Hiding From My Alpha [On Hold]

21

Josie's pov

"I promise I'm fine" I said for the fifteenth time on my call with Janelle and Kacey.

I hadn't realized just how much I had missed my best friends. With everything that had happened, I realized that I shouldn't take any moment for granted.

I continued to talk to the girls, explaining what had happened and how I was rescued. I still couldn't believe it myself, a month ago I swear I had a normal life. They kept asking me about Leo but I didn't have much to tell them.

After catching up with my friends I dropped the call. Placing my mom's phone on the nightstand since I didn't have one yet. I stared at the fancy room I was given. I would've been grateful with any room if I was honest. Anything better than the place I was in before.

My dad had been sent to the dungeon because the Alpha still wasn't sure about how to handle the situation. At first he wanted to send him straight to prison but after that speech he gave, none of us were sure of what to do anymore.

It was only the next day but time seemed to drag in my room. It felt like I'd been here for a whole week, all I wanted to do was go outside and run. I could finally feel Alena again and we both deserved some air. I still didn't know how my mom felt about the whole situation, when I ran into her arms I cried so much. She fell asleep with me but in the morning she left to go run errands, but I couldn't help but watch as she tried to act strong.

No matter what I went through which I'm sure was traumatizing for her, John was still her mate and I was afraid that suddenly seeing him did something to her. She always tried to protect me from him but there was no one to protect her. I didn't even know if she wanted to talk about it.

Speaking of mates.

Was I ever going to thank Leo?

The thought of him brought a foreign heat to my chest, causing me to flop ontop of my bed to calm down the redness I knew was crawling up my neck to my cheeks. After last night we hadn't had a proper conversation, maybe it was still too soon. I got up and walked to the bathroom to splash water on my face. I stared at myself in the mirror, grateful for the long shower I had prior. I stared at a girl who really didn't know what she wanted.

Those few days in captivity weren't the worst, they treated me decently and didn't hurt me, more than I could've asked for from kidnappers, but the fear of never seeing the people I love again outweighed everything. Was Leo part of that list? I feared not having the chance to find out.

What was I so afraid of? Why couldn't I just let our connection consume me like it should've from the beginning. I was basically fighting against nature.

My stomach growled, pulling me out of my thoughts. Do I just leave my room and find food or was someone going to come and call me? Being in the Alpha's home was hard enough. I decided against leaving just in case I ran into the Alpha. He seemed like a good person but still very intimidating.

Maybe I should call my mom? I can't call her, cause I have her phone.

I was busy practicing my dialogue just in case I ran into anyone important because my stomach was starting to ache. Right as I was about to leave there was a knock at the door. The scent was enough to make me retract my steps, I sat on the bed before muttering a clear, "Come in".

I don't think I'd ever get used to just how  magnificent Leo was. He walked in, balancing a tray of more food than I could finish. My stomach cried in happiness, but my heart felt like jumping out the window. Even more so when he closed the door with his foot. He put the tray right next to me on the bed, making me slightly lean away from him but only because his presence was also overwhelming. Similar to his father's but his wasn't as bad.

"Are you hungry? I thought you'd be," he said, a warm smile directed at me.

"Thanks" was all I could utter. How on earth was there so much to say yet I couldn't think of a single thing? I couldn't even stop the guilt from eating at me, none of this would have happened if I had just accepted our bond from day one.

"The whole point of eating is to put the food into your mouth" he teased.

"It's too much food" I replied. "Plus it's a little awkward if you watch me eat."

He pulled up a chair and sat right in front of me.

"I want to watch you, I haven't gotten the chance to" he said, leaning back in the chair, his grin never leaving.

I nearly chocked on air.

I knew I was blushing.

"Eat with me then" I offered, surprising him and myself too. It was just us in this room. No outside noise. I had nothing else to do but acknowledge him and our bond. The more he stared at me with those eyes, the more my wolf felt at peace. I could only hope it was the same for him.

He moved his chair closer, having him this close to me felt new but I welcomed the feeling.

"Is this okay?" He asked.

"Yes, okay" I replied.

We ate in silence, the air filled with our constant staring and looking away, hands touching when we went in for the same piece of food, him giving it to me because I'm sure he had already eaten breakfast, it was amazing.

"Should I get you more?" He asked the second we finished.

"No" I laughed while saying. "I'm full, thank you, it was delicious"

He nodded, moving the tray onto the table and sitting in it's place on the bed. I could feel the mood change, and a part of me knew this was coming. It wouldn't make sense to ignore the elephant in the room.

"Can I ask you a question?" He asked, voice softer than I'd heard before.

"Yes" I honestly had no reason not to answer his questions, he had done so much for me.

"The reason you ran from me, is it because of your father?" He asked.

Everything went quiet, it felt like I couldn't breathe. I could feel my heartbeat through my ears, a constant drum that ran through my mind like a siren. A single tear ran down my cheek and before I knew it his hand caressed my face, wiping away the tear. The warmth of his hand and our connection hit me like a ton of bricks and I started crying.

He pulled me into him. Hugging me tightly. I cried so much, the more I held onto him the more it all felt. I was certain his shirt was wet with my tears. I couldn't even feel embarrassed for being vulnerable around him.

"I'm so sorry" I cried.

"You have nothing to apologize for" he sad, trying to calm me down by rubbing my back.

I pulled away slightly. "If I hadn't been so hesitant we could've avoided all that mess. I'm scared because of how my father was with my mother" I said in between sobs. I was such a mess.

"I am not your father Josie" he said, a sympathetic look on his face.

"I know, I know. I just had to convince myself" I quickly said, blinking my tears away.

Suddenly he started smiling from ear to ear. "You're convinced?" He asked.

"You saved me, you've been nothing but kind to me. Our bond is opening my eyes" I had finally stopped crying, my voice coming out clear.

"So you accept us?" He asked hopeful. His hand slipping into mine.

"Yes" I smiled, nodding my head. I didn't know why it took so long, maybe something bad had to have happened for me to realize that there are good and bad people in this world. Looking up at Leo, my fears started to sound ridiculous. I appreciated what time had done, it made me realize that he's different, he's real, he's good, he's mine.

And I think it was about time I stopped hiding, hiding from my Alpha.

*

A/N

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This isn't the last chapter by the way, we're still going!