyes that had always been there to trace her and his big, calloused hand hanging onto her smaller ones would be enough skin contact. She missed that, she really just wanted him to want her again.
Delilah sighed, turning the stove off and walking into the dining room to sit around the table. Why cook? She wasn’t hungry, and nobody else was here to eat it.
Folding her arms against the table, she laid against them. She’d talk to him…as soon as he came back, she’d ask him what she’d done…and beg him to forgive her…
Another person giving up on her would mean the end of her life…especially since he was the only person she was actually living for.
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Delilah woke up in the dining room where she’d apparently fallen asleep, laying on the comfort of her arms. She lifted her head, looking around the room. When she saw nobody, she took a whiff of the air, hoping to pick up the subtle scent of liquor or the fresh scent of lychee that always drifted off him…
But she got nothing…and the disappointment she felt was so difficult to hide that it left her lips in a sigh.
He wasn’t here again…and she could bet he wasn’t going to come.
With another sigh, she got up and walked over to the window, pulling the curtain back and checking just how dark it was now.
Night had already settled prominently over the land, the sun had been on its way down when she fell asleep, but it was completely dark now…dark and quiet as though it was really late.
She looked down at herself, she was wearing the same clothes she had on since morning…she needed to shower…she needed to change.
Drawing the curtain back into place, she walked out of the dining room, past the stairs on her way to her room. She went inside, then lifelessly walked into the bathroom, where she showered.
She got dressed after that, then sat in her room until she was tired of just staring at her walls. She got up and walked over to the dresser, looking at herself in the mirror…was she not as beautiful as he said before anymore?
Should she actually comb her hair? She hadn’t done anything to impress him since she came here…maybe she should. Her hand reached for the black comb on the dresser as the other pulled the elastic hair band out of her hair, letting it down.
She gave it a side part, remembering that the last time she’d let her hair down, it had been in a middle part. She wanted to look different…
She combed out the knots and gelled the smaller side back before glancing down at the hair clip Jake had given her…the one that belonged to his mother.
She clipped her hair back with it, then smiled in satisfaction at how it looked. It wasn’t perfect, but it looked a lot better than it did before…
However, combing her hair was the easy part, the hardest part was to go see him.
Nevertheless, she took a deep breath, calming herself down and putting on a brave face. Problems won’t get solved if they are not acknowledged, she needed to talk to him, lack of communication could break anything apart.
Her steps were quick and a tad bit confident as she walked outside into the dark, cold night; wearing a thin sweater, a blouse, and her pajama bottoms…
She should’ve dressed up too, but people would probably look at her weirdly. His office wasn’t a long distance ahead, but it wasn’t exactly close either…so she quickened her steps through the woods, stopping when she picked up on a familiar scent.
Neil, was it? That guy Jake said was his beta. Her eyes wandered around her surroundings until she finally spotted him, stepping out from behind a tree.
He smiled cheekily before approaching her. “I was patrolling, and then I picked up your scent. Where are you going?”
Delilah pulled her sweater closer together over her blouse. “I wasn’t running away.”
“I didn’t say you were.”
“Oh, then…I was going to the office…to see Jake.”
“Ah, so you miss him?”
“Not exactly, it’s just…yes.” She admitted.
“I see, you wouldn’t mind if I walked you there, right?”
“I know the way, it’s fine.”
“It’s not, what kind of man would I be to leave a beautiful woman walking in the dark alone? That Jake is acting a fool again.”
“What do you mean acting a fool?”
“Walk with me, I’ll tell you.” He stretched his arm out to her, and Delilah reluctantly intertwined hers with his just before they started walking forward. “Tell me.”
“Every year around this time, he acts like this…he pushes everyone away and isolates himself in his office or mostly close to the east borders, where he forbids anyone from coming.”
“Why?” Delilah asked, it was kind of refreshing to know that she wasn’t the problem…rather it seemed everyone was. “Why does he do that?
”
“I’d tell you…but I’m not sure if he’d want you to know.”
“Why can’t I know?”
“It’s a sensitive topic for him, it always has been.”
“Okay, I guess I’ll just have to ask him then.”
