Esmeralda
“What took you so long?” Alpha Kade’s baritone voice reverberated throughout the hallway, startling me.
“Fuck,’ I cursed silently, letting out a short gasp before heaving a sigh of relief.
I swallowed, “I was just ten minutes behind time,” A light chuckle left my throat, hoping it would convince Alpha Kade, but his stoic face confirmed his disapproval.
Hope he wasn’t mad at me.
“I’m sorry,” I muttered, tucking my hair behind my ear as my face met the floor.
I would have been with him early, but I had a hard time deciding on what to wear.
If only I had what to wear.
All I had in my wardrobe were the clothes Jade gave me. None belonged to me.
After deciding on what to wear for what seemed like hours, I finally settled for a black knee-length flare gown with short-sleeve puffy hands.
Even if it wasn’t the prettiest, it was comfortable and simple. And I was grateful to Jade for giving me the beautiful dress.
“It’s okay, Esmy,” He assured. My heart raced as his face got closer to mine, till the tip of his nose brushed my ear.
“Don’t make it a habit of keeping your Alpha waiting,” I froze on the spot when his nose trailed a line to the tip of my ear, “Or you’ll be punished,” He whispered, allowing the tip of his tongue to tease my earlobe.
Dumbfounded by his actions, I was thrown into the river of confusion as the scene kept replaying in my mind.
What does he mean by I’ll be punished?
What kind of punishment does he mean?
“After you,” He cleared his throat, stretching his large palm at me.
“Esmeralda?” He called after noticing my silence.
“Okay. Thank you,” I said hurriedly, composing myself to avoid suspicion as my small hand got lost in the wideness of his hand.
Walking out of the hallway side by side with Alpha Kade and with our fingers intertwined, I couldn’t help but feel proud.
I hope this moment lasts forever.
The gentle cool evening breeze was the first to greet me, playing with my hair and sending it flying around my face. But I didn’t care. All I ever wanted was right beside me.
Alpha Kade.
I couldn’t be more thankful to the Moon goddess for granting my heart desires.
Lifting my head to meet the moon that hung in the sky, impeded by clouds, I couldn’t help but mutter my appreciation to the Moon goddess.
I knew she could hear me.
The effect of the orange glow from the moon made the garden appear magical.
I never thought it could be this beautiful.
Various flowers sparkled under the warm glow of the moon, giving them shades of different colours.
At once, the urge to feel and sniff all the flowers consumed me, but for the sake of Alpha Kade, I composed myself.
My eyes didn’t leave the flowers as we strode past them going deeper into the garden.
I didn’t realize we had gotten into the heart of the garden till I heard splashes of water from the fountain.
“I can see that you like the view,” Alpha Kade broke the silence.
I turned to meet him, giving him a smile, “It’s so lovely and magical,” I turned to feel the petals of a white rose that appeared in shades of white and orange as a result of the effect of the moon.
It was so beautiful, I almost drooled.
“It is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” I confessed, pinning my gaze on it.
After I ran into the Crescent Moon Pack for protection against Phoebe, I never saw anything beautiful in years. All I saw were displeased faces of people that hated me, cleaning equipment, cooking equipment and torture equipment in the correction room.
Nothing was beautiful.
Maybe the Blood Moon Pack wasn’t bad after all.
Running was of no use.
“I’m glad you like it,” He replied, turning me to himself before making me sit.
Silence consumed us as we were lost in thoughts. No one uttered a word as we appreciated the works of nature by staring at the flowers.
The lovely sight rendered us speechless, but from the corner of my eyes, I could see Alpha Kade’s mouth was full of words. I could feel his urge to open up to me.
“I used to come here when I was little,” He spoke first, playing with the petals of a flower.
The urge to ask questions consumed me but I knew better than to interrupt him.
I wouldn’t stop him from speaking. I wanted him to pour out his heart to me.
I wanted to know him. All of him.
“I loved playing here a lot with my siblings,”
Siblings?
Ava and Amelia.
“We used to play different games. Amelia loved to hide and seek,” He let out a chuckle, staring into space as if he could see he and Amelia’s younger version of how they raced in the garden in search of where to hide.
“Every time Amelia hides, she gets caught because she just doesn’t know how to hide properly. It’s either she gets distracted by a beautiful flower and adds it to the bouquet she is carrying around or her fluffy dress pronounce her attention,”
“Up till now, she still gets caught when she hides,” Laughter rolled out of his throat in waves.
As much as he tried to conceal it, I recognized the pain. The pain was so strong, so pronounced, it hovered around him.
