The Alpha's Regret

Chapter 7

{Ellie's POV}

It was yet another dreadful morning. I slept in late last night because, even for a new student, the teachers surely didn’t go easy on me yesterday. They were all out giving assignments and things to do, and I have a lot of lectures to catch up on, so I did my readings and homework last night. And as a result, I almost overslept. But thankfully, I had my alarm clock on. But it didn’t change the fact that I still had some trouble going out of my comfy, warm bed.

The productivity I had yesterday suddenly flew out of the window, and I was thirty minutes behind the time I had woken up yesterday, so to say that everyone was teasing me was an understatement, especially the twins.

“I knew Elle wouldn’t last that long.” Kalvin’s laughter filled the whole dining table as he continued to gush about how early and ready I was yesterday while I looked like I was dragged out of bed this morning.

Kevin, who wasn’t present early yesterday, could only listen and state his judgment about the issue.

He shook his head and looked at me sympathetically. “The fact that you have managed to do it even for a day is truly admirable. I salute you.” He literally made a gesture, saluting me as if he was a soldier or something.

“Yeah, Kevin, that’s admirable on your part since you could never wake up early, even if your life depends on it.” Emma rolled her eyes at her brother.

I sighed and looked down at the table, wishing nothing more than to go back to bed. My eyes felt so heavy, and I couldn’t stop yawning.

I felt a comforting tap on my shoulder, and when I looked up to see who it was, I saw Roxanne putting down a newly cooked plate of pancakes on the table.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, dear. School is already hard as it is, so at least try to enjoy it.”

Just like yesterday, Dad dropped me off at school. Thankfully, I already knew my way to history class, so I smoothly managed to get in there minutes before the bell rang, giving me time to prepare my textbooks and notebook.

But I stilled on my way of putting my bag on the same seat I took yesterday when I noticed someone from the back of the classroom. I thought I was the first person to get in here, but no, someone had already gotten here before me, and it was the least person I expected.

It was none other than that guy from yesterday.

A wave of energy suddenly ignited inside me, and the sleepiness and heaviness of my body from my lack of sleep had suddenly vanished in just a snap of a finger.

There he was, sitting quietly, staring outside the window beside him while playing with a pen in his hands, seemingly deep in thought. He probably didn’t notice me coming in, so I quietly slid myself onto my seat and waited for everyone else to pile up inside, which didn’t take long to happen. Though, after a few minutes, I felt like someone was staring at the back of my head, but before I could even check who it was, Lucy came walking inside with her high energy radiating off of her. I could literally see how bright she was.

Imagine my relief when I realized that the seat on either side of me was already fully occupied.

“Ellie Turner! How are you doing today, huh, mate? ”She beamed with her loud voice. “Hey, who was sitting here? ”She looked around, waiting for someone to respond, when a girl sat down on the seat next to mine and raised a brow at Lucy. “Sandy? Oh, wait, was it Mandy? Andy? Sally? ”She looked up and thought deeply about the name of the girl beside me.

“It’s Sady.” the girl finally said, rolling her eyes. She had a thick eyebrow and black, thick-rimmed glasses, as well as acne all over her forehead. And while staring at her, all I could think about was the fact that she wasn’t here yesterday.

Lucy’s eyes lit up. “Oh, yes, yes, Sady. Uh, you see, my friend Elle here was a new student, and she was very shy—really shy—she could barely speak to anyone without her knees trembling and her hands sweating, and you wouldn’t want to see that happening to a fellow student, right? So, I’m here to make her comfortable, so what I’m asking you is, could you please switch seats with me? ”She was so animated, not to mention very exaggerated when talking.

I was surprised that she wasn’t out of breath when she finished because of how fast she managed to blurt all those words out. And in the end, this girl, Sady, freaked out and scurried off.

I almost facepalmed myself as Lucy happily flopped down on the seat on my right side.

“Thank me later.” She blew an imaginary dust off her shoulder.

I sighed and mentally prepared myself for the long history class discussed by Lucy, not the teacher.

***

I’ve managed to survive another day of school with a half-sane mind.

I didn’t know if I would be thankful for Lucy for sticking by my side for the rest of the day, except for those times when she had to attend a different class than mine, or if I would just try to hide from her starting tomorrow. Our level of confidence and energy just don’t really see eye to eye, but sometimes that was also one of the factors that complimented a great friendship. But then again, it still depends on the people at the end of the day.

We can’t really tell.

Anyway, school ended early, so now I was waiting for dad in the parking lot with Lucy with me. She insisted that she’d stick with me until she was sure that I would be able to go home safely, so we could spend another day like this tomorrow, which I was still thinking about whether I would look forward to or dread.

I was half listening to what she was saying when suddenly, I felt my body completely freeze when a familiar car stopped just meters away from where we stood. I watched as the window from the driver's seat rolled down and a familiar face peaked outside.

It was Rhys.

Only that something was kind of different. And when I say different, I mean really different.

Rhys was smiling widely. I could see laughter behind his bright green eyes as he opened the door to his car and did a fist bump with someone that almost made my jaw drop.

