To think Alfred would immediately let me go abruptly. Denied impression! The idiot still held me despite my pulling back roughly.
“Take a calm breath, brother. It’s only training,” he slurred, smirking like some deranged idiot!
“Now, Alfred!” Alonso slowly pranced into the place like an injured panther, ready to pounce.
That was when Alfred’s hand loosened on me and I jumped away, wincing in pain from the drudgery. When I said he is not being tough on me, I never said he should try to break my arms or make some absurd comments! I stretched, my mind leaving the two brothers, focused on my weakened limbs.
“Whoa! Take it easy, bro. Now I know why you have been so possessive… the goddess sure favors you most, man.”
“Stay away from her!” I looked up in time to see Alonso advance at Alfred. I wouldn’t want the incident of the other day to repeat itself so I was quick to launch myself between them.
Alfred had his hands above him. “I gat you, brother. Though, I must tell you I’m jealous. Here I was, hoping by chance Lancelot gets killed wherever he is so that I can have a chance with her, meanwhile, you are my major threat.”
I snapped around to look at him ruefully. “How could you say that, Alfred?!”
“Calm down, Sweetface. I’m just kidding.”
“Don’t say that! It’s so unpleasant,” I warned him, pushing him away from Alonso.
“Come on, we have to leave now.” Alonso staged me off.
“Wait!” I yanked my hand away from him, taking it to my waist. “I’m not done training.”
“I will train with you if you want.”
“What of him?” I nodded towards Alfred who was still standing behind us, with a quirky brow and smirk as usual.
“I don’t give a tiny fuck about him, and the fact that you are still hanging around him after my warning means you are desiring my wrath.” He leaned in to whisper into my ear in a stern voice.
“I’m not seeking your wrath, Alonso,” I told him, stepping away. “I’m-I’m just trying to find light in the midst of this darkness I’m engulfed in… I don’t want to lose my friends too, Alonso. I’m stuck!” My face folded in grief, a sob fighting to break through.
“You are not stuck, baby. You knew my mother before now and I know you don’t care about Paisley, so?”
“I know your mother but I have never been a subject of her resentment. I fear Alonso, I fear that I do not know my present stand in life. I fear that I do not know if you are ever going to accept me wholly. I’m tired of maneuvering around the same story.”
“I told you to give me time-”
“That’s the problem! Till when? You are not even certain.” I clapped the back of my right hand on the left, snaking a look around for any unwanted attention but thankfully they were far off, and Alfred didn’t bother to encroach.
Alonso combed his hand through his head, that same look of helplessness I see in him only when I’m struggling with my powers, surfacing once more. “I’m trying so hard, Munchkin. I just need you to trust me. Stay with me.”
“I am, I swear.” I let out a sardonic chuckle. “Where the heck am I going to? You said it. There is nowhere I can hide away from you. You will always find me. So you see why I’m miserable? If-”
“There is no ifs, Danika. No rejection. You will stand with me on this because that is what mates do for themselves.”
I huffed and bowed my head in resignation. Maybe he is right. Maybe instead of trying to get away, I can try to look for solutions with him. Solutions would be the only way we have to get things to work. I’m not getting out of this, that is certain, grumbling in misery wouldn’t solve it either. But fighting can.
“You want us to do this together?” I asked him in a steady voice.
“I want that more than anything, Danika.”
“Then will you promise to trust me? Like, wholly?”
He seems to contemplate. “Okay…” He dragged, his eyes searching and holding mine like glue.
“Fine! Then, I’m going to be engaged in everything. We have to find out if you are the true owner of Paisley’s pregnancy.”
“What? I mean, yeah…”
I held his hands, turning to check if Alfred was still out of earshot. He was. I leaned into him. “You said you haven’t been with her for a long time, right?” My heart fluttered anxiously hoping by Gad, he hadn’t.
“I haven’t, Munchkin. I swear it.”
