Chapter 72
Kai POV
I was talking to Alpha Rodriguez about renewing our territory agreements when, from the corner of my eyes, I spotted Lucas and Lily talking on the other side of the room. Despite all efforts made by me to concentrate on the conversation, my attention kept drifting towards them.
I picked up Lily’s soft voice followed by what Lucas was saying to her – though I didn’t hear it clearly, I saw her smile making me clench my jaw involuntarily.
I nodded listlessly, my gaze going back to them. Lucas casually touched Lily’s arms, letting his hand linger longer than necessary. Hud growled with annoyance, I gritted my teeth, holding on to the last shred of my sanity, the only thing that was stopping me from crossing the room at this moment and yanking Lucas away from her.
Suddenly, I felt a slight nudge on my ribs. When I turned, it was Liam. He cleared my throat, nodding his head slightly in Alpha Rodriguez’s direction, who was staring at me now. I turned to Liam, looking for an explanation.
“He was asking if it’s too late for his pack to join the external exports coalition?” Liam filled me in.
“Uh… that depends on if your pack can meet the quota, you know p>
My eyes drifted again to Lucas. It seemed Lily was trying to leave, so he grabbed her hand again, tugging her towards him. I tightened my fist around the water bottle in my hand, imagining It was Lucas’s neck.
“And what is the quota?’ Alpha Rodriguez’s voice cut through my haze again, forcing me to turn my attention back to him.
“For food crops about 10,000 tonnes while other resources about three tonnes each, depending on the quality. We would send a vetting team to do a thorough vetting on each of the products you’re exporting and rate it on a scale to know how it would be marketed and p>
Lucas was grabbing her shoulders again. I could see Lily practically move away from his touch. I pressed the plastic bottle, until the sound of crackling plastic filled the room, barely registering on my consciousness.
“Alpha Kai Rodriguez pulled me out of my thoughts again. I turned to him, about to make an excuse when he shook his head, giving me a patient smile. “It seems you have a lot on your mind. How about I make an appointment this week and come see you p>
“Your schedule for the week is booked solid. Deal with it now!” Liam’s voice filtered into my mind.
Lily had finally left the hall and Lucas had a disappointed look on his face. Suddenly, he turned and our gaze met. I stared at him for a few seconds before I turned and faced Alpha Rodriguez, now giving him my full attention.
“If you don’t mind, we could finish up the entire conversation now. So, how much food can your pack produce p>
Later that night, after I was done with my discussions with a few other Alphas, I had mindlinked Lily to hold on, that I would take her home. The drive back to her dormitory was wrapped in uncomfortable silence. My mind kept flashing back to the way Lucas had held her and every time I thought about it, another fresh wave of anger coursed through me.
I wanted to talk about it, but at the same time, I was too angry too. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Lily glancing at me several times, her brows furrowed with concern.
“The meeting went well today, don’t you think?” She ventured, trying to break through my sour mood.
I merely grunted in response; my eyes fixed on the road ahead.
“The new patrol schedules should help with the rogue situation. Anytime I remember my experience, I shiver involuntarily, meeting a rogue in the middle of nowhere, so late at night, is the last thing I’d wish on even my worst enemy. So scary,” she continued.
“Mm-hmmm p>
“And then the vampires she laughed, producing a melodious sound that soothed my frayed nerves but I wanted to stay angry. “Have you ever met one? Back in Golden Moon, people say they look like humans and that it’ll be difficult to tell them apart. I was thinking they had something like how we have wolves p>
“They’re not shapeshifters,” I said sullenly “And I’ve met a lot of them, fought off a lot too. They’re vicious and they drink blood p>
“Wow!” she exclaimed. By this time we arrived at her dormitory parking lot. I put the car into park.
“Goodnight,” I muttered without looking at her.
She didn’t move to get out. Instead, she turned in her seat to face me directly. “Okay, what’s wrong? You’ve barely said two words to me since we left p>
“Nothing’s wrong,” I replied, even though my gruff tone was saying otherwise.
“KAI p>
I finally turned to her, my expression surprisingly vulnerable. “Did you have to let him touch you like that p>
“What p>
“LUCAS,” I practically growled the name. “He was all over you today. Touching your arm, trying to hug you – and what were you even doing at the meeting hall, serving drinks? Since when do you work there p>
Her lips twitched, she was fighting back a smile at my petulant tone. “Celeste told me she is in charge of catering for external meetings like this and said the pay was really good. Since I had a free lecture day today, I jumped on it. The extra cash would do me good. Imagine getting paid $1000 for just a few hours serving drinks. It’s a good deal p>
“I could give you money if you need it,” I grumbled. “You never ask for anything p>
“That’s sweet of you honey,” she reached out and touched my arm, rubbing it gently. “But you know I prefer to earn my own way.” Her hands left my arm to touch my cheek. “And as for LUCAS… he wanted to talk, but I refused. You don’t need to worry about him p>
“I saw how he looked at you p>
“But did you see how I looked at him?” When I remained silent, she continued. “Because I only had eyes for one person in that room and he’s sitting right here acting adorably jealous p>
“I’m not adorable,” I protested, but my expression had softened. “And Alphas don’t get jealous p>
“No?” She raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile playing on her lips. “So that crushed water bottle was just… what? A stress relief exercise p>
I lowered my head in embarrassment. “You noticed that p>
“It was hard to miss, especially with that fierce look you were wearing,” she leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Though I have to admit, you look quite sexy when you’re being all possessive p>
I growled softly, pulling her closer and capturing her lips in a heated kiss. She responded eagerly running her fingers through my hair as she moved closer, pressing against the center console. The windows began to fog slightly as our kisses grew more intense.
After a few minutes, she reluctantly pulled back, her breathing uneven. “I have to go,” she murmured against my lips. “I have a test to study for tomorrow p>
I groaned, resting my forehead against mine. “We could study at my place or you could stay a little longer p>
“I can’t dear. Some of us actually have to work for our grades,” she teased, pressing one last kiss to my lips. “But thank you for the ride home… and for caring enough to be jealous, even if you won’t admit it p>
“I wasn’t jealous,” I insisted weakly making her laugh.
“Whatever you say, Alpha.” She opened the car door, letting in a rush of cool night air. “Text me when you get home p>
I nodded, already missing her warmth. I watched as she walked toward her building, waiting until she was safely inside before starting the engine. As I drove away, I couldn’t help but smile, remembering her words: “I only have eyes for one person.” Hud preened at the thought, earlier jealousy forgotten in the lingering sweetness of her kisses.
The crushed water bottle still sat in my cup holder, a reminder of my momentary lapse in control. I’d have to work on that – an Alpha needed to maintain his composure at all times. But as I remembered LUCAS’s hands, on Lily, I crushed the bottle a little more p>
There will have to be some exceptions.