It was that guy.

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard Lucy gushing beside me.

“Oh, my God! The duo is here in one frame!”She suddenly looked like a giddy teenager. Well, technically, she really is.

I noticed that the other students have the same reaction as she does, so I couldn’t help but feel curious about those two. Are they like celebrities here?

“Rhys! Just marry me, please! ”My eyes widened when Lucy waved her hand in the air while jumping, and I was even more horrified when the two men looked our way.

They both stilled, and the first thing I noticed was the way Rhys’s eyes dimmed when he saw me, and then the other guy, whose name was still a mystery to me, stared at me right in the eyes with an emotion I couldn’t name. He had been looking at me like that since yesterday, when I held on to him for balance.

“Oh, my gosh, they’re staring at us! ”

A few words had been shared between the two of them while still looking our way, but after a few more seconds, Rhys looked away and literally pushed the other guy to hop in the passenger seat of his car before going inside the driver’s seat himself.

He drove off, and everyone in the parking lot continued with what they were doing earlier.

“Who was the other guy? ”I suddenly surprised myself by asking.

“Who? The handsome one, or the even more handsome one? ”

I looked at Lucy incredulously. “The one with dark eyes. He shared the same class with us in history.”

Her mouth formed an ‘o’ shape as she slowly nodded. “Oh, that’s Noah Anderson.”

I blinked, waiting for her to elaborate like she always does, but she did not.

“Well? Who is he? ”

She was staring at me as if I had lost my mind, but then realization hit her, and she smacked herself on the forehead.

“Oh, right, your new.” She nodded at herself. “Most people would know him the moment they heard his name. I literally forgot that you came from a different place. Well, that’s Noah Anderson. He’s in his last senior year and came from a very powerful family; though, I don’t think he needs his family to be feared by because he has quite made the reputation for someone who you should never mess with. He’s the future Alpha of the pack, so it was only natural for him to have that kind of power over people.”

My eyebrows furrowed together in confusion.

Alpha what?

“What’s an Alph—”

But before I could even finish my sentence, the sound of a car horning in our way interrupted me. I looked towards it and saw Dad’s car.

“Oh, your dad’s here, so I gotta go, mate! See you tomorrow, Ellie Turner! ”She saluted before running off, not even waiting for me to reply.

I shook my head and went to Dad.

***

Noah Anderson

That was his name. At least now I don’t have to address him as that man, but I wonder what Lucy meant by what she said earlier.

Noah was the future Alpha of the pack.

Alpha…Pack…

What in the world do those words mean? Is he the future leader of some kind of sorority or something?

That’s all I could think about ever since I went back to my room after having dinner with everyone—well, everyone except Rhys and Roxanne’s son, who have yet to make an appearance to me.

I tapped the head of my pen against my textbook as I forced myself to focus, but my mind would always wander back to the thought of that Noah guy. I couldn’t forget his face, especially the way he looked at me. It felt like there was something about him—about the feeling every time our eyes met that seemed so... connected.

I groaned and buried my head in my books.

It’s late, and I still have no work done so far.

Out of frustration, I pushed myself up and decided to go to the kitchen to get some snacks, hoping that it would ease my mind a little.

The hallways were dark, but not entirely, so I was still able to see clearly. I was more careful when I reached the staircase, but I instantly frowned when I noticed that the light in the kitchen was all open. The kitchen was in the adjoining room of the dining room, so I could see a glimpse of light coming from it.

Who the hell would be awake at this kind of hour?

Well, at least, except from me.

The first thought that crossed my mind made my body freeze. What if it was Rhys? He wasn’t here during dinner, so maybe he had just gotten home and was looking for something to eat.

My first instinct was to go back to my room to avoid him as much as possible, but then I remembered what I had promised myself during my first day of school when I saw him arguing with Dad. Right. This is the best opportunity to confront him, so we could finally clear things up.

I was a bit nervous about the idea, but there was nothing that good communication couldn’t solve.

Communication is the key, they say. I just hope I’m right.

So, with that thought, I begin making my way to the kitchen with my knees slightly shaking.

Maybe Dad was right. Maybe going here and suddenly living at this place was hard for Rhys since we didn’t grow up together and we weren’t close, but just like what I’ve said before, this is a new place where I could restart everything, and I could never do that if my own brother hates me.

I have to fix this.

I cautiously peaked inside the dining room and instantly heard the shuffling sound coming from the kitchen. I swallowed and took large steps towards the adjoining room, but before I could even take a peek inside, I felt a presence behind me, so I immediately turned around only to bump into someone who almost made me have a heart attack.

I gasped in surprise and immediately closed my eyes while clutching my chest, trying to calm the sudden racing of my heart.

But…

I know that familiar tingling sensation. It was a feeling I knew all too well, and only one person could make me feel that way.

It was as if my body had been paralyzed by that realization, so slowly, very slowly, I raised my head and opened my eyes to see the person whom I bumped into, and the first thing I saw was a pair of black, familiar eyes. They were staring at me with such intensity that it made my heart beat like crazy.

It was Noah, and he was fvcking shirtless.