The Mate He Hates

Alpha Edward’s POV

Jealousy, anger, and uneasiness were what I felt the moment I perceived Matthew’s smell on her. I couldn’t understand why she would smell so much like him, and the only explanation was that their bodies collided. He must have touched her or…

“What did you do with my beta?” I demanded, my voice filled with jealousy. The thought of Matthew touching her was driving me insane.

“Answer me!” I yelled. Her silence was making me go insane.

“We… did… nothing…” she stammered in fear.

I gripped her by the arms and yanked her towards me. Moving my nose to the left side of her neck, I perceived Matthew’s scent and groaned.

“Fuck!” I grunted and made her look me in the eyes. “What did you two do?” I demanded, jealousy and possessiveness boiling inside me.

“We… did nothing… I only served him a cup of coffee a few moments ago,” she choked in fear, and I grunted. Serving him a cup of coffee wouldn’t make his smell be all over her unless he had touched her, not just any touch, but a close one.

“Get out!” I demanded as I let go of her.

Without waiting a second, she opened the door and left the room. Grunting, I ran a hand through my hair and began pacing around my room. I couldn’t explain why I was so jealous and restless about Matthew touching her. She meant nothing to me, and even if Matthew wanted to have his way with her, why should I care?

“Damn it!” I groaned and went back to my seat. Picking up the glass of wine, I took a sip and tried to get her and the thought of Matthew touching her out of my head, but I couldn’t. Different silly scenarios kept playing in my head, making me so uncomfortable that I left my seat.

Leaving my room, I went searching for Matthew. I needed to have a word with him. Following his scent, I found him in his study, attending to some paperwork.

“You are here. I was just about to come and hand over these documents to you for the final crosschecking,” Matthew said, oblivious to the storm within me.

“What did you do with her?” I demanded, my voice dripping with venom, unable to contain the jealousy clawing at my insides.

Matthew’s expression shifted, betraying a hint of guilt before he composed himself. “I’m not sure what you’re implying, Alpha,” he replied cautiously, his eyes flickering with confusion.

“Don’t play games with me,” I growled, jealousy and uneasiness taking the best of me. “Her scent is all over you. Tell me the truth.”

His gaze met mine as he seemed confused by my outburst. “We had a brief interaction. She served me coffee, nothing more,” he explained, his words like a dagger.

“What kind of interaction?” I asked curiously, wanting to know what they were discussing.

Matthew sighed, dropped the file on the desk, and relaxed back in his seat. “Nothing of great importance, Alpha. Is there a problem?”

“Yes, she has your smell all over her. May I know why?” I sounded like an insecure, jealous lover.

Matthew chuckled, and it irritated me. “This is not funny,” I snapped, but he didn’t stop. Instead, he chuckled more loudly while I remained silent, waiting for him to speak and defend himself.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

After laughing, he looked my way and raised his brow. “Alpha Edward, are you jealous?” He threw that question at me, and I frowned.

“Jealous? For what? That’s ridiculous,” I defended myself, but something tells me I was lying to myself.

“You are sounding and acting like a jealous man, Alpha Edward,” Matthew accused, and my frown deepened. “What nonsense! I’m not jealous; I just want to know if you are also involved with her. That’s all.”

“I’m not sleeping with her. I can’t see myself doing that. I mean, she is yours. Why would I want her?” He sounded frustrated and hurt.

He was making sense. I knew Matthew, and I knew he would never want to have anything to do with Amanda, but I was just clouded with possession and jealousy that I couldn’t think straight.

“I’m sorry, man,” I sighed and slumped into the seat.

Matthew didn’t say a word, but he handed a bottle of water to me, which I took, opened the cap, and gulped a large quantity into my mouth.

A moment of silence hung in the air until Matthew spoke. “Are you alright?” He sounded worried and concerned.

I didn’t respond; in fact, I had no idea what was happening to me.

“Should I send for the seer?” He offered, but I grunted.

“No, that won’t be needed,” I grumbled and got up. “I’ll see you later.” I stumbled out of the room, feeling a mix of embarrassment and confusion swirling inside me. As I walked away, I couldn’t shake off the unsettling feeling that this jealousy and possessiveness weren’t just about Amanda, but something deeper than I could explain.

On my way back to my chambers, I met up with Aunt.

“Great timing, Alpha Edward. May I have a word with you?”

“Sure, what is it?”

I wasn’t in the mood to listen to anyone, but it was her, and I had to give her a listening ear.

“Can we sit and talk about it?” She suggested, and I nodded. “Come with me.” I led her into my chambers, and we took our seats.

“What is the matter? You seem worried.” She had so much worry on her face that it concerned me.

She hesitated, and that piqued my curiosity because I knew something was wrong.

“You can tell me what is wrong, Aunt. Just say it, and I’ll handle it,” I urged. I hate to see her looking troubled.

“It’s your cousin, Levi,” she grumbled, and I frowned.

“What has he done this time?”

She sighed and shook her head. “He got involved in some dangerous deal and killed a man. He said the man’s men are searching for him to kill him, and he has to go into hiding…” Aunt paused and looked at me with pleading eyes. “Please, Edward…”

“No, Aunt,” I cut her off.

She instantly fell to her knees, and I groaned. “Please, let him stay here for a few weeks until the matter is settled. You know this mansion is the only secure place for him.” Aunt begged, and I groaned. Levi was a bastard; he knew I wouldn’t be able to say no to my aunt.

“I know he has hurt you in the past, but can you do this for me? He is my only child, and I wouldn’t be able to survive if anything happened to him,” she pleaded desperately, and I groaned.

Despite my frustration and reluctance, I couldn’t ignore my aunt’s plea. Deep down, I knew she was right our family mansion was indeed the safest place for Levi to hide until things cooled down. With a heavy sigh, I relented.

“Fine, he can stay here for a while,” I grumbled, feeling a sense of obligation to my family despite the trouble Levi always seemed to bring.

My aunt’s face lit up with relief. She quickly rose to her feet, gratitude evident in her eyes. “Thank you, Alpha Edward. I promise this won’t cause any trouble.”

I nodded, though I couldn’t shake the feeling of impending chaos. “Make sure he stays out of trouble, Aunt. I won’t tolerate any nonsense.”

She nodded. “I’ll keep an eye on him, I promise.” As my aunt left my chambers, I sank back into my seat, feeling the weight of my decision. Allowing Levi to stay here was a big risk I was taking, not because of the men he was hiding from, but for the chaos I was sure he would bring.