Chapter 10
Chapter 10
I thought Nadia would join us for late lunch, but my Beta said he sent food for her upstairs. Although I wanted to see her, it was better this way. I didn‘t want her around with anyone at the moment until I got a chance to talk with her.
Jake has already gone home. He did not want to stay later since he wanted to be home by midnight. He told me his Luna was pregnant and, although he trusted his Beta and Gamma, he never wanted to be away from her, especially at night.
The fucker was still smitten with his Luna. If I based it on his track record before he got mated with Clair, I would never even guess he would end up being mated or loyal to one female.
I wanted to get back at him and taunt him about the way he looked so fucking happy while talking about his Luna, but then I remembered Nadia.
Maybe it was the same thing. I couldn‘t explain the flutter in my chest when I saw her at the border today. It was like my body came back to life. I started breathing again. I just hope I can make her stay.
My Beta told me how Nadia‘s eyes brightened when she found out she could stay for more than one day. It gave me hope. Maybe she would want to stay here.
And if Jacob was right, she might need my protection. And I could take it to my advantage. Make her stay without forcing her, and find my way into her life.
But how? I couldn‘t even fix my own. I looked at the clock overhead. It was almost dinner time, and although I‘d been here in my office for the last couple of hours, I didn‘t get anything done.
My mind was still fucking blank. She kept occupying my mind. But if there was anything positive, her presence was snapping me back to reality.
I wanted to be an Alpha again, fix my own life, and prove to her that there‘s no better mate than me. It will be a lot of work, but if she just gave me a chance, I would be up for it. I stood up from my chair and brushed my hair with my fingers. After lunch earlier, I went and shaved my growing beard to the regular length I was used to having before I started slacking off. Maybe I would look less scary without the tons of hair on my face.
I chuckled despite myself as I walked to the door. I never cared about how people viewed me. I just wore clothes and fixed myself as I pleased, so it fucking feels strange to want to look better and good– looking now. I was growing up backward and starting my teen years just now.
“Just right in time, I was about to inform you that dinner is ready.” Beta Dominic was outside the door and was about to knock when I opened it. I scrunched up my nose as I walked past him.
“I‘ll skip. I have things to do.”
“Or female to do?” He snickered, and I turned my head around and threw him a glare.
“One more time you say something like that about Nadia, I‘m going to cut your fucking balls.”
He raised his hands in the air, but he was still grinning. I let out the grin I was trying to suppress before turning around.
“But tell Lydia to save something for me and Nadia. We‘ll eat dinner together.”
“Yes, Alpha!” He answered in a happy tone before it turned serious.
“Riley...”
He never called me by my first name unless he wanted to be a friend or a brother, and not as a Beta. So I know whatever he wanted to say had to be serious.
“...control your mood swings. Nadia.. I think she doesn‘t have anywhere to go. So try to be calm and gentle with her. She has guts. She will easily run away from her if you irk her.” He said this with a serious expression on his face and his hands in his pocket.
I just nodded my head. I kept reminding myself that if I wanted her to stay, I had to break my own rules and do things I wasn‘t used to doing.
I walked at my own pace until I reached the fourth floor, where my room was. Dominic informed me she took the room farthest away. She probably wanted to be far away from me. I stopped by her door and knocked softly twice.
No answer.
My heart thudded loudly as I tried to listen for anything inside her room.
Nothing. I grabbed and twisted the doorknob with my heart leaping from my chest. It was unlocked. Did she leave?
Someone would have seen her if she had. So there‘s no way she could go unnoticed. But I couldn‘t stop the pain from the thought of her leaving me again. I abruptly pushed the door open at the same time the bathroom door opened and she came out naked.
My body froze in place as my hand instinctively shut the door behind me, drawing her attention to me. Her eyes widened before her hands flew to cover her round and perky breasts as well as her pussy as she crouched down on the floor. Her eyes were blazing with fire as she glared at me.
“Get out! Don‘t you know how to knock!” She yelled at me. Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.
My words got caught in my throat. I still couldn‘t get the image of her naked body out of my head. I know I have seen every part of her, but it was a long, long time ago and it was darker. With the bright
lights all around us, I could see her perfect body perfectly.
“Get out!” Her eyes softened as they began to water. Only then did I see the marks and bruises on her arms. They were healing, but not totally gone. I reached for the door and locked it before I strode towards her. Her eyes widened as she raised her hand to stop me while her other arm hugged her knees closer to her body, “Stop... Or I will scream...” Her voice was too weak like she was having a hard time talking,
I ignored her and crouched in front of her. My hand extended to reach for her arm but she swatted it away, her eyes glaring at me again.
