The Human and the Alpha's son

CHAPTER 13

(Makayla POV)

Jared’s lips are warm and urgent on mine, his arms locked tightly around my waist like he’s terrified I’ll slip away if he lets go. My fingers are tangled in his hair, and my heart beats wildly in my chest. Everything—prom, secrets, stress—fades. It’s just him and me, our breath mixing in the cool night air.

Then a noise slices through the moment. A sharp, guttural snarl.

We break apart, breathless, and turn toward the source, and I’m somewhat surprised to see that it’s Lyra.

She steps out from the shadows, her expression twisted with fury. “Of course,” she hisses. “It’s her. It was always going to be her, wasn’t it?”

Her eyes lock on mine, and there’s something vicious there—something more than jealousy. It’s primal. Dangerous.

“Lyra—” I begin, confused and more than a little unsettled.

“You think you’re special, human girl?” she spits the word human like it’s poison. “You don’t belong here. You’re a stain on everything that’s supposed to matter.”

My heart stutters. Her voice is sharp, trembling with rage. I instinctively step back, but Jared moves faster.

“Back off, Lyra,” he says, voice calm but laced with steel, planting himself squarely between us.

“She’s weak,” Lyra growls. “She’s nothing.”

“Enough.” His tone shifts, low and commanding.

For a heartbeat, she holds her ground. Then something changes—her posture falters, her expression flickers with something like fear. Her eyes lower. And then… she whimpers.

Before I can make sense of it, she spins around and runs, vanishing into the trees.

I stare after her, stunned. “What the hell just happened?”

Jared exhales slowly and turns back to me. “Nothing you need to worry about.”

“Nothing? She looked like she was about to attack me, Jared.”

“I wasn’t going to let her touch you,” he says softly, brushing a lock of hair behind my ear. “I’m not letting anyone hurt you. Not now, not ever.”

My pulse pounds, but his voice is so steady, so sure, that it eases the edge of my panic. I breathe in deeply, grounding myself in him. In this.

We kiss again, slower this time. Tender. The adrenaline fades, replaced by something softer, sweeter. When we finally pull apart, the muffled sound of music reminds us that the night isn’t over.

Hand in hand, we head back into the dance.

The room still hums with energy, though people are starting to look tired, shoes are off, makeup smudged. But when we walk in together, the energy surges again.

“Finally!” Jessa shrieks, darting over. “Do not tell me I called this two years ago and had to wait until prom for you two to get your crap together.”

Jared laughs and rubs the back of his neck. I blush, but it’s a happy blush.

His teammates start cheering like someone scored a goal in overtime. I even see a few people clapping.

From the far corner of the dance floor, I spot Micah watching us. His expression is unreadable at first, but then he smiles—small and real—and nods once. A quiet acceptance.

We dance. We take goofy selfies. We pose for the official photographer. Jessa manages to sneak us extra dessert from the refreshment table. At one point, someone spikes the punch again, and one of Jared’s teammates does a ridiculous breakdance move that nearly ends in a sprained ankle.

We laugh until our sides hurt.

It’s the most carefree I’ve felt in weeks. And when Jared pulls me into another slow dance and kisses the side of my head, I start to believe that maybe—just maybe—things are going to be okay.

The night winds down too quickly. The DJ announces the last song, and couples cling together on the dance floor while the staff starts quietly stacking chairs.

As the song fades out, someone calls out, “Afterparty at iHop?”

“Yes,” Jessa declares. “Waffles or death!”

We all spill out into the parking lot, still buzzing from the night. I stand in front of Jared, my back pressed against his chest, his arms looped around my waist like it’s the most natural thing in the world. It is. It always has been.

Our group fans out, arguing playfully about pancakes versus crepes. Jessa is lobbying for French toast, while one of the guys is trying to convince everyone that real food comes in burrito form.

Then I feel it.

Jared stiffens behind me.

I glance up and see his gaze locked on the trees lining one side of the parking lot. His whole body goes still.

“What is it?” I ask.

He blinks, then glances down at me with a half-smile. “Nothing. Thought I saw something. Doesn’t matter.”

But it does matter. I can see it in the way his jaw clenches and how his eyes linger on the darkness between the trees.

Before I can push further, the group starts heading for their cars.

Jared gives me a gentle squeeze and a kiss on the temple. “Be right back.”

I watch him walk over to Jessa and one of his close friends and teammates, Tyler. They talk quickly, Jared’s voice low and urgent. All three of them look toward the trees. Then they nod at each other and split off in different directions.

When Jared comes back, he’s wearing that same casual smile he always does when he’s hiding something.

“What was that about?” I ask as he opens the Jeep door for me.

“Just letting them know we’re heading to iHop,” he says smoothly.

I slide into the seat, but my eyes linger on the tree line, shrouded in shadows. There’s nothing there.

But something about Jared’s silence sticks in the back of my mind.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The parking lot at iHop is mostly empty now, a few tired high schoolers leaning against their cars and waving each other off. One by one, everyone peels away, leaving Jared and me lingering behind as the engine of his Jeep idles softly beside us. I lean back against his chest again, his arms wrapped loosely around me, holding me like I’m something precious.

“I don’t want the night to end,” Jared murmurs near my ear.

I smile faintly, my eyes fluttering closed for a moment. “Then let’s not let it.”

He chuckles. “You’ve got a plan?”

I look up at him. “Let’s go to the river. Our spot.”

His entire face lights up. Mischief dances in his eyes, boyish and wild. “God, I was hoping you’d say that.”

He spins me playfully and opens the passenger door with a mock bow. “Milady.”

I laugh and climb in, tugging the emerald folds of my dress out of the way. As soon as he’s in the driver’s seat, he peels out of the lot, grinning the whole way like we’re escaping a heist instead of just running from the end of a perfect night.

The drive is quiet, soft music playing from the speakers, our hands laced together on the center console. The town thins out around us, streetlights giving way to the dark silhouettes of trees and empty roads. I roll the window down a bit, letting the cool night air fill the car.

“Remember the first time we came out here?” Jared asks, breaking the silence.

I smile, remembering that summer over 10 years ago. “You bet me you could skip a rock farther than me. I absolutely smoked you.”

“You cheated!” he says indignantly.

“I had better form,” I tease.

He laughs, and the sound makes something settle inside me, like a puzzle piece sliding into place.

When we finally reach the turnoff, he switches off the headlights and pulls the Jeep down the dirt path toward the river. Trees rise around us, familiar and safe. The moment we park, we both get out and instinctively reach for each other’s hands, walking the rest of the way on foot.

The river is silver in the moonlight, quiet and slow-moving. The clearing looks just as it always has, soft grass underfoot, the flat rock we used to sit on still half-covered in moss.

We settle there now, the night wrapping around us in a cocoon of memories and moonlight.

“I missed this,” I whisper.

“Me too.”

He sits behind me, pulling me between his legs so my back rests against his chest, arms wrapped around me like he’s afraid I’ll disappear.

“I never thought prom would end like this,” I say softly, watching the reflection of the moon ripple across the water.

“Neither did I,” he murmurs. “But I’m really glad it did.”

I twist slightly so I can see his face. “You meant what you said earlier?”

His expression sobers. “Every word.”

My breath catches. “You love me.”

He nods once, slow and steady. “Since forever. I just didn’t know how to say it before.”

I lean forward and kiss him again, slow and deep, pouring everything I feel into the contact. When we pull apart, the world feels softer somehow, like we’ve stepped into a new version of reality, one shaped by the truth of us “I love you too, Jared” I say softly leaning my forehead against his and closing my eyes.

We sit in silence, the sound of the river like a heartbeat, steady and grounding.

.