He Had Me Whipped, I Married the Alpha

Chapter 3 The Pizza

Snapping back to reality, I turned to the smart water dispenser and commanded, "Give me a glass of water, please."

"Voice unrecognized. Please re-record your voice profile."

I repeated the request three times, only to be met with the same mechanical rejection.

"Is this your way of nagging me to spend time with them? Did it ever cross your mind that you might wake everyone up?"

Rodger emerged from the bedroom.

I caught the smear of lipstick on his cheek, but I said nothing. I just pulled out my phone to check our smart home settings.

Then, my heart sank. Both Phillip's and my access permissions had been overwritten by Samantha's and Jeffry's.

She truly couldn't wait to mark my home as her own territory.

But I didn't want to pick a fight—not when we were so close to leaving for good.

I reached for the manual override button to get my water, but Rodger snatched the glass away first.

The next moment, he caught sight of the lipstick stain in the mirror.

"Don't get the wrong idea. This... this was an accident," he stammered, awkwardly wiping it off before hurriedly filling the glass for me.

"I didn't get any idea," I replied flatly.

In truth, I wouldn't have cared even if it had been intentional.

I took the glass from him, but the water was bone-chillingly cold.

He never remembered that my stomach cramped whenever I drank cold water. It was a lingering trauma from the time I took a silver bullet for him.

Back then, I told myself he was just busy, too preoccupied with pack business to notice small details.

But now I saw the truth. He remembered every detail of Samantha's cycle; no matter how late he returned, he'd personally brew a cup of hot cocoa for her.

He was never "neglectful" with his true love—he was just habitually ignored my needs.

I poured the water down the sink.

Rodger's face instantly darkened. "Is this how you treat my kindness?"

I let out a weary sigh. "My stomach cramps when I drink cold water. It hasn't been the same since the silver bullet."

He froze, the memory finally clicking. He reached out, his hand resting on my shoulder.

Before he could offer an explanation, Samantha appeared, leading Jeffry out.

"Emmaline, please don't fight with Rodger. I know you're upset that he's here comforting Jeff. If you're angry, take it out on me."

Jeffry suddenly burst into fake tears. "Mommy, she woke me up! I want pizza! Make her go buy it!"

"I'm so sorry; he's such a light sleeper. The slightest noise wakes him," Samantha explained, pulling Jeffry into a hug. "Hush now, baby. It's midnight. The only 24-hour shop is two hours away. We can't trouble your aunt. I'll go myself."

I scoffed inwardly. Their flirting in the bedroom hadn't stirred the pup, yet my quiet talking in the living room was "too much"?

In my past life, I would have argued. And Rodger, fueled by his hero complex, would have snapped that the pup was crying while I was busy nitpicking a misunderstanding.

But this time, I let my own eyes redden.

"My stomach still hurts, but since I'm the one who woke Jeffry, I should be the one to go."

As expected, Rodger's heart softened. He caught my arm.

"The snow is heavy out there. Let the servants handle it."

Samantha's "victim" expression instantly curdled into resentment. She reached down and gave Jeffry a sharp pinch.

This time, Jeffry's wails were real. "I want Aunt Emmaline to go! Mommy said Aunt Emmaline loves me and would grant my wishes! Was that a lie? Is Mommy lying to me just like she lied about Daddy being alive?"

"Pizza was the last meal my mate had with Jeffry before the boy watched him get killed in that hit-and-run," Samantha sobbed, her voice breaking. "The doctor said it's PTSD. When he's sad, he craves pizza because it makes him feel like his father is still here."

She choked back a sob.

"But how could Jeffry be more important than Emmaline's stomach? Jeffry, honey, Mommy will go for you."

With that, she made a break for the door.

Rodger immediately dropped my arm and rushed to stop her.

Before I could say a word, Whitney and Hayden stepped out of their room.

"Samantha, if you go out now and don't rest, you'll have dark circles for the party tomorrow," my mother said.

"Emmaline," my father added sternly, "you're the boy's aunt. Can't you fulfill one tiny wish for a pup?"