Page 25 of Alpha's Forbidden Bond

But… the truth could at least wait until later tonight after her brother had gone to bed and couldn’t be there to witness my shame.

Becc didn’t leave the guest house until well after dinner. I waited until I saw him stalking up the path toward his own lodgings, looking angry and muttering to himself before I went outside and knocked on Sarafina’s door. She answered with a smile, clad in a matching pair of silk pajamas and hair pushed back with a headband.

“Oh hi,” she said. “I’m so glad it’s you. I was worried my brother had come back to try and argue with me some more.”

“I saw him leaving just now. Is everything alright?”

She stepped aside and motioned for me to come in. “Yeah, everything’s fine. Becc’s just mad about—well, about a lot of things. But as far as I’m concerned, he can just get over himself. You and your pack have been nothing but kind and welcoming to us ever since we arrived. He’s just looking for reasons to call off the merger, as I’m sure you already know.”

“Yes, he’s made his distaste for the Vilks pack very clear.”

“Please tell me you are able to ignore him,” she said. I followed her into the little kitchen. “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about, and besides, none of this is his decision to make anyway. Currently, it’s up to Father what we do, and after he passes away, it will be up to me. Quite honestly, I think that’s what’s bothering him most.”

“I believe you’re right.”

Sarafina filled up the kettle with water and then turned one of the front burners on. “Would you like some tea? I always find myself craving a cup of calming tea after I have to deal with my brother for too long.”

I smiled. “That sounds perfect.”

She hummed softly to herself as she grabbed two mugs from the cupboard and then set a couple of boxes of tea down by the stove. “So, are you going to tell me why you came down here to see me, or should I try and guess?”

“Can I not come by just for a chat?”

She smirked at me over her shoulder, then went back to messing with the burner to get the fire at the right setting. “You? No. Besides, my brother mentioned that he thought you were in a particularly foul mood when he saw you earlier today. Now, it’s very possible that it was simply because you were in the presence of my brother and he was the one putting you in a bad headspace, but you still seem to be a little… quiet.”

“I’m always quiet.”

“C’mon, Andreas,” she said. “Out with it. I know you came here to talk to me about something, so let’s hear it. Are you having doubts about our marriage? The merger? Me?”

“No,” I said, shaking my head aggressively. “No, none of that. In fact, it’s the opposite. After you hear what I have to say, I’m worried you’re going to have doubts of your own.”

She folded her arms. “Try me.”

“You might want to sit down.”

She furrowed her brow, and at first, I thought she was going to refuse. But after a couple of seconds, she took a seat at the table with me and placed her hands down on her lap, clearly waiting for me to explain myself. Despite everything I’d said up until that point, I still seemed to be far more nervous than she was.

“I made a huge mistake this morning,” I said. “Do you remember that woman we saw in the bookstore yesterday? The one you thought I had a crush on?”

“Yes.”

“Well—it turns out you weren’t entirely wrong.”

She smiled, but I continued explaining before she could say anything.

“I don’t have feelings for her,” I quickly added. “It’s nothing more than physical attraction. Like you said yourself, she’s a very beautiful woman. But before this morning, I guess I didn’t realize just how much I desired her.”

“...Okay. So, what happened this morning?”

After taking a very deep breath in and releasing it slowly, I began to tell her all the sordid details. I mentioned seeing Diana at the store and what she was there to buy. Then I went over how scared Diana seemed when I met her in the parking lot and how I came to be holding her hand. When I came to the part about pulling her in for a kiss, a few images from our time together in the backseat of her car flashed through my mind. I pushed them away and silently prayed that I wasn’t blushing too much. Finally, the story came to a close, and I sat there in an agonizing silence as Sarafina must’ve geared up for a real tongue-lashing. “Oh god, Sarafina, I’m so fucking sorry.”

But instead of yelling at me, crying, or throwing me out of the guest house, my future bride just started laughing.

I was so taken aback by the response that I nearly cracked a smile myself. “I’m—I’m not joking,” I explained. “This is really what happened. This isn’t like some pre-wedding prank or what have you.”

“I should hope not,” she said, holding her stomach as another wave of laughter washed over her. “Because it’s not a very good one. I mean, Andreas, really, what do I care who you sleep with? Frankly, it’s none of my business, although it does sound like you had a very good time with that woman from the bookstore, so congrats.”

“Sarafina!” I was aghast. “What do you mean you don’t care who I sleep with? I just told you that I had unprotected sex with a human woman just weeks before we are supposed to be walking down the aisle!”

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