Chapter 15
/His POV/
When Nate woke up late on Sunday evening, vision blurry and temples throbbing he immediately fell back into an all-consuming haze of confusion and warmth. Looking next to him, the Alpha found a beta sleeping, barely covered by the messy blankets, her body lean and sticky with slick and come, her breathing peaceful. It was easy for him to form a conclusion based on the visual.
They slept together.
The thought was still strange to him, unfamiliar, but it felt right and real, too. After all, they were intoxicated, too gone to realise what urged them to wind up together.
The warm body tucked in his arms squirmed with a quiet huffed noise, small feet digging between his ankles. Nate tightened his arm around Allie, who hummed ever so softly and nuzzled her head backwards. The motion deepened their spoon, his chin digging in on the crook of her neck and their bodies fitting together.
He stilled for a while, not daring to move as she was still sleeping in his arms. The Alpha was silent for a long beat. Allie looked so peaceful in her sleep, eyes half-closed and lips parted slightly to exhale puffs of hair. She clutched on to the sheets as if her life depended on them.
The frat house was suspiciously quiet, which made him swallow. It appeared a lot like the silence before the storm.
Nate thumbed over her navel and nuzzled his nose behind her ear, fluttering his eyes close when he felt her shift. She pushed his hand away with a muffled giggle, but her body stopped shifting. Allie settled with her round bottom nestled against his groin.
The Alpha lightly sucked on her neck. "Morning"
It took a moment, but a positive-sounding, "Mmm," was hummed from her side. She sagged into the mattress, her voice quiet and groggy. "So tired and sore."
Nate tried not to smirk, feeling his chest swell with pride that he had worn her out. Shifting closer, the football captain made a sound, his nose pressing against the hollow of her neck. "Sorry. Do you need anything? I can run a hot bath for you."
"Thanks," Allie said, half asleep. His warm palm smoothed circles on her lower stomach.
At once, he was sitting up, pressing a firm hand to his chest to keep his heart from beating straight out of it. Slipping into his shorts, harsh reality slammed into him. The bet. A foolish thing he made with Ben in the heat of the moment. Before she found out about any of it, the Alpha should get her out.
Anxiety gripped him as he heard footsteps approaching their room, getting louder.
"Allie you need to get dressed" He gritted his teeth, pushing at the duvet. "Now"
"Why?" The beta rasped, tilting her head, eyes still screwed shut. Nate nudged her enough until she sat back against the headboard, slapping his hands away. He handed her clothes, chewing on his lips while staring at the door.
Allie was dressed just in time to see a confetti cannon fired directly in Nates room. White feathers flew over the bed, showering their bodies and getting tangled in their hair. The pounding music was marred by laughter from that one person he didn't want to see in the morning. Ben.
"Get the fuck out of my room," Nate shouted over the noise, pointedly staring at his team mate. He shook feathers out of his hair, standing in nothing but hovers. "You hear me? Move."
Chris came running behind, gasping for breath as he met the Alphas eyes. His best friend was flushed all over. "I tried to stop him, Nate."
Theo and Sheldon, two of the players, were also standing behind, red in the face.
Ben smirked, standing at the end of the bed with his arms crossed over his chest, then arched an eyebrow. "I suppose both of you had a nice night."
The Alpha clenched his jaw and shook his head, but Bens face only glittered with more amusement, a sick sort of darkness clouding his eyes. Why did he agree to it? The ridiculous bet. He couldn't believe that his team mate would resort to such a sick act.
The beta stuttered, shifting in her seat, face pale all of a sudden. "Wh-What is happening?"
Taking a deep breath, Nate put on a sly smile despite his stomach's turning and gripped her wrist. "Just go with it," The Alpha whispered against her lips, begging. "Please, just play a—"
Allie shoved his face away, crossing her arms. "No! What the fuck is all this?"
His heart pounded in his throat, and his hands shook. The falling feeling from the night before took on a whole new height and level of fear, his insides flipping upside down. The Alpha had never felt so small before, so embarrassed.
"Uhh...he's just teasing you," Nate laughed as naturally as he could. Sweat trickled down his forehead, stomach tightening at the sudden heat in the room. "Relax, baby, relax."
Allie scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Relax?! How can I do that with him in the room?"
He was very well aware that she's referring to Ben still standing closer to their bed. After all, he did creep her by asking her out and then continually finding ways to talk to her on the field.
Another explosion of feathers showered over them.
"He doesn't mean any harm. Think of it like an initiation," Nate said with an extra lazy drawl. He pointed both index fingers at the players, his eyes darting over her.
Allie squinted at him with feathers floating around her head, loud music fading into the background as she pushed herself off the bed. "Are you fucking kidding me, Nate?"
Ben rounded the bed as if to get to Allie, but before he could do that, Nate curled his arm around her. Only that would have worked if she hadn't shoved him away. Ouch! He deserved that.
"Now, you leave her alone, Ben. Now is not the time"Nate warned as his chest heaved faster, his voice playful but his expression dead serious.
Ben smiled innocently. "Aww, but I am only trying to celebrate the big win, Nate. Look at me be a good sport even after losing to you."
Nates grin faltered. He gave another tiny, near-invisible head shake and Ben laughed aloud, delighted. Shit! That asshole was going for it. He clapped his hands. "Oh, you haven't told her yet?"
"Told me what?" Allie raised her brow.
Ben cunningly smiled. "Oh, just this!"
He pulled his mobile and holding Nates eyes pressed on the play button. A harsh static sound echoed around the room before they heard the familiar sound. Two voices. There was just enough volume to their conversation to be heard in the stillness of the room. It played the recording of them talking them about the bet.
Allie fell half-forward and gripped the footboard of the bed.
Nate froze, rushing to her side. "Allie" His eyes darted around the room of players, all of them watching his every move. "Please let me explain."
"Yeah, Allie let him explain" Ben drawled mockingly, a devilish smirk playing on his lips.
It was theatrical, almost operatic, how things were executed. The room went silent and slow to the Alpha, even though the crowd continued to breathe loudly. Nate opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He could hear himself gasping breaths in, could listen to his heart pounding in his ears, could feel feathers pooling at his feet, could see Allie slumped against the wall.
The beta stared at him with delicate white feathers swirling around her head. The skin of her face was grey as if she was made of ash and gently crumbling to a pile on the floor. Her knuckles were white, gripping both sides of her shirt. Even though the wall supported her, her hips were sunken forward; shoulders were struggling to maintain naturally perfect posture.
Those eyes. They were the worst. Red and Wet. Cerulean blue contrasting the walls filled with rage and shock. Then disappointment. So, so disappointed, her eyes twitching as they stared.
Nate breathed, "Allie please"
He had lost her. All of her. Those late-night messages. Annoying her in class, making silly jokes just to see her smile. Everything disappeared in the soak of thirty seconds it took for Ben to show the absolute wrong thing at the absolute wrong time. Thirty seconds of recording.
They held their stare for one more breath before Allie choked on a sob and turned away.
He could dodge bodies on the field and dance his way to the end zone, but getting to Allie was like jogging in quicksand. She was a runner. A fast one at that. Rushing past his teammates did nothing as she seemed to levitate, always two steps ahead of him and pushed through the door.
And just like that, she was gone.
***
