My Alpha Next Door

~∆~ Mariah's POV ∆~∆ The apartment next to mine has been silent for three months. No late-night TV blaring through paper-thin walls, no shower running at ungodly hours, no mysterious bumps in the night that make me wonder if my neighbor is either having incredible sex or getting murdered. It's been blissfully quiet. Which is why the sound of footsteps in the hallway at 2 AM makes me bolt upright in bed. My heart kept beating fast wondering if I would be meeting my maker soon. The footsteps stop right outside 4B, the apartment that shares a wall with my bedroom. Perfect. Just what I need when I have a client presentation tomorrow that could make or break my freelance graphic design career. I press my ear to the wall, listening for signs of life. Nothing. Maybe whoever it is just dropped dead from exhaustion. A girl can hope right. My phone buzzes on the nightstand, and Ethan's name lights up the screen. My stomach immediately ties itself into the familiar knot that's become my c

~∆~ Mariah's POV ~∆~I wake up to the smell of bacon and the sound of Ethan humming off-key in my kitchen. For a split second, I forget about last night's hallway encounter and just feel grateful that my boyfriend is the type of guy who makes breakfast without being asked.Then I remember green eyes and a rough voice saying "sweet dreams," and the guilt comes flooding back."Morning, beautiful," Ethan calls when he hears me padding toward the kitchen. "I made your favorite."He's standing at my stove in nothing but his boxer briefs, and objectively, I know he looks good. Ethan works out religiously, has to, to keep up with his werewolf metabolism, and it shows. Lean muscle, perfect abs, the kind of ass that would make most women weep with gratitude.So why do I find myself comparing him to broad shoulders and a black t-shirt stretched across a chest that looked like it could stop a fast-moving train?"You didn't have to do that," I say, accepting the plate he hands me. Eggs Benedict

~∆~ Mariah's POV ~∆~It's been three days since I saw Rain and I'm losing my mind. I can't explain what's happening to me.I've tried everything to get him out of my head. Extra work hours, yoga classes, even a shopping trip with my best friend Sophia that resulted in me buying a costly dress I'll never wear, to have something to focus on besides green eyes and a rough, deep voice saying my name.Nothing works.It doesn't help that I can hear him through the thin walls. The shower is running at ungodly hours, probably after late hockey practices.Yesterday, I heard what sounded like a woman's laughter coming from his place, and the spike of jealousy that shot through me was so intense it actually made me disgusted with myself. It's insane, because I have a boyfriend. A boyfriend who's been nothing but sweet and attentive, who brings me coffee every morning and texts me constantly throughout the day to make sure I'm okay.A boyfriend who's here now."You seem distracted lately," Ethan

~∆~ Mariah's POV ~∆~I don't sleep that night. Every time I close my eyes, I see Rain's face inches from mine, feel his hands on my skin when I was bandaging his cut, and hear his voice saying my name. The memory makes my entire body ache with want and my stomach twist with guilt.Ethan sleeps peacefully beside me, one arm thrown possessively across my waist, completely unaware that I'm lying here fantasizing about another man. How can he sleep so soundly when I'm falling apart? How can he not sense that I'm drowning in thoughts of my neighbor?By morning, I've made a decision. I need distance. From Rain, from this situation, from the temptation that's threatening to destroy everything I've built with Ethan. The smart thing, the only thing, I could come up with is to get away before I do something I can't take back."I think I need to visit Sophia for a few days," I announce over breakfast, not quite meeting Ethan's eyes.He pauses with his coffee cup halfway to his lips. "Sophia? I

~∆~ Mariah's POV ~∆~I'm sitting at Sophia's kitchen table, staring at my untouched breakfast, when someone knocks on her front door. "Are you expecting someone?" I ask Sophia, who's been giving me worried looks all morning."No, but it's probably Mrs. Peters from next door. She's always borrowing something." Sophia wipes her hands on a dish towel and heads toward the door. "I'll get rid of whoever it is quickly."But when she opens the door, her entire posture changes. She goes rigid, her hand tightening on the doorknob, and I hear a familiar voice that makes my stomach drop."Good morning. I'm Ethan Summers, Mariah's boyfriend. Is she here?"Boyfriend. Not ex-boyfriend. The distinction makes my chest tight with anxiety. I had sent Ethan a text yesterday asking for space and a breakup, and even confessed my feelings that I have about Rain to him. I knew the conversation wouldn't have gone well, so I had sent him a text instead, so why is he here?"Ethan?" I call out, standing up so