Alpha Kayden - Chapter 9

Stella - POV

I mustered my courage and walked forward, only to find no one there. It was just my imagination. I sighed in relief and continued on to get some rest.

I woke up the following day and had breakfast with June and Damon, who seemed quite friendly with each other. I noticed that Damon has a habit of cutting off the crusts of his bread, just like Kellan does.

"Stella, do you want to join us?" June asked. I blinked, having missed what she said.

"I'm sorry, join you where?" I asked.

"To the orphanage, the home for orphan lycan children," Damon explained.

"I would love to," I added.

"Cool, so it's settled. Get ready quickly," June said excitedly. She helped me get dressed for the orphanage trip. June explained that it was no ordinary event; many paparazzi would be there to take pictures, then spread across the Mystical Realm. I was surprised to hear this and dressed in an elegant gown.

June was certainly a talkative one. She informed me that the event was happening because she and Damon were getting engaged and needed to present themselves well in social settings. It was important for the Lycan packs to know that their Alpha and Luna were capable of taking good care, similar to human politicians. Regretting my decision to join, I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.

"You look good," a voice said. I looked up to see Damon dressed in a suit, looking sharp.

"Thank you," I added, avoiding looking directly into his emerald eyes, as they were a painful reminder of Kellan. I distanced myself from Damon and walked over to Julie, dressed in a violet dress. Her mate, Dexter, acknowledged me with a nod before giving Julie and me time to talk.

"You seem to be lost," Julie observed.

"Seeing Damon is a constant reminder of Kellan," I sighed. "I wish I could have stayed at your place instead of being here," I added.

"Then it's settled. You will stay with me," Julie declared with a smile. "I will cheer you up. Let's just get this event over with."

We reached the orphanage event, and I saw that Damon and June were the centre of attention. Cameras flashed, and Damon introduced me to the paparazzi, speaking of me as Kellan's wife. He explained that my reason for staying in the Pack was for the safety of the children. People applauded as the news of my pregnancy, shared by others, spread through the crowd. It surprised me; why hadn't Damon asked my permission to announce such a thing to the public?

As June and Damon busied themselves looking after the orphanage children, I found myself on the other side of the event, spending time with a girl named Stacy. She was cheerful and mischievous, a delightful combination. Stacy asked me to play with her friends outside, and as we played in the garden, my eyes landed on Damon. He was lying on the lawn, and Stacy and the other children were quietly drawing on his face with sketch pens. I decided to join in, helping with the small prank to bring joy to the children.

We all quietly walked away, smiles hidden behind our hands. "You didn't stop us from playing the prank. I'm happy you joined us," Stacy said. I ruffled her hair, and she smiled while the other two girls, Minie and Leanne, thanked me.

I saw Stacy, Minie, and Leanne laughing as Damon walked in with a clown face. Everyone tried to mask their smiles, but it was hard. Damon looked confused, wondering why people were staring at him. I felt guilty for pulling such a prank along with the kids, making him look like a clown.

"Damon, what's with your face?" June asked. Damon looked at his reflection on his phone and finally saw the marks on his face. "Who did this?" June asked sternly, and I saw Stacy, Minie, and Leanne looking scared.

"It's okay. Whoever did it is just a kid, and I'm happy to have put a smile on everyone's faces," Damon said calmly, walking to the bathroom, but he looked at me as if he knew I was involved in the prank. After the event, I walked over to Damon to apologize for my childish behavior, wondering why he had just laid there quietly, letting us do creative work on his face.

"Damon, I'm sorry," I said.

He raised his eyebrows. "Sorry for what?" he asked.

"You know why I'm saying sorry, Damon," I added. He sighed.

"Why did you pretend to sleep?" I asked.

"I was pretending to sleep to let the children pull a prank. I didn't know you would join in and get creative with them," Damon said with a smile. "It was good to see you smiling along with everyone else." I paused as Damon averted his gaze, noticing June walking towards us with a smile.

"Damon, I am going to stay at Julie's place since I feel more comfortable around her," I added. Damon looked like he wanted to ask me something, but he held back as June joined us, wrapping her arms around him.

"Did you enjoy the event?" June asked.

"I did," I said, managing a smile. Julie pulled Damon away from me, and I couldn't help but notice that this happened whenever I was around him. June would come over and take Damon away to talk or mingle with others. I was reading too much into it. After the event, Dexter, Julie, and I headed to their mansion for the after-party.

After changing into a pair of Julie's pajamas, I joined Dexter and Julie for dinner. "Dexter, I wanted to ask you something about you and Julie," I said. Julie sighed, knowing I was about to grill Dexter.

