Page 2 of Her Cruel Alpha

"Sorry. I didn't realize how fast you were moving."

My eyes widened, and I looked up. My body went cold as I looked at Henrik. He looked as amazing as I expected, and I hated it a little. I wished he looked like crap since our last conversation, but of course, he didn’t.

I looked away, grabbing the rest of my stuff while trying to shove it into my bag. "It's fine," I said, feeling my face going hot. I felt embarrassed and wished I had dolled myself up a little more this morning. I had just thrown my hair into a shitty bun and pulled on clothes. I wasn't even sure if they were clean or dirty.

His hand grabbed my notebook, which fell closer to him, and he glanced at it. "Looks like some serious math."

I snatched it from him, feeling my blood boil. I tried not to let it show as I shoved it into my bag. "That's because it is."

He gave me a half smile as I pulled myself up, slinging my bag over my shoulder. "Are you okay? You hit me pretty hard. Sorry, I didn't see how fast you were coming out."

"I'm fine," I said, chewing on my lip.

Do not scan him. Don't look at him. Don't do it.

My eyes did the opposite of what I wanted. They scanned down Henrik quickly. I took in his perfect build and his beautiful, dark blond hair. His eyes looked softly at me, and I hated how I stared into them. They were almost golden and comforting. He had recently shaved, and he smelt like a shave and had a hint of musk.

Damn it, Katie. Do we not remember what happened?

Of course, I remembered what happened. I could still feel the rejection even months later. It was my own fault. I shouldn't have thought Henrik liked me just because he was being nice. It was probably because I was friends with Sam, his sister.

"How have you been?" He asked as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "You look well."

I swallowed. "I'm fine. In a bit of a hurry, actually. Wouldn't want to waste anyone's time." I said, being sure to say it the way I did. Was I still mad? A little bit.

Henrik looked a little hurt, and I didn't understand it. He was the one who told me he didn't want to waste his time with me, yet he was the one trying to have a small conversation with me? Why treat me nice at all if you didn't actually want to be around me anyway?

"Katie, if we could…" The door opened, and someone walked out. Henrik fell quiet for a moment, and I shifted the bag on my shoulder. I was uncomfortable and wanted to run away as quickly as I possibly could.

"I really do need to get back to work. I'm on lunch break," I said, stepping back so I could get going.

Henrik frowned and gave me a single nod. "Was nice to chat with you….Hope you're doing well."

I turned, not bothering to say anything back. I walked quickly, gripping my bag with a death grip. So many emotions were bubbling up, and I didn't know how to handle them all.

And then I thought back to the party at Sam and Jay's house.

Standing next to Henrik, I felt my entire body was hot. I chewed on my lower cheek as I stared at him. I had said how I was going to ask him out at least twenty times, and ten more before in front of the mirror at home. I was giddy with happiness. I thought maybe I stood a chance. Sam always said he would date me and that out of any guy she knew, he would treat me nicely.

I tapped my fingers onto the counter, finally mustering up the courage to speak. "So, Henrik, I'm going to an event next week with a couple of friends, and I kind of need a person to join me. Would you be free?"

Henrik had looked at me, but the softness he held before wasn't there. His eyes had shifted, and I didn't understand why, but I felt my stomach bottom down. He held a blank expression when he shook his head at me. "No, I'm busy." There was no remorse or caring in his tone as he spoke.

I frowned, feeling like someone had punched me in the gut. Henrik had always been so nice to me, and I was questioning who was standing in front of me now. But I shook it off. I was looking too much into his words. "That's okay. Understandable. Are you too busy for coffee? I'll be in…"

"Katie," Henrik's jaw clenched a little as he looked at me. "No offense, but I don't have time to waste with you."

My eyes widened, and I suddenly couldn't breathe. The person who stood there was someone entirely different from the person I had gotten to know. I felt the tears bloom instantly and tried to push them back. It wasn't like I hadn't been rejected before, but this was the first time I hadn't been prepared for it.

Sam had told me over and over that she could see us together. She said how sweet her brother was and how understanding he was. I had expected him to accept. Or at least if he was going to let me down, he would have done it gently.

I quickly shook my head, wishing I could swipe that memory from my head. It hurt. I'd hardly had friends and didn't really have a dating history, but I had put myself out there and felt like I'd been thrown aside, like I didn't matter. He didn't even let me down gently.

I don't have time to waste on you. I had rethought those words over and over and over again. I couldn't deny it felt a little good to throw them back at him. Not that it did much damage.

I felt tears build up. What hurt the most was that I didn't understand what I had done wrong. Henrik would bring coffee for me when he stopped by the lab with Sam. I'd run into him when I traveled to his town, and he always offered to bring me lunch as a way of thanking me for going to him. He'd even texted me a handful of times, thanking me for the help with some couples in his town.

I quickly shook my head and wiped my eyes. We were not going to cry about this. He was just some guy, and that was it. We didn't need to see him or interact with him anymore. And if we did, we could just keep it professional. I was an adult, and I could move past this.

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