“Can‘t you see I‘m naked! Don‘t you have any decency? Just because you‘re the Alpha here doesn‘t mean you can just come in anytime you want!” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. I reached for the hem of my shirt and pulled it off my head before forcing it on her head.
She didn‘t complain and instead put it on willingly. But it was still short, not enough to cover her completely so I stood up and grabbed a towel from her bathroom and gave it to her before turning my back to her.
“Beta Dominic said he would have clothes sent to me. But I think he forgot.”
A growl rumbled in my chest at the thought of my Beta seeing her naked if he was the one who came up here first. I turned around and snapped at her.
“And you fucking decided to walk around naked while waiting for my beta to come here with clothes?”
“Who said he was the one coming here with clothes? He mentioned a name, but I forgot. He said it‘s the Gamma female! And besides, I didn‘t know the door was unlocked!”
“Next time you need to check before you strip naked,” I told her in a calmer voice, even if I was still doubtful about her reason.
I couldn‘t stop the jealousy from eating me. Was it possible she ended up liking my Beta?
She huffed before walking towards the door, her hand clutching the towel around her waist.
“Get out!” She opened the door, her brows furrowing as she looked at me.
I brushed my palm over my face before I made my way towards her, but instead of walking out, I bent my legs and coiled an arm under her knees and on her back, scooping her into my arms and walking us out of her room. It took a while for everything to sink in for her.
“What are you doing?” She tried to wriggle free from my arms and I found it amusing how much effort she was putting into it, even if she knew I was too big and strong for her.
“Let me go...”
“Can you shut up! You‘ve been screaming my ear off!” I sneered at her, trying to keep my voice still monotone, but I was starting to lose my patience.
“Where are you taking me?”
“To the dungeons if you don‘t shut up!”
“Liar! You don‘t have dungeons!”
“I have one! It‘s a sex dungeon! And if you don‘t stop screaming at me, I will throw you in there!”
Her body stiffened in my hold, but she did shut up, and I couldn‘t stop the smile from tugging at my mouth as I walked us to my room, Goddess! This female! I thought she wouldn‘t stop yelling at me.
“Ouch...” She flinched as she tried to move her back away from my arm.
I opened the door to my room and kicked it to close it before I laid her sitting down at the end of my bed. I crouched in front of her, ignoring the stare she was giving me. I knew she was raking me up and down, my naked torso was open for her to see.
“Show me all your bruises.”
“Can I have some shorts or something?” She asked, dropping her gaze on her hands in her lap and starting to fidget with them.
I stood up and went to my closet, pulling out a boxer and handing it to her before I turned around to let her put it on.
“I‘m okay now.” She said softly, and I turned around to see her gazing at me. I cocked my head to the side and stared at her.
“Now, show me those bruises.”
“Can we talk first?”
“No.”
“No. We‘ll talk first and I promise I‘ll show you all of them afterward.”
“If it is still hurting you, it must be...”
“No. I‘m okay. We need to talk. If you see my bruises, then your mood will change and we won‘t be able to talk anymore.”
“Fine,” I crossed my arms against my chest as I continued to let my eyes wander over her beautiful face. Her hair was still wet from the shower and some of them were clinging to her face.
If she wants to talk, then we will talk. She was making it easier for me.
“Would you like to start?” I asked her because even if I wanted to say many things to her, I didn‘t know how I would ask her to stay.
“Okay.” She let out a deep sigh and dropped her eyes to the floor in front of me.
“If you let me stay here for two months, I will help you with your pack.” My brows furrowed as my eyes squinted, not understanding what she meant by helping me with my pack, but I couldn‘t deny that my heart leaped when she said two months. She wanted to stay, She cleared her throat before she gazed up to meet my eyes.
“People are commenting on how bad they felt about you being left alone by your female,”
Bullshit! People around my territory didn‘t feel bad that I was left by Andrea. They were actually mocking me behind my back, but I didn‘t dare correct her.
“...so I will stay here and act as your new girlfriend...”
“My Luna.” I blurted out, suppressing the grin from coming out on my face.
“...okay, your Luna. I‘ll be the perfect girlfriend, Luna, I mean, but in exchange...” She took a deep breath and bit her bottom lip.
“In exchange..?” I repeated after her, eager to know what she wanted to have in return because if she wanted the whole universe, I would fucking get it and give it to her.