Page 51 of Unexpected Alpha's Claim

Rolling her eyes, she shook her head sideways as she reached into her liquor cabinet. “Okay, but I’m still waiting to hear ‘why’ you did it.”

“Things have changed since the last time we talked,” I remarked. “He’s the Alpha now. The leader of his…”

“I know what an Alpha is,” she interrupted. “I’ve seen documentaries about wolves. Go on.”

“The other day, he, uh…” I faltered as she returned to her living room. “Well, he said he killed some vampire. I have no reason to doubt that, but I’m terrified, Erica. A freaking vampire! What’s next? As if witches and shifters wasn’t enough danger, but vampires too?”

“Vampires…” she snorted. “Well, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. You know, considering we recently found out about guys that can turn into wolves. At least I’ve heard of vampires. Do you know if they’re like the legends? You know, garlic, crosses, all that?”

“No,” I say, staring at her, her mundane question stirring something akin to disbelief. She was taking all of this much more in stride than I was. “Does it matter?”

She shrugged and poured two stiff drinks then set one in front of me while holding onto the other.

“No, probably not,” she said, taking a sip of the cranberry vodka she fixed for both of us. “Not really. So, he fought a vampire. He must have won, or we’d be having a different conversation, so what’s the big deal?”

“What’s the big deal?” I asked, eyes wide and mouth open. I forced myself to take a drink to try to give myself a moment to compose my thoughts. The vodka sat in my belly with a burning warmth and then I gave her at least part of the truth. “What if he leaves one morning and I never see him alive again?”

“Possible,” she says, nodding her understanding. “But you could say the same of anyone. How about police officer wives? Or military wives? How is this any different?”

There was no arguing with her logic, but I wanted to. I wanted to prove her wrong. I wanted to assert how right I was for getting out of this situation, even though, deep down, I knew I was wrong. Or at least the reasons I was giving were wrong. Or more accurately not the whole truth.

“It is,” I whispered, swirling the cherry-colored liquid in my glass, staring at the murky bottom as if the answers I needed might be hidden there.

“And, correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t he already a member of that pack?”

“Yeah, he was,” I confirmed with a nod. “Why?”

“To get to the real reason why you dumped him, youstupid cow,” she groaned, setting her glass on the coffee table. “Comeon Monica, what was it? The truth, because it’s not that crap about him becoming the Alpha.”

Her accusations cut like a knife and my first instinct was denial and anger. The protests were there on the tip of my tongue, barbs ready to fly, to tell her how stupid she was and how she never supported me when I needed her and, and, and…

But I didn’t. I didn’t say a word because as much as her words hurt, she was right and I damn well knew it. Was it a problem that he might die? Of course it was. But it was also an excuse. A way out of the situation without having to dig into the truth.

I stared at my glass then slowly lifted it to my lips. It started out as a sip but then I didn’t stop. I kept going and going until it was empty and the ice clinked against my teeth. I set the glass down on the coffee table. Erica dutifully grabbed it and went back into the kitchen, mixing another one for me.

I couldn’t even lift my head. The weight on my shoulders was too great. Erica silently returned, setting my refilled drink in front of me before resuming her seat across the table. It felt as if my arm was moving in slow motion as I reached for the drink. Lifting was a level of effort that a single glass should never require, but I managed to take a sip then sigh and shake my head.

“You’re right. That was only a pretext,” I admitted, ice clinking together in my glass.

“Okay,” Erica said, leaning back in the overstuffed chair and putting her feet onto the coffee table. “Spill it.”

I looked up and met her steady, warm gaze. She held her glass before her, swirling the drink before taking a sip. She was patient, waiting, knowing that eventually I’d speak if she waited long enough.

“It’s this whole supernatural dynamic I’m caught up in. Shifters? Witches? Vampires? What the hell was I doing in that world, Erica? I don’t belong there. What right do I have to be a part of any of that? I’m a human. And let’s say things got serious between him and me someday. Would our children even be human? Or would they be… like him?”

“I stand by my earlier statement,” she said. Her tone was firm, but her gaze had a nasty, judgmental glare. “You reallyarestupid.”

“What? Because I don’t know what kind of children I’d have with him?” I asked, my voice rising two octaves.

“No. That part is understandable,” she said, taking a sip of her drink. “But that’s only another excuse, isn’t it? No, I mean the supernatural dynamic. I’ll grant you that it would take some getting used to. But youlovedbeing part of his world, Mon.

Admit it. Okay, sure, it scared the bejesus out of you, but you had thisgorgeousguy looking after you every step of the way. Hell, Mon, he even risked his own life, so that you two could be together. And what do you do? You dump him. No, more than that, you dump him with a letter.Bravo,” she said as she gave three sarcastic claps. “You’re a worthy contender for the ‘worst girlfriend of the year’ award.”

I stared at her in angry disbelief. I came to her for support, not to be called out. And it hurt. I was smart enough and self-aware enough to know why it hurt. But I couldn’t admit that.

“You don’t approve,” I said in barely more than a whisper. “Too bad. You have no idea what it’s like. How scary it is. No, fucking terrifying Erica! All the time you’re surrounded by creatures that were supposed to only exist in fairytales.”

“Maybe, I don’t. But you know what I do know? I know what it’s like to be surrounded by love,” she argued, her own voice tight as she averted her gaze from me. “At the end of the day, Monica, I think it’s all that matters.”

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