The Alpha’s Prophesied Mate

Chapter 2: Mine

Why couldn't he have waited for me to come back?

Wait... Evelyn?

"I came to get a menu with what we offer, so your sister could have it," she said, standing up and facing him, with only the desk between them.

Mr. Wo... Alexander simply nodded and continued looking at her in silence.

Suddenly feeling nervous under his gaze and confused by the situation, she gestured toward the door, inviting him out.

"Would you like something to drink? To eat?" she asked, walking back out to the shop and stopping short when she saw everyone staring at her, most with curiosity, her sister with open malice.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, thrown off. Nothing seemed out of place, but it was as if, in the few moments she'd been gone, everything had somehow shifted.

Looking at the man standing beside her, watching her intently, she thought, yes, something was definitely going on.

Is there something strange on my face?

The thought suddenly struck her with embarrassment as she discreetly checked her reflection in the coffee machine. She'd left the kitchen to deal with her sister and attend to the Woods without checking her appearance, but no, her face was clean. The same pale complexion, tired brown eyes, and unremarkable black hair. Just her... Out of place, though, among so much beauty.

Unlike Naomi. She looks like one of them.

She thought with some bitterness. With her green eyes and reddish hair, Naomi was, according to their stepfather, the spitting image of his wife when she was young. She wouldn't know. Vivian Hartwell had left her with her father's family when she was two, and it had been twenty-two years before she saw her again. The woman she knew now was the only version of her mother she'd ever seen. But yes, they looked enough alike for her to believe him, and she wasn't referring only to their appearance.

"We should get going, Alexander."

Eleonor's words broke the silence and interrupted Evelyn's thoughts, and her gaze snapped toward her, surprised by the tone of her voice. It had come out hard and steely, nothing like the warmth from a few minutes ago. Then her gaze shifted to the man who, for some reason, was still standing beside her.

Why is he still here?

Alexander, however, didn't seem to notice, focused entirely on his sister.

"It's getting late," Eleonor said, drawing Evelyn's attention again.

Then her eyes landed on her.

"We'll keep talking later."

O...kay?

"Evelyn was looking for something for you," Alexander's voice rang through the café, in that same hard tone his sister had used. But when he turned toward Evelyn, his voice softened. "Can you give it to me? I'll pass it along."

Without waiting for her answer, he took the hand holding the menu and gently pulled the paper free, then lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it.

Evelyn froze.

"See you soon," he said, then released her hand and turned toward the door.

Under the stunned stares of Naomi, Pedro, and Evelyn, Alexander Wood walked out of the café, followed by a very serious Eleonor and a pair of cheerful brothers who waved goodbye from the doorway. Only Dominic, the brother who had arrived with Alexander, seemed to hesitate before following the others. He stopped briefly to look at her before leaving, making the whole situation even stranger.

Naomi, however, didn't take long to recover.

"Where the hell do you know Alexander Wood from? What's going on between you two?"

Evelyn just stared at her.

What is she even talking about?

"I didn't know him," she said, confused. "That was the first time I'd seen any of them up close."

"Liar! Then why did you go hide in your office the second he showed up? So he'd follow you? And what did you two do in there?... You're such a—"

"She's not you, Naomi," Pedro cut in, starting to clear the cups the Wood siblings had used. "Your sister didn't do anything. Why don't you ask him why he went after her and brushed you off?"

Here we go... another one of her tantrums.

Rather than simply watching, Evelyn could almost feel the frustration taking hold of her sister. If there was one thing Naomi was good at, it was drawing everyone around her into whatever emotion she was feeling, from the faintest happiness to outright spite. She never needed to say a word for people to understand what was going on with her, although she always went out of her way to make her emotions known. Strangely enough, those were the few times when Evelyn could trust what her sister said or did. For better or worse, that was when the mask slipped and showed exactly who she was.

She only hoped Naomi would never realize how unattractive she looked with her face flushed and her features twisted into an ugly grimace. Knowing her, she'd control that too, depriving the world of the chance to see her for what she really was: a witch.

"You're an i***t!" she finally exploded.

"And you're a b***h! So now that we all know exactly what everyone is, get out. Whatever you were after already left."

Still not understanding what was happening, Evelyn watched her sister storm to the door and slam it behind her.

By the time she turned to look for Pedro, he was already right beside her.

"What just happened here? What was Naomi talking about? Can you explain it to me?" Evelyn asked her friend. "Everything was fine. I went for a second to grab the menu to give to Eleonor so we wouldn't have to talk about it in front of her brother, and out of nowhere, he shows up, and when I come back out here, Eleonor gets everyone to leave, and Naomi gets upset. I don't get it."

"I stayed out here the whole time and I don't get it either, but I still enjoyed it," Pedro said, grabbing a cookie and taking a bite. "The birthday boy walked in, froze in the doorway, and apparently decided that once he saw you'd gone to the office, he had to follow you. Your sister stepped in his way and tried to grab him. He pulled away, she tried again, he told her not to touch him, and went after you."

"And you didn't stop him? You could've told him to wait here."

"Maybe, but I didn't dare. I don't think he would've taken it very well if I'd tried to stop him from going in, or from following you."

"But what are you even talking about? I don't know him," she asked, more confused than ever, if that was even possible.

"Ask Alexander. I heard him tell Eleonor that you were his. Or, rather..."

Pedro paused.

"He said: Mine."