Chapter 26: Chapter 26

Alice fiddled with her fingers, avoiding the shocking stare Miley was throwing at her. She groans softly and rolled her eyes. “Say something, Miley,” she urged her.

Miley still had her mouth wide opened since Alice told her the news. She nods her head in disbelief and exhales. “So, let me get this straight. You made out…” Alice nods, biting down her lip as she recalled the intense make out session they had two nights ago. “He proposed.” She nods again. “And you said…”

“I said yes.”

“You said yes… to Dominic. Finally,” Miley screamed joyfully. “She freaking said yes to Dominic…”

Alice placed her hand over Miley’s mouth to shut her up. “Shut up, Miley. I haven’t told my parents yet,” she said lowly, looking at the door as if they had their ear pressed to the door. “I’m not sure yet… I mean I just told him not to tell my father I’ve said yes until I speak to them. I’m still not sure about him, Miley.” She collapses on the bed, feeling hopeless all over again whenever Aaron crosses her mind.

“Is he a good kisser?”

Alice looked over to her and grinned. “He’s a great kisser,” She admits, recalling when he crushed their lips together and lift her up just when her legs were about to fail her. She clenched her stomach, as she tried to steady her breath.

“Then that’s your answer, Alice. You’re freaking going to be the Luna of Umbris pack. We have to start getting ready for the wedding. I’m wearing emerald green on that day, or pink, or red. Red looks so good on me,” Miley spoke breathlessly as she joined Alice in bed. They both stared at the ceiling and heaved a sigh at the same time.

“I still think about him. I always do. I wake up every single day hoping to see him on my porch, asking for my forgiveness.”

Miley rolled her eyes. She knew who Alice was talking about. She grunts softly. “He blew up his chance, his lost. Dominic is ready to start a whole war just to have you, Alice. He’s freaking into you and Aaron wasn’t. I never really liked him.”

Alice moved her head to the side to look at her. “No one does. And I am tired of you guys saying he’s not worth my tears. If he wasn’t worth it, I wouldn’t still be crying. You just don’t know it, but he changed my life. You’ll never know how he meant to me.”

“Are we still talking about the guy that wanted to sacrifice you to death and bailed out on you? Or we’re talking about another Aaron?”

Alice could hear the mockery in Miley words. She chuckles softly and nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.” She hadn’t even cried about him for couple of days now. She was even feeling slightly better, especially with how things were going between her and Dominic.

“I’m going to tell my parents about it tonight at the table.”

**

“You seriously need to get a phone, Alice.” She dialled on Ryan’s number before handing the phone to her. “Love you,” Alice uttered, smiling. Miley rolled her eyes as she waved her off.

She breathes out the moment she heard Ryan’s voice on the other line. “Alice?” He spoke. He knew it was her by the way she exhaled. She was nervous. He already dreads and was grieving before she tells him yet another tragedy about her lover, Aaron.

“Hey… Ryan,” she stuttered. She takes his opinions so seriously that she gets tensed when she’s about to tell him something. She knew Ryan always goes with what she wants but the moment he starts telling her otherwise, she knew whatever she was doing is wrong and she has to get her act together.

“How are you, Alice?”

She exhales again, and mumbled incoherently. Was she giving herself a pep talk? It sounded like what she was about to tell him was going to make him upset or she was just nervous to tell him.

“Is everything alright?” He asked worriedly. She nodded as if he was in front of her. “Yes, yes. I’ve thing is… terrific. I just have something to tell you.”

She could hear him sigh, anticipating what she was about to say. “You know two days ago was my dad’s 45th birthday, right?”

“Mm-hmm,” he answered.

“Well, so, they invited Dominic… and we talked… and…” she halts. Maybe she doesn’t have to give him the full details. Maybe he doesn’t need to know that they made out. But this is Ryan, she doesn’t hide anything from Ryan. She shouldn’t hide one of the reasons she decided to say yes to Dominic. “We kissed…”

She could hear Ryan gasps. He grips on the phone and close his eyes shut tightly. It hurts him—it really hurts to hear her say that. “You kissed?” He said, trying to compose himself. “You said yes to him?”

