Filed To Story: Destined Bond with My Forbidden Alpha Novel (Alpha Alexander & Selene)
“I don’t have any real reason to believe it…” Galen said softly.
“You just do,” Selene said.
Galen nodded.
“I know the feeling,” she sighed. “It’s why I can’t stop searching.”
Galen felt a painful grip on his chest. Guilt.
“I can’t help you find him,” Galen said softly. “Summer, Fiona, Bell, and Ren… they need me here.”
“I know,” Selene said with a nod. She turned to him with a smile. “It’s where he would want you to be anyway.”
Galen nodded, but the guilt didn’t ease.
“If you wouldn’t mind…” Selene began. “Can I join you again? The next time you make your offering?”
He looked at her and smiled.
“I would be honored,” he said.
***
[PRESENT]
Selene had barely fallen back to sleep when a gentle knock at the door stirred her. She sat up and sniffed the air, searching for the scent of who stood on the other side of the door. It was Maeve.
She took a deep breath, carefully lifting her body from Alexander’s arms. He made a quiet sound of protest, but her hand petted his hair gently, reassuring him enough to allow her to pull away and move off the bed.
Grabbing her robe, she quickly covered herself and hurried to the door. Opening it and catching Maeve’s eyes, she brought her finger to her lips.
Maeve nodded in understanding and stepped back from the door, allowing Selene space to step out and close it behind her.
“Still making up for lost time, I see,” Maeve smiled with a raised brow.
Selene rolled her eyes.
“You and Liam spent a month practically locked in his room when we returned from Winter, so I don’t want to hear it from you.”
“Fair point,” Maeve laughed.
Selene smiled and took a deep breath. She and Maeve had become good friends over the past year as they had gotten to know each other.
Maeve was a good person, kind and funny, but she was also a strong and fierce woman when she wanted to be.
When Maeve first came to Liam’s pack, she was as scared and quiet as a mouse. But Selene immediately recognized the source of the panic and concern on her face. She could see the doubt that fought against her desire for the man.
Having experienced fighting the bond, Selene felt an immediate connection to Maeve. While she did like Liam, she didn’t particularly care if Maeve chose him or not. She wanted to help Maeve decide for herself and no one else.
Ultimately, Maeve chose Liam, and Selene made a new friend.
“Selene,” Maeve called, “I’m not here interrupting yer fun for nothing.”
“What’s wrong?” Selene asked.
“I think we all got a wee bit lost in our own heads after yer man reappeared,” Maeve replied, “maybe forgot about the world around us… about certain events… or schedules we’ve got arranged…”
Selene furrowed her brows, unsure of Maeve’s meaning. But then it dawned on her, and she gasped as she covered her mouth with her hand.
Maeve nodded.
“Yep…” she whispered.
“What day is it?” Selene asked.
“She’ll be here the day after tomorrow,” Maeve replied.
Selene closed her eyes and swallowed. Her heart was pounding in her ears, and her chest felt tight. She wasn’t ready for this. There was still so much she needed to tell Alexander before anyone else found out he was back.
She needed more time with him.
“We need to… uhm..” she stuttered. “We need to find a way to stall her… to keep her from coming here.”
“Easier said than done,” Maeve sighed. “You know how she is. The more I try to make her look left—“
“The more I’ll know to look right,” a familiar voice interrupted from behind Selene.
Maeve’s eyes widened, and Selene felt her heart stop. She swallowed and slowly turned to look behind her.
Leaning against the wall three doors down with her arms crossed over her chest and a half grin on her face was precisely who Selene was desperate not to see.
“So, ladies,” Alice said with a raised brow as she pushed away from the wall and stepped toward them. “What exactly am I looking at?”
“Shite…” Maeve whispered and then cleared her throat. “Yer a bit early, Alice. You should have sent word. I’d of had a room made ready for you.”
“Oh, really?” Alice asked, tilting her head to the side with a smile. “But, if I had done that, you would have been expecting me… where is the fun in that?”
Maeve let out a nervous chuckle and nodded.
“Spose that’s true,” she replied. “I know how much you like yer games.”
Alice chuckled.
“Oh, Mavie…” she sighed. “You haven’t ever seen me play games.”
Maeve took a breath and swallowed. Lower her eyes from Alice’s gaze.
Selene looked toward the door hoping that Alexander had stayed asleep.
Alice turned her eyes to Selene.
“Selene,” Alice called. “I’m surprised to see you. I was scheduled to arrive the day after tomorrow, but you weren’t due until two days after that.”
Selene took a deep breath and straightened her back, turning to face Alice confidently. The situation was dangerous. She couldn’t let Alice know about Alexander, not yet. But to shift away the suspicion, Selene needed to keep up appearances as though nothing had changed.
“And I’m surprised to hear you admit to being surprised by something, Alice,” Selene said sarcastically. “Losing your touch?”
Alice held Selene’s gaze. She narrowed her eyes, and Selene swallowed, suddenly feeling like she was being watched by a hungry predator.
Alice’s smile grew, and her eyes sparkled with something mischievous.
“Curiouser and curiouser…” Alice whispered, taking another step toward Selene.
Selene unconsciously shifted to block the door. It was barely a movement, but enough to be caught by Alice.
Her heart was beginning to pump harder. Selene focused on slowing it down, on keeping calm. She took a deep breath and crossed her arms with an irritated sigh.
“I had some extra time on my hands,” she growled. “Isn’t Axel the one always telling me I need a vacation? I finally took his advice.”
Alice tilted her head.
“Really?” she asked.
Selene nodded.
“Strange…” Alice smiled. “Your schedule was quite full the last I checked.”
“Are you keeping tabs on me?” Selene asked with a growl.
“Wasn’t it only moments ago that you were surprised to find me surprised?” Alice chuckled.
“You’ve always been too interested in other people’s business,” Selene replied quietly, looking away from Alice.
“Isn’t that why you wanted me to return to work?” Alice grinned.
Selene sighed.
“Alice, I came here for personal reasons,” she said. “Whatever those are, I don’t have to report that to you. You are not my Luna.”
“No, I’m not,” Alice said. “But you are a representative for all the packs in our territory. So, when you don’t show up for work, we’re going to have questions.”
Selene furrowed her brow. She hadn’t been lying when she said she had time available. She had explicitly built extra days into her schedule to allow for traveling between packs and possibly running into trouble.
Alice could see the confusion on Selene’s face. She sighed.
“Alpha Rosen,” Alice said. “You were meant to meet her a week ago but didn’t show up.”
It was true the day that Alexander had surfaced in the lake, Selene was supposed to have been meeting with another Alpha in the region. But even before she had found him, she had already decided she wasn’t going to the meeting.
The truth was, Selene was at the tavern nearby to drink until she couldn’t think straight anymore. The day she had called Leshy in the forest was the hardest in several years. She had fallen back into the pain of her loss and was struggling to find her way out of it.
But then Alexander returned.
Selene took a deep breath.
“You’re right. I didn’t go,” she said. “But I sent someone in my place. The meeting wasn’t canceled or ignored.”
“It’s unlike you to let others do your work,” Alice replied.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?