Chapter 3

All I can do is stare in disbelief at the person who’s entered the ladies’ room. I can’t help but feel  confused by the man who is only standing there in the doorway, staring at me for what feels like  forever. I shake my head out of his trance and gather myself. ''Can I help you? You do know this is the  lady's room, right?'' I ask, watching his brows raise in amusement. “Yeah, I know,” he mutters, shrugging his shoulders. “So why are you in here? What if someone was changing?” I ask, motioning to the empty room, but he simply laughs. “What is so funny?” I ask, unable to hide the frustration from my tone. 

He ignores my question with a smirk while he begins to make his way toward me slowly. “I saw you  staring at me with those hungry eyes. You can't just look at me like that and walk away,” He says  flirtatiously. My brows crease together in frustration as I walk up to him, getting almost close enough to  touch. “You seem very confused about how I was looking at you. Don't read too much into it,” I say in a  careless tone. “Now, if you will excuse me, I have to find my friend,” I say, flipping my hair over my  shoulder as I walk past him without another word. 

I go to the dance floor, hoping to find Amelia there. No matter where I look, I can't see her, so I start up  the stairs but stop when someone grabs my hand. I turn to see who and find it's the man from the  bathroom again. I sigh in frustration, pulling my hand from his grasp. “Did you not get the hint?” I ask,  raising my eyebrows. He once again ignores my question with a request of his own. “One dance and, I  will leave you alone,” He promises with hope filling his eyes. 

An internal struggle of walking away or giving in crosses my mind, but I fall for the latter. “Fine one  dance, but that's it,” I say sternly, earning a smile from him as the man takes my hand and leads me to  the dance floor. As we make our way through the crowd, I can't figure out why all these women are  staring at me like I stole their damn cake. A blonde woman sticks out of the crowd, and she’s watching  me like she would like to snatch the life out of me. “Do you have a girlfriend or something? That blonde  looks pretty pissed,” I ask, wondering whose toes I’m stepping on. He glances back at me with a severe expression. “No girlfriend,” he claims, then turns ahead.

We stop on the dance floor, and he wastes no time in wrapping an arm around my waist, pulling me in  close, so our bodies touch. I gasp as a fire rushes through my body. I am not used to this feeling, and suddenly this moment and song feel too intimate for two strangers to share. I panic and pull myself out of his hold. “I should go,” I stuttered, unsure of what’s happening to me. I quickly walk off to find Amelia. I didn’t look back to see his face or even give him a chance to ask questions. All I knew at that moment was something about this man makes me feel out of control. 

I walk to the dining hall, and I finally spot Amelia with her parents and Paul. “Hey! Where have you  been?” I ask Amelia, trying to mask my worry. “Paul was showing us around the packhouse. Where have you been? I tried looking for you. It's like You disappeared.” Amelia says. I pause for a moment,  questioning if I should tell my friend the truth. “I'm avoiding some man,'' I whisper so only Amelia can  hear. She looks at me like I have three heads. “All the guys here are handsome. Who could be that bad  you need to avoid them?” She questions, but I don’t know what to tell her. “I don't know his name. I never asked,” I answered. 

Her expression fails to hide her thoughts on how crazy she thinks I am, but she shrugs them away. “Well,  dinner is about to start. You can point him out to me then,” she suggests. I nod, wondering if I’ll even see him in this massive crowd as we make our way to our table. We sit at a round table with Amelia’s family. Unfortunately, Paul’s place is at the Alpha's side for dinner, so he kisses Amelia before walking away to his table. 

A soft hum of conversation fills the air as we wait for the Alpha to arrive. I assume he’s entered when everyone starts to cheer and clap. I look up to see the same handsome man that I left on the dance floor, walking to the Alpha table. “No freaking way,” I say under my breath in complete shock. Amelia looks in my direction. “Something the matter?” she whispers. “That's the guy I've been avoiding all night,” I reply, trying to keep my jaw from hitting the table. 

Amelia’s eyes grow wide as she follows my gaze. “You mean to tell me you have been avoiding the Alpha?” Amelia asks, confused. “How is that possible? That man has never shown interest in  anyone,” she explains. I give her a deadpanned look. “Hmm, I don't know, but he is very persistent,” I say. “You can tell me more later. I want all the details,” she gushes with a smile. 

