Mated To The Ruthless Female Alpha

6

ELLA

It took a while before I was able to move. Caden’s words had been both stunning as well as chilling.

Add that to the quiet intensity in his eyes, and I was almost at a loss of words to say. I turned to Liam, already noting the instant fire that ignited at Caden’s words.

Wordlessly, he stepped in further, pulling me closer to him in an almost protective manner. “Stay the hell away from Ella. I don’t know what it is you’re scheming or why you’ve been clinging so close to her, but it won’t work.”

I frowned. “Liam—”

“No,” He cut me off. “You’re going to listen to me on this one. The dude is all sorts of weird, and I’m sure he has some twisted reason for trying to get so close to you.”

“Bold of you to assume that.” Caden spoke again.

That seemed to piss Liam off even more. He finally stepped away from him, inching closer to Caden with a daring look in his eyes.

There was a sort of protective anger that burned around him as he glared back at the BlackMoon heir. My eyes flicked between the two guys glaring daggers at each other.

Caden’s expression was more of a quiet anger. One that wouldn’t be so obvious if I hadn’t been close to him these past few days.

His eyes flicked to me, softening for the briefest second. The warmth that had come from touching his hand back then still seemed to linger.

Could he feel it, too?

Then they turned back to Liam. Without giving it a second thought, I reached for Liam’s arm.

“Liam, give it a rest. There’s no need to attack Caden.”

Annoyance flashed behind his eyes. “I know what I’m saying. For all we know, he might be some sort of psycho.”

“Liam!” I tried again, but it seemed to fall on deaf ears.

Liam leaned closer. “If you hurt her and I mean in any way possible, getting back home in one piece will be the least of your problems.”

My frown deepened. “You—”

Before I could get all my words in, Liam had already pulled my arm and was dragging me out of the room.

“Hey!” I tried to fight out of his grip. “You’re being unreasonable.”

Liam didn’t say a word, eyes set in determination as he pulled me towards the exit. I managed a quick glance at Caden, my heart skipping instantly. There was something about the way he stared back.

He didn’t seem angry, nor did he seem particularly apologetic about the way things had escalated without warning. It was almost like he was simply focused on me. Like no other person mattered.

My heart skipped again at the thought.

Liam seemed to have caught me, though, an irritated sound leaving his lips. As soon as we were out of the gym, he let go of my hand.

“Guys like him,” he muttered underneath his breath. “You can never be too careful. There’ll always be wolves with bad intentions.”

I sent him a glare. “And somehow you’re so sure it’s him.”

“Can you even hear yourself?” Liam shook his head. “You’ve barely known the guy for up to a month.”

“I’m just trying to be the rational one here since you’re letting your emotions get to you.”

In all honesty, I wanted to defend Caden badly. But nothing I’d say wouldn’t sound ridiculous to Caden. I’d barely known the guy for up to a month as compared to Liam who’d basically been a part of my life for as long as I could remember.

Liam’s eyes narrowed. “I’m definitely the emotional one. Yeah, sure. And yet you were all too eager to be so close to the guy.”

My thoughts began wandering to when our hands had touched. The warmth that had flowed through me endlessly. Was that normal? There should be no rational reason as to why that would happen.

“I’m not doing this right now.”

With that, I began heading to class, ignoring Liam’s shouts and annoyed sounds. It was all so…odd. And yet, the more I tried to rationalize it, the more miserably I failed.

The next day, I expected Caden to at least shy away from me after the whole altercation with Liam. Instead, he seemed to be seeking me out more.

When it was club time, he’d stuck a bit closer than usual to me while I addressed the group. I’d been too focused on them to notice how he was unconsciously angling towards me.

“Do we all get that?” I stared expectantly at the group.

There were a couple of nods and murmurs of agreements. I sneaked a quick glance at Caden, noting how he’d give a couple of nods of acknowledgement while I spoke.

During training, I couldn’t help but watch him. His form was better, eyes more focused than the first day he came.

It felt stupid to be so focused on him. Probably the adrenaline and some lack of sleep. There's nothing more to it.

“What’s your deal?”

I turned to find Liam glaring at me. “You’ve been watching him like a freaking hawk. It’s weird.”

I sent him a weak glare. “Since when did it become a crime to watch out for my club members?”

“Watching out for you club members,” he scoffed. “Sure. That’s definitely it.”

I bit back the retort that clawed at my tongue. Fighting with Liam wasn’t something I wanted to do. Not when there were so many eyes watching us.

“I’m not doing this.”

Without another word, I got off the bench and began heading for the exit. I was almost at the door when the sound of skidding sneakers reached my ears.

I spun back without thinking. “Don’t even think of fo—”

Caden blinked back innocently. “Where are you going?”

“Just…going to get something,” I swallowed. “Weren’t you in the middle of a match?”

He shook his head. “It’s okay. Let’s go.”

“You really don’t have to follow.”

I tried dissuading Caden again as we made our way to the vending machine. He’d offered to follow so I wouldn’t be alone much to Liam’s dismay and glare. I’d agreed before he could say anything or interrupt.

Caden shook his head. “It’s fine. I like spending time with you.”

My stomach fluttered again, but I pushed the feeling down. I’d barely punched in the numbers in the machine when I felt someone’s gaze.

I turned to find Sarah watching me from across the room.

As soon as we locked gazes, she crossed the room effortlessly. “Hi, Caden. Fancy seeing you here. What are you up to?”

“We’re getting snacks.” He simply answered, turning back to me. “What drink do you want?”

I blinked. “Oh. The cherry blast.”

Sarah’s eyes flicked to me, and I noticed something cold layered behind them. “You’re quite the pair, you two.”

I tried to shake my head. “Oh, no, no. It’s not—”

“I thought so.” There was something chilling about the smile on her face. Then it was gone.

“Here.”

Caden handed me the drink. I wasn’t paying much attention. My fingers missed it by an inch.

“Oh, sorry.” I tried to reach for the drink, but Caden was faster.

“Are you okay?” he asked, handing it to me.

I nodded, taking it from him. It was barely noticeable, but I could have sworn I saw Sarah’s expression twist a little. She turned to Caden.

“I’ll see you some other time.”

Then, without sparing me another glance, she was gone.

The rest of the day went by without any more hitches. I checked my phone, frowning when there were no notifications from Liam. To think he hadn’t said a word. Was he that pissed with me?

I’d send him a message later. Just as I reached out for my bag, someone tapped me from behind.

It was Sarah.

There was a sweet smile on her face as she pulled me aside. When we were out of the gaze of any other person in the class, her smile dropped.

“Why is Caden suddenly so interested in you?”