Chapter 10: Chapter 10

I open my eyes. They're instantly blinded by the silk curtain being wide open, welcoming in the morning sun. This is my favorite part of the morning, when you first wake up. Who knows what adventure the day holds?

"Keep your head up! Do you think that you'll know where to punch if you're not looking?" Alpha Hughes yells. Just like the day before, we're training. And he isn't going easy on me, either. My tank top kept falling off of my shoulder so, I am constantly fixing it. "Either take the shirt off or don't fix it." He states. The other men around me heard him and every one of them that don't have mates, stare. I decided it'd be best for me to keep it on.

Ten minutes later and we stop. Someone comes up to Alpha Hughes and pulls him away from me. I start to feel awkward as I'm standing here.

"​I heard Alpha Hughes killed three guys just for talking to her."

"Yeah! One of them actually tried to rape her."

"Should we go talk to her?"

"Nah, it's best if we stay away."

"She's a real beauty."

"If she wasn't the Alpha's mate, I'd totally hit that."

I stop listening there. Emily, soon enough, walks out sporting a blue sports bra and black leggings and on the bottom of the leggings there's gray. "Samantha! There you are!" She smiles. "What are you doing out here?" I ask. "Well, I'm the best female warrior in the pack and I'm the only person Alpha Hughes allows around you, without him." I nod. "Come on, let's go for a walk or something."

Walking with her is peaceful. We don't talk much, and I really get to take in the beauty of this moon shadow Pack. The lakes and the trees are perfect for kids to play on. There are a few bugs flying around but only dragonflies and kissing bugs. "It's really peaceful out here, isn't it?" Emily breaks the beautiful silence.

"Yeah, it's perfect." I awe. Emily giggles. "I didn't tell you this, but, this is where Jack comes when he's troubled. He told Philip that he makes him feel closer to the world. It makes him feel like there's hope for everyone, including him." Emily explains.

"What does he need hope for?" I wonder. "Well, you can't see it now. So, I'm not going to ruin the fun of figuring it out." She smirks. I playfully hit her arm.

We head back about ten minutes later. "There you are! Dammit, Emily! Haven't you learned your lesson by now?" Alpha Hughes fumes. Emily rolls her eyes. "We need to talk. Now!" He growls. I walk with him to his office.

"My cousin, Benjamin has a place where she can stay." Dean brings up. Benjamin? If I have to be honest, I don't trust that name. The one thing I'm certain of at the moment is, I don't have a say in the matter.

I bite my lip as I fall back into the chair I'm sitting in. "Where does he live?" Alpha walks up behind me. Heat is radiating off of him. It warms my normally cold exterior. Like a warm breeze on a cold fall night.

My breathing is uneven. Alpha Hughes doesn't notice it and he stays close to me. My mind drifts elsewhere.

** dream**I stare up at him. "What are you doing?" I smile. "Well, love, I thought you might like it if I installed a library in the pack house." My smile enlarges. I love reading more than anything in the world. Other than my mate of course. "Oh my... It's beautiful." I awe.

Books were everywhere. They weren't organized by the Dewey Decimal System, they were organized by time periods. That's my favorite way to organize. I grab my mate's arm. "It's perfect." I snuggle into his arm. He wraps his arm around my torso. "Not as perfect as you." **dream**

"Dammit! Samantha! Stay awake." Alpha Hughes is now in front of me. There's a cold scowl placed effortlessly on his face. It's such a shame he's the man he is. If he wasn't such a monstrosity, there's a chance I could've loved him. I am not going to lie, his good looks were deceiving. They reel you in, make you think he isn't as bad as the rumors. It's apart of his aura.

Benjamin lives in The Dominican Republic. I hear beautiful things about the destination, but I never got to see it for myself. And if the arrangement works out, I will. "But we can't move her there until the last minute." Philip states. "Why not?" Dean crosses his arm and relaxes his stance. "If we send her now, Michael has more time to find her," Alpha explains. It makes sense.

Alpha doesn't talk much that afternoon. He thinks a lot. I wonder what goes on in an evil brain. I wonder what's got him so hypnotized. I wonder why I care. I don't care. Alpha Hughes is an issue himself. And in a few months, I won't have to deal with him. Oh, the joy!

At around seven p.m. Alpha Hughes decides he wants to eat out for dinner. He also informs me that it will only be the both of us. No Dean, no Philip, and no Emily! I can feel my heartbeat go haywire.

Quickly, I change from the sportswear and put on something I know Emily would pick. Frantically, I rush to the bathroom and apply a light brown eyeshadow and a nude lip. I decide not to put on too much foundation and blush so, I'm done in faster time than I normally would be.

As always, the car ride is silent. Starting conversation scares me. What if he just doesn't care? What if he gets mad? What if, that seems to be the only thing I can think of. Sure, it helps me to be cautious, but it's also gotten me into trouble. Just stay calm, keep your blood sugar levels leveled. I try and soothe myself; it doesn't work.

He stares at me the entire time. I stare back. I'm not sure if it's awkward or comfortable. My mind goes elsewhere.

What if all these people know they're in the presence of a murderer?

It makes me think a lot. He goes to public places, no one knows who he really is. The monster underneath the hypnotic green eyes. My eyes travel all over the room and stop at a little girl. She has strawberry blonde hair, fair skin, hazel eyes, freckled cheeks, and dimples just to add to her cuteness. About five minutes after me looking at her, she turns her head. "Hi!" She smiles at me. I smile and wave back. "Mommy! I wanna meet her! Let's go!" She tugs on her mother's arm.

"What did you do?" Alpha Hughes whispers to me. "I just looked at her. I-I didn't know w-what would happen!" I confess. My intentions were quite good. Most people you stare at, don't want to meet you.

"Hi! I'm Sophia . What's yours?" Sophia looks up curiously to Alpha Hughes. He tosses her a small smile. "I'm Jack, this is Samantha." He introduces us. I look at her mother who looks back at me apologetically. I mouth, 'it's okay.' "Those are cool names! My friend Chloe has a sister named Samantha. She isn't nice. She calls us little bit-" Her mother stops her from saying a swear word. "Okay, Sophia. We should leave them back to their date. I'm so sorry." Her mother laughs nervously.

Sophia refuses to leave us. "Mommy! No! I like them. Mr. Jack looks mad. Hey, mister! What's wrong?" She crosses her arms. I put my head in my hands. "It's just my face." Alpha Hughes answers with a low growl.

"You must have a sad life. Ms. Samantha, does he have a sad life?" She asks me. "Uh, no, I hope not." I try to sound sincere. Alpha Hughes looks at me impatiently. "My daddy says, mean men used to be nice men. Were you a nice man?"

Just like it was on cue our waitress comes over with our food. Sophia and her mother leave and I can tell Sophia's telling her father about us. Her words are: The glaring man and the smiling girl. "You shouldn't have looked over at her." Alpha Hughes shakes his head at me. "I-I'm sorry, I just-sorry." I look down at my steak. Maybe he is not bad as I assume him to be.