Alpha’s Hybrid Cinderella – Chapter 37

Evan had to go away on business again. There was so little time for us to spend together between his Alpha duties and my classes, especially with the time for finals creeping ever closer.

There was also the added stress of Rafael taking me to see her gynecologist so I could start birth control, another thing she held against Evan for his carelessness in not handling himself, since he was legally my guardian and I would have no reasonable way of knowing how to handle myself.

Maybe the compounded stress was the reason for the strange nightmare that plagued me two nights in a row. His absence made me so uneasy in the wake of the new turns in our relationship.

the entire dream, but what little I did recall was dark and terrifying enough to bat

dozed over my homework at my desk that I remembered it all at once: the nightmare took shape in my memories, crystallizing with horrifying clarity. Evan’s body arcing through the air, riddled with bullets. Gunshots. Gunshots, gunshots, more and

re.

reaming — was from me.

at stared back.

thing to restrain them. I wrapped my arms around myself and counted down the minutes until his return.

***

“Evan!”

udia.”

teps so fast I practically tripped onto him, but he caught me with effortless strength as if I were no heavier than a leaf. He wrapped his arms around me and held me tight, not caring who saw us. But it was nearly two in the morning; no one was up save me. I’d been waiting for him to come back, eyes wide open as I lay in bed.

And n

I missed you,” I murmured into his jacket, damp w

the tracks. Apparently they got out of someone’s barn and the fa

be romantic.”

up with a playful growl.

e consequences for laughing at me, Claudia. See what happens?”

ot home. What is it?”

room door, he could no longer hide it.

weekend. We’ll sleep in, but after you wake up, I get to have you all to myself.”

ate!”

o surprised?”

e.”

I can be anything for you, Claudia. Even suave and romantic. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to dinner and a movie, and we’ll talk about things that people on dates talk about. We’ll do it right.”

e on dates talk about?”

u teasing me?”

” I threw my

***

and judging from Evan’s careful scrutiny of the surroundings, it must have been quite a while since he was last here, too. He must have made the reservation over phone.

the quality of the service we received. When Evan and I pulled up outside the fancy glass doors, two men were already waiting for us in their pristine white and red uniforms, the restaurant’s valet service. The one on the left took the car while the other ushered us in, and the host

tray I had never been in a place like this. At least no one commented on how obvious it was that I had no experience with fancy dining, least of all Evan. He only smiled at my marveling and guided me forward,

or also said Evan had not yet given up conquering and inspecting other packs. Which was it? They hoped for an answer today… but Evan dashed their expectations, dismissing them from the private room they seated us in.

opened the menu and passed it across the table to me. “You can even get one of everything and take a single bite of it all. Maybe that’s for the best. You wouldn’t have had any of these before in Dark Moon, I think… with how they treated you.”

Not to mention he had already inflicted his wrath upon Dark Moon… but today was not the day to dwell on that. It would come back to haunt me later, but I pushed the dire thoughts away and focu

t?”

“Maybe

a…”

de eyes. “Go on and order,” I teased. “I’ll sit over here quietly until we come to an agreement.”

e, I might have taken forever to find something I liked. In no time at all, we were treated to three courses, and it took everything I had to l

ling guilty about ruining how beautiful it was, I didn’t know if I could take more than a single bite of it anyway.

tion.”

all for time and hopefully find the willpower to take at least one more

atched me with narrowed, thoughtful eyes. “Your birth certificate

ital or somewhere to try to fudge the papers. They just used January 1st since that was the first option. But it’s not a big deal, it’s never bothered me. I don’t know when I was born at all except for the year.”

me.”

of a present to you at all since I’m the one being pampered.”

as mine. I don’t want you to carry anything from Dark Moon into your new life… with me.”

at and came to crouch on the ground by my chair. He grabbed my forearms and forced me to look down at him, and kissed my wrists gently.

s is just the beginning. I don’t want you

nd him and let him kiss the sadness