Before I can argue, I am struck quiet when the Alpha starts to speak. “Thank you all for coming tonight! It is a pleasure to get to know my pack and their families. I hope everyone is enjoying themselves so far,” he says, and right when he says that, he meets my eyes with a smirk before he continues to speak. I roll my eyes at his failure to take a hint. “I want to announce that my Beta Paul has found his mate this  evening, and they will be planning their wedding soon. Let's give the happy couple congrats,” he says,  patting Paul on the back. 

Everyone cheers, and I hear some of the pack is whistling when Paul stands and lifts his glass. “Thank you all! Would my beautiful mate stand as well,” he says, pointing with his glass at Amelia. She stands up and lifts her glass as well. “Cheers to our future!” she says proudly. The cheers erupt, but through the commotion, I catch him staring at me again. ‘Seriously, what's his deal? Why would he even be looking at me? I'm human, and he's an Alpha,’ I think to myself, trying to make sense of this crazy situation.  

I break away from his gaze and hug Amelia. “Congratulations!” I squeal at the thought of wedding planning. “Thank you!” she says with a smile. “Oh, by the way, the Alpha's name is Malachi,” she informs me, but I brush it off. “I don't think it will matter after tonight,” I say, but narrow my eyes when she gives me a mischievous grin. “Don't be so sure; I think he likes you,” she whispers in my ear, causing me to roll my eyes again. “Enough about me and this mystery Alpha. Let’s celebrate you,” I say with a smile. 

When the wait staff brings out the food, everyone begins to eat, and the crowd falls into another lull of  conversation around the tables. While I was looking around, I saw Paul walking over to our table.  “Excuse me for interrupting your conversation, but the Alpha would like a word with you, Miss,” he says,  looking at me. “Me?” I ask, pointing to myself. “Yes, Alpha asked me to bring you to his office,” he  informs, glancing at Amelia for some help encouraging me.  

Amelia looks over at me with a grin on her face. “Go ahead. I'll be here when you're finished,” she  laughs, then proceeds to hump the air when Paul turns his back to us, making fun of me like I was going to sleep with her Alpha. I smack her and stifle a laugh. She straightens up when Paul clears his  throat after turning back to look at us. “You are horrible,” I whisper with a smirk. “Ok, let's go,” I say to  Paul. 

Paul nods and leads me to a secluded room in the back of the building. “Right through that door, Miss,”  he directs, and I suddenly feel nervous. “You're not coming with me,” I ask, hoping the answer is yes,  but that’s not my luck tonight. “No miss, Alpha asked to see you alone,” he admits. I hesitate for a  moment, contemplating my next move. “Um...Ok, bye,” I wave, feeling like my heart is in my throat as Paul walks off down the hall. 

I take a deep breath and open the door, finding the Alpha half seated on his desk. He looks up from the papers he has in his hands. “Come in and please and close the door behind you,” he orders softly. As the door closes behind me, he stands from the desk and walks towards me. “Stop!” I request, bringing my hand up to stop him. "Why did you ask me here?'' I demand, never taking my eyes off him. “I want to understand why I find myself unable to resist you,” he mutters, eyeing my figure. “You are the Alpha. How could you possibly be attracted to a fragile human like me?'' I ask, unable to make sense of any of this. My body is sending me through a whirlwind of unfamiliar emotion that’s clouding my judgment.  

I keep my eyes locked on his as he comes closer, only inches away. It’s at that moment I am made very  aware of how tall he is. He towers over me and looks down into my eyes. “I never in my life wanted  someone this much,” He declares. His hand brushes against mine, and I feel this force like electricity hum between our bodies. I step away from him, looking at him with my eyes wide. “What was that?” I ask with wide eyes. He tries to step closer to me, but I bring my hand up, planting it on his chest, stopping him. He looks deep into my soul, grabbing my hand from his chest and placing it to his lips. “It's how powerful our connection is,” he explains. I look at him, bewildered. “I can't do this. I have to go,” I blurt out, leaving the room quickly.