Page 37 of Her Cruel Alpha

“Oh, so you're the wife everyone has been talking about.”

I felt like I’d been slapped, but she said it in a manner that came off like she was being polite.

“And you are?” I asked, tilting my head. “I haven’t heard about you.”

She chuckled, glancing at Henrik. “Well, he isn’t the type to bring up past relationships.”

I frowned. So, she was an ex-girlfriend. Great. Of course, he would have dated her. She was stunning.

“So, what brings you here?” Henrik asked.

Ashley batted her eyelashes. “I have a date with John. He’s the guy I started dating after we broke up.”

I chewed on my lower lip when the waitress came back. “Your table is ready if you want me to take you back.”

“I’m going to run to the bathroom if you want to go back and sit.” Henrik offered.

“No, I’ll wait for you,” I said, giving him a smile. He kissed me on the cheek before he turned to the bathroom.

“So, Ashley…” I glanced at her and watched her watch Henrik as he walked away. I could see the lust in her eyes before she brought them back to me. “What do you do for a living?”

Ashley raised an eyebrow at me. “I’m a therapist.”

I nodded and turned, waiting for Henrik to return, but she continued talking. “If you don’t mind me asking, is your marriage an open one?”

I turned around, stunned by the question. “I’m sorry, what?”

She shrugged. “I’m just wondering because I don’t see how it would be a closed one. I mean, let’s be honest. Everyone knows you guys were forced together, and it’s only a matter of time before he starts looking for someone better looking.”

I felt my jaw drop open and anger filled me. I curled my hands into tight fists. “Aren’t you in a relationship?”

She nodded. “I am, but Henrik is better. He’s an Alpha, after all.”

I ground my teeth together. I took a slow breath in and felt a hand land on my side. “You ready to eat?” Henrik asked in a soft tone.

Ashley gave Henrik a smile. “It was great seeing you, Henrik. You look good.” She walked past the waitress.

“Ready?” Henrik asked, looking at me, and his smile slipped. “Why do you look angry?”

“Can we please leave?” I asked, refusing to even look at him.

I felt his hand cover mine, and he gave it a squeeze. “Yeah, if that’s what you want.”

I nodded, needing to get out of there. Anger was boiling over, taking over all the other emotions. Henrik turned us, and we headed out the door. Once outside, I took a deep breath and let the cool air hit me.

“Did something happen?” he asked, looking at me confused.

I wanted to tell him what Ashley had said, but I didn’t know if he would believe me. So, I instead just decided to shakeit off. “I just…don’t want to be in there. I got the feeling she misses you.”

His eyebrows went up. “Ashley? No, we had a mutual understanding.”

I shook my head. “I’m sorry if this ruins your plans. I just didn’t want to be in the same room as her.”

Henrik gave me a smile. “I didn’t know you were the jealous type.”

“I’m not jealous. I’m just..” Was that the emotion I was feeling? I was feeling angry, but was I jealous, too?

Henrik pulled me close. “That’s okay. We can skip to the second part of the date, instead.”

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