Page 7 of My Possessive Alpha

The awkward kid I once knew was gone and behind was an attractive young woman. It was hard to believe she was the same person, but something stirred within me from the mere sight of her.

She was magnetizing in a way I had never experienced before, and despite myself, I felt drawn to her.

Whether it was the situation I found her in or that she used to be my little sister's best friend, those protective instincts took over, and I could only think about getting her to a safe place. The more space between us and those assholes, the better.

If they decided to track us down and challenge me to a rematch, I’d have no qualms about putting them in their place again, but given Lydia’s state, I didn’t want to risk putting her in any kind of danger. I wanted to make sure she was safe and able to recuperate since she needed the rest.

At the same time, my curiosity was piqued. I wanted to know how she got there and what made her run in the first place. There were far too many questions left unanswered in my mind, and so long as she was willing to speak with me, I was determined to better understand her situation.

From my arms, Lydia’s heavily lidded eyes struggled to stay open as her body moved with my every step. The light pressure of her head against my shoulder made a warm sensation move through my chest. Even if she had been strangely defensive before, the way she gave in and closed her eyes was endearing.

Despite how distracting she was in my grasp, I forced myself to concentrate, honing my focus on the path ahead.

With urgency in my steps, even if I didn’t want to rush the strange yet welcome moment, I found the cabin up ahead and cleared the space that remained.

It wasn’t a shack by any means—rather, it was a hobby place for me. After Jacob told me about his place in the woods, I decided I would try my hand at building one, too.

There were perhaps some unnecessary features, like a camera system, a second floor, and a kitchen nearly as nice as the one at home, but I put a lot of love and care into it. It seemed to come in handy, too.

The cabin was not far from my pack territory but was isolated enough to serve as the perfect getaway when needed. Up until that moment, it was a reprieve only for myself. But given Lydia’s state, I knew there was no better place I could take her.

Pushing my way inside, I carried Lydia through the main floor until I reached the rear master bedroom. She had been mostly docile the whole way there, but the moment I passed through the threshold of the bedroom, she started to squirm as if coming to her senses.

“Take it easy,” I murmured gently as I placed her on the bed, taking a step back the moment her brows furrowed as she scrambled back to get as far away from me as possible.

Her eyes never left mine, even as she hurriedly wrapped the blankets around herself and shook my jacket off. The look in her eyes clearly said, ‘Don’t touch—I bite.’

While I could understand the flicker of fear and anger in her eyes, if I had been a complete stranger bringing her back to my place, that wasn’t the case. I couldn’t understand where her resistance was coming from.

We had history, even if it seemed minimal in the grand scheme of things.

She knew me. Or at least, that was what I assumed.

I was more than willing to speak with her and meet her with welcome arms, but we were apparently on completely different pages. The contempt in her eyes stung more than I’d like to admit.

Given how we were at least familiar with one another, I assumed she would feel safe with me. I thought hauling her away from those other shifters, from the cold and the damp ground, would at least give her a reason to trust me.

Despite my confusion, I forced myself to push it down and focus on the issues at hand. She was distraught about whatever happened, and the sooner I got to the bottom of it, the sooner I could try and help her in whatever way she needed.

“What happened, Lydia?” I asked after letting go of a deep breath. “How did you end up back at the bar like that?”

Lydia blinked back at me for a moment, not saying anything as a subtle color filled her cheeks before she averted her gaze.

“Come on,” I hummed, taking the slightest step forward with a softened gaze. I wanted to seem as open as possiblewithout being too pushy. “If you don’t fill me in, I won’t know what you need. I just want to help.”

Taking in every minute of her reaction, I caught her chest rising and falling with a deep breath, and she closed her eyes as that defense fell somewhat.

“Please, Lydia.”

“I was fleeing my alpha…” she mumbled under her breath, still not meeting my gaze.

“Why?”

But as her jaw clenched slightly, and she preferred not to share with me, I knew it was a sensitive topic. It was likely too fresh for her to want to talk about it, and I was prepared to respect that wish before anything else.

As silence settled between us, I gave her a quick nod and slowly began for the door. “Alright, then. It’s late—you should get some rest. We’ll talk in the morning when you’re feeling better.”

Lydia didn’t say anything else as she looked back at me, watching wearily as I stepped out and closed the bedroom door behind me. However, given how exhausted she looked and her lack of refusal, I had the feeling she didn’t have it left in her to resist the temptation of sleep.

---