Page 43 of The Alpha's Fated Bond

Alex follows my gaze to an olive green, high-back chair with stains on it that can probably be seen from the moon.

“Why?” He looks shocked.

“Because it looks like somebody pooped, peed, and vomited on it.”

“I thought it was artsy.”

I stare at him and then at the chair before my eyes swivel back to his. “Did you now? I guess the smell of it escaped you?”

“I thought artsy things were supposed to be peculiar,” he defends himself.

“That’s artists. Artists are supposed to be peculiar. Not furniture. I’m pretty sure something died on that chair, Alex.”

He doesn’t look entirely convinced. “Are you sure we can’t just clean it or something?”

Clearly, the chair is important to him.

When he catches me looking at him, he gives me a wry smile. “That was the first thing I purchased for this house. I thought it really brought the room together.”

I don’t want to hurt his feelings, so I decide not to say anything further on the subject. I’ll keep my opinions to myself.

“I guess we can get rid of it,” he says, breaking the silence. “I’ll give you my credit card. We actually have some good furniture shops in the village.”

Obviously, if the chair is that important to him, I won’t get rid of it. I’ll see if I can clean it. The smell coming from it is terrible. I’m surprised Alex has been able to sleep in this house with that smell. It has probably sunk into the walls at this point.

The chair soon becomes a non-issue. Alex can’t be glued to my side the whole day, and once he’s made sure I’ve settled in, he leaves me and Lily there with Saul to watch over us. The moment Alex leaves, though, a barrage of female, wolf shifter neighbors arrives, all bearing something or other to eat.

Saul looks entertained as I’m forced to deal with nosy women who want to pry into what’s really going on between me and Alex.

It’s not as if I haven’t encountered curious people before, but nobody has ever been terribly interested in my life. Suddenly being forced into the spotlight has me floundering. Obviously, I cannot reveal my relationship to Alex just yet. And I cannot let Lily become a target; some of these women are curious about the witch who is willing to set up shop within their village. If Lily lets anything slip, there’s a chance it will get back to Karina’s people.

“It’s really sweet of Alex to let the two of you stay in his own home,” one of the women who’s still lingering around says sweetly, her eyes sharp as they study me.

“It is.” I smile, trying not to betray my nervousness.

“Very unlike him, though,” she murmurs.

What was her name again? Marley? Marissa? Something starting with an “M.”

“After all, he’s the Alpha. He could’ve had you stay with anyone, but with him?” She finishes off the sentence with a little titter. “But then again, everyone saw what happened yesterday afternoon. I mean, not everyone. I certainly didn’t witness anything, and Goddess forbid I should spread gossip. But there were murmurs that you and Alex were…quite close.”

I blink at her slowly before asking innocently, “Are we close? Well, yes, and after the incident at the guest house, he decided to bring us here straightaway.”

“Oh, not that.” The woman begins to look mildly annoyed at my constant deflection of her questions. “When it was just you and him on the street. I mean, obviously people like to spread rumors, and I would never, but there is always some truth to them, hmm?”

“Is there?” I ask vaguely before glancing down at what she brought over. “This really does look like a wonderful pie. Smells fantastic. Thank you so much for coming by.”

“Wait!” the woman says frantically as I guide her out of the kitchen and toward the front door. “How about a cup of tea?”

“Oh, I have no idea where things are in this house, and I really don’t want to impose any more on Alex’s hospitality,” I tell her affably. “And Lily and I have to get to work, as well. It was wonderful to have the neighbors drop by and let us know how welcome we are, though. I’ll tell Alex you were here. Goodbye.”

As I close the door, I hear Saul howl with laughter from the living room.

Back in the kitchen, I sniff the pie and raise my eyebrows. It does smell good. I cut myself a slice and carry it to the couch where Saul is sitting, still chuckling.

“Can I have a bite?” The mirth dies down as he immediately looks interested.

“No. You were too busy laughing to help me, so you don’t get any of my pie. Go get your own.”

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