"Go ahead, ask me anything," Dexter said.

"Do you really care for Julie?" I asked bluntly. "I mean, I don't understand this mate thing. Is it like what you read about in Alpha novels?" Dexter smiled at my question. It was the first time I had seen him smile; he wasn't being cold.

"Julie has told me a lot about you, and the fact that you can ask me this question without fear means you really care about your best friend," he responded.

"I do care, even though we couldn't stay as close in recent years. But our relationship hasn't changed," I added with a smile, and Julie smiled back, agreeing.

"To put it simply, the fate mate connection works on a deep emotional level. It's not easy to express what a wolf feels so intensely for their mate, but they stay loyal to one another and can't cheat on their mate at all. The emotion is too strong; it's not like human partners," Dexter explained.

"Well, I can't stay without Dexter. It was hard for me to believe as well, but even thinking about staying away from Dexter makes me feel an ache, and sadness takes over. It's as if I've known him for years, not just few days," Julie explained, holding Dexter's hand. They looked at each other with love in their eyes. I knew then that it was not a lie; the mate bond was not a myth but a truth, as I could sense the shift in the air, a more substantial kind of love.

"Thank you for helping me understand. I was worried, though Julie said she is happy, but I needed to see for myself. I don't want her to get hurt," I added.

"I'm happy you asked. I know the real reason you are staying is to keep an eye on me, to see if I treat her right or not," Dexter said straightforwardly. I nodded; it was my second reason for being here.

"You are such a worrywart," Julie commented.

I rolled my eyes at her remark. "I will stay here and be a mother hen to my best friend, Julie," I added. Julie and Dexter chuckled, and I joined in. It felt good to be around Julie and Dexter.

The following day, I met Dexter's mom, Mariah. She was the only family member Dexter had, along with some not-so-close relatives. Mariah ensured she cared for me and looked after me well.

I left Julie's mansion the next day to pick up some groceries. "Julie, I want to ask, is June a good woman for Damon?" I asked.

"I think so. I've only heard good things about her, and she seems kind. Did she give you any bad vibes?" Julie inquired as she shopped for groceries.

"No, it's not that. I just…" I went quiet. I didn't want to tell Julie that being around Damon made my heart skip a beat sometimes, and I hated myself for feeling these weird things; it made me sick. Julie looked at me, her expression changing from confusion to realization as she seemed to understand what I was thinking. Her face showed surprise.

"Don't tell me…" she started, but I put my hand over her mouth to stop her before she could say the words aloud. I let go of Julie as she whispered my exact thoughts. I didn't want to react, but Julie knows me like an open book. She looked at me with a sympathetic gaze as if she knew I was missing my late husband.

"Shit, this is like a forbidden love story like you are in love with your Brother-in-law," I glared at her. I hate such a sick story.

"Really, Julie? This is why I don't tell you things," I snapped at her. She closed her mouth, and we returned to Julie and Dexter's mansion. It had been a month since I stayed with Julie and Dexter, and it was good to be around them and avoid Damon. But I could feel the air shift as Damon walked towards me. I groaned internally; I had been trying to avoid him, and here he was.

"You are coming with me and staying at my mansion," Damon stated.

"No," I replied. "I am happy with Julie."

"You are my family member and sister-in-law. What will people say if you stay at your friend's place but not in the mansion that belongs to your family?" Damon argued. I sighed.

"Listen, Damon, I get it. But I feel safe and happy around Julie, not you," I added.

"Alpha Damon, the Wolf Alpha Kayden is here to meet you," a guard announced. Damon instructed the guard to send him in.

"Go with Alpha Damon. I think it could be that Alpha Kayden thinks you are in danger," Julie whispered. Damon looked at me, his gaze troubled. I followed Damon with a heavy heart.

"Alpha Damon, what a surprise. You didn't decline my request to meet with you," Alpha Kayden said. I was shocked to see the man who had introduced himself to me at the grocery store saying he was on a trip to Alaska. His amber eyes met mine, and I felt heat in my body.

"Why are you here?" Damon asked sternly.

"To take my mate," Alpha Kayden pointed at me. I stood there in shock, and Damon looked at Kayden with cold eyes, holding my hand possessively.

"She is not your mate, but my brother Kellan's mate," Damon stated. I looked at Damon, remembering when I had asked him about this. He had denied that I was Kellan's fated mate, saying we were married because he loved me. I blinked in confusion, and Kayden's eyes turned angry as he noticed Damon's hand on me.