“Yeah…” They walked out into the open, where the grass was low and there were little to no trees. “You could do that, but don’t get upset if he decides not to tell you.”
“Okay.”
It became quiet after that, but just as he said, he walked her to Jake’s office and then left.
Delilah looked around at her empty surroundings before knocking twice. She got no response, but she opened the door anyway, slipping through it. She closed it behind her, a small smile twitching at the corner of her lips when she saw Jake sitting behind his desks.
She waved awkwardly, walking further inside. “I haven’t seen you at all today, so I thought I’d come see how you’re doing.”
“I’m fin~” his eyes traced over her face and then landed on the clip in her hair. She thought he’d compliment her, but a look of anger slipped across his face; anger that she could both see and feel. “Take it out.”
His words were low, but they sounded threatening; deep and full of authority.
Delilah shifted from one foot to the other. “Take…take what out?” She asked him.
“The clip…”
“But you said that I could wear i~”
“F*cking take it out already and put it on my desk! Why are you even here? I didn’t come home for a reason, I don’t want to see you!”
Delilah flinched at the harshness of his tone, her hand trembling as she brought it to the clip in her hair, pulling it out. She glanced at it in her palm before slowly placing it on his desk, and then her hands nervously clasped together in front of her.
She didn’t say anything, she just stared at him…only glancing away when tears randomly started to stream down her cheeks. “What did I…did I do to you?”
Jake’s eyes softened in an instant and he quickly pushed his chair back and stood to his feet. “Delilah…f*ck, I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to yell at you.” He picked the clip up as he walked around his desk, stopping in front of her. “Here, you can keep it…I’m sorry.”
He locked it back into her hair, but Delilah stepped back, pulling it out and throwing it across the room. “I don’t want to wear it anymore…I shouldn’t have come. I’ve always been too stupid to read between the f*cking lines.”
“Delilah that’s~”
She turned her back to him, rushing towards the door. She opened it, ignoring his desperate calls of her name. “You could’ve just said so…I’d have left. I might not have anywhere to go, but I have pride.”
“Delilah, wait…”
She didn’t. She slammed the door behind her and rushed back into the direction of the cabin. She should’ve thought about that possibility…the possibility that he did not want to see her…
If she did, then she’d have stayed out in the woods rather than come here to embarrass herself. He didn’t follow her, she kind of knew he wouldn’t…and she kind of didn’t want him to…
When she got back to the house, she was out of breath and her eyes were still full of sorrowful water. She went inside, wiping her cheeks with hands that still trembled.
She hated this…this feeling overcoming her…she felt so stupid…
Stupid to actually believe in him…in anyone for that matter…
Her hands clenched as she marched into her room. She was going to leave, she didn’t want to, but she was afraid.
If he failed to want her, then he’d probably slowly fall back into his old ways. He’d hate her again, treat her just as he used to…and she didn’t want to endure anymore of that…
Furthermore, she did not want to witness him changing back into somebody she’d hate…she loved him now, and for some reason, she wanted it to stay that way.
Maybe her punishment for all she’d done was to die alone…and if that was really the case, then she should accept it. She’d ruined lives until she eventually ruined her own. The regret she felt now was unfathomable…
She wanted to be happy too, just like everyone else…she was tired of crying, tired of fighting for a life not even the goddess wanted her to have…she was jus~
Delilah turned away from her room door when harsh knocks boomed against the door at the front. It wasn’t Jake…it was a person she least expected to be here…a person who possessed a scent she hated with every nerve in her body…
Cinnamon and lavender…
Beatrice’s scent…
The fact that Beatrice was here was appalling. Was she here to beat her for taking Jake away? Or to show-off that she’d taken him back?
With fear in her heart, she crept towards the door, wiping her eyes before gripping onto the knob. When she hesitated, Beatrice banged the door again. “I could break it down if I want…f*cking open it already you worthless piece of sh*t.”
Delilah took a deep and shaky breath. It was true, breaking a door down was easy for someone like her…which made everything even scarier.
Slowly, her hand turned the knob and she pulled the door open even slower.
Just as expected, Beatrice stood there, smirking down at her. She knew it…she was going to get a hell of a beating tonight.