This Alonso was looking so consensual. Where has it been from the beginning?
“Then, we have to find out if she is truly pregnant… and if it’s yours….” Something flashed in my mind and I had to tell him. “You know, she once told me when I came earlier, that she wanted to get you to sleep with her so that she can force you to marry her.”
“She did?”
“Yeah. So you have to be frank with me, Alonso. I wouldn’t want to engage in something that would backfire in my face and make me into a desperate mate in the eyes of everyone.” I prodded him with a drilling eye. I’m damn taking advantage of this gentle side of him.
“I swear by my late father, Danika. I haven’t been with any woman since we came back here.”
“Okay… I believe you. I will fight side by side with you, Alonso. First, we will solve the child’s problem after which we will think of how to solve the alliance problem, then that of the vampires respectively, okay?”
“Alright.” He bounced his head, his eyes turning cold as they ventured behind me. I pivoted and noticed Alfred coming close, and rapidly faced Alonso. “You also have to promise me that you will trust me around him, please!”
It was a hard one for him to accent to, seeing the way his forehead creased in controversy. I persisted with my eyes at him, urging him on. Soon, he closed his eyes and puffed out loud with a low-throated growl. Pinching his eyes, he quietly said, “Okay. But, he must never touch you. I don’t trust him around you, Munchkin…”
I wanted to tell him that Alfred is bound to touch me when we are training but thought against it and smiled with a nod. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him, right?
“Well, brother, sorry to break your love gathering, if you don’t mind, I will like to continue my training with her…” Alfred pushed from behind. I twisted about with a warning in my eyes for him.
“Just make sure you keep your filthy hands at bay, Alfred, or I swear-”
“Okay, okay, guys, no threats!” I jumped in to interrupt with a slight snicker to lighten the tense atmosphere.
“Go home, brother, you have more duties to uphold to the pack than running after the skirt of your mate,” teased Alfred.
I was swiftly at Alonso who looked like he was going to lose it then. I tapped his chest, and nudged him further out of the court, reaching behind to flip Alfred the bird. I learned that from Paisley when she was trying to be boorish and wild.
“Your lady is flipping me the bird, brother. That’s an invitation to me,” the lout called.
“Ignore him, Baby,” I purred at Alonso, to make him feel good. I only twisted about a little to glare daggers at Alfred before we were lost in the throng of cheerful pack members.
When I returned from seeing off Alonso, at the entrance of the court, I roared and went lurching into the unexpected Alfred, making sure to catch him in the guts. He bent over, spouting curses at me, as he coughed audibly in a pang while stepping away with his hands out to hold me back. ‘What was that for, Sweetface?!”
“That is for your insensitive behavior and this…” I kicked his calf which sent him to the ground, “it’s because of your uncouth attitude!”
“I don’t mind you tackling me to the ground for another lesson, Sweetface.” He croaked in pain with an impish wink, my face going red.
I rolled my eyes, standing away from him. I flipped my hair away from my face. “You are insufferable!”
“I know, Sweetface. My brother is an asshat, I won’t mind making him miserable till death do us apart.”
“Then keep me away from it, dickhead!”
“Who taught you that, Danika? You never say such profanities.”
I swore under my breath. Yes, who taught me that? Paisley. But I won’t tell him. I wrapped my arms under my breast. “None of your business. Are you going to get up or what?” I eyed him.
“Fine, only that I will need your help.” He stretched his arms out with a childlike pout.
“I’m sorry, dickhead. I just promised my mate never to let you touch me and I’m working to keep to my promise.”
He scoffed and jumped off the ground towards me. “Let’s see how you keep to that.”
We fought the rest of the time and by the time we rounded up to head home, I was damn exhausted and had only one destination in mind. Lance’s quarters. We have to team up and find out how to start trashing all our problems!
No more grumbling! Only solutions!
That bitch won’t see me coming, not after the slap she gave me last night which literally declared her my enemy!
…