The Taming Of Alpha Rafael

Chapter 6

In my room, I landed on the bed and sent my eyes up to the ceiling. "What just happened?" I asked myself and turned to the right, lying on my side.

I didn't know where to start from. Was it the bond that I just witnessed between Gracie and Rafael? Was it because she was in his room? Or the last thing he said to me, which was absurd. I sighed and lay recumbent again.

"I should leave here as soon as possible!" I said to myself.

Rafael had shown me what was in his mind the first night in his mansion. "He wanted to f… Hush!" I berated myself.

When the thought of leaving as soon as possible reached the zenith after a while of silence, I wondered how hard it would be on Gracie with the clingy act that she had just exhibited with Rafael - it might be hard.

After failing to devise means, I closed my eyes and envisioned him as he said those words… ‘I'd rather you sleep here’.

"Why would he want me to sleep there?" I asked and refused to open my eyes.

Of course, Rafael was physically attractive, and also, the part of him known as the alpha of the Fairfield pack was still somewhere hidden in him.

Caught in the labyrinth of my thoughts, I closed my eyes and had the first night in Rafael's mansion while he was somewhere in the mansion with my daughter.

***

I gently opened my eyes, reluctantly awakening from my slumber on the widest bed I had ever slept in.

As the morning light filtered through the curtains, I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of solitude washing over me.

It was a feeling I hadn't experienced before, as I had always slept with company by my side. First, it was Kantos for months, and in the last five years, my daughter Gracie had filled that role.

But today was different. Gracie wasn't here with me, and that thought alone stirred up a cascade of emotions within me.

Just the mere mention of her name, Gracie, brought her image to mind. The memory of her sleeping peacefully in Rafael's room resurfaced, and it caused a mixture of anger, concern, and confusion to swirl within me.

"Rafael Salvatore!" The very sound of his name elicited a huff of frustration, as his recent behaviour had left a sour taste in my mouth.

I recalled the distasteful conversations that had taken place between us the previous night, remembered Gracie's scream and then I remembered who I was - a cleaner, a chef, a driver, appointed to work for him.

Panic rushed through my veins as I quickly jumped out of bed, racing to the kitchen to see what chaos awaited me.

To my astonishment, I found my boss, Rafael, standing in the kitchen without his crutches. He was cooking breakfast alongside my daughter, Gracie, who was perched on the kitchen counter, eagerly helping with the preparations.

"Mommy!" Gracie exclaimed, her eyes lighting up as she saw me. I couldn't smile at the sight of her as I didn't know what awaited me.

My heart sank as I turned to face Rafael. I couldn't believe that I had overslept and left him to take care of everything. Besides, this was absurd.

"I am sorry," I said and pressed my lips together, looking for suiting words. "I should have woken up earlier but…"

"I am not surprised nor disappointed," Rafael said and I stood there. "Women find it difficult to wake early in my house. Gracie broke the record though."

"What's going on?" I mused to myself as I watched Rafael and Gracie doing a high five with Gracie grinning the way she would whenever she was at the peak of ecstasy.

"Apart from waking so early, Gracie, my trusty sous chef," he proclaimed, "was the master flipper of pancakes! She flipped them so high, they nearly reached the ceiling!"

Gracie, beaming with pride, added, "I used my ninja skills to make the pancakes super fluffy, Rafael!"

"No, you bigmouthed toad, Mr Salvatore!" I berated her.

"Nope," Rafael cut in. "I told her to call me that," he added.

I stood there and watched him limp from side to side, picking stuff and smiling at Gracie as he did.

"What are you doing?" I asked. I wanted to know. Was he doing this to make it difficult for us to leave or he's just being kind?

"Would you like to know we arrived here?" he asked and I shook my head slowly. "First," he began, "we mixed chocolate chips and strawberries. Then, we added a special secret ingredient - peanut butter! It made the pancakes taste like a dream, have a bite!"

He offered a plate to me and when I made no move, he limped towards Gracie and whispered a thing to her.

"Mr Salvatore," I interjected, my voice filled with sincere concern. "You shouldn't be on your feet like this yet. The injury won't heal properly if you push yourself too hard."

Again, he ignored and continued hoping to and fro the kitchen. I looked at Gracie and wished for a moment with her. To ask her what was happening?

Feeling unseen and unheard, I silently made my way outside, hoping to find some solace in the stillness of the morning and to perform one of the jobs assigned to me. I had to check the mailbox and deliver, if there was any, to my boss.

Amazingly, there was one. I picked it up and turned towards the house. I looked to the side of it and I was dazed. It bore my name and read ‘To Sonya’.

No one knew I was here, at the Salvatore’s mansion apart from Rafael, Gabriel and Cecelia. Could the message be from them? I wondered.

I quickly tore the envelope and unfolded the sheet. The name of the sender at the base caught my attention and I checked over and over.

One of my knees jerked and I crashed into a body of flowers that had made a wall along the path that led to the house.

I was supported by the flowers and there I looked into the piece of paper again. More like before, the name caused my breath to cease and slowly, I looked up to read the text - another prick to my heart.

It read…

Hey, Sonya. How was the first night with the one-legged Salvatore? Well, I need you to keep my bed warm, or I come and take what's mine - my mate, my wife, my daughter, my family.

Crescent hotel.

Kantos!