Alpha’s Hybrid Cinderella – Chapter 53

For three days, Evan remained at the Scarlet manor. I’d asked him to. I was bad at using social media, but even I could read the blaring tweets and catch glimpses of viral videos featuring everyone’s reaction to the news that had broken the night before I found out what had happened.

It spread through the city like wildfire, and it must have swept the whole region too. I stayed away from the news. I couldn’t take it, hearing the horrified recounting and twisting of the facts, the joint fear and disapproval of Alpha Evan of the Scarlet pack.

What made it worse was that they were always afraid. False names, filters, hiding their faces and only allowing their voices to be heard in their videos, anything to preserve their anonymity. It was because they were terrified of retaliation. They weren’t simply jumping on the bandwagon to criticize him; they wanted to share their thoughts of the tyrannical Alpha who had swept whole packs and territories off the map.

the blood covering the boy’s entire face, and the lost, dazed look in his eyes of someone who’d been beaten senseless.

from when he resisted capture and tried to fight back against the Deltas bringing him in for interrogation. When he shifted back to human f

ings right. Not just how he would handle the investigation going forward, but in making amends for the harm he had done.

r that had made him lose control the first time. He needed to get a hold of himself first before he went out there to make right what had gone wrong.

o matter-of-fact that I had no choice but to drop the questions.

at first night. “We are not going to tolerate him if he loses his temper with you.”

n’t do anyt

of this, didn’t you?”

n a real fight! It was a little ar

at. Come on, you pack a go-bag too just in case.”

r those few minutes while I calmed Raf down. He knew what she thought of him. He also knew his Alpha presence was so strong she would read it as hostile no matter how peaceable he tried to be, and that while Raf and I had a heart-to-heart, his input was not welcome.

ns after that were chilly. She was afraid of his strength, able to detect his power like any werewolf could, but more powerful than her fear was her loyal determination to keep me safe

question about food allergies and asked him if he was going to have any issues with us baking a pecan cake in the kitchens.

with full cordiality. No, he didn’t have allergies. Yes, we were welcome to use the kitchens in any way we wished to make whatever we wanted. After all, this house was my home as well as his, and any friend of mine was just as welcome.

arried around deflated. She muttered something affirmative and dragged me downstairs by the hand to get to work.

f the cake, we didn’t know.

lta staff peeked in on us with shy smiles, and Evan wandered downstairs as well, unable to stay away. The strangest smile was on his face, not wide enough for anyone unfamiliar with it to recognize the sight, but for me, there was no

there was no threat.

e or not.”

ster?”

We’re just saying it might not be perfectly fit for human or werewolf consumption.”

…”

lpha. You have the strongest stomach in case this thing tries to kil

believe I signed up for this.”

pay the toll.”

ting tax under the bridge?”

d. “How dare you! To a couple of ladies like us.”

e right. I’ll go ahead and do my duty.” Evan obediently stabbed the for

te it without objection, chewing with a pleasantly surprised expression.

the same reaction.

in front of my cake?”

n’t act like–“

wide–“

“Raf!”

go. Her jeers and ribbing were merciless as she spoke around the cake in her mouth, until I was sitting on the stool with both hands covering my face to try to calm the raging fire in my cheeks.

ce, not angry. The dark cloud that had followed him around and choked the light out of him was almost gone.

be gross all you want.”

ut?”

g at each other! Again! I am so not third-wheeling over ca

in the awkward (for her) silence? My face was in flames again, but really… this was nice. A warmth spread through my chest, thawing the tightness that had hidden there.

I smiled.