Too Beautiful For the Alpha

Chapter 21

Both of the windows in my bedroom are open and the cool air floods in rapidly. Not bothering to keep myself warm, I sit on my bed in my pajamas, waiting for him. The room is dark. The only light is leaking from the bathroom, through the closed door. The Moon creates a glow in my room, all white objects now a hazy blue.

It makes me feel as if I'm dreaming, this glow, these hues. I hold onto my pillow, suffocating it in my arms as my eyes stay fixated on the middle window, the one right across from me. The forest looks like a black, stormy ocean during the night, and he emerges from it like the beast who lurks in its depths. My heart races as I wait for him.

The coldness cleanses me. My toes lose feeling and my lips turn blue, but I feel crisp, I feel fresh. The sounds of footsteps against grass bring my heart to a sudden halt, and I hardly feel a pulse from then on. I slowly stand, feeling my bed against the back of my thighs. He's here.

I close my eyes to calm myself, focusing on my deep breathes, but when I open them, he's in front of me. He stands like a warrior from another time, like a beast, like a man, like something in my dreams. I swallow and stay put, not hurrying to him. "It's freezing in here, Rae," he says, his voice crawling up my legs.

"You lied to me again," I tell him smoothly. "All you do is tell me lies."

James nears me.

"I spoke with Alpha Waters, so what's really going on? What did you lie about this time?"

"Rae, you have to listen to me," he says, reaching for my hands, but I bring them to my chest.

"I can't trust you. You won't let me trust you."

"I can explain."

I peer away from his face, wanting to feel strong again. "Why? Why did you lie about having issues with my pack?"

"I did it to keep you safe—"

I shake my head. "I can't do this anymore. I've given you so many chances, and you just throw them away. I look like an idiot now. I'm the girl who just keeps giving in. I'm pathetic because of you."

"I can explain," he says again.

"So now you'll tell the truth because you got caught? Why couldn't you just give me the truth before? Why is this so hard for you? How do I even know if what you're about to tell me is the truth?"

James looks distressed. "It was my father."

"You can't keep blaming this on your father. You're your own person—"

"No, my father came to my pack." I stay quiet, letting him speak. "A few days after you went home, he showed up out of nowhere. When I came to see you, and you wanted to come back, I couldn't let you because he was still there."

"Your Father is dead, James," I say, knowing that he lied about that too. "So he's not dead?"

James doesn't say anything.

"Why didn't you just tell me your father was back then? Why did you have to lie?"

James runs his hand through his hair. "Because I didn't want you knowing that he was still alive. I don't want you to worry about him, ever. He is a bad man, Rae. He does not know that you exist. I don't want him to. I wanted the both of you to be nonexistent in each other's worlds."

"He doesn't know I exist?" I ask.

"No," James says strongly.

"And it's not because he doesn't want you to have a Mate? It's not because you still want to impress him?"

James grabs my hands, feeling my cool skin against his warmth. "No. It's because I don't want him to come near you. It's safest if he believes I don't have a Mate."