Marrying Her Alpha

Ch. 15: Ticking bomb

I knew that Faustina was talking to me from the bathroom, yet my mind did not assimilate any of her words.

Neither my sister's voice nor the sound of rainwater had any force over my thoughts that did not stop debating whether I should be worried or angry about Almec.

Anger had the upper hand at the moment, mixed with the frustration of falling into arguments over and over again that seemed to come out of nowhere.

I was so happy the night before, having found a task that I really enjoyed and after my fight with Almec, I couldn't think about the children without getting bitter.

Was my reaction too exaggerated? Should I have stayed with Almec? Guilt didn't leave me alone either. The part of me that grew up thinking that relationships with our mates would be perfect was disappointed in me for not being more patient with Almec. The other side of me still felt hurt by the screams I received from the man I loved.

"Are you listening to me?" Faustina yelled at me when she came out of the bathroom.

She stood in front of me, crossing her arms.

"Sorry, I'm thinking about something else." I stood up from the bed. "What did you want to tell me?"

"I was telling you what Octavia told me but it doesn't matter anymore. I don't feel like telling the whole story again."

I hid my smile looking at the ground to avoid angering Faustina. I was happy to hear her talk about her friends and it comforted me to know that she was finding her place in the pack.

"I'm really sorry," I said after containing my smile and looking up. "I'm a little tired today from taking care of the kids yesterday."

Faustina looked me up and down and frowned. "Are you sure you're not tired because you didn't sleep in your bed last night? It's hard for me to sleep when I use a bed that's not mine. Why didn't you stay with Almec?"

I sighed. It was impossible to escape Faustina's questions, sometimes I wished she weren't so perceptive.

"But this bed is not new to me, I used to sleep here before I changed rooms." I smiled at her hoping that would make her drop the matter.

"Why did you come to sleep with me? Is it because Almec is angry?"

"Is he angry?" I played dumb.

"I'm not sure." Faustina shrugged her shoulders. "Today when I got up early to go to the bathroom I heard him shouting something at Demian, but I didn't understand what he was saying. Besides, he hasn't played with me in a long time and he hasn't had dinner with us every night either."

"And you're worried," I said, squatting down to look her in the eyes.

She nodded. "I don't like it when Almec is unhappy, Khalia told me it's because he has a lot of work as an alpha. Can we help him with his work so he can rest?"

"I'm afraid not, there are things only the alpha can do."

I didn't want to tell my sister that Almec didn't accept help, that he always put all the weight on his shoulders instead of asking for a hand. It was better for her to think that only someone of his rank could do his tasks.

"Then we can prepare something he likes to cheer him up." Faustina gave little jumps, happy with her idea. "Like when he gives me gifts so I won't be sad."

"What would you give him?" I stood up, already tired of being crouched for so long.

"If he doesn't have free time then we can't prepare an outing, so it has to be something he can take to work. I got it! What if we gave him one of those necklaces that have photos inside?"