23. Get out of my room.

Elena.

I remained on my bed as soon as I was back with Diego, I had gone to pick him up from his school and we were such good friends now such that everyone in the pack were shocked at our closeness. I've also noticed how much he spoke whenever he was free with me, about his school, his friends and everything he had done in school.

He's such a bubbly and adorable little boy that I find myself so whipped by.

As I lay on my bed, I couldn't help but think back to my encounter with the alpha a couple of days ago and how I had tried to avoid him or anything that had to do with his presence since then. But despite the avoidance with his presence, he didn't seem to leave my mind for a second. Even his smell seemed stuck to my nostrils. He smells good, like soap and cigars and testosterone, like a midnight walk in the woods.

It made me remember how he had felt when I looked so scared of him in his study, something about my response and behaviour towards him had dissatisfied him so much that his smirk vanished. He had leant over me, planting his hands on the wall on either side of me. He looked dangerous now. Dangerous and beautiful, all clenched jaw and burning eyes, his nose inches from mine. His voice stayed soft, though, so I knew he wasn't exactly angry.

I shook my head vehemently to gwt the image out of my head. I do not want to be so intrigued by this dangerous man, yet I am. I know in my heart there isn’t a future with him, that I’m better off staying far, far away… but he is like a puzzle that one have been trying to solve for so long, it can be so disappointing to walk away when the pieces are finally starting to come together, right?

Ugh! This is so confusing for me!

"Elena?" A voice called and I didn't need anyone to tell me who that authoritative voice belonged to... it could only be one person. The alpha.

My heart hammered in my chest as I got off my bed and out of my room, I rushed down the stairs only to find Mr. Deangelo at the end of the stairs waiting for me.

I closed my eyes, shivering, mostly because I was just so overwhelmed by him. I mean, he’s beautiful, not to mention terrifying, and dark, and broad. I could feel the throb of something heated through my core, my body tensing. The dark suit he was in fit him perfectly, maybe even better than the usual ones and like last time, his huge, broad shoulders strain at the material and stretch his crisp white dress-shirt across a thick, muscled chest.

And he was tall all over that he towered over me. I chance a look up again, and this time, I fell in, big time. Those dark, powerful, gorgeous eyes of his pulled me in. I was sucked into his power, drawn in by the perfect symmetry of his clean-shaven jaw, his defined cheekbones, and those perfect lips. The dark power that seemed to swirl around him.

It was just so crazy because this man doesn’t even know me, and I don’t know him other than reputation. And yet I was instantly connected to him. His dark eyes locked right into mine, and this time, I couldn't help but shiver. He saw it, and his lips pull back in a knowing smile.

It was almost as if we were both communicating in some secret language through our eyes. It made me tremble.

Mr. Deangelo's jaw tightened, and a shadow of something crossed his face as his eyes blazed then his voice raised as he spoke until he was practically spitting the words out. And all the while, my heart only beat faster and faster, my breath catching with his words.

"Where is Mia?" He asked.

"Uh? Uhm... she should be in her room. Sir." I said, confused because Mia comes home through the bus after her practice and she ought to be back about an hour ago.

"Well, would you like to go up there and bring her out of there if she's in it?" He asked in a sarcastic manner that I didn't even need anyone to tell me that Mia was of course not in her room.

Obviously? If she was in there, I wouldn't be called down here to be asked about her, would I?

"Uhm... I guess she's yet to be back?" I added, seeing that she was obviously not back yet.

"You guess? Elena, do you realize that you're standing in front of me right now and telling me with confidence that my daughter, your ward is yet to be back from school even when she should have been at home over an hour ago?" He snapped, his voice raising per word.

Before I could reply and say something, anything at all that I could muster up within seconds, we all heard footsteps walk in and I was more than relieved to see that it was no one other than the cause of this confrontation. Mia.

Mr. Deangelo directed his attention away from me and to his daughter as his brows knitted in obvious anger, "and where on earth are you coming from, young lady?" He said sternly to her.

We all focused on her while she looked around in a mean and bratty way. I took notice of her uniform, one that had been pressed to perfection and then at the adorable black flats on her feet. The wine coloured skirt was tight at her waist and flared down to above her knees where her thigh-high stockings accentuate her tall legs. Her white button-down shirt was tucked into the skirt’s high-waist. A wine coloured ribbon snaked around her neck like a dainty tie. She also wore the obviously obligatory school jacket on which the school’s golden symbol was engraved; a shield and a crown.

Her curly hair that danced in between brown and gold fell in a fluffy way down her back, almost reaching her torso. The mascara enhanced her eyelashes and brought out her emerald eyes.

But despite the mascara and little makeup, I was quick to pick up a little line that ran from her eyes down her cheek, and I was convinced that it was a dried tear. Her skirt also had a little stains and so did the shirt that her jacket was covering, although, they weren't so obvious.

Instead of her answering her father's question, she proceeded to bypass him and also me as she began to climb up the stairs like she had not heard him at all.

Uh?

"Did you not hear me ask you a question just now, Mia? Have you suddenly gone deaf too? Why on earth are you just coming back from school, I'm sure the school bus didn't wait to pick you because I called and they said every student had been dropped! How did you get home on your own?" He yelled, visibly pissed.

"Oh please, dad. Just stop it already, stop acting like you care about me when you obviously don't. When did you start caring about me going to school, coming back from school and what not? Please, maintain the same energy that you've been showing towards me instead of this hypocrisy. It stinks!" She said rudely and themln stormed up the stairs.

We all heard the door of her room bang loudly and it made me flinch a little. Mr. Deangelo sighed with anger and then stormed away into his study, all the staff that had gathered around also dispersed immediately, while talking in hushed tones.

It was very obvious that something was wrong with Maya so I decided to try my luck and speak to her. For some reason, she just kept reminding me of myself and if there's anything to take from that, it meant that she was going through something that nobody cared to speak to her about.

I knocked on her room and when I didn't get any response, I walked in. "What do you want?" She yelled as soon as the door opened.

She was about to put off her white shirt but started to put is back on when I walked in but not before I caught a glimpse of some red spots on her arm.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked, looking very worried and concerned about her.

"Talk about what?" She snapped, visibly angry.

"How was school? Your friends? Are you okay?" I asked as I moved closer to her.

"Oh please! Why do you care? Who are you? Ugh! Just get out of my room, please!" She snapped again.

"You can talk to me about anything, Mia. I can help you, I promise you don't have to bottle it all in and go through it alone... I can..."

"Ugh! Get out of my room!" She yelled so loudly this time and I flinched, when she saw that I still wasn't moving, she yelled again, "I don't want to talk to you, get out!"

At that point, I knew I had to do as she had said so I walked out of her room with a sigh. I walked back down the stairs and I came across Sofia who had a smirk on her face for a reason I couldn't understand, "you're trying too much, learn to give the kids their privacy." She simply said to me and walked away.

I looked at my hands in embarrassment, wondering if that was true.