The Possessive Alpha
Chapter 47

ELLE POV

The lights have dimmed, the whole place going quiet in anticipation, the creaking of the curtains being pulled back to reveal the starting scene of characters singing the opening song. While my eyes never left the stage, I could feel the tickle of the man’s gaze on me, never looking away. My insides were wreaking havoc, trying to break free. Unease settling in my bones, every instinct told me not to trust this man.

‘He hasn’t stopped staring at us once,’ Charity says, through the link I kept open between the three of us, ‘should we leave at intermission?’ I don’t answer immediately, my attention on the actors, my mind slowly processing the best course of action. The concern in her voice coming through the line is clear.

‘I agree.’ Theo adds to the conversation, ‘we can leave and do something else.’ He has the same level of concern in his tone as Charity, but still, I say nothing, trying to reason instead of using my emotions to guide me. I can feel their agitation pour into me, but I don’t care. This man singled me out when I walked in the door, and I want to know why.

‘No,’ I say, disregarding the pounding in my head because another feeling is starting to grow in the pit of my stomach. ‘He wants me, and I need to know why,’ I say, pushing the desire through the link, a satisfied smirk when I see them relax back in their seat.

Charity asks, clearly annoyed that I am going against their wishes to stay and watch the show. ‘How do you do that?’

‘Do what?’ I ask, confused about the meaning behind her question.

‘Tell people to do something, and then they do it,’ Charity explains, ‘I noticed it for the first time at the party and again when Damon got into the fight with Alpha Charles. How do you do it?’ The curiosity settled over my skin and wrapped around me, demanding answers.

‘Oh, I don’t know,’ I shrug, never giving it much thought. ‘I just say what I want with conviction like I have seen the Alpha family do a million times.’ After I explain, Theo starts coughing and sputtering wildly, shaking the entire box with his spasms. His reaction causes my gaze to wander to his face, leaving the stage for the first time since the show began.

The color slowly drained from Theo when his eyes locked onto mine, and in that instant, I knew he knew something he hadn’t told me. The words to start the interrogation I have prepared on the tip of my tongue, but I say nothing turning my focus to the stage before me, the terms of the agreement between Damon and me ringing through my mind.

Through the link, I say, ‘Let’s try to forget the creep and enjoy the show,’ Settling into my chair, I relax against the seat. The prickle of the mysterious man’s gaze still lingers on my skin, making my insides revolt but keeping my eyes glued to the stage, I refused to let him smell my fear.

***************************

The lights brighten, signaling to the guests so enraptured by the performance that the intermission has begun. Knowing we only have fifteen minutes, the woman and I make a beeline for the restroom; thankfully, the box sections have their bathrooms, so the lines shouldn’t be too long.

Following Charity, Emma, and Taylor, we make our way past the curtains of our box into the large hallway. Turning right, we see the restrooms on the left with no line outside. I can feel Theo’s apprehension about letting us go alone, but we had already decided on the plan ten minutes before intermission began, and he had no choice but to go through with it.

Wasting no time, we enter the room, each choosing a stall and peeing quickly before washing our hands, no one saying anything. Taylor has been in a funk since we have gotten into the city, and Emma has been too busy groping Victor the entire night to care or notice anything else.

Opening the door, I am the first to exit, walking into a hard male chest, causing me to stumble back into Charity, who had followed behind me. Where our skin connects feels like acid, and I think I’d prefer that to this. My mind rattled wildly like a rabid animal locked away in a cage.

While I wanted to peel back my skin from where we touched, I couldn’t help the blossoming satisfaction of knowing this man took the bait I laid out for him.

“Your date shouldn’t let something so precious wander off without protection,” The man purrs at me, his eyes practically black from l**t as if he wants to take me in the hallway. I try my hardest to bite the bile rising in my throat; he is old enough to be my father. “A

big bad wolf might come along and try to take you.”

“I don’t think I have anything to worry about,” I say, trying to sidestep him and continue back to our seat, but he moves to block me.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” he sneers as he steps closer, bending down to inhale my scent lightly.

“I wouldn’t be so sure little wolf,” The man says, his voice dripping with desire and want. The sound of l**t on his lips, like nails on a chalkboard, irritates my ear drums. As I am about to say something more, I feel the heaviness of an arm wrapping around my shoulder, pulling me into the side of Theo’s warm chest.

“I thought we were supposed to meet back at the box, babe,” Theo says, and I can feel the confused looks on Emma and Taylor’s faces as they watch Theo lay a small k**s on my temple. Neither of us was comfortable with this part of the plan, but we knew what to do if the creep acted the way I suspected he would. He was biting at the chance to show off in front of me. I knew he would seek me out at the first chance available. Men are predictable like that.

Taylor splutters and points like she wants to make a stupid remark that will ruin the whole thing until Charity jabs her in the side, making her shut her mouth before it can run away from her.

“Darling, you deserve to have an Alpha protecting you,” the stranger says, his voice overly sweet, but underneath is the subtle hint of a threat. “You never know what could happen otherwise.”

The reflex to gag at his words rises in my throat, but I stop it before it comes out. Instead, I say, “Why are you offering?” My eyes never left his, regardless of how much I wanted to be as far away from him as possible. He steps closer. I can feel Theo tugging me behind him to protect me, but I don’t let him planting my feet as if they had grown roots.

“Of course, I am a strong Alpha,” he says, an easy smile spreading across his teeth, looking like the bird that caught the canary. Unlike the actual vomit, I cannot stop the word vomit that leaves his mouth as I tilt my nose to the air, smelling it, looking for the unmistakable scent of an Alpha instead, finding a strange smell that has the undertones of garbage to it. “Funny, you don’t smell like an Alpha.”

My response elicits snickers, covered by coughs from my friends, as the stranger growls lowly, his eyes flashing between black and their standard color, pissed at my disrespect. In the low guttural growl of his wolf, the man says, “I would watch who you disrespect, little wolf,” the guy says, lowering his face a few inches to be in my direct line of sight. “You’re making an enemy where you want to make a friend. I promise I won’t be as nice during our next meeting.”

“Well, that’s sound advice. I will take it into consideration, but I don’t need more friends,” I say, as the lights in the hall start flashing to signal those standing around that there are two minutes before the musical resumes. “Looks like we are required back at our seats. Excuse us,” I finish, shoving past him, our shoulders roughly brushing, my skin burning in irritation.

I hear the silent steps of my friends following behind me and a low growl coming from the mystery man as he watches us walk away. While Theo and Charity knew about things, Emma and Taylor had no clue what that was about. Their curiosity is so thick in the air that I practically taste it on my tongue.

I am opening the link to Emma and Taylor, not wanting anyone to overhear. Not sure who I could trust. “Don’t worry. I will tell you about it later at the hotel.’

‘Good,’ I hear Taylor’s voice in my head, ‘because I have so many questions about what the hell just happened.’ Her words made me chuckle. Of course, Taylor has questions; she is about as inquisitive as Sherlock Holmes.

‘Yeah, because that was just f*****g weird,’ Emma includes, ‘Who the f**k was that forty-year-old creatin. I swear he was going to kidnap you then and there.’

‘I don’t know,’ I say back, sitting back down in my seat of the box just as the lights dimmed so that the second half of the show could begin. ‘But that’s what I want to find out.’ I respond, my eyes focusing on the stage, the stranger’s gaze rushing over my body like ice water, making me feel uncomfortable.

Refusing to give in to his unwanted attention, I plant my gaze firmly ahead, refusing to relent or show him a moment of weakness or fear. Even though my brain could explode from the pressure building within. This unknown man, who is old enough to be my father, has made his intentions of having me known, but the question desperately needing an answer is why?