Outcast: The Alpha King’s Beloved by Blue Tears
CHAPTER 29 VALENTINE’S DAY
Anthony’s POV:
Just now, on our way to the hospital, I had secretly observed Jennifer. She had been looking around excitedly, as if she was fascinated by the bustling street. I knew that she had a hard time while living in the Dark River Pack. Back then, she probably didn’t have the chance to experience the simple enjoyment of wandering around the streets. I wanted to give her at least a bit of the happiness that she missed out on.
“Let’s go.” I grabbed her hand and led her out of the hospital and into the busy street.
For a moment, Jennifer seemed to be stunned, because her hand was stiff in mine, but then she hooked her little finger onto mine. Her movements were careful and cautious, with a trace of girlish shyness.
When I glanced sideways and saw the flush on her pretty face, I couldn’t help but smile.
“You want to be with her,” Zane pointed out. “Anthony, how long will you go on deceiving yourself? You have fallen in love with her. Just accept your mate. Hurry up! Don’t hesitate.”
“Can you stop nagging at me?” I retorted impatiently. “I don’t like listening to nonsense.”
“Don’t lie to yourself,” Zane sneered. “Don’t you want to kiss her? Don’t you want to make love to her? Don’t you have any desire for her? Think about what you did last night!”
“What did I do last night?” I asked my wolf in confusion. I really couldn’t remember what had happened last night.
“I also lost my consciousness after you were shot. But you were n*ake*d and alone in the cave with her. What else could you have done? Think it over.”
“Shut up!” Unable to stand Zane’s words anymore, I blocked him out of my mind. I couldn’t even remember how many times I had shut out Zane like this after meeting Jennifer.
Thanks to Zane’s annoying words, the possibilities of what could have happened last night popped into my head, making me restless again, but I managed to suppress those thoughts.
Holding Jennifer’s hand, I walked down the street among the throng of passers-by. Both sides of the street were lined with shops, where vendors were selling all kinds of little trinkets. I looked at the werewolves on the street and found that most of them were walking around in pairs. I was slightly stunned. It was only then that I realized today was Valentine’s Day.
I stole a glance at Jennifer, who was staring at the windows of the shops with undisguised yearning in her eyes.
There was a flower shop on the right side of the street. When we passed by, the owner of the shop stopped me.
“Sir, you and this beautiful lady are a perfect match. Today is Valentine’s Day. Would you like to buy her a bunch of flowers?”
Hearing this, Jennifer smiled awkwardly.
“Sorry, we are not—” she began, trying to explain.
“Okay,” I said to the owner of the flower shop, interrupting Jennifer.
I knew she wanted to tell the owner that we were not a couple, but for some reason, I didn’t want to hear that from her. There were so many couples on the street, and many of the she-wolves were holding flowers in their hands. Seeing that made me want to buy a bunch of flowers for Jennifer as well. She deserved to have what others did.
“Sir, there are the most beautiful red roses in our shop. They are fresh, and air-freighted from Bulgaria,” the owner of the flower shop said warmly, pointing at the most dazzling bunch of roses in the shop. “Have a look. Do you like them?”
I let my gaze fall on the bunch of red roses, which looked fresh and delicate, with dew dotting the petals. Each rose seemed to be carefully picked and exquisitely packaged. They would be perfect for Jennifer.
“Okay, I’ll take them,” I said, picking up the bunch of red roses. After inquiring about the price, I paid the amount.
“Sir, may you and this lady love each other and live a happy life together forever,” the owner of the flower shop said with a sincere smile, giving us his best wishes.
With the corners of my lips raised into a smile, I carefully handed the bouquet of beautiful red roses to Jennifer.
Jennifer seemed to be in a daze. She slowly took over the bouquet of roses and leaned down to inhale the fragrance of the fresh flowers.
“Thank you, Mr. Jones.” Her face was redder than the roses, making her look irresistible.
I cleared my throat and explained, “I only bought them for you because the other women on the street are holding flowers. If you were the only one walking around without flowers, you would look pitiful.”
“Well, whatever the reason. Thank you, Mr. Jones,” Jennifer said with a playful smile. “The roses are beautiful.”
“Just like you.” The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them.
“What?” It seemed that Jennifer hadn’t heard me clearly.
“Nothing,” I mumbled, quickly turning around to hide my unease. “Follow me.”
With the flowers in her hands, Jennifer followed me closely.
The two of us walked down the bustling street. The whole time, she was smiling from ear to ear, as if this was the happiest moment of her life.
