Be Mine, Alpha

Six

Daphne's POV

The voice coming from the house signaled one thing; I wasn't going to be home alone. That wasn't a problem, what was, was the fact that that piece of information could either make or break the remaining hours of my day. All it took was a sigh before I pushed the front door open. Luckily and surprisingly, it didn't creak, making my silent entry even better.

"I know right?" The giggle that came from the kitchen calmed my thumping heart, one I didn't even know was having that reaction in the first place. "It's going to be so much fun."

A small smile made its way to my lips but then it disappeared again. It was only Harper, so why that reaction? My lips tugged downwards slightly, and without even having to think about it, the answer came to me.

"Yes, yes." Her cherry voice broke through my thoughts. " Mum's not home so we can have the whole house to ourselves…"

That was a relief. With everything going on, the last thing I needed was Mum being her. I would definitely lose it.

"Yes, we have the whole…" Harper trailer off the moment she noticed me. It was like a switch, one minute she was all smiles and the next she'd totally shut down like she had just walked into a room she shouldn't have. Without so much as a word, she ended the call, her gaze still locked on me.

I didn't know what to do. Sure, I couldn't avoid her forever but I wasn't ready to face her yet, I needed more time. Time seemed to have come to a complete standstill between us, but I didn't miss the tiny details.

The hint of disdain on her face and the tint war that seemed to rage in her eyes as she obviously battled if she should talk to me or continue with her silent torture that had been going on for a while now.

"Harper, I…" Whatever it was I wanted to say, she beat me to it. I watched her mouth move, but somehow the words weren't directed at me

"Daphne." Her voice sounded far away despite the distance between us being only a couple of miles. "Daphne."

"Harper?"

"Daphne?" Her voice seemed to ring all around, even inside my head. It hurt actually, and a lot too.

What was going on?

"Daphne!" The force of her voice was unexpected and the loud thud that resonated on my arm didn't make things better one bit. I blinked once…twice, before my eyes adjusted to the sight before me.

Two pairs of eyes stared back at me, one filled with concern and the other, humor and amusement dancing in those tiny balls. You could already guess which belonged to who.

"Are you okay, Daphne?" The space on the bed beside me dipped with Camilla's weight. Soft hands found mine, persuading me to look at her. The familiar feel of my room and the comfort from my friends hit me and I smiled. "Daphne. You can talk to me. To us."

"I didn't say that." My head whipped toward Conan's direction. If Camilla wasn't holding me, I'd have chucked him with a pillow. "Her words, not mine."

"Ignore him." It sounded more like an order than anything else. "What's wrong?"

"It's fine." I chuckled a bit. " I'm fine, I just zoned out for a minute."

"And I think I know why." Conan made his way to come stand next to us. "Camilla too, but we just want to hear you say it."

"Well, about that." Camilla smiled sheepishly, but I couldn't get mad. " Conan was wondering…"

"Camilla-"

"Fine, we were both wondering," I wanted to break into a laugh but held it back. "What did Nikolai call you to talk about this afternoon? At the parking lot." She added like it was something I could forget anytime soon.

Nikolai. My pulse literally quickened at the thought of…that handsome hunk of a human.

"It's…" I sighed before clamping my lips shut again. I shook my head before saying. "It was nothing."

"That was not nothing.'' Conan urged me. "Spill."

"Nikolai and I, we kissed." I felt my stomach churn in excitement. "In the art room."

"Really?" You could hear the disdain in Conan's voice. "Of all the things in the world?"

"Conan…"

"No! Don't Conan me." He was mad and I wasn't even mad. "It doesn't make any sense. Today it's Daphne, tomorrow Harper, and the next it's Daphne again. That's so stupid and irresponsible. Disgusting even,"

"There must be a reason, right? But even that doesn't make it right." I shook my head at Camilla's words. She was quiet for a while before she added. "I have an idea, why don't I talk to Xavier about it? He's Nikolai's friend, after all, he might be able to help."

"I really don't think so." It was messed up, yes, and it didn't help that it still didn't reduce the intense tension between us. "It's okay. Just let it be."

"If you say so." Camilla wasn't pleased but she dropped it.

"We are here to have fun aren't we?" I beamed. " Did you bring the games?"

"Of course." Camilla mirrored my expression. "But remember we still have to finish up our assignment."

"Oh forget that." Conan grinned, pulling me to my feet. " Let's get this party started!"

***

"Stop hoarding the popcorn!" Camilla's palm landed on Conan's head. The honey-colored snack poured onto the ground with a flourish and I waved it off. With all that had happened, sticky popcorn on the floor was the least of my concern. "You need to share! Share, you food-hoarding monster."

"Why?" Conan yelped, his grip on the popcorn bowl unyielding. "Your character in the movie already ended up with who you predicted. I lost our bet, can't I just stuff my face in peace?"

"No! Because you're taking it too personal." Camilla made to reach for the bowl but failed. "Daphne! Do something!"

"Conan, share the popcorn," I said bluntly, which didn't go unnoticed. They both turned to me and I couldn't resist the urge to ask, "What?"

"We know what." Conan got up, finally dropping the bowl of popcorn but not without grabbing a handful first. "And I have just the thing for it."

Before Camilla and I could protest, he leaned over, grabbed his bag, and knocked down the big blanket we were all wrapped in on the sofa in my room. It didn't take too long for him to find the bottle of wine.

"Ta-da!" Conan's grin was wide. "Look what I got from us."

"How did you get that in here?" Conan raised the glass higher. "And why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"Well, I've said something now right?"

"And I'll go get the glasses." I was up instantly, faster than I'd planned to originally. Before they would say anything, not like they actually mind, I headed to the kitchen.

Maybe Conan sneaking in some wine would help with things. I'd forget about everything, even if it was just for a little while.

Or so I thought.

It didn't take a lot of effort to see them from here. Just at the top of the counter, Harper sat, with Nikola close to her. Too close if you asked me. Like the movement of her hands across his chest and body wasn't equivalent to my heart crushing underneath her fingers, her shirt was off, strewn carelessly atop the kitchen island. I felt my heart break into two, literally.

No, don't think about it. I told myself. Mustering every strength I could get, I made my way to the cupboard. All I needed to do was get in and get out with the glasses and it would be like I wasn't here in the first place.

Or it would have been if Nikolai didn't turn in my direction suddenly. I knew I shouldn't have, I shouldn't have locked eyes with him but there was something about the way he looked at me that seemed to tug at me and make me throw all sense of reasoning just right out the window.

How'd he know I'd walked in the first place, I'd made sure I was quiet so what gave me away? Perhaps it was my scent? Or maybe…

Harper slamming her lips down on Nikolai forced me to turn away. Moans filled the kitchen and I grabbed the glasses and ducked out immediately, wondering who they belonged to…Harper or Nikolai.

"There you are." Camilla literally ran up to me the moment I stepped foot into the living room. "What took you so long? We were almost about to come get you."

"You, Camilla." Conan corrected. "You were so close to going to look for her."

" I'll hit you…." Camilla started but I cut her short.

"No no no." I butt in, grabbing the wine glass after distributing the glasses. "We have other important things to do."

Without anyone's permission, I popped open the cork and filled my glass. Immediately, I downed it in one gulp.

"Wow." Conan didn't even hide his surprise. "What did you just do?"

"What does it look like?" I grinned, filling my glass to the brim again. "And why are you looking at me like that?"

"You're a lightweight," Conan said like it was some big secret. "You should take it easy."

"No." I took another huge gulp. "You both should catch up with me!"