The Kiss

KNOCK! KNOCK!

Audrey stood to answer the door when she heard the knock, she almost fell over as she suddenly felt weak in her knees.

Waves of tingles moved from her wrist and spread like butterflies all over her body, she looked down to see her wrist enclosed tightly in Alpha Lake's hand.

She stared at him questioningly but, he did not take his face away from the computer, neither did he take his hand off her wrist.

"Sit."

He commanded.

Audrey reluctantly sat down thinking he would release her wrist when she did so, but he held on tight, using his other free hand to scroll through his monitor.

Alpha Lake knew she was not comfortable and so was he not, he only held her hand for the sake of his wolf who had been restless since the moment Audrey sat beside them, he just wanted to calm Regal down and that was it, Regal needed to feel her skin, if not he would go out of control and it wasn't all fun and games whenever he was out of control. Regal needed her, not him.

Regal. He would never need her.

Never.

He placed their hands on the table, still holding her wrist tightly; making Audrey look at him strangely. He ignored her stare and answered the door.

"Come in." He said.

Two girls came into the office, with heads bowed in respect and fear for their Alpha.

Audrey immediately recognized them from earlier that day.

She felt herself getting ready to zap them with lightning if they were here to cause more trouble for her, she wasn't in the mood to entertain idiots and she wasn't the Audrey they knew that would just sit and watch you bully her.

She thought everything had ended in the morning, but it looked like they wanted to report her to their dear Alpha and watch him scold her before them.

She would wait and listen to what they had to say first; What they said would determine whether they would leave here alive or cremated.

Alpha Lake noticed how Audrey had balled her fists in anger. He knew it was because of these girls before them.

He unconsciously started to massage the inside of her wrist slowly with his thumb, feeling as Regal purred lazily inside his head, not caring about the people he had summoned through mind link earlier when he was still mad; now, he was basking in the closeness of his unwanted mate. All he cared about right now was to calm his fuming mate.

"Apologize." He barked out, startling the girls who were busy staring at his thumb that was still gently massaging Audrey's wrist.

"We're sorry, Ms. Catherine. Please forgive our shortcomings." The girls confessed, feeling humiliated.

Audrey knew she was supposed to give a response to their apology, but the Alpha's thumb moving in slow circles on her wrist made her unable to form words, it was as if his thumb was sending ripples of tingles to parts of her body she never knew existed.

And the fact that he was shamelessly touching her without a care in front of those girls made her feel euphoric. It made her pulse in places she didn't know could pulse in her body.

Alpha Lake sensed her mixed emotions. She did not know how to reply to them, he thought she might probably still be angry at them.

"Go." He commanded in a low tone.

The girls bowed their heads to him and scurried away.

Audrey immediately withdrew her hand from his hold when the door closed shut.

She stood up and put a good distance between them, she needed to be on her right senses before she spoke.

"I did not need their apology, Sir." She frowned at him.

Who did he think he was, making a contract and going against his own rules? He raised a questioning brow at her.

"Mr. Aloha, we signed a contract, and it applies to both of us. Do not intrude on my private life and please," She took a deep breath to calm her wolf who was not in support of her attitude toward Alpha Lake.

"Please, do not touch me in front of people again, We better remain professional while working.

Just like the contract stated." She ignored Avery's protest and moved over to the sofa to sit.

It was five minutes before she officially closed work for the day, but she had finished everything she was assigned to do, so she had no reason to sit at the same table as him.

Avery was throwing a tantrum inside her head, wanting to push forward just to go close to her assumed mate. She won't allow it.

Alpha Lake sat there with a smirk on his face, he watched her move away from him and thought she must have felt something when he touched her, he knew she was human and could not feel the mate bond but it looked like she was growing feelings for him...on her own.

"Okay. I won't touch you... In front of people." He assured her. He knew what to do with her now.

Maybe...just maybe, he could have fun with her and let her go when he'd had his full.

For the first time, Audrey saw a semblance of a smile on his face, maybe she must have imagined it, because before she could confirm what she saw, he had faced his computer, typing into it like he had not spoken to her a few seconds ago.

"Whatever." She muttered knowing fully well that he heard it. She intended for him to hear it.

'Okay. I won't touch you...in front of people.'

She pondered on his response which seemed to to have a double meaning, coated with dark promises.

