Betrayed by the Beta, Loved by the Alpha

19. Be Mine

Eden’s pov:

I might be depressed and feeling out of place, but there was virtually nowhere I would rather be than in the pack house’s kitchen, while Hunter got busy at the stove. He had told me I looked like I needed something sweet, and claimed he could make a killer hot cocoa... and who was I to refuse such an offer?

I realized as the hot liquid hit my tongue that he hadn’t lied.

I all but moaned at the decadent taste. I hadn’t paid much attention to the ingredients he incorporated, and I was almost regretting that right then. I knew I would be asking him for the recipe soon enough.

“Is it good?” He asked.

“Hell-a good,” was all I could offer.

I was nearly done when he told me in a soft tone of voice, “Close your eyes.”

I was perplexed, and multiple scenarios played in mind, none of which were necessarily good – me ending up as the other woman wasn’t my idea of a good future.

“What for?” I tilted my head to the side.

“Do you trust me?” He raised an eyebrow at that point.

I nodded in agreement and obliged him at long last. Before long, one of his hands was grabbing mine in a gesture so tender, I could have cried. He pried my hand open, and I allowed him to do as he pleased.

If this was a new way to woo and seduce, then I was not aware of it, but he was definitely onto something.

He soon placed a small box in my hand, and let out in a soft tone of voice, “This was the birthday gift I failed to give you this year, little wolf.”

“Huh?” Was all I could offer.

“You can open your eyes now,” he drawled, the hint of a smile behind his words.

I did as I was told, a tentative smile stretching my lips as I looked down. Then, I looked at the little box in my hand. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The wrapping was exactly the same as that of the previous 2 birthday gifts.

Indeed, on each of my sixteenth and seventeenth birthdays, I received an anonymous gift. No note, nothing… Just the gift. It had cheered me up in ways I hadn’t thought possible. Someone remembered me. Someone cared enough about me, despite my lack of a wolf, to celebrate my birthday.

I gulped down noisily, dampened my lips once, twice, and then a third time, as I willed my mouth to function. Hunter’s gaze wasn’t scorching for once. It wasn’t sharp either. If I didn’t know any better, I would have said adoration swam in the depths of his hazel eyes.

“It was you?” My question was lame at best, and I had to resist the urge to face-palm.

Wasn’t it obvious already?

Don’t be stupid, girl, I chided myself, unable to believe the words that had slipped off my lips.

“Open it,” he merely flashed me a small smile.

I did so, carefully, as if afraid of what I might find inside… I would have been much more eager had I been alone, and in my room. As it was, with Hunter watching me, I couldn’t show him how excited this gift made me. I couldn’t let myself be swept away. Hunter had someone he cared for, and I wasn’t going to come in between them.

Inside, there was a silver jewelry set which had me enchanted.

I didn’t waste a second putting on everything. I slid the ring on my right hand’s middle finger, and admired it. The beautiful amethyst shone back at me, and I soon was removing the earrings I wore and swapping them with those of the set.

I was ready to put on the necklace, ready to thank Hunter profusely, when his hand stopped mine.

“Let me,” his voice was barely above a whisper, and it made me want to submit to him in ways I shouldn’t even be thinking about.

I clamped my legs shut together, hoping, and praying to whatever deity was out there, that he wouldn’t smell my arousal.

If he had, he thankfully didn’t call me out on it. Instead, he soon got behind me and helped me put on the necklace. The gesture wasn’t one I would call amorous, but believing he was only taking pity on me wasn’t an option anymore… or so I hoped.

“Thank you,” I soon drawled, my voice failing me ever so slightly, because I was getting emotional. “Thank you for making sure I felt included, even when nobody cared genuinely about me. The set is beautiful. The jade bracelet is wonderful. And the hairpin is just as unique.”

“Glad you like them,” he whispered, his breath fanning the back of my neck, his arm settling around my waist, in a manner I would have thought was possessive, if I didn’t already know he had someone in his heart.

Before I could place a word, he unexpectedly brought me closer to him. Acres of taut muscles met my back, heady masculine energy surrounded me, making my head spin. He was all man, and I thought my heart might have been trying to break free of my ribcage.

“What are you doing?” I asked, my voice feeble, vulnerable, and almost needy.

My cheeks burned, and my breathing became ragged.

“Finish your hot cocoa,” came his soft command.

How? I all but growled mentally, wondering how he could be so dense. He was making breathing difficult. How was I supposed to drink or even appreciate any beverage?

“Hunter, can you just…”

I couldn’t bring myself to tell him to release me.

And though he wasn’t stupid by any stretch, I felt him lean forward, instead of giving me some space, his lips meeting the top of my head, giving me a gentle kiss.

“Hurry up and be mine, little wolf.”

This time around, there was no mistaking the nature of his words. The world stilled for a moment there, and I wondered if I were dreaming.

“You’re not making much sense,” I told him, almost despite myself, because how was I supposed to believe a man like him felt anything remotely romantic for a girl like me?

He was the future Alpha for heaven’s sake… And I was a nerd, an orphan, and a defect at that.

“Maybe you just refuse to see me,” he inhaled deeply, and I wondered if I smelled like rose – my shower gel – or sweeter like the cake I had been decorating earlier.

I couldn’t give him any response.

“I want you to see me, little wolf,” he drawled at long last.