Becoming Alpha’s Personal Caretaker
Chapter 35

Lauren POV

"Victor, do you have any idea what you just said?" I asked carefully, trying to say the right words. What he said came out of nowhere and I was still a little confused. I continued, "Did you say that only because you feel bad for me and want to offer me shelter? I don't need your charity and...I mean, I'm doing well. No...Well, I'd appreciate it if you can just stop kidding or trying to comfort me by saying things like this."

I didn't even know what I was gabbling about and I just wanted to escape. But the next second, Victor grabbed my hand very gently but I could feel that he wouldn't take no as an answer.

"Lauren, I'm perfectly aware of what I just said."

He forced me to look him in the eyes and his deep golden eyes somehow had the power to calm me down. I could see how serious he was right now and I knew he wasn't joking.

"Will you be my mate? I'm willing to share my everything with you, including this tribe. And you'll become the Luna of the Midnight Claws Tribe," he said slowly yet his voice was assuring and solemn.

I had turned down a lot of men who tried to court me but I didn't know what to say in front of Victor right now, "Why do you wanna marry me? Is it because I have the power to heal your legs and help you find Kent?"

"If that's the case, I'll have to marry every single person who can heal me, won't I?" Victor chuckled.

"Compared to your tribe, mine is nothing and I'm not the alpha's favorite daughter. This marriage won't bring you anything." And that was the reason why Michael chose Janice, who always knew how to act like a sweet girl and was also Manuel's favorite daughter,

over me.

"Does that really matter?" Victor asked, looking confused,

"And I can't bear you a strong pup. Thought I am Alpha's daughter, but I am not a strong wolf."

"So?"

"Then why do you wanna marry me?"

"Because it's you, Lauren."

These four words really stunned me,

"After I spent some time with myself, I realized my heartbeat raced because of you and it isn't because of your healing power."

He slowly took my hand and put it on his warm chest. I could feel his heartbeats and his heart started racing because of my touch. "Lauren, I think you feel the same way about me."

Like we were lovers.

"The only reason I want you to be my partner is that you're you and that's it. You always use your poker face to push people away and you think Janice is the attractive one. But the truth is, Lauren, you're the most stunning girl in the world." His sweet talk went right into my head and my heart started pounding loud. I wasn't a naïve little girl who knew nothing about love anymore and I wasn't so easy to impress. But his awkward confession really made my heart skip a beat.

For the first time in forever, I finally knew what it felt like to be cherished by someone. He wanted to marry me not because I was the daughter of an alpha or because I had my healing power. He didn't care whether I could bear him a strong pup or not. My heart melted like caramel as we were bathed in the bright moonlight. When Victor looked me in the eyes, I could feel that I truly existed in this unreal world.

I found a sense of belonging in this strange tribe.

Wolves weren't born to live in solitary.

Right now, all I wanted to do was to stay with him.

The moonlight softened the look on his face and the shape of his lips was enchanting. His scent of peppermint and grass was seducing me. I didn't know if it was because of my instincts or the alcohol, but I couldn't help but kiss him on the lips. Unlike the coldness in his eyes, his lips were soft and warm. He seemed to freeze for a second when I kissed him but then he took control. He gently parted my lips and slipped his tongue into my mouth. I could feel my air in his lungs and he took my breath away. I was getting more and more delirious as he tangled up with me with his tongue...

After that kiss, Victor pecked on my cheeks and said, "We feel the same way about each other."

It was my first time to see him smile like that.

"So that's your answer, right, Lauren?"

My answer?

To his proposal?

I put my hand on his chest and I didn't know when I unbuttoned his shirt. We were sitting on the engine as I sat on top of him. This was indeed a pretty intimate position.

No! This kind of relationship is not as wonderful as you think! All of this is just an illusion, Lauren!

I immediately pushed Victor away and made some noises which completely ruined the mood. He didn't expect that I would react like this and looked quite shocked. My hand froze in the air and I didn't know if I should help him get down or not. "Lauren..." "Sorry, I didn't mean to do that," I was a bit overwhelmed and didn't know what to do, "I'm drunk. I should go and have some rest. Bye!"

I ran away without looking back and didn't dare to slow down. I was afraid that I would get caught up in these complicated feelings again. This shouldn't have happened in the first place. Victor is my patient and the bond that we had might be caused by my special healing power.

"Be cool, Lauren," I tried to convince myself as I slammed the door hard. But my heart was still racing like crazy. I even sort of reminisced on how it felt like to be kissed by Victor. "Stop, stop. Stop thinking about it anymore, Lauren, he's just a patient..." Oh! My patient!

I just left Victor all alone in the yard and I forgot that he couldn't walk!

But it seemed kind of embarrassing for me to go back now...

"Oh!" I scratched my head frustratedly.

I felt like my head was going to explode right now. I never thought that Victor would straightforwardly propose to me when we met again.

Maybe I was too drunk and all of this was just a delusion!

I hopped on my bed and covered myself in the quilt. I thought it would be hard for me to sleep right now but because of the alcohol, I actually fell asleep pretty soon... Victor's POV

"Lauren!"

Lauren left without looking back and I could tell she was panicking. I thought that kiss meant yes but it wasn't. She just got a little turned on and went on with that kiss. I waited for her on the engine for a while and wasn't sure that she really decided to hide from me until she turned off the lights in her room.

Never mind.

I touched the lips she just kissed and they still smelled like her. I could sense her faint floral scent.

"Kent, she didn't say no to me, did she?" Even though I knew Kent wouldn't respond, I still asked him that. I could hear the sound of leaves swaying in the wind not far away and said, "I'll take that as your answer. I know you also want Lauren to be our mate." I did propose to her on the spur of the moment tonight.

Because I saw a side of her that I had never seen before. She was lonely and vulnerable and needed someone to protect her. I wished I could be her guardian angel and give her a sense of belonging with all my power.

Lauren always seemed assertive and distant and she was using this side of her as a shield. She didn't allow herself to look weak in front of others and never expected anything from anyone. But tonight, she let down her guard and showed me her vulnerability. She looked sweet and adorable when she was sleeping in my arms and I had never seen her like this before.

At that moment, I knew I wanted to have Lauren as my mate.