Betrayed by the Beta, Loved by the Alpha

18. Territorial

Eden’s pov:

“He loves me. He loves me not,” Cindy and I sang merrily, dancing awkwardly together. “‘Cause I don’t know the difference when our clothes are off…”

“Someone’s having a good time, I see,” one of Clarissa’s reverent minions snorted, trying and failing to ruin the evening for me.

“And someone’s got nothing better to do than to watch us, obviously,” Cindy retorted, her words laced with venom.

I merely flipped off the little bimbo, and she showed such an aggrieved expression I could have laughed, but chose to roll my eyes instead.

“Who do you think you are?” She all but growled, seemingly ready to throw hands at me.

“The name’s Eden Summers, and you are?”

My words made her see red. It was clear as day that she was not used to this kind of reaction. It showed in the narrowing of her eyes, and the sneer she now sported instead of the overly confident smirk.

Truth be told, I knew exactly who she was. Sarah was the despicable Gamma’s niece. And while she had had some kind of standing before, it was pretty damn obvious that she now struggled to belong with the IT crowd.

“You think you’re so funny,” she all but growled at me, her eyes darkening.

“Depends on my mood really,” I taunted back, winking at her as I did so.

“What’s going on here?” Peter, Beta Mark’s eldest, arrived just as she was about to lunge at me. He held her back with one hand, showing how strong he really was by effortlessly dealing with her.

“She was mocking me,” Sarah bared her teeth, clearly displeased by the interruption.

“We were dancing, completely and totally minding our business,” Cindy beat me to the punch. “She came to us…”

“Yeah, I saw the whole thing,” Peter nodded, his lips set in a thin line, “We’re here today to celebrate Susie’s birthday, not to show off the results of our nonexistent training.”

For a moment there, I froze, and my eyes narrowed of their own accord. He knew that it wasn’t exactly something I had any control over…

But then, he carried on, “Isn’t that right, Sarah?”

Ah heavens, I was oh so ready to argue with him… But then, his words made me frown ever so slightly, and I wondered what the jab was about.

Surely, as a Gamma’s niece, Sarah should be a decent warrior.

“You know that I actually…”

“Save it for someone who cares, Sarah,” he cut in coldly, his eyes frosty. “You’ve been treating training as an occasion to flirt and seduce Alpha Hunter. You should know that he doesn’t even bother looking at you twice for this very reason…”

Her cheeks burned, and her eyes became glassy with unshed tears. His words were almost too sharp, and I would have been lowkey sad for her, if I wasn’t feeling so territorial. I didn’t like the sound of some girl using the excuse of training to get close to Hunter.

I had no claim over the man, and shouldn’t be entertaining any ideas about him… And yet, it seemed like I just couldn’t help but feel strangely jealous.

You don’t stand a chance, a bitter voice chided in the back of my mind.

Giving her a one-over, Peter soon went on, “Whatever you choose to parade in, he won’t be giving you the time of the day. You should know better. And you should do better.”

Before long, the dam broke, and Sarah ran off, wailing hysterically.

“Was I too harsh?” He asked, turning to face Cindy and me.

“Isn’t it too late to ask that?” I offered him a small tentative smile.

“I was trying to do her a favor really,” Peter inhaled deeply before releasing a heavy sigh. “Alpha Hunter has someone he likes already.”

“He does?” Cindy was the one to ask the question that burned my lips.

Peter nodded, and then in a hushed tone, he went on, “I don’t know who it is. He’s tight-lipped about it. But I know he loves her dearly.”

Peter’s words made something inside of me shatter. The hope Hunter’s words had elicited in me seemed to die out completely. Sure, he saw me for who I was, and didn’t think of me as less than… but that was only because he was a fair leader.

Tears stung my eyes, and I briefly wondered when I ever got so attached to Hunter.

I knew he was out of my league. Beyond my reach. What made me think I could ever be allowed to stand by his side?

I didn’t get to make a fool of myself before the man himself appeared behind me, “A word, Eden?”

I turned to Hunter, and the tears I had been struggling with spilled over at once.

He was so handsome, I ached for him – for his eyes to only see me, for his hands to only caress me, and for his heart to ever be mine alone.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, his gaze turning murderous somewhat, his lips thinning.

“Sarah tried to bully Eden,” Cindy began to explain, and I was never this thankful for my chatterbox of a friend.

“Did she now?” His words carried menace and were pure unadulterated danger.

“I’ve handled her,” Peter declared at once.

Hunter’s hand came to pat my head softly. And for a brief moment, I could almost delude myself into thinking it was an affectionate gesture.

“You’re stronger than this, little wolf,” his voice was barely above a whisper, and I could only groan in response.

Please don’t, I mentally begged. Don’t be so kind to me. Don’t let me hold a candle for you. My heart won’t be able to take another heartbreak.

My emotional shaking must have been visible, as Hunter soon shrugged his jacket off, and put it around my shoulders.

“Let’s get you warmed up,” he drawled in his usual, deep, magnetic voice which could make any woman melt.

I was no rock, and I found myself nodding at him.

I might not be able to stand next to him. His kindness might be pity in disguise… but heavens have mercy, I was too weak to say no to this man.

In less than ten days, he managed to become someone I looked up to… but if only it stopped at a simple innocent admiration, I wouldn’t be in such a mess.

I wanted to replace his ever present scowl with a smile. A genuine smile that would only be meant for me. Hell, I even wanted to hear him call me little wolf over and over again.

“Whatever she said to you is irrelevant,” he told me after a beat. “There’s this saying I live by.”

“Tell me,” I pleaded in a hoarse voice.

“I’m not as good as I should be. I’m not as good as I could be. But thank god I am better than I used to be.”

“That’s deep,” I observed, a small smile stretching my lips.

“To each, their journey in this life. You shouldn’t compare yourself with anyone, little wolf.”

“Roger that,” I inhaled deeply before nodding.