Now He Sees Me: Too Late To Love Me, Alpha

BELLY 

My husband never looks at me. 

He was the most powerful Alpha in the entire world. The kind of man who made hearts skip with a single glance. The desire of every female. 

I counted myself lucky to have him, even though his eyes always seemed to pass right through me.

I was sure it had to do with the fact that I always appeared unattractive. My whole life, I've heeded Annalise's advice and always kept my long hair in a bun, made sure I didn't apply any makeup and wore glasses to help with my eyesight. I got so used to the glasses that I didn't even realize my eyesight had improved. 

But today... today, everything would change.

Kage was finally going to look at me and see the beautiful woman he'd been married to for five years. 

Now my hair tumbled down my back, brushing my waist. When I was a child, I would often have strangers pause to admire the uniqueness of my hair. Its color was rare—charcoal gray, with soft ash tones dusting the tips.

No one in our world had my kind of hair.

I asked for a makeup artist, and they worked magic on my face. My hazel eyes seemed bigger, glowing with a happiness I could finally see in the mirror.

Today was special in more ways than one. After three long years, I would finally see my husband and daughter again.

Oh, Michelle! Four years old already. I wondered what she looked like now. Did she have Kage’s eyes, or did she take after me?

It was also the day I would share my 'important' news with him. Maybe, just maybe, we could enjoy ourselves before that moment arrived.

Sitting by the window, eyes searching the street for his car, my thoughts wandered back to the very first day I saw him.

It was ten years ago, in the Alpha's Academy. 

Apart from being the heir apparent to the most powerful Alpha, he was the most handsome male in school. 

I liked him just like everyone else, but he didn't even know someone like me existed. 

One day, I gathered my courage to confess my crush. I stayed up late, baking cookies I planned to give him the next day. It was—

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. My heart soared when I saw Annalise coming in. My dearest sister! The only one who's been there for me!

"You're here! Is he with you?" I squealed, springing to my feet, excitement bubbling over and spilling out of me.

But Annalise didn't move. She stood frozen in the doorway, her eyes wide like she'd seen a ghost, or maybe a stranger wearing my skin. Her gaze slowly traveled from my eyes to my toes, her lips parting in disbelief.

"B—Belly?" She stammered. She looked like she was trying to convince herself that I was real. That I was the one standing in front of her.

I giggled, eyes dropping shyly to the floor as warmth crept up my cheeks. At twenty-four, I still felt like a giddy teenager with a secret crush.

I lifted the hem of my floral dress and twirled, the hem fluttering around my thighs like petals in a breeze. "How do I look?" 

But my sister’s reaction was far from the praise I’d hoped for.

"What're you wearing?!" She shrieked. "Why is your hair down?! What is this makeup on your face? Why are you wearing this short dress?"

She looked like she'd just walked into a haunted house and found her sister possessed. 

My heart plummeted, heavy as a stone in still water. I stared down at myself, shame prickling up my spine. Was I really that awful to look at?

"Everyone told me I looked good and different," I mumbled, my fingers fidgeting with the edge of my dress. 

"W—Well, they're lying to you! I've told you, honey, your hair color is awkward and shouldn't be seen by others. You shouldn't wear short dresses because they'll reveal the scar on your knee. And makeup doesn't look good on you! I thought we agreed on that already? Besides, where are your glasses?" She dropped her purse onto the chair and made a beeline for the vanity table.

"Doctor Cruz took them away," I said quietly. 

"What?! Why would she do that?"

"She said I didn't need them anymore and didn't want to see me in them again."

Her expression darkened. "Well, she doesn't have the right to do such nonsense! I'll definitely talk to her about it."

I watched my sister with an ache forming in the pit of my stomach. Annalise Birkhead—the sister who was everything I was not. Smart, very beautiful, wanted by boys, and more painfully, Kage's forever love. 

I resumed my train of thought, going back to the day I intended to tell Kage about my feelings. 

∆∆∆

He was on the basketball court with his friends. Annalise encouraged me to bring him the cookies during their break. The court was packed with students, most of them there just to watch Kage.

I made it to the middle of the court, nerves buzzing, when suddenly someone in the crowd shouted, "Her shorts are torn!"

I glanced around and saw everyone pointing and laughing. Only then did I realize my sports shorts had ripped, exposing part of my butt.

It was the first time Kage looked at me, but unlike the people laughing around us, he didn't have any reaction on his face—not even pity or surprise. 

Tears stung my cheeks as I turned and fled, dropping the box of cookies on Annalise’s table before escaping the court.

Annalise chased after me and comforted me in the locker room. I had no idea how the tear happened. The shorts were new, and there hadn’t been a rip that morning.

Annalise left me to dress. When I finished and returned to the courtyard, I found her giving the cookies to Kage. My crush had been smiling at her as he ate 'my' cookies. 

∆∆∆

Back in the room, Annalise's voice snapped me out of the memory. "You should get rid of this makeup, Belly. It doesn't look good on you." She grabbed some wipes from the table.

"I don't want to." I took some steps back. "Please, let it be."

She looked at me in shock. 

For twenty years since Annalise and I met in the foster home, I've always done as she said. She was the best sister anyone could ask for, and her suggestions and advice were always the best. 

But today, for the first time, I said no to her. I made one decision for myself. 

"Where is Kage?" I asked, swallowing hard.

After the cookies incident, Annalise and Kage became friends and eventually started dating. They dated for three years until Kage and I discovered we were mates. 

Kage didn't have a single liking for me, but he couldn't reject me immediately as it'd have weakened his wolf. So, he proposed a deal—be his mate for five years, then go our separate ways. 

My ever-loving sister didn't hate me for being his mate. She embraced me instead and told me it wasn't my fault the Moon goddess paired us.

But I'd been a bad sister. I shouldn't have liked Kage any further knowing he belonged to Annalise. Yet, when we were together, there were times I'd put in more effort to get noticed by him. 

Unfortunately, none of it worked. Kage didn't like me. 

Annalise's gaze dropped to the floor. "I'm sorry, Belly, but he said he's not coming."

Something inside me splintered. Like porcelain shattering on cold tile.

My heart crashed into the pit of my stomach, and I stared at her as if she'd just told me the world was ending.

"No," I muttered, shaking my head.

No. Today was the last day I got to see him. He couldn't do this to me.