The Alpha's Forbidden Obsession

Chapter 5 - Josette

I sat in class, lost in thought, as the teacher delivered the speech they give every summer. The room buzzed with excitement; we'd finally made it through the semester, and summer was just around the corner. We were all restless to get out of school.

But my mind wasn't on the impending break. I was worried about Evander. It had been a week since he'd abruptly run away from me, and I couldn't stop blaming myself.

I wouldn't have hugged him if I knew he would react like that. But Evander's reaction had been unsettling. Had I really freaked him out that much? His absence from school only added to my worry. He hadn't been to school since then.

I tried to ask Liam, his friend, about Evander's whereabouts, but he'd warned me to stay away.

As the teacher handed out our test results, I was surprised to see I'd earned an A-. I had never gotten an A in chemistry before. But it only increased my guilt. It was all thanks to Evander.

Determined to make things right, I headed to Mr. Charleson's office and asked about Evander. I told him that I hadn't seen him in a week, and I wanted to thank him for his help. But the teacher's expression was sympathetic. "Evander requested to be absent for the rest of the semester due to health issues," he explained.

Concerned, I asked for Evander's address, wanting to check in on him. Mr. Charleson hesitated at first but eventually relented.

So here I was, my car parked in front of an opulent building that looked much too regal to be a home. I hadn't even known there were places like this in this small town. At first, I thought I'd read the address wrong, but I checked it, and it was correct.

I took a deep breath, climbing out of the driver's seat, and slowly made my way to the front door, wiping my sweaty palm on my skirt nervously. But before I could even ring the doorbell, the door swung open, and Evander stood before me, his dark eyes boring into mine.

I waved at him nervously. "Hey," I said, tucking my hair behind my ears.

But his gaze remained hard. "You shouldn't be here," he stated, lowly.

I had hoped he wouldn't still be angry about what happened, but it seemed I was wrong. "Look, I'm sorry," I said, taking a step forward. "I shouldn't have done what I did. I just lost myself and thought we were friends... but I guess I was mistaken.

He looked confused for a moment, then started to ask, "What did you...?" But before he could finish, understanding dawned on his face, and he shook his head.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Josette," he said, his expression softening.

My voice trembled as I whispered, "But you ran."

He rubbed his face, a mix of emotions on his face. "It was me," he admitted, taking a step closer to me.

He cupped my cheeks, bringing our faces inches apart. Our breaths mingled, and I could feel the warmth of his skin. Slowly, the distance between us shrank, our breaths heavy. I didn't know what came over me, but I wanted to feel his lips on mine. I waited for him to pull back, but he didn't. I laid a tentative hand on his shoulder, using it to raise myself to meet his lips. My eyes drifted closed, but just as our lips were about to touch, the silence was broken by the sound of a clearing throat from inside the house. We sprang apart, putting some distance between us.

As we pulled away from each other, a man stepped through the open door and gazed at us suspiciously as if he knew what would have happened if he hadn't been here. There was something familiar about his face, and I immediately knew that he was Evander's father.

"Son, won't you introduce me to your friend?" He said to Evander, without looking at him. I squirmed uncomfortably under his stare, looking everywhere but at him.

Evander unclenched his jaw, glaring at him. "Father, this is Josette," he said curtly, his tone barely polite.

The man's gaze shifted to me, and I dropped my gaze to the floor, not wanting to meet his eye. "Ah, Josette," he repeated. "Welcome to our home."

I managed a quiet "thank you," my eyes fixed on the floor. But I couldn't help sneaking a glance at Evander, who looked mad as hell. His father seemed to share the same sentiment as they both glared hard at each other with me standing awkwardly to the side.

“Um, I'll just go.” I say to Evander, nodding toward my car.

But before I can make my escape, his father invites me in. "Nonsense, why don't you come in?" he says, his tone cold.

I look at Evander, but he just clenches his jaw, his eyes fixed on his father.

"I really shouldn't," I protest, but Evander's father insists, leaving me no choice but to accept his invitation.

As he ushers me inside, I shoot Evander a panicked look, but his expression remains unreadable.

He gestures to the sofa, indicating where I should sit. "Can I get you something to drink? Coffee, water?"

"No, thank you." I shake my head as I sit down on the plush sofa, taking in the luxurious living room. Soft light spills from table lamps, casting a warm glow in the room. The air is thick with the scent of old books and polished wood.

Evander stands off to the side, his arms crossed, frowning.

"How long have you known Evander?" his father asks, his voice firm.

"Father, this isn't—" Evander protests, but his father ignores him.

I fidget, my hands twisting in my lap. "A couple of weeks," I murmur nervously.

He nods thoughtfully. "And how has your stay in town been?"

"It's been real nice," I say, smiling. "Everyone here is so friendly." It was true; this is one place that I've truly felt like myself. I usually hated to move, but I'm glad that we moved here.

He raises an eyebrow. "And there haven't been any... incidents lately?" His tone is laced with suspicion.

Confused, I shake my head. "No."

He nods, continuing, "Luckily for us, the wolves here are quite friendly."

Evander interrupts. "Dad..." he warns.

My eyes widen in fear. "Wolves?"

Evander's father nods, his expression serious. "Yes, Cedarville has quite a record when it comes to those."

Noticing my unease, he changes the topic. "How do you like your classes so far?" The rest of the conversation flows easily from there.

As the evening wears on, Evander's father stands. "It's getting late. I'm sure your parents must be worried." We say our goodbyes, and Evander walks me to my car.

Reluctantly, we part ways, and as I drive away, a strange feeling settles in the pit of my stomach.