BENEATH HER DARKNESS: The Alpha’s Little Demon
Chapter 135 – Someone Brave Enough
LUCY…
I opened the door to Adan’s office and let Patrea and Althea in.
“Are you both ready?” I asked, my gaze shifting between them before I gave them a hug.
“Excited!” Althea exclaimed.
“I wish we could take you with us! It’ll be fun!” Patrea said, winking at me.
“I can hear you, Patrea,” Adan grunted, and it made the three of us giggle before I turned around and walked to sit on Adan’s armrest while Patrea and Althea took the couches near us.
“So, is there anything we need to know before we leave?” Patrea asked.
Adan opened his drawer, pulled out a thick envelope, and placed it on top of his desk. “This is for Althea, from Blade?”
“Blade? Whatever is in there, I don’t want it.” Althea stated coldly.
“Check it first.” Adan pushed the envelope further without taking his eyes off her.
I held my breath as I watched her stand up and walk toward the table. I told Adan I could personally hand it to Althea, but he wanted to be the one to explain everything to her, and he promised me he would not lie on behalf of Blade.
Althea picked up the envelope, and her eyes widened as she immediately placed it back on the table. “No. First, it’s a big amount of money. And second, if this is his way of buying me off because I let his mark stay, you can return the money to him. I don’t need it.”
Adan squeezed my hand, and I knew he wanted me to remain quiet, so I did.
“I know you don’t need it. But take it. It’s his life savings. He wants you to have it and start the life you have always wanted. Find the best university and enroll yourself, make the most of your life. Don’ t feel like you owe him anything with this money because you owe him nothing. He gave it out of his own free will.”
“I don’t buy it. What does he want in return?”
“Nothing. Just to make sure you are provided with everything you need and want.”
“I’m used to having nothing.”
“Blade likes you, Althea.”
“He likes me, but not enough for him to stay.” She cut him off immediately.
“He has his own demons that he needs to fight before he can offer himself to you. And he’s not sure if he could destroy that demon inside him.”
“I don’t need him, and I’m not going to wait for him.”
“He doesn’t want you to wait. He wants you to move on and have the life you deserve.”
“Which I’m going to do.” She tilted her head up. She was facing this head-on.
Brave Althea.
“Which is the right thing to do. Lucy and I will be here every step of the way. You don’t owe anything to Blade, whether you use that money or not.
Whatever you decide to do with it, it’s your choice. You owe it to yourself, to enjoy and see life differently.”
“I’m not sure using it will help me move on.”
“Use it to make new memories.” I b*tted in.
“This is all the money he has. What about him?” Her face softened as her gaze fell back to the envelope.
A smile tugged on Adan’s lips, and I knew what he was thinking — even if Althea was mad at Blade for abandoning her, she was still thinking about his welfare.
“Blade is used to living with just the basics. How do you think he saved all of that? He said he didn’t know why he was saving money from day one, but he now knew the reason why. So please take it. You don’t have to use it if you don’t want to.”
“I’m going to buy a car, and many clothes, and I will party every Friday night.” She started blabbering as tears trickled down her face, and my heart was crushed at the sight of young Althea trying her best to be brave. “I will travel everywhere. I will have fun and forget about the first man who broke my heart. And I hope that one day I will meet someone who is brave enough to fight for me.”
I stood up from where I was sitting and wrapped my arms around her. Her body was wracked with sobs as purple mist engulfed us.
“I’m sorry, Althea…” I had no idea how I would console her, so I let her hold on to me tightly as she let out all her cries.
After a while, her sobs subsided. She swiped her eyes with the back of her hands before she pulled away from my arms.
“Would it be too much if I requested not to be invited to occasions where he will be here?”
“I will make sure of that. You have my word.” Adan responded.
After that, we all talked for a while about final reminders, and then we said our goodbyes. Patrea and Althea refused to have a convoy of warriors follow them, but Adan wouldn’t back down and insisted until both females had no choice but to allow one car with three warriors to go with them.
Adan told me through our mind links that he had to make sure they would settle in the place he had chosen for them, or he would need to answer to two males. Not that he was afraid of them, but he just didn’t want him on his tail.
He didn’t tell me who they were, but I a*s*sumed one of them was my brother, whose aura I felt in the pack house earlier but who hadn’t made his presence known to me. So, I guess he went to see Patrea.
They’re both adults, old enough to hold themselves accountable for their actions, and I was hoping they would do better than how Althea and Blade handled theirs.
I waved as Patrea drove the car out of the packhouse grounds, followed by the car that would escort them to where they were headed.
I let out a deep breath as my head leaned against Adan’s shoulder and my hand went to my stomach. “Are you sad?” Adan asked as his hand met mine, and he began rubbing my stomach gently.
“I am, but I do understand.”
“How about I make you happy tonight?”
“Hmmm… Aren’t you making me happy every night already?”
“Am I?” He asked, brows hiking up. He turned his body around and faced me, coiling his arms around my waist as our gazes met. “Would you like to have dinner with me, Lucy?”
“Are you asking me for a date?” I asked, my eyes widening.
He nodded his head and bit his lower lip as if he would p@ssout if I said no. But, of course, I would never say no.
“I’d never been on a date,” I told him while his hand was tucking my stray hair behind my ear.
A smile tugged on his lips before it turned into his usual smug grin. “Really?”
I nodded my head, happiness brewing inside me. “Will you give me the honor of being your first date and all the dates you will have for the rest of your life?”
“You know the rest of our lives means almost eternity… So be careful what you are asking for.” “Okay, let me repeat that… Will you give me the honor of being your first date, and all the dates you will have for the rest of your life, up to eternity, and the life after that, and all the lives that we will have after the afterlife?” “Yes! Oh, Adan! I want nothing but life with you in all realms and all the lifetimes that we will have!” My arms wrapped around him as I hugged him tightly.
My heart clenched at our words because I had no idea what the future held for us, but I would trust Selene with all my heart.
“Will you tell me about your shoulder?” I asked him as we ate our dinner.
Adan took me to one of the restaurants within the territory, where a private, enclosed gazebo was set up just for the two of us. The atmosphere was cozy and inviting, and Adan had been nothing but a generous date who pampered me throughout. I knew I shouldn’t be interrupting this moment, but I ’d been thinking about it for a week now, and I was hoping the serene ambiance would help him relax and share a part of himself that he hadn’t shared with anyone.
“What do you want to know about it?” He asked as he sipped the red wine that he paired with his steak. “How come you don’t want anyone holding it?” I wanted to back out of asking the moment his forehead creased. Maybe I was pushing too much. “I let you hold it…” He said it while chuckling.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it now. I understand.” I smiled at him as I pushed a forkful of meat into my mouth.
“Are you mad?” he asked.
“No. I was thinking maybe telling me would help you feel better.” I smiled warmly at him. “But I understand if you can’t.”
“I don’t want to open old wounds.”
I nodded my head and took a sip of non-alcoholic sparkling wine while staring out the window. I would just let it go. It was not worth ruining a good night.
“I was eight years old and was sent to an Alpha camp.” He began talking.
My head swung in his direction, and our eyes met. “I met Blade there, he was two years older, so he had his own group of friends. I used to think Ethan and I were budd*ies. I was too trusting, not realizing that at that age, he was already competing with me.”