The Ryan said that made her feel as though he wasn’t happy with the choice she had made. It made her feel like Dominic still wasn’t the mate should’ve chosen. She should’ve wait until someone magically shows up and swipes her off her feet. She breathes out gently and said, “Yep, something like that.”

He was quiet for couple of seconds before she hears his soft chuckle. “I’m so glad you’re over that boy and you finally accepted Dominic’s proposal. I trust him more with you,” he told her. She heaves a sigh of relief as a smile flicker on her mouth. “You got me scared for a minute there,” she said with a nervous chuckle.

“You got me scared for a minute. I thought you were going to talk about that air head.”

Alice rolled her eyes, “Oh please, Aaron is still a good guy. Maybe we were not just… meant to be.” It was hard for her to say those words. It was hard to accept it, hard to admit that they really weren’t meant to be. She raises her head up to the oak tree and blinked back the tears. Her throat clogging.

“You did the right thing by not going after him after what he had done, Alice. I am so proud of you. And I have a really sturdy feeling that you made the right choice,” he affirmed. It made her slightly feel less messy and broken. Ryan’s words always had an influence on her. She factually believes every word that comes out of his mouth because he’s Ryan and he’d never betray her.

“You’re coming for Christmas, right?” She asked him and he chuckled. Christmas is just five weeks away and he promised to celebrate it with them. “Yes, I will be with you for Christmas. But I am not sure if you’d be there before I come. You know…” he halts, not wanting to say it. She might not be here before he comes because she has to move with Dominic. She has to relocate to Umbris pack in a week or two after her parents know about the news. It was a tradition—you have to move in with your mate for couple of months or even a year before the wedding. Before then, you’d know if you still want to be with them or split up.

“Oh… you’re right. But that doesn’t mean I won’t get to see you even if I move to Umbris pack,” she protested. Ryan laughed heartily. He knew he can’t argue with her on that. She’d win the fight like she always does.

She sensed the strong cologne that makes her woozy whenever she smelt it. She knew the owner of it before even turning around. She closed her eyes shut and gripped on the phone, “Let me call you back, Ryan.” She ends the call and turn around.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

“Was that Ryan? Your Ryan?” He asked and it made Alice wanting to melt at the spoke. Why did he just refer to Ryan as hers?

“Yes, it’s Ryan. It’s not my Ryan, it’s just Ryan… my… my childhood friend. That Ryan… I should stop talking now,” she spoke breathlessly.

Dominic smiled—he looks at her like he just realized what love is. He brought his hand up to her cheeks and caressed it. “I love it when you talk because I love your voice and I don’t think you’ll ever understand what your voice does to me.”

She shuts her eyes as she tried to remember how to breathe. She felt hot all over and it wasn’t because of what he had just said—his fingers are gently running over her face as he told her that. “You like my voice?” It was the only question she could toss at him because she wanted to hear more of how he literally loves everything about her.

“It makes me want to literally pin you to the wall and attack your lips, Alice. I’m so attracted to you and I can’t help myself. You’re just too damn perfect,” he confesses, making her to flush at her spot. He’s so casual; he acts as if he didn’t just stun her into silence.

She beats down on her lip and ducked her head. Her stomach mixed with new feeling she never knew she could conceivably develop. It always amazed her how her feelings toward Dominic completely changed in just a couple of weeks. If she was so ungrateful, she would’ve wished they met on their own, not through her father and before she met Aaron.

His arms slip around her waist and he pulls her to him, burying his face in her neck. “You smell so good,” he said, taking another long sniff off her neck. She gapped her eyes open, looking around but luckily, no one was there.

“I… I haven’t told my father yet,” she said. He halts and moved his head back. He smiled at her, freeing her from his strong hold. “No wonder he looked so normal earlier when I met him,” he said, scratching the back of his neck. “But when do you intend to tell them?” He asked timidly.