"Hey sunshine, you hungry?" Alpha Sebastian came in carrying two shopping bags.

He had gone out to buy something to eat since Alpha Lake decided not to call for the kitchen, insisting on Audrey to make food for him later at night.

"Starved!" Audrey put her hands over her tummy throwing her head back in exhaustion.

She had been working all day without a break, and having to face the Alpha and his stupid bitches were exhausting enough.

She was indeed starved.

"Food is not allowed in the office." Alpha Lake said coldly. His mood turned sour at Alpha Sebastian's arrival.

"Are you that shameless?" Alpha Lake asked Audrey who was about to walk toward Alpha Sebastian.

His question left everyone in the room in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Her voice sounded harsher than she expected.

"What do you mean, sir?" She asked in a softer tone this time.

"You run off shamelessly to men who offer you food. What difference are you from a slut?" Alpha Lake spoke without raising his head from the computer.

He wanted to make her hate him just like Audrey did, that way, she would resign quicker and go back to her stupid boss.

He wanted her gone, and fast. He did not care if she was his mate or not, he did not want her.

Audrey and Alpha Sebastian stood speechless for some time before Audrey broke the silence.

"Sir, my working time is over, and, you clearly stated in our contract not to interfere with each other's business. Goodbye, Mr. Aloha. See you at your house." She hooked her hand to Alpha Sebastian's elbow and walked out of the office. Alpha Lake sat there, boiling in anger.

Did she dare to turn his rules against him? He made up his mind that the person who just left his office was not Audrey, his Audrey would never talk to him in that manner, wait...his Audrey?

"Fucking bitch!" He threw his pen on the door.

This situation was getting out of hand and he would deal with it tonight. Audrey and Alpha Sebastian sat on the pack dining, eating their chicken wings and drumsticks, they were chatting about everything and anything.

Audrey never knew Alpha Sebastian was this fun.

She only knew him as the kind and handsome Alpha who she once had a crush on, she had never held a long conversation with him before to fully know his personality.

But now, he seemed like a different person, carefree and fun.

"Then he pissed on himself in front of the girl, ha-ha-ha!" Alpha Sebastian laughed loudly.

"Oh no, poor Andrew, he was so drunk! I'm sure the girl left him there and then."

Audrey laughed along, actually enjoying her time in the Grey Blood pack for the first time.

"You bet." Alpha Sebastian replied as he reached out and wiped away a food particle from the side of Audrey's mouth and that was when Alpha Lake came through the door, watching them with hawk eyes.

They did not even seem to notice his presence as they were too busy chatting happily with each other and doing their PDA.

Alpha Lake lowered himself onto the empty seat beside Audrey.

The temperature suddenly turned cold, making the first occupants of the table turn to him.

"It's time for dinner." He announced openly.

"Do you care for some porridge?" Ms. Bridget came carrying a tray of food; She placed it in front of the Alpha and opened it for him.

He almost gagged. Since Audrey left... No, Since he disposed of Audrey's dying body; he barely managed to get food down his throat, and now that he had gotten a taste of something similar, no...the same as Audrey's food, every other thing seemed inedible to him.

He came to realize that for the first time, he liked something about Aydrey; her cooking was the best.

He painstakingly admitted it to himself.

"No. Let's go." He replied to Ms. Bridget and then focused his attention on Audrey, making sure she understood he was talking to her.

"Guess I'll see you tomorrow, Sunshine?" Alpha Sebastian asked Audrey.

"Please let me see you tomorrow cupcake?" He did his signature puppy eyes, making Audrey smile at his childish antics.

"Sure, why not?" She laughed at his overly happy expression.

Alpha Lake stood up and dragged Audrey by the arm, striding angrily toward the door.

"Hey, I haven't finished my drumsticks!" Audrey whined, knowing it would irritate him.

"Shut up!" He said angrily. Dragging her farther away from Alpha Sebastian.

"Audrey!" Ms. Bridget called out just before they could leave the door.

Shit!

Audrey instantly paused, mortified at what Ms. Bridget chose to call her in the presence of the Alpha. Was this how easily a person was thrown under the bus?

"I know you corrected me on that earlier, but I can't help it; can I just call you Audrey? It makes me feel like my child was still with me. Please?" Ms. Bridget asked innocently.