Since it was Valentine’s Day, the street was packed with werewolves, making it hard to walk around. A she-wolf accidentally bumped into Jennifer, and then apologized to her, to which Jennifer replied that it didn’t matter. I reached out and held Jennifer’s waist to help her steady her balance.
As soon as that she-wolf walked away, I asked Jennifer, “Why are you so careless? What if you fell down just now?”
“I wouldn’t fall with you by my side,” Jennifer said with a bright smile.
“You are so stupid that you can’t even walk safely on your own.” I glared at her and tightened my arm around her waist, taking this excuse to hold her. “I’m afraid you’ll fall down. It’s safer to walk like this.”
“Thank you very much, Mr. Jones. You’re so kind.” Jennifer didn’t protest at all. She lifted the bunch of red roses to her nose to smell them again, and smiled.
Looking at the cute way she was acting filled my heart with warmth.
We walked down the street with my arm wrapped around Jennifer’s waist. Every now and then, I stole a glance at her. The two of us looked just like all the other couples on the street. The word “happiness” suddenly popped into my mind.
Perhaps this was what happiness was, a plain and simple feeling.
When we passed by a dessert shop, I found Jennifer’s gaze lingering on a strawberry cake in the display.
“Jennifer, how about we have some dessert?” I suggested.
“Okay!” Jennifer was so happy that she almost jumped up and gave me a hug.
With my arm around her waist, I took her into the dessert shop and ordered two strawberry cakes.
To be honest, I didn’t enjoy sweets at all, but when I saw Jennifer enjoy her cake with relish, I felt that the cake tasted very sweet, too.
“It tastes so good,” Jennifer told me, smiling with satisfaction. “I like strawberry cakes the most. I didn’t expect you to have the same taste as me.”
“If you like cakes that much, I can take you to a dessert shop on Marge Island later,” I said.
Jennifer’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“I mean, we can drop by when we’re on the way to the palace or something. After all, we both like strawberry cakes,” I explained hurriedly.
In fact, I really hated the taste of strawberry cakes. If it weren’t for Jennifer, I would never have ordered a cake that was so sickeningly sweet. Of course, these were thoughts that I had to suppress in my mind. I couldn’t tell her the truth.
“Thank you, Mr. Jones.” Jennifer popped a small chunk of strawberry into her mouth. “It’s my honor to have dessert with you.”
I noticed a few crumbs of cake at the corner of her mouth and couldn’t help reaching out to wipe them away for her. My fingers accidentally grazed against her soft lips. I couldn’t forget the touch.
In front of my eyes, Jennifer blushed again.
When I saw her shy face, my heart skipped a beat. Desire roared inside my body, like it had been awakened again.
After finishing the cakes, we walked out of the dessert shop together. Jennifer suddenly handed me the bunch of roses and told me to wait for her there.
“Mr. Jones, I want to give you a gift too.”
It was the first time that I patiently waited for someone. It took quite a while for Jennifer to return, but I didn’t feel irritated at all.
“Mr. Jones, here you are.” Jennifer handed me a shopping bag.
I took it from her with a smile. But when I was about to open the bag to see what was inside, she stopped me.
“This isn’t a gift you can open in public. You can take a look after we go back.”
“What’s so mysterious that I can’t look at it in public? What’s in the bag?” I asked curiously.
Jennifer lowered her eyes and smiled shyly.
“Well, it’s… underwear.”
With a red face, Jennifer scratched her head awkwardly. “I’m sorry. I tore up your underwear last night.”
I didn’t know what to say. The first gift Jennifer gave me was underwear? Could she be any more outrageous?
Moreover, I just realized that I had been wandering around the streets the whole day without wearing any underwear.
Being with Jennifer made me feel something that I had never felt before. It made me lose all my senses. I didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry.
“What’s wrong? Are you unhappy with the gift, Mr. Jones?” Jennifer asked nervously, biting her lower lip. “I just wanted to give you a surprise.
I’m sorry…” A surprise? Was she sure that it was supposed to be a surprise and not a shock?
However, I couldn’t bear to see her so crestfallen, so I f*orc*ed a smile that I was sure made me look uglier than if I began crying.
“Don’t apologize. Thank you for the gift. I like it very much. It’s an unforgettable gift.” I was sure that I could never forget this gift in my lifetime.
“Well, I’m glad you like it.” A smile finally returned to Jennifer’s face. Looking at her beautiful face, I didn’t know what to say. I probably would never forget the surprise I had received on this special Valentine’s Day.