Chapter 0004

In a flash, Alex shifted around, placing himself between my mother and I. As the future Alpha of the pack, he had already starting showing strength and speed miles above other wolves in the pack, even when we’d been children. It was no surprise to see those skills had only amplified since I left. It was still a bit shocking to see it happen first hand, though.

“You will not lay a hand on Holly,” Alex said, his voice low and threatening.

Alex released her, and Mom immediately lowered her hand. She dipped her head a bit in submission.

“I merely wish to protect your reputation, Alex,” Mom said. “With her around, those troublesome questions might remerge…”

“Those rumors had only ever been gossip with no truth,” Alex replied. “Anyone who believed them before was far too suspicious. Likely they’d already been looking for ways to hurt this family and jumped on this flimsy excuse. Now that I’m about to be engaged, no one will believe those hurtful rumors anymore.”

“Gossip or no, the rumors still cause trouble. It would be better if Holly were to disappear from this pack, for the good of everyone within it, including you.”

“I will not lose my stepsister.”

“You are making a mistake,” Mom said. Her head lifted, her glare returning to me. For a moment she stood there, then she pounced toward me, like she wanted to physically remove me from Alex’s side. Alex immediately stepped into the way, blocking her.

“Contain yourself!” Alex shouted.

But Mom’s voice screeched louder, “You keep your distance from Alex, Holly!”

“Contain yourself, now,” Alex demanded, sliding some of his domineering Alpha voice into his words.

At once, my mom felt compelled to obey. She stopped struggling against Alex’s hold and eased back. After straightening her top and her blouse, she acted as if she hadn’t just tried to lash out against me.

“You need to be careful, Holly, to avoid misunderstandings with his future fiancé. If you ruin this engagement for them, no one in this pack will ever forgive you.”

“That’s enough,” Alex said firmly.

Mom sucked in a sharp breath, then turned and walked out of the kitchen.

As Alex turned around to look at me, my heart crawled up into my throat. He’d defended me again.

Before I could say one word, the oven beeped once more. I hurried to remove the dinner from the oven.

“I don’t suppose you are hungry?” I asked, eyeing him. Mom wasn’t going to come back for this, and I really didn’t want to eat alone.

“I could have a plate,” Alex said. Reaching up, he opened one of the cabinets near my head and retrieved two plates. As he did, I noticed the fresh, bleeding scratch-marks my mother had left on his arms.

“Alex,” I gasped.

“What? Oh.” When he saw what I was looking at, he shrugged. “I barely feel them.”

“We should still clean those out.”

“But dinner?”

“It needs to cool a minute, anyway. Come on.”

Alex laughed lightly. “Yes, princess.”

I turned away quickly so he couldn’t see my blush. Silly lingering feelings, making me feel this way!

Fortunately, by the time we reached the nearby powder room, I had mostly recovered. While Alex rolled up his sleeves, I recovered the first aid kit from under the sink. Then, while he stretched his arms over the basin, I began to clean out the narrow scratch wounds.

Due to Alex’s strong wolf, the marks were already beginning to heal. He was doing this strictly for my benefit then. I tried not to think about that.

In the quiet as I worked, Alex said, voice soft, “I’ve been worried about you, these past three years. I didn’t like the thought of you in that cold place all on your own…”

I laughed a little. “Don’t worry. The whole school knew how many packages you sent me. It was a running joke on campus. Everyone – even people I didn’t know – asked me if I had mail today.”

While I hadn’t received a package every day, they still came once or twice a week, which was at least double what everyone else was getting.

“I’m sorry if it caused trouble for you,” Alex said.

“It wasn’t trouble,” I assured him. “I looked forward to it. And it helped me make some friends on campus.”

“Good,” he said, then fell quiet again for a moment. When he spoke again, it was with the same soft tone. “When I’m engaged, I will have the right to let you stay in the pack, Holly. I can and will insist on it.”

“Thank you,” I said softly, my chest warming.

As I cleaned the scratches on Alex’s arms, I noticed other scars beneath them, the wounds left over from when Alex’s healing factor had not been so strong – when he had been a teen protecting me.

Back then, one vicious bully had taken tormenting me to the extreme, and had started throwing rocks at me. Alex bravely got in the way. That bully and their family had been exiled for causing harm to the Alpha’s child – to Alex, not to me.

Alex’s defense of me always made my heart race, and recalling this event was no exception. He was so courageous and valiant. He hadn’t hesitated in rushing to shield me. He hadn’t cared at all about his own safety, only in defending his princess.

Alex’s voice brought me back to the present.

“With the engagement party in two and a half weeks, my buddies and I have prepared a small party tonight to celebrate my last remaining days as a bachelor.”

As high as my heart had soared only a moment ago, it now crashed down low, aching immensely. As my heart broke, my hands trembled.

Alex, unaware of my deep unhappiness, poked the center of my forehead with the forefinger of his free hand.

“You might be studying medicine,” he teased, “But you still have a long way to go at learning how to apply it.”

I forced myself to smile and shook my head at him, not wanting him to know how much I hurt.

“You’re coming to the party, right?” he asked, oblivious to the things he could not see.

“Of course,” I replied. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

The moment, I walked through the door, all eyes in the room turned to me. As the party was being held in one of the conference rooms at a nearby expensive hotel, there were many people all standing in this room.

Immediately, I wanted to turn around and go home, but suddenly, the lights dimmed and Alex himself pushed a cart out of a back room with a massive cake on top of it. Written on the cake were the words, Happy Birthday Holly!

A few candles were scattered over top of the cake, pressed into the icing. They all burned tiny little flames.

“Make a wish,” Alex said, smiling.

How could I? When it already came true.

Alex remembered my birthday. Was this a bachelor party at all?

Leaning down, I blew out the candles. The moment they extinguished, confetti popped down from the ceiling and a banner unfurled. It read, Welcome back, Holly!

Everyone cheered.

I felt like I had gone into a different universe. Everything was different.

Looking around the room, I spotted several old classmates, as well as Annie and some of my older friends. Alex’s friends were also here, including Nicholas…

When our eyes caught, my heart skipped a beat.

Damn it. Of all people to be here. Why did it have to be him?