"Yes, Ma'am. You can." Audrey sighed, she had felt how intently Alpha Lake stared daggers behind her when she had stopped in her tracks to answer Ms. Bridget.

Everything was fine now. Whew!"Goodnight Ms. Bridget, Goodnight Seb." She waved her free hand at them before leaving with the angry Alpha.

Audrey pulled her hand out of Alpha Lake's grip the moment they entered his apartment.

"I told you not to touch me in front of people." Audrey frowned at him and walked past him. He caught her arm and pulled her back to the door, caging her between his strong arms on the wall.

"What the..."

"Shh." He placed his finger on her lips, shutting her up. Silence reigned between them as they came to realize how close they were.

He stared intently into her green eyes, challenging her to push him away and trying to see if she felt those fluttering sparks that coursed through his veins like liquid lava, he wanted to know what she felt.

The fire in her died instantly, she broke her eyes away from him, trying to find anything interesting behind him to fix her gaze on, she was barely holding herself up.

Out of all her body parts, he chose her lips to place his warm strong finger on. She tried to control her erratic breathing, knowing he would feel it on his finger and find out the effect he caused her.

"What are you doing? Let go." Audrey tried removing his finger from her lips but he grabbed it and used his free hand to cage her wrists above her head on the door.

"You seemed quite comfortable when your 'Seb' had his hands all over you." He whispered dangerously close to her ear.

"Was this how he touched you?" He skimmed his thumb across her delicate plump lips.

"I didn't hear you complain back then." His breath tickled her earlobe, sending shivers through her body.

Her wolf was purring in her head, urging her to close the space between her and the Alpha, she was swayed...almost.

But, memories of how he had treated her played vividly in her mind and she suppressed those tingles she felt.

But, memories of how he had treated her played vividly in her mind and she suppressed those tingles she felt.

"Let go!" Audrey summoned strength and pushed him away.

She walked to the middle of the living room and then paused.

"You don't get to do whatever you want with me, I have my rules too." She angrily walked up the stairs to her room.

As she cooked, Audrey fumed in anger at the Alpha and herself.

Who does he think he is, to make rules and not follow them? She felt angry for allowing herself to get swayed for a second by that stupid mate bond.

She needed to do her business here and fast, the faster she found it, the quicker she left this place and the stupid Alpha before she lost it and killed him.

As she placed the food down on the dining table, she thought of going up to his room to call him down for dinner but she decided against it, she took out her phone and dialed his number, and after six rings, there was none answered.

She sighed and went up to his room.

'Knock! Knock!'

Silence.

'Knock! Knock! Knock!'

Radio silence.

She pushed the door open and entered. And there he was, Lying on the bed like a log, sleeping his head off. She moved over and stood beside his bed, watching him sleep.

She admitted he was a drop-dead handsome demon.

His thin lips were so seductive and biteable, his nose was too perfect to be real and his chin could cut a fruit effortlessly, his jaw was sharp like a knife. Eyelash? He put girls to shame with his sensual lashes that touched under his eyes as he slept like a log.

"Ahh!" Audrey screamed as she was unexpectedly pulled down on the bed.

Alpha Lake had surprisingly drawn her to the bed and caged her below him with his hands placed beside her wedging his body above her. Audrey was speechless.

"Trying to seduce your boss?" Alpha Lake asked from above her, raising his brows at her.

He had known she would come in to wake him up, that was why he pretended not to have heard her first knock.

He wanted to find out how serious she was on her stupid mission with her former boss, he needed to quickly uncover what her mission was and then send her packing.

He already had plans for how he would deal with Mr. Russel.

He saw how Audrey's heartbeat accelerated and how her breathing hitched, if he did not know better, he would have thought she was turned on, but he knew it was fear, she was a human woman who got scared of men easily, and, he smelt no arousal scents on her, it was just the usual weird flowery scent that kept flowing around her.

"Are you scared of me? Or using the innocent move on me?" He whispered close to her ears which seemed to have become his favorite part of her body...for now.

"I think you're the one trying to...mm!!" Audrey's words got muffled as her lips were unexpectedly covered with Alpha Lake's lips.

Her eyes widened to their greatest lengths in surprise, and her brain scrambled up in webs of confusion. Her system shut down. She froze.