68

Before stepping out the front door, I heard a shrill voice outside that sounded quite upset. I hesitantly pulled the door open and saw a pretty woman waving her arms wildly in front of Resul. Noticing me, she glared at me, which made my stomach clench uncomfortably.

"Take off my red shirt right now!" she snarled at me, taking a step towards me. I automatically took a step back nervously, because I had the feeling that she was about to jump at my throat.

"Selina, let it go. She has nothing to wear and you have more than enough, so leave her alone," Resul spoke soothingly and placed his hand on her shoulder. But she just gritted her teeth and slapped his hand away in anger.

"I'm not welfare and certainly not for your little bitches!"

Staring at Resul, her index finger pointed right at me, causing my eyes to drop to the floor. How could she talk like that about someone she didn't even know. She must have been his sister, but they had nothing in common.

"You really don't know who you're dealing with, sis," he said, amused. "She's not one of my sluts. That's Alicia, Killian's mate."

Hearing his name gave me goosebumps on my arms again, and just as my thoughts were about to wander back to him, Selina's loud snort snapped me back to reality. Without saying another word, she pushed past me into the house and only when she slammed the door behind me did I dare to raise my head again. Resul laughed and rolled his eyes and approached me to comfort him.

"You two will certainly not become friends anymore. She's just Selina, don't worry about it."

"Well, maybe yes, if I give her her things back as soon as I have new ones." I looked at him questioningly, but he just laughed, which confused me a bit.

"Not even then. She's been in love with Killian since she was 16. You're her biggest enemy from now on. I'm really sorry for you."

I looked at him in surprise. I hadn't even thought about the fact that there were other women who were in love with Killian. The rumors about the alphas in the south were always the same and that they had several partners in addition to their mate was mentioned often enough. Though I tried to suppress the feeling, that destructive jealousy kicked in again, making me clench my teeth. I didn't want it and my mind kept trying to thwart my instincts, but she wasn't supposed to get it either, I was sure of that.

"Is someone jealous?" Resul grinned at me and nudged my arm in amusement, but I avoided his gaze, not wanting him to see my flushed cheeks.

The loud roar of a car broke the awkward silence between us and when I looked over to the road I recognized the SUV and Damiano at the wheel, but there was no sign of Killian, which unsettled me slightly.

The big one gave me a friendly nod and then turned his gaze sternly to his brother to beckon him over. Resul gave me a reassuring wink and then walked over to his brother's car, where the two of them were whispering to each other, glancing at me again and again, making me play with my fingers nervously.

Are they talking about me?

Then Damiano gave me a sign, too, that I should get in. While I ran nervously to the car, Resul stood alone on the side of the road. It was really a shame not to have his childish ways around me anymore, but I would definitely see him again soon. I jumped into the passenger seat of the big SUV and made myself comfortable in the red leather seats. As soon as my door was closed, Killian's smell flew towards me and brought an unwanted smile to my face.

Damiano advised me to buckle up and then started the car. I immediately understood why he was advising me to do this, because he was driving way too fast for my standards. I clung to my seat and widened my eyes until laughter rang in my ears. It was similar to Resul's laugh, which immediately showed that they were brothers.

"Don't worry. I'll get us to our destination safely," he said amused and then looked over at me with a grin. I understood his laugh, because it must have looked really funny. A small, pale girl, digging her fingernails into a leather seat. I had to laugh at this idea, and with the outburst of emotion my mood brightened again.

From all the giggling, I didn't even notice that we stopped in front of a library. Only when Damiano spoke to me did I come back to the here and now.

"See you, Alicia," he whispered to me, then waited for me to unbuckle my seat belt and get out, then screeched off, tires screeching. I looked after him in bewilderment and then turned to the shop window, which attracted my curiosity. There were so many books that I didn't know and also many that I had read several times.

"Beautiful," I suddenly heard Killian's voice next to me and only then did I notice that he was leaning against a wall to my right and watching me attentively. With a jerk, his hands pulled me into his strong arms, which immediately brought the familiar pink color to my cheeks. He buried his face in my hair and sniffed my scent while his arms tightened around me, but still carefully, careful not to hurt me. I melted in his arms. Goodbye mind, hello instinct, I thought to myself and suddenly it felt completely right to be standing here in his embrace. His scent soothed me while his hands gently caressed my back and made my heart dance. I let out a small, contented sigh,

"Did you miss me?" he asked as lovingly as if we had waited a lifetime for each other. But I couldn't get the right words out, I could only stammer.

"Not for a second," I stuttered, overwhelmed, wanting to appear cheeky and not make it too easy for him. I didn't want him to think that I'd already forgiven him for all of that. Also, a part of me, if only a small part, was still afraid of him. Not in front of him as a mate, but in front of him as an alpha.

Instead of being annoyed at my answer, he just grinned and pinched my cheek in amusement.

"It'll be fine. Now we'll buy you something to wear."

"How do you know I need something to wear?"

"The smell of Selina covers yours, I don't like that."

Of course he recognized her smell. He must have inhaled it many times before. The images that formed in my head made me incredibly angry. I pulled my face from his hands, crossed my arms and growled softly in his direction. I could almost see his brain rattling and trying to make sense of what was going on. But he came to no decision. Visibly irritated, he then carefully took my hand, kissed it tenderly and then pulled me towards the city center.