Page 34 of The Alpha's Fated Bond

“Come on, Alex.” I walk over to him “Let’s go back inside and get what you wanted to buy. Forget about all this.”

He lets out a gust of air before giving me a small smile. “Could you wait here with Nathan and Lily? I’ll go get the food.”

Maybe he needs a few minutes to compose himself.

When the door of the bakery closes behind him, I turn to Nathan. “What did he say to her in there?”

Nathan looks a little smug now. “He told her that he doesn’t like her speaking to you in that tone. He basically implied that there was something going on between you and him. She didn’t like that, and she said some things. And then he told her off.”

“What did he say?” Lily grins, waggling her brows. “Give us the juicy bits.”

Nathan shoots her an annoyed look. “There are no juicy bits. Hilda basically said that Sophia is unremarkable and is probably just trying to seduce Alex because he’s the Alpha. You can imagine how he felt upon hearing that.”

I don’t know if he’s telling the truth or not, but I suppose Nathan has no reason to lie.

“I don’t understand why I’m getting so worked up over this,” I mutter to myself, but Nathan overhears.

“Well, what did you expect?” He blinks. “You and Alex are in your courting phase. If any male tried to do what Hilda just did, trust me, he would be dead in the street right now. Courtships are a very sensitive time period. Our wolves are more feralduring that phase. I’m actually surprised you showed so much restraint.”

He sounds impressed.

“Besides,” he continues, “Hilda was out of bounds, and she knew it. She had no business treating a guest of the Alpha like that. She crossed a line, and Alex told her off for it.”

“He looked upset,” I say slowly.

“Not over anything you said,” Nathan says compassionately. “If he’s upset, it’s because his precious Hilda is behaving like a brat. She has no business talking to you or about you that way. But she doesn’t seem to understand that Alex is not going to take any nonsense where you’re concerned.”

He looks entertained over Hilda’s temporary fall from grace, but then he advises me, “If I were you, Sophia, I would watch my back. Hilda is known to be quite vindictive.”

Half an hour later, I’m mulling over Nathan’s words as Alex and I head into the forest surrounding his village. It’s quite cold out. Back in Oakrest, which is located near the sea, the weather was growing warmer as spring took over. Here in the North, even though we’re still quite close to the border with the South, it still feels like winter.

I pull my jacket around me tighter, shivering.

Alex has not said a word since we left the bakery. I haven’t spoken either, lost in my own thoughts. But as we walk, he suddenly says, “I’m sorry for what I said.”

Surprised, I glance at him. “What did you say?”

“When I introduced you to Hilda, I referred to you and Lily as nobody important. I simply didn’t want anyone to pay more attention to you than necessary. Karina’s people are still in the village, and if they figure out that you’re special, they will come after you.”

I close my eyes briefly and then open them to look forward.

“It’s over and done with, Alex. I don’t want to dwell in the past.”

“I know. But it set the tone for how Hilda was talking to you today. It was my fault.”

My first instinct is irritation, and then I sigh, saying, “Hilda isn’t a child anymore, Alex. I’m not telling you to be angry with her, but I would like to point out that she’s an adult now. And if she behaves in a certain way, you cannot blame yourself. Life doesn’t work that way. You may have raised her, and she may be important to you, but that doesn’t mean you should excuse her actions. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life, it’s that actions have consequences. I’ve faced enough of them to know what I’m talking about. Hilda knows exactly what she’s doing. The problem is that she also knows that nobody will hold her accountable. And when people are not held accountable, they cross lines that should never be crossed.”

As I say these words, I have a very specific person in mind.

It’s Freddy, the son of one of the senior lieutenants of the pack security team in my old town. Freddy was never taught that actions have consequences. I never found out what happened to him after he crossed paths with Noah Black, but I never saw him again after Noah showed up.

Alex is quiet.

When I look at him, I can see the tense expression on his face. It looks like he doesn’t like what I’m saying.

It doesn’t matter to me. Sooner or later, he’s going to find out that I’m telling the truth.

“Hilda’s very sensible child…” he begins halfheartedly.

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