A sirene mate for the Alpha

Best of friends

4 days later

*Hadley*

“He is kinda cute, right?” the girl doing my hair says, looking at Zayan who is playing with Blue out on the grass. We are on the porch, which he lets us use for makeup, hair, and costumes.

I watch him as he laughs, throwing the ball for the dog to catch. I can’t help smiling. “He is... and such a sweetheart.”

These last couple of days, my attraction to Zayan has changed and grown into something deeper. We have spent a lot of time together, just talking. He has told me about his own struggles, about the importance of loving yourself, and he has taught me how to meditate and let go of stress. He is not what I expected from an Alpha, but so much more and so much better.

“Cute is not the first thing coming to my mind,” Masha, the makeup girl, says with a giggle. “That man is s*x on legs... sooo freaking hot and all Alpha.”

“Well, yeah, that too,” the other girl giggles, pinning more pink extensions into my hair to get the right look and the big hair Calix wants.

I bite my lip. I mean, yes, he is sexy, but I do not like the way she is saying it... or the way she looks at him. Masha is one of those girls that... Well, kind of oozes sensuality. She is pretty, with red hair and rather big boobs, the kind of woman that makes me feel like an awkward little girl.

“Come on, Blue... let's go get lunch, boy,” Zayan calls, coming towards us.

Masha gets up, stopping him with a hand on his chest. “Do you have something for me to... nibble on too?”

“Uhm, there is food in the catering tent,” Zayan gives her a friendly smile before stepping around her. When he looks at me, his face lights up. “Hi, Bubbles... Did you have breakfast?”

He keeps telling me I am too thin and need to eat more. Calix is not really happy about that. “Yeah, I did... a big portion, actually.”

“That’s my good girl,” he leans in to leave a kiss on my forehead. “See you, Bubbles, and remember lunch... Come on, Blue, let’s get something to eat.”

Masha looks after him, licking her lips, then she makes a low growling sound. “Oh, hotness, I got something for you to eat right here.”

“Seriously?” I glare at her.

“Aww, how sweet... you have the hots for him,” she gives me a cutesy smile. “A man like that needs a real woman, though, not a good little girl.”

I bite my lip to avoid saying something really bad. The hair girl looks at her. "Oh, so you think you can get him?"

"Believe me, honey, I'm gonna have that fine man buried so deep between my thighs he will need a map to find his way back." She winks at us.

Honestly, I am about to give her a piece of my mind, but just then, there is a lot of noise, and JZ comes sprinting around the corner. "Lele, save me... Thiago is mean."

"What is happening?" I forget about that b***h Masha when he almost jumps into my lap. Thank God he is a tiny guy.

"He wants to shoot me... with the salt gun... help." He looks equally scared and amused.

I put my arms around him protectively; to be honest, JZ and I have become rather close, but in a very platonic way... like siblings. "Aww... no one hurts my baby."

At that moment, Thiago comes around the corner, salt gun in hand and murder in his eyes. "Where are you… you little bastard, this is going to hurt."

"Thiago, why are you trying to hurt JZ? I don't want to see that." I glare at him. "Behave and play nice."

"Tell that to that..." He makes an angry sound. "He freaking snuck up and shot me... like totally close up, that freaking hurt like shit."

I shake my head, patting JZ on the head. "I am sure that's not true... my little sweetie would never do that."

"Listen to her, Thiago, her little sweetie would never ever do that." JZ is grinning cheekily.

"Oh, so he wouldn't?" Thiago turns and pulls down his pants, showing a red mark that will surely turn blue and purple soon on his butt.

I hear the other women giggle. "Thiago... too much... just too much, but hey, nice butt though." I look at JZ. "Did you do that?"

"Uhm... maybe!" He makes the most innocent face. "But it was such an accident, I swear."

"See, Thiago, an accident... he didn't mean to." I smile at him, tipping JZ off my lap. "Now run along and play nicely, you two... or I will tell Zayan."

JZ plants a kiss on my cheek before sprinting off, and Thiago looks at me, shaking his head. "He is so using you. He's not a kid... he's a grown-ass man, you know, and a bastard at times."

"I know, but he's so cute... like you just want to put him in your pocket and protect him." I shrug, making Thiago roll his eyes and go hunt for JZ.

The hair girl looks at me with heart-shaped eyes. "Aww, you two are such a cute couple."

"Who? Me and Thiago?" I was watching Zayan through the window, stuffing something in his mouth, and honestly, I am very much distracted.

"No, you silly goose, you and JZ... It's so sweet how you protect him." She is smiling at me. "Thiago is pretty hot, though."

I look at her, my brain taking a moment to kick into gear, then I start laughing. "Oh my God... no, me and JZ, no, just... He's my friend, my smurf, my brother... definitely not my man."

"Oh... I think he likes you, though, like, for real." She shrugs.

I just shake my head. No, me and JZ, as I said, are like brother and sister, and I know he sees me as a sister. We just click, but there is no spark... no attraction. That's why we are such good friends already, because we don’t have to fear any romantic entanglements.