Chapter 7 Heat and Heartbeats
Chapter 7
Alyssa's POV
The mall was bigger than anything I have seen before. Loud music could be heard from different stores, drowning the laughter coming from families shopping together. It reminded me how my dad always took me out on my birthdays because mom was busy. For a moment, I forgot who I was supposed to be—the broken girl running from rejection—and just stared, wide-eyed, like a child seeing the world for the first time.
“Luna, over here!” Aria called, waving like we've been best friends for a long time. “They have the best clothes here.” She said, causing quite a number of people to turn to look at her but she barely paid any attention to them.
I looked at Zayne who was walking beside me and noticing my gaze, he looked down at me. “Go with her, she'll take care of you.” He assured me.
Without another word, I hastened my footsteps towards her and she wrapped her arms around me, leading me to one of the shops where an attendant welcomed us warmly.
“I'm so going to love dressing you up.” She squealed, picking out a few outfits which looked more expensive than everything I owned altogether.
Even while I was with Ryder, I tried to make sure that my spending was under control. I didn't want the pack members to think I was only with him for his money.
“Go try it on.” She said.
Without hesitation, I collected the clothes from her and went into the dressing room. I wriggled into the first dress, the silky fabric sliding smoothly over my skin. As I zipped up the back, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and couldn't help but smile. The dress was a vibrant red, and it made my eyes sparkle. I struck a pose, admiring the way the dress hugged my curves. Next, I tried on the flowy white sundress, feeling the delicate straps dig gently into my shoulders. It wasn't tight, but it was perfect.
“Oh my goodness!” Aria squealed when I showed her the dress. “Alpha is going to lose his mind when he sees you…you should show him.” She suggested.
My eyes widened, “w-what a-are you talking about?” I asked, spluttering. “We…I…”
My wolf chuckled, “you can't deny that you also want to see his reaction.” She teased. “I think he's going to lose his ability to speak.”
I snorted, I wish I had half of her confidence. The only thing I saw when I looked at my body was how overweight I was…that was exactly how everyone saw me. So Aria saying otherwise felt different…but made me feel good.
“I don't know…he might just…” I trailed off, running out of excuses to give. We've barely had a full conversation, and I doubt that apart from the matebond he felt anything for me.
Aria narrowed her eyes at me, “you have this look on your face,” she started. “but I can assure you that Alpha Zayne would definitely want to see it.”
I just shook my head and we continued picking dresses that Aria felt were a good match. By the time we were done, half of the store was empty. “Aria! This is a lot!” I exclaimed. “How am I going to pay for all of this?” I asked her as the attendant packed them into several bags.
She looked at me like I was crazy, “you're kidding right?” She asked, “because we just started. We've not even gotten casual clothes or shoes.”
“But…” I started again, my eyes catching sight of the price list and my jaw dropped. “That's a lot of money, Aria.”
“That's nothing for Alpha Zayne…besides, everything here belongs to him.” she finished, like it was nothing.
She waited for me to take everything in before giving out commands to the attendant and pulled me gently with her. The next store was a salon, according to Aria, The next store was a salon, according to Aria, a way to “relieve stress before round two of shopping.” I could honestly use food more than a face mask, but I let her drag me along anyway.
As I sank into the salon chair, the smell of lavender and mint filling my nostrils as the lady attending to me got started on my hair. Aria was giving instructions on what styles would fit us and also the colour of our nails.
Unconsciously, my eyes flicked toward the glass wall of the salon. I could see Zayne leaning casually against the shop entrance, phone in one hand. But he wasn’t looking at his screen—he was looking at me.
The second our eyes met, heat rushed to my cheeks and I looked away quickly in embarrassment of being caught. My wolf purred with amusement.
“Our mate is so hot!”
I bit my lip, trying to ignore the flutter in my chest. I shouldn’t care what he thought. I shouldn’t want him to look at me like that.
But a huge part of me did. I was so lost in thoughts that I didn't notice him move until he was standing in front of me. “Hey.” He whispered, his voice soft, melting me slowly.
He pulled a chair so he could sit beside me. “Are you okay?”
I couldn't count how many times he'd asked me that since we met. I nodded, but my stomach had other plans as it growled loudly, and a smile appeared on his face.
“That wasn't me.” I lied smoothly.
“Of course not, Red.” He replied, a hint of a laugh in his voice. “I'll get you something. Anything you want in particular?” He asked.
I shook my head, my mind still stuck on the nickname. Only my dad called me that. Everyone else saw it as weird since neither my dad nor mom had it. But with him, it felt different…safe.
While waiting for Zayne to come back with the food, Aria took us to the next store to pick out shoes. I didn't understand how she still had so much energy left.
“Can I find somewhere to sit? I can't feel my legs anymore.” I murmured after a while.
She nodded, “Alpha should be back now, I'll finish up here.” She told me, and I nodded before leaving the store to go in search of Zayne.
I went back to the last place I saw him but he wasn't there. “Let's wait for him here.” My wolf suggested, and I listened since I had no idea where I was. But as I turned to leave, I ran into a wall…more like a human being built like one.
“Hey pretty,” the man called, his expression smug with an unsettling smile.
I ignored him and made an attempt to move past him but he blocked me again. “Let's try this again, shall we?” He said, raising his hand to touch me.
When his hand didn't come, I opened my eyes to see him frozen. His smirk faltering as Zayne appeared at my side, his hand curling possessively around my waist. His eyes not leaving the man in front of me.
“Touch her,” Zayne said, his voice dropping a notch “and I'll make sure it’s the last thing you ever do.” He continued.
His words sounded like a promise and the man knew that as well because he stepped back, murmuring something underneath his breath before disappearing into the crowd.
I didn’t realize I’d been holding my breath until Zayne turned to me. His hand slid from my waist, cupping my face, his thumb brushing my cheek.
“Are you okay, angel?” he asked, his voice softer now and the anger in his eyes was replaced with something that made my chest ache.
I swallowed hard, managing a shaky nod. My heart was ra
cing—though I couldn’t tell if it was from fear…or from the way he was looking at me.