She loves this side of Dominic, shy and enchanting. It almost seemed unreal—as if this wasn’t the one of the strongest Alphas in the whole community standing before her.

“Tonight… I promise,” she says and he immediately lets out rush of air, as if her answer actually had him holding his breath. He nods his head and smile.

“I got you something,” he says, handing her the paper bag he came along with. She had no idea he was holding it. She was too focused on his eyes and lips to even notice a pale brown paper bag.

“What’s in it?” She asked curiously as she peeped into the bag.

“It’s a phone,” he replied. She briskly shoots her head up to look at him. He could see the shock washing over her face. She shakes her head and handed him back the bag. “I can’t take it.”

“Why not?”

“I just can’t.”

“Relax, Alice, I asked your father for permission before getting it. He actually wanted to buy you one but I beat him to it.”

She still had her arm stretched out, and when he shoulder-shrugged, stepping back, she knew he wasn’t going to take it back. She rolled her eyes as she sighed and lowered her arm. “My arm’s just tired,” she mumbled, peeping into the bag again.

“Now you can stop borrowing you friend’s phone,” he said teasingly and she couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re right. I can now have peace of mind from Miley. Thank you.”

He smiled and nodded. “I should get going now,” he said, walking towards her. He leaned down and pressed his lips on the corner of her lips. He shifts back to observe her and she looked as though she was about to faint. He smirked at the how she just reacted to him kissing the side of her lip.

“I’ll come see you tomorrow,” he said before he turned around and left.

She watches him walk away until he was out of her sight. She took few deep breathes to ease of the tense built up inside of her and weighing her down. He was long gone but his cologne was still present, reminding her of how she freaking feels whenever she’s around him. She looked down at the bag and smiled. She almost felt the urge to scream out in joy but composed herself. It has been so long since she felt this kind of happiness and peace in her heart.

She made way to Miley’s house to drop of her phone before heading home. It was already dinner time and knew her mother was already wondering about her whereabouts after promising her she wasn’t going to stay long.

After stopping by at Miley and rejoicing together, she heads home and already met them at the dining area, waiting for her.

“Why aren’t you guys eating?” She asked, settling beside Alpha Fredrick. He looks at her in awe as she took a plate to serve herself. If this was a dream, he prays never to wake up because it has been so long Alice sat down beside him that he has lost hope in having his little princess back.

“Yes, because your father insists that we wait for you. What’s that?” Linda asked, looking at the bag she dropped on the table. Alice looks at the bag and shrugs. “It’s a gift,” she said nonchalantly, feasting on her meal.

“From who?”

Alice gave her a pointed look, making her to surrender her train of questions. “I was just curious,” she muttered under her breath and took the first bite of her dinner.

Alice didn’t know she couldn’t tell them what was in her mind until now that she was literally brushing her father’s shoulder as they eat. She couldn’t even look them in the eye and tell them Dominic got her that, left alone tell them that she had accepted his proposal.

Recalling that she promised him that she’d tell them tonight made her to drop her spoon and clear her throat. She was just going to rip it like a bandage and get it over with. “Dominic got me the gift. It’s a phone,” she started.

Linda raised her head and settled her eyes on Alice. Fredrick almost choked on his stake. He grabbed the glass of water and took it in one gulp.

“This isn’t even the best part that,” she said teasingly. “I have decided that Dominic… is going to be… my mate.” She breathes out after saying that. She never knew it would be harder say those words until now that her parents were gawking their eyes at her and staring into her soul.

She could see how they were trying so hard to keep calm and not to show how excited they were.

“I knew you’d make the right choice. I always believed in you,” Fredrick said, giving her a side hug.

Linda got to her feet and walked around the table to hug her. “Oh, honey. I am so, so proud of you. You have no idea how happy I am right now.” Alice stood up and enfold her in a hug. “Me too, mom. Me too,” she mumbled, closing her eyes and melting into her mother’s arms.

For one thing, she hopes they are right. She hopes this is the best and she hopes she’d made the right decision of mating with Dominic.