The Supreme Alpha - Chapter 123

Author’s note:

Shoutout to my wonderful reader CatT who created a wonderful fanart for The Supreme Alpha (see it in the comments).

I am touched and overwhelmed.

Thank you very much, CatT!

—

Author’s note #2: This chapter is from Seraphina’s point of view

—

Sharing a meal with Nox was nerve-wracking and the soft music that was playing from who-knows-where was not helping.

Maria put an effort to make this romantic, but in this case, I would prefer if sounds from a football game were blasting. It would give me and Nox something to talk about that’s not us.

We kept the chat light, mostly about the weather and the food, and Nox didn’t do anything extreme or inappropriate, but the way he looked at me was stirring the butterflies in my stomach and I felt guilty about it.

What would Duke say if he knew that Nox excites me to this point?

Wait! Was I attracted to a creature I met only days ago?

No, no. This was not an attraction. It was a magnetic pull I was unable to extricate myself from.

A strange thought hit me. Was I feeling the mate bond?

Whatever it was, I confirmed that I can’t stay levelheaded in Nox’s presence. When he was nearby, my nerves were tight like strings on a guitar, and if anyone strums them, I might jump away from Nox… or maybe jump on him. I really didn’t know how to deal with this, and I feared that my control was slipping.

If it was a normal situation, I would seek solace in Nox’s embrace and Duke would be happy, but I knew that he had a problem with Nox’s existence, and I feared that I might hurt Duke’s feelings.

I didn’t want Duke to think that I liked Nox more than I liked Duke.

They were so different. Duke was my sweet and caring guy while Nox was the bad boy whose intense gaze promised a crazy ride I will never forget, and the only things missing were a leather jacket, a motorcycle, and tattoos… and the crazy ride would be Nox riding me on the motorcycle.

I pressed my legs together.

Ah! All this is messed up! They are the same person, for crying out loud!

This will be settled as soon as Duke and Nox learn to accept each other, and I prepared something to help move things along. Hopefully.

“Nox”, I called to get his attention. “Do you mind answering a few questions for me?”

He shrugged. “Sure.”

“Describe your perfect day.”

Nox looked at me in amazement for a moment. He definitely didn’t expect this. “Uhm… I don’t know. As long as I can spend the day with you, it’s fine.”

I couldn’t stop my lips from stretching into a smile. Duke is a sweet-talker, but so is Nox.

I wrote that down on a piece of paper I prepared previously and asked my next question, “Do you trust someone other than yourself?”

“You. I trust you more than I trust myself.”, he said without missing a beat.

I would not be surprised if this came from Duke, but Nox was a different creature. Technically we met only recently, and his response seemed exaggerated.

“There is no need to sugarcoat things, Nox. Feel free to speak your mind.”

“I am not sugarcoating anything, Serina. The way our mate bond works is that my happiness, my wellbeing, my everything is tied to you. What’s the point of not trusting you if I would jump into flames for you and not regret a single burn if I knew that I spared you pain? I will do anything to make you happy.”

His response caught me off guard.

I knew that mates are crazy about each other, but I always thought how that’s about lust and carnal pleasures. I never realized that it goes deep in other aspects as well.

His gaze intensified. “I am not a fool like Mateo to sacrifice everything and gain nothing. I have my demands, and I demand that you stay by my side.”

His words were straightforward, crude, domineering, and somehow… I believed him. He wanted me by his side, not taking a no for an answer, yet he would do anything for me.

To say that I was conflicted was an understatement. Should I be outraged that he talked about me like I’m his possession, or should I be flattered that he would go above and beyond to make me happy?

My gaze fell on the paper with questions in front of me.

His previous answer covered my several next questions, and I was down to the last one.

“If you could have anything in this world, what would that be?”

“You.”

I wrote down his answer and handed him that paper, together with another one.

…

— This work is published on WebNovel (w e b n o v e l . c o m). Don’t support illegal copies! Read from the original site to support the author —

…

“What is this?”, Nox asked while reading what was on the papers.

I gestured while explaining, “This one, I just wrote down. It has your answers to my questions. And this one here has Duke’s answers to the same questions. I asked him this morning while you were… not there.” I didn’t want to say that Nox gave privacy to me and Duke because then he will know we were intimate. He probably knows, but I didn’t want to remind him.

Nox flipped the papers a few times before giving them to me. “Your point?”

“Your and Duke’s answers are the same.”, I summarized.

“Yeah. Both of us are putting you first and are not willing to share or compromise.”, Nox said dejectedly.

“I wish you don’t look at me in that way. I am not yours or his…”

Nox’s intense gaze made me swallow the rest of my words.

“Other than staying by my side, I have another request. Don’t lie to me.”, Nox said dryly.

Shivers ran down my spine. Why did I find him intimidating? But at the same time, I felt an urge to comfort him, to make him like me.

“I was not lying.”, I said, and he narrowed his eyes at me. “I wanted to say that I am my own person and I choose to be with you and Duke.”

He snorted. “You are making it sound like Mateo and I are equal.”

“You are not.”, I admitted. “I know Duke for nearly twelve years, while I met you less than a month ago. However, other than Duke, you are the only one who can do this…” I reached over the table and put my hand over his. “Give it time. Be patient. Things will fall into place.”

“Patient.”, he repeated with a scowl like he said a dirty word, but he didn’t pull his hand away. Actually, he tilted his hand and spread his fingers, allowing mine to slip between his. I could see his eyes flashing and I regretted that I couldn’t feel the sparks.

“Don’t think about the time. Make the most of it.”, I tried to sound cheerful. “We finished food. How about we dance?”

He looked at me like I said something silly. “I don’t dance.”

I was not willing to pass on this. Dancing, running, anything was better than sitting at this table and combing the same topic over and over again.

We didn’t have answers, yet. But I knew that by doing things together, we will get to know each other, and Duke will be part of all this also. Duke was already watching, listening, and confirming that Nox won’t harm me and that things are going fine.

Duke told me that he could feel the sparks when Nox touched me, and I hoped that they might make Duke see the benefits of accepting Nox’s existence as part of his own.

I stood up and tugged Nox’s hand. “Come on. Do this for me. Please?”

He exhaled sharply and stood up. “Mateo showed me his memories where you danced, but I didn’t pay attention.”

I realized that he doesn’t know how to dance.

“That’s fine.”, I said, happy that he agreed. I put his hands on my waist. “Just hold me here and…”

In one swift move, his hands slipped on my back, and he pulled me close to him until I felt my breasts changing shape while being pressed against his firm chest.

OK. This will be a challenge.

His warmth hit me in waves that came with the addictive scent of pine trees and the ocean, and I struggled not to show how much he affected me.

“Move slowly.”, I said while putting my hands on his shoulders. My voice came out a bit breathy.

He smirked, obviously satisfied with my reaction. Was I blushing? Probably.

“I don’t do slow. And I don’t dance.”

“Duke learned how to dance because of me.”

Nox snorted. “He is a human and acting as such. I am an Alpha. In order to get my mate, I don’t need to learn tricks.”

I swallowed a mouthful of air. I had a feeling that I might regret this, but I had to ask, “What do you do, to get your mate?”

His lips lifted into a sly smirk, and he tilted his head toward mine. I thought he will go for a kiss, but he didn’t. Nox went lower, on my left, and brushed his nose at the base of my neck. The sensation was electric, and I gripped his shoulders to steady myself.

His hot breath fanned my skin, making my hairs stand on ends and suddenly I became aware of how close we are, how good he smells, how strong and wide his frame is… was he always this tall?

The energy coursing between us was tangible. Was this an Alpha thing?

—