Alpha Kade hasn’t moved on completely.
“It’s funny how Amelia convinced us to love nature. And it’s more funny how we all couldn’t resist coming to the garden. It has a way of calming us when we are tensed because of the tranquillity and the birds that sing lovely songs,”
“I love everything about being here. It’s just so beautiful,” He whispered, his eyes hovering around as if looking for someone.
“But in a blink of an eye, I hated this place. I hated it with a passion. I didn’t want to catch a glimpse of it when I open my drapes so I shut them for years,”
Silence hung in the air as Alpha Kade stared into space like he was in a trance.
The silence was so agonizing, but I won’t interrupt him.
“I saw no reason to find this place attractive because it held memories. Memories that begat the demons that haunted me,” My heart skipped a beat when his gaze landed on me, “Until you defeated them,”
I would do anything for you, Alpha Kade.
“My world crumbled the night I lost my family,” He continued, “I wanted to die along with them too, but somehow, death wouldn’t take me. It got so frustrating every time I saw a dandelion, I remembered Amelia and I became hard on myself. Every time I see a rose flower, I remember Ava and I inflict pain on myself and every time I see a violin, I remember my elder brother, Aaron,” He paused, taking a deep breath.
“It hurts so bad, you know when you realize that the only way to see them or remember them is the memories you created with them,” He stopped, placing his head in between his palms.
“It hurts so bad, sometimes I want to die,”
“But I’m strong now, thanks to you, Esmy. Even if I haven’t moved on completely, at least, I’m better than before. But I swear by the Moon goddess, when I lay my hands on the bitch, Lucy that killed my family that night, I won’t hesitate to make her die in the cruellest way, together with her family, I don’t care who they are or if they are innocent, she murdered my family and they were innocent,”
Fear gripped my heart at his words. It was so intense, I couldn’t breathe.
But why?
Since my hands are clean and I didn’t know any bitch who is Lucy, I had nothing to worry about.
“You are so beautiful, Esmeralda,” He complimented, making my cheeks warm.
Oh my goodness!
Did Alpha Kade just say I was beautiful?
I couldn’t believe my ears
“I’m sure this will look more beautiful on you,” He said as his hand disappeared into the pocket of his blue ripped jeans, searching for something, before pulling a mini box out.
What the fuck was he doing?
His hands opened the box slowly to reveal an Emerald locket that sparkled under the moon.
Pulling me up to my feet, he stood behind me and removed a handful of my hair from my neck. Guiding the locket, his hands made their way to my slender neck as he placed the locket carefully.
I spun for him to have a view of me, grinning from ear to ear at the smile that played on his face.
His rare smile. And I was lucky to see it.
“It compliments your dress, Esmy. You look even more ravishing,” He said, gritting his jaw.
“Thank you,” I pouted my lips, lowering my gaze to meet the locket as my hands caressed it on my neck, “It’s so beautiful, thank you,” But the smile on my face began to fade. “But you didn’t have to buy it, it’s too much, I don’t think I can accept it,” I said in an attempt to take it off, but his firm hands stopped me in time.
“Nonsense! You don’t reject my gift, understood?” I rolled my eyes at his order.
Why does he act so sweet and then act like a dick?
“Yes,” I replied weakly.
“Keep it and wear it always. It’s a gift from me to you,” He muttered, pulling me close till our mouths collide in a crash.
His mouth tasteds like mint as my tongue burrowed further. A moan slipped out of my mouth when he grabbed my butt, squeezing them lightly before pulling my waist closer to his.
Don’t stop, Alpha Kade.
My hand gripped the hem of his T-shirt, pulling him closer to me before they dropped on his hand.
What was I doing?
What was he doing to me?
Why couldn’t I control myself?
Being around Alpha Kade unlocked a strange feeling in me.
A feeling I couldn’t comprehend.
My hand was about to grab a handful of his hair when the ringing of his phone interrupted us. Disentangling from each other, he reached for his pocket, pulling out his phone before receiving the call.
From the corner of my eyes, I peeked to see who the caller was and a bike of anger rose in me.
That bastard Silvius. What does he want now?
Worry etched on my face when he started taking time on the call. It seemed what they were discussing was serious.
Not, now, Alpha Kade.
As much as I didn’t want to admit it.
I wanted him. The wetness of my core agreed to it.
“Sorry, Esmy, I have to go now. It’s important,” He whispered in my ear, leaning closer for a quick kiss, “Thanks for the walk. I enjoyed it. I’ll see you later,” He cupped my cheeks in his large palm, caressing my lips before turning to go, leaving me alone in the garden.