As Audrey heard him call her Catherine, it sounded exactly like Mikhail was talking to her.
She looked into his eyes and her heart melted, he looked so vulnerable, like he was regretting all the bad things he’d done to her at that moment, and he was scared she would push him away without forgiving him.
He looked lonely and scared.
Audrey understood at that moment that it was only them who could make themselves happy, after all, they were destined for each other a long time ago, why should they waste their time fighting when they could live together happily?
“I’m sorry for making you worried, I just needed to clear my head,” She said quietly.
“It’s okay,” Alpha Lake engulfed her in his arms, hugging her lovingly like she was the most precious, fragile thing in his life.
Audrey rested her head on Alpha Lake’s chest. She needed this. After what she’s been through since today, this was exactly the kind of treatment she needed from him.
“Want to eat something?” He asked as he stroked her hair.
“No,” Audrey gently shook her head.
“I just need a bath,” She said.
“Come on, I’ll set the bath for you,” He took her hands and led her up the stairs.
Audrey patiently sat on the bed, waiting for Alpha Lake to come from her bathroom so she could have a bath.
She remembered the amulet inside her pocket and quickly removed it and placed it inside her drawer. She didn’t want him to see it yet.
The moment she put it down, Audrey felt the need for the Alpha to leave her room.
She didn’t understand, but all she knew was that she no longer felt the bond she thought she felt for him anymore. Was it the amulet that made them want to forgive each other and get together like they used to?
“It’s ready,” Alpha Lake emerged from the bathroom door, he was smiling at her and it made Audrey understand that the amulet had nothing to do with Alpha Lake’s change.
Was he genuinely trying to move on with her? Then, what happened to what they said to each other before she disappeared into the forest? No! She can’t do this with him. At least, not yet.
“Thank you, sir. I’m sorry once again, for making you worried,” She stood and went to open the door.
“You can leave, thank you,” She stood beside the door, waiting for him to leave.
Alpha Lake raised his brow in confusion, why did she seem angry now?
“Hey, kitten, is it something I did?” Audrey could feel the genuine concern in his voice.
She didn’t let that deter her decision. What happens when he learns her true identity? Would he still be this kind and caring towards her? No.
She was saving herself the heartbreak she was sure was going to happen.
When Alpha Lake got no response from her, he nodded and walked out.
“Goodnight,” He pecked her cheek before he went into his room.
Audrey stood confused at her door, the feeling was back, the fondness, was she going to keep feeling that way from now henceforth?
Each time he touched her, she felt all mushy and lovey-dovey, she wanted to be closer to him, to be held in his arms and never let go.
She shook her head to remove those thoughts from her head, she stared at his door for some time before she closed hers and went into the bathroom.
For two weeks, Audrey tried her best to steer clear of Alpha Lake, only responding to him when necessary in the office.
Alpha Lake had been left confused ever since the night of the party, he didn’t understand what had gotten into Audrey, and he did not understand himself either.
He was the one who made it clear to her the other night that he wanted nothing to do with her, but, here he was, stealing glances at her as they sat in his office working.
“Catherine?” He called softly.
“Yes, sir,” Audrey answered. Alpha Lake balled his fists in anger.
It has always been like this since that night, she never forgets to remind him of the status of their relationship.
He was confused as hell, he knew it was best this way as she put a wall between them, but he couldn’t help wanting to be so close to her this period, his wolf wasn’t happy too, he’d been sulking ever since, the more Audrey acted cold towards them, the more hurt Regal felt.
“Sir?” Audrey called out, she saw he seemed to be lost in his thoughts.
She noticed it’s been like that for some time now, but it was none of her business, she didn’t care about his problems.
“Um, send in my schedule for this afternoon, we need to hasten up with our supply to Mr. Collin,” He said, drumming his fingers on top of his table.
“Okay,” was Audrey’s only reply. Alpha Lake watched her as she went back to her laptop, she looked more beautiful every passing day, her hair was in a loose bun, and these days, she’s been dressing as casually as possible, her loose white t-shirt and her blue tights jean gave her the laid back look, but, in his eyes, she was sexy as fuck.
He couldn’t help but imagine what lay behind those oversized clothes, her half-moon tattoo was peeking at him from the collar of her shirt.
His wolf howled in the head, he wanted to mark his mate. Why couldn’t he? This was supposed to be a simple process; find a mate and mark her, but he couldn’t.
He was having doubts, what if she turned out like Janeth? He saw the familiar signs and gestures in Janeth but he chose to ignore her, and everything turned out for the worse.
Looking at Catherine (Audrey) as he sat on his chair, he couldn’t deny that everything she did was almost, if not the same as Audrey.
“Done, sir. You need to-”
KNOCK!! KNOCK!!
A knock interrupted Audrey.
She knew the people behind the door before Alpha Lake answered.
“Come in,” Alpha Lake said.
The door opened, Andrew was the first to come in, Mr. Sullivan, then Adeline. Audrey wondered what they wanted this time, she knew Adeline was looking for a way to get at her, but she wasn’t fazed, Adeline had no idea what she was getting herself into.
“Alpha, I’ve brought them as you asked,” Andrew said with his head bowed.
“Thank you, Andrew. Send a message for Philip,” Alpha Lake informed.
“Yes, Alpha,” Andrew answered and left the office, not before sending Audrey a smile.
Alpha clenched his jaws, he noticed the little exchange between Audrey and Andrew, this, was also one of his concerns.
Audrey and Andrew seemed to have gotten closer, even with Alpha Sebastian, he felt like they wanted something other than friendship from her but she seemed to be unaware of their feelings for her, and he was soon going to confront them about that.
“Alpha?” Mr. Sullivan called cautiously. Alpha Lake blinked his eyes to clear his thoughts.
He had to admit it, he was down bad for Audrey.
“Mr. Sullivan, Adeline,” He acknowledged their presence.
“Good morning, Alpha Lake,” Adeline greeted softly.
“Catherine, get me the file from my drawer,” He said without removing his eyes from his screen.
“Yes, Sir,” Audrey replied.
She knew he was being unreasonable this time, his drawer was right above his lap under his table, why did he need her when he could do it himself, but, she stood up and went over to his side, he was her boss after all.
“The second drawer,” Alpha Lake said, relaxing back on his chair.
Audrey noticed he pulled his chair closer to the table and spread his leg beside the drawer, she couldn’t open the drawer without touching his thighs.
“Excuse me, Sir,” She said as she bent to open the drawer, but he didn’t budge.
Adeline had wanted him to pay special attention to her but he just went ahead to talk to Audrey.
She eyed Audrey with hatred, she wished Audrey would face the same fate as her twin did two weeks ago. She was very delighted to watch Alpha Lake destroy Janeth’s face, now, she was going to look for a way to get Audrey out of her way, she was a hindrance to her plan.
“I want to build a new gym and a recreational center for children, can you come up with a blueprint in two days?” He ignored Audrey who had spoken to him.
“Sure, Alpha, that’s not a problem, I can even stay over to check out the area and know the kind of plan to map out,” Adeline answered before her father could.
Mr. Sullivan had been wary of Audrey since that day, and now, her daughter had openly announced they’d be staying in the Grey Blood Pack for some time, he knew it was inevitable not to come across Audrey, he feared her.
Audrey sighed and stretched her hand between the Alpha’s leg, reaching for the handle of the drawer, but before she could touch it, Alpha Lake suddenly grabbed her hand and placed it right on his bulge.