Page 21 of Betrayed Alpha Mate

I fucked up back then, and somehow, the Moon Goddess saw fit for me to be awarded a second chance to right my wrongs.

Showing Emily to the bedroom I prepared for her is a start. I know her favorite colors. I know the intricacies of her tastes. We’d spent enough time together when Mom was sick, and she lived with us, and I remember our late-night conversations in the kitchen as if they happened yesterday.

Olive green and golden trimmings. That was what she wanted in her bedroom if she ever moved out of her cottage.

That’s exactly what’s inside the bedroom I had prepared for her, along with the oval bed she dreamed of, and the bedposts extending to the ceiling with white organza cascading down.

“This is your bedroom,” I say as I open the door and step aside for her to see. Dustin and the others already brought her belongings in this morning, so all she needs to do is walk inside.

But she doesn’t.

She stands cemented in the hallway, her expression bland and not giving anything away.

“Where’s your room?” she asks, and I pause, not sure why she’s asking.

“Er—” I peep out the doorway and point to the door next to hers. “My room is over there.”

“Do you have another room in this place?” Another odd question, because I would have thought she already knew. Unless she never paid attention, or never cared at all.

It’s not like it’s the first time she’s in my house. I’ve been living here for more than a year, having been gifted this place by my father upon my return from black ops, and stepping into my role as the alpha of Silverfang.

“I do…” I say as I step out, then point to the rooms in the other wing, past the living room. “Two bedrooms over there. Guest bedrooms, without ensuite bathrooms.”

“Cool. I’ll take one of those,” she says nonchalantly as she heads into her prepared bedroom, grabs her trolley bag, and wheels it out into the hallway.

“I prepared this bedroom especially for you,” I protest, but Emily ignores me.

“I want a peaceful night’s sleep,” she throws over her shoulder, and I don’t follow her, standing outside her room, stunned.

“I-I don’t snore, Em!” I call out after her, but she’s already in the other wing, turning toward the door in the least furnished room in the whole house.

“Oh, yes you do!” she calls back with a dry chuckle, saluting me before disappearing into the guest bedroom.

My brows furrow as I stare at the space she occupies, even if I can’t see through the walls. It’s not just because I know she’s in there, but because I can sense her. And I know she isn’t picking a different bedroom because she claims I snore.

It’s like she’s right beside me, breathing, her heart beating, and I close my eyes to bask in the feeling of having her around. Even if she hates me right now—so much that she refused to stay in the bedroom beside mine—what matters is that she’s here with me.

She might think she’s pushing me away with her stubbornness, but I find it adorable. She has no idea that her resistance only makes me especially determined to win her over.

Emily is my mate now, even if it’s just verbally. It’s only a matter of time before I make her my mate in every sense of the word.

Chapter 6 - Emily

My bones ache in places I didn’t even know could ache, and I groan as I open my eyes.

This house is supposed to be a new one, and the furniture in here is supposed to be new as well. So why is the bed I slept on so uncomfortable, as if Sean moved his childhood bed from his parents’ house into his new home?

My eyes fly open with suspicion, and I quickly sit upright, patting down the mattress on the single bed and wondering if this really is the bed he grew up with.

Sentimental much?

Maybe.

It would make sense that he’d do that, but that means I spent the night on this bed.

“Ugh!” I groan, hopping out and standing back as if I’m avoiding a minefield. I plant my face in my hands, recognizing my instincts in Sean’s house as the instincts I adopted during black ops—to stay out of danger and avoid him.

I lift my head and take a deep breath as I stare at my palms, wondering how long it’ll take for my powers to fully emerge. Right now, I can’t feel much except a light tingle in my fingertips, but it just serves as a reminder that I’m only here to step into my power.