Page 7 of Alpha's Secret Baby
I swept a hand tiredly across my face, still feeling groggy from the party two nights’ ago. I didn’t usually drink much. A beer or two with Bert or the other guys in the pack was usually the limit. Whereas at the party, I remembered downing mouthful after mouthful of champagne right from the bottle.
And then, everything went blank.
Well, not a complete blank. Last night, fragmented memories had returned from the blackness: to torment me. Flashes of smooth skin, the echo of moans, the feel of juicy lips, hot breath, and the memory of my wolf rising in me, telling me to claim her.
My thoughts skittered confusedly, wishing I hadn’t got drunk, wishing that Cherry had pushed me away when I’d kissed her, and wishing as ever that I could change the life I was stuck in.
Going to the kitchen, I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. Draining half, I ambled back to find Bert had arrived for the day.
“Mornin’,” my Beta chimed, shrugging off his jacket. “You look like shit.”
I huffed a laugh, collapsing in my chair. “Feel like it, mate.” I hoped he’d leave events from the weekend there, but, of course, he didn’t.
“Shitty cos of the hangover, or because you’re still in the dog-house with Cherry?”
I exhaled heavily, my flinty gaze doing nothing to get my Beta, who’d taken his seat opposite, off my back. Bert clasped his hands underneath his chin and waited. I knew he wouldn’t let up until he’d gotten it out of me. When it came to Cherry and me, he was like a dog with a bone. I supposed it was because he was a good friend to us both. It was natural that he cared about us.
And he was right that I was in the dog-house. When Cherry had come back yesterday, she’d kept to her room, not even leaving to eat. I’d been too ashamed to come out of my room either, only slinking out early this morning.
Bert’s comment suddenly had me leaning forward. If he knew Cherry was pissed off, he must have seen her. “You’ve spoken to Cherry?”
Bert’s ordinarily upward-tilted lips dipped down. He nodded. His blue eyes darkened like a sky with rainclouds. “Saw her yesterday leaving yours. She told me about what happened. Said that you’d told her your kiss was a drunken mistake.”
My stomach twisted with guilt.
By Nuu-Chah.
Cherry had told Bert it was just a kiss, but the truth was far worse. I’d drunkenly taken her to bed. I’d had sex with her and then told her it meant nothing.
Knowing I had to own-up to what I’d done, I exhaled heavily. “It was more than a kiss. I took her to bed. We slept together.”
Bert leaned back in his chair, letting out a low whistle. “I see.”
His serious expression had my hackles rising. “I was drunk. I wasn’t really in control. My wolf kinda took over.”
“I get it,” he answered, holding up his palms. “If I’d been living with a woman like Cherry, there’s no way my wolf would have lasted a year without claiming her. I don’t know how you’ve done it.”
A flash of Cherry in that silver dress, with her long blonde hair spilling over her shoulders, jolted through me. My mouth went dry as a flash of that dress hitched up around her narrow waist, exposing her curvaceous hips, and hot sex had my cock hardening.
I took a swig of water, frowning as fragments of the other night re-surfaced, making my head feel jumbled.
Bert continued, perhaps mistaking my scowl for disagreement. “Look, you’re the future Alpha of Starsmoon, Dylan. And Cherry, she’s destined to be the future Luna. That means you belong together. It’s just part of who you are. A fact. Don’t you think you should listen to what your wolf clearly knows? Given how you wanted her the other night when your instincts took over, doesn’t it make sense that you are meant for each other?”
That wordmeanthad me bristling again. I didn’t think such an important decision like being with someone for the rest of your life should be something I had no say over. Restlessness had me cracking my knuckles, and I wanted to kill the conversation. “It’s too early to talk about destiny, Bert. How about you get us a cup of joe instead?”
In true Bert fashion, my Beta persisted, “Look, even if you don’t do it because it’s good for you, think about it for Cherry’s sake. She’s smart and loyal. The pack will be lucky to have her as their Luna one day.”
My expression hardened, my jaw clenching in warning. Bert was taking this too far. He was myBeta. He was getting dangerously close to telling me what to do. Part of me wanted him to overstep the mark. The tension building in me liked the idea of having an outlet. Suddenly, my Beta was looking like a good target.
Bert held up his palms, my anger calming, and the gesture soothing my wolf in a similar way to how it felt when my pack crouched in respect.
“Two cups of coffee comin’ up,” Bert said. But before he left the room, he added, “Just remember, it’s not only yourself you’re hurting by denying your path.”
I stiffened, feeling the weight of guilt settle on my shoulders. I didn’t dislike Cherry. But I couldn’t stand this feeling of being trapped in something I hadn’t chosen. I was a fucking Alpha, for Nuu-Chah’s sake. I gave the orders. I drummed my fingers on the desk, wondering how I could ever accept this.
Then, a flash of Cherry, looking at me with her grey eyes, almost silver like the dress she’d worn the other night, shot through me. The memory of her gaze on me with such meaning, although it still caused my stomach to knot, also fired a note of desire through me. Maybe, just maybe, our pathwouldbring us together. Maybe with time, I could grow to accept her.
When Bert brought me my much-needed caffeine hit, I fired up the laptop, and my tasks engulfed me. The day flew by, and when I returned home with the dusk, it was with anticipation. I’d resolved to talk to Cherry: to try to patch things up for the sake of the future. For the sake of what wemightbe to each other given time.