Raised Among Alphas

33 - A Private Encounter

Alora POV

I woke up to the pounding noise of Kasthor knocking at my door.

"Rise and shine, Ally," I heard him saying, holding his laughter from the other side of the door.

I absolutely hate that nickname, and he knows it damn well. I don't know where he thinks he stands as of right now, but he's undoubtedly oblivious of my rising desire to murder him.

"May your saliva turn to acid and burn your tongue, Kasthor!" I screamed at him, hiding my face in my pillow, wishing for an extra hour of sleep.

Kasthor enters my room without even asking and quickly closes the door behind him at the sight of my naked body. I lifted my head up the second I heard the door opening and felt my blood rushing at the idea of him being accompanied by Jathred or anyone else.

I couldn't care less about Kasthor looking at me. He has seen me naked plenty of times. The sight of my naked body is permanently engraved in his brain, but I panicked at the idea of someone else watching me like this. For some reason, since I met my mate, my body feels more private than ever.

We are werewolves. We are used to shifting all the time, and in that process, we catch each other naked all the time, but for some reason, now I feel different. I was more shy and averted to the idea of someone else looking at me.

Kasthor purred slightly as I pinned my eyes on him while his were lost somewhere between my back and the back of my thighs.

He walked to me slowly and sat down on the bed as his left hand trailed up and down my calf.

"Face-Off starts at 8 pm. You still have a couple of hours to eat something and get ready." His voice was low, distracted by his own actions on my skin.

"What kind of agreement did you make with Becker?" I wasn't going to play around. I need some answers, and right now, Kasthor was going to spill the beans, either willingly or coerced.

"He came to me yesterday before the meeting. At first, I thought he was going to ask me to stay away from you, but instead, he asked me if I would be willing to give up the chance to meet my fated mate and stay with you." Kasthor lay down on his side in the bed beside me and rested his weight on his arm, his eyes never leaving mine.

I had to take a deep breath. All of this was hurting me more than I was willing to let Kasthor know. Becker was ready to reject me and essentially give me away in a matter of hours. What could have possibly happened for him to stray away from us and our bond?

Could it be Sophia? Maybe he is afraid for his pup? Could it be something I said? I don't understand. Everything was fine during our breakfast. I left and came back to a completely different man.

It hurts to know how little it takes for him to give up on something as crucial as the mate bond.

"And you thought I would be fine with all of this? You and him deciding over me. Was I supposed to accept your stupid understanding without hesitation?" I wish I could hide my anger and accusing tone, but I would've failed even if I actually had tried.

Kasthor's wandering hand was playing with the wild black strings of my hair, heavily messed up by my prolonged sleep. His fresh scent mixed with eucalyptus shampoo was the only soothing element in this room, so I focused on it to keep me from going full blast against him.

"Of course not. Becker is a complete idiot. His disrespect to your bond is unacceptable. He doesn't deserve you, and that is why I told him you'll be safe with me. You aren't a second option, Alora. Your mate should've loved you and taken you without hesitation. I never wanted to see you with anyone else, but I would prefer that to this. It drives me insane that you have to endure this, endure him." Kasthor cupped his hand in my neck with his thumb, rubbing my tattoo.