The Forbidden Alpha

Adea

I stared at him with a mix of shock and awe.

Did I get butterflies every time he called me His Queen?

Yes.

Ethan didn’t say it often, and when he did I melted inside.

Was I going to let it soften me right this minute?

No.

“I understand you feel that way but this makes me feel weak like I can’t take care of myself. I may have just started training but you saw me. You know I can hold my own,” I said. Ethan searched by face before he let out a deep exhale.

“A pack nearby had a surprise attack in the middle of the night. They were targeting his Luna and got close enough to have two men on her,” he said, he tried and failed to keep the anger from his voice.

I couldn’t breathe.

“She ended up killing their Alpha but not many Luna’s are able to escape unharmed when captured by the enemy. If that were to ever happen to you… I’d… I couldn’t,” he whispered. “You may not need a bodyguard. I know you can put even the largest warrior on his back but if there were more than one attacker you would be at a disadvantage.”

Silence fills the space between us before he grabs my hand and takes a deep shaky breath.

“You are my life, Adea. I know the pack is supposed to come first for an Alpha but with us, that’s not the case. You come first, you always will.”

My heart clenches.

“Do you hear me?” He asked.

I swallow and nod.

“It would make me feel better if something were to happen. I would know that there will be someone by your side if I’m not. Can you agree with me on this?” He asked.

I sigh and my shoulders slump a fraction of an inch.

“Yes, but I don’t like it. I want you to know that,” I said. “I’m still upset with you,” I pouted.

“Liar,” he murmured and I sighed.

“Fine, I’m not upset with you but I want to be.”

“Now that, I can believe,” he said. He smiled and my breath caught as it reached high enough to put both dimples on display.

I couldn’t stop the laugh that tumbled from my lips.

“… lucky you’re hot,” I said.

“Let’s eat before it gets cold,” he chuckled.

Ethan served me Caesar salad followed by steak Alfredo and cheese bread. I was full before I could finish my food.

“That was amazing,” I moaned.

He gave me a low bow.

“I’m humbled, My Queen,” he said in a low tone that had my stomach doing somersaults.

His eyes glazed over and I knew someone was linking him. I wiped my mouth and leaned back in my seat. Talk about food coma. I need a hot bubble bath followed by snuggling.

Ethan blinked and he was back.

“What’s up? Anything wrong?” I asked.

He shook his head.

“Nope, the opposite actually. We need to head to the field,” he said.

I groaned.

“Nooo, why?”

If I wasn’t so full, his smile would be infectious but I am and it’s not.

“I’m glad you agreed with me because it’s time for the start of the competition,” he said.

“Competition?” I asked, giving him a side glance. “That’s today?”

“The competition to be your bodyguard, duh,” he said. Because it was obviously common knowledge already. I internally rolled my eyes.

“What does this competition entail?” I asked.

“A couple of participants will be competing for the position of Luna’s bodyguard,” he said.

“A couple?” I asked.

“Well.. not a couple. I’d say a few,” he said.

“A few?” I asked, my eyebrow arched.

“A few,” he repeated because it was an obvious answer. “A few people will be competing to be your guard.”

I take a deep breath and slowly inhale. I close my eyes and pray for strength to be the patient kind Luna I want to be.

“And if I hadn’t agreed by the end of dinner?” I asked slowly.

“That wasn’t going to happen,” he said confidently. “I knew you were going to come around.” He was being cheeky and his charms weren’t having an effect on me now.

“But if I didn’t?” I press.

“If you didn’t… we would have been very awkward at the competition,” he said with a big smile. I’ve never wanted to hit him but I swear my palm twitched.

“You’re infuriating,” I said as I stared at him.

“You know you love me,” he teased.

“I do.”

Ethan pushed his chair back and stood. He reached out his hand to me and I took it. I followed his lead as we headed out into the lobby and out the front door. I’m unsure if I was happy or upset with my willingness to agree with him.

When we got closer to the field for training, I stop and gulp. I could hear more than a few people on the field and I braced myself. I held his hand and he nodded before we walked the rest of the way.

When we turned the corner, I saw a small crowd off to the side of the field. It wasn’t just the two of us, we had a small audience for the competition.

As we stepped onto the field, my eyes slid over the people on the field. The first I saw was Gabe, he was warming up. He was wearing shorts and a tight black shirt. He had a beanie and I was sure it was to keep his hair back. He gave me a nod before stopping and giving us his full attention.

My eyes slid onto the next person. He was laying on the ground but when I got a good look at him, I was thoroughly shocked. Leo was doing crunches.. I questioned if it was really him but when he looked up and locked eyes with me, I knew I wasn’t seeing things.