Tempted By The Alpha

2

navey grace grey

My nail drags over the bruised skin on my thumb, the flesh sensitive and shredded. The sting enough to halt the harrowing thoughts of last night. "I never want to see that man again." Lucy bristles, her voice muffled to my ears as my nail repeatedly drags over the skin. "He's probably already forgotten about it," Avaia responds. Why is he back? My teeth sink into the tawny string of my hoodie's hood, the material scraping against my teeth. "Of course he remembers!"

My eyes fall down to my bandaged hand, bile rising in my throat as the skin tingles with the memory of his fingertips brushing over my hand. I should've thrown myself off the treehouse. "Navey," Why did he go to my treehouse? Rage rises in my chest, my throat, until breathing feels like swallowing heat. I glare down at my injured hand, only feeling his touch over and over, like it's burned into my skin. "Navey?" He doesn't get to just come back after nine months. Who the f**k does he think he is? Com-- A hand darts out, resting over mine.

My eyes flutter, clashing with Lucy's dark brown hues. "Are you listening to us?" Slanting her head to the side, curly tendrils of her fiery red hair falling over her face as her eyes rove over mine. I blink, releasing the string from between my teeth. "Sorry, what?" I clear my throat, swallowing the lump. Her eyebrows draw together, light catching the ring in her nose. "Does your hand still hurt?" She taps her finger against the bandage on my hand, eyes falling down to it before darting back to me.

No, but my f*****g heart does. I shrug, biting into the side of my cheek. "No," Lying to Lucy causes my heart to shudder in my chest. I shift, my eyes jumping to Avaia's light green ones. "What man are we talking about?" I reach over, pulling the glass of wine closer. Avaia leans back in her chair, dragging her fingers through her dark brown hair. "Some guy Lucy made out with." Avaia sighs, propping her elbow up on the back of her chair.

Lucy's chest shakes with a scoff. "We never got to the make out part, because I fell off the bed." She scrunches up her nose, lifting the wine glass to her lips. Avaia's head falls back, a roaring chuckle ripping from her throat and my shoulders shake with my own. Lucy and Avaia have been my best friends since middle school, the glue holding my life together. And, amidst the most obvious differences between us, we've always been inseparable. Lucy is carved by discipline-- sharp edges, firm rules and the kind of protection that keeps you from falling in the first place. Avaia is the opposite, she moves like freedom itself, reckless, the kind who would drag you into chaos yet stand in front of it when it turns on you.

I drag my fingertip over the rim of the wine glass, biting into the side of my cheek. "He's back." I mumble, eyes dropping to the red liquid. The weight of their gazes is suffocating. "Who?" Avaia drawls out, leaning forward. "Davian," Lucy whispers, and I can hear the shock lodged in her tone. I sigh, my head falling into a nod. I lift the glass to my lips, swallowing the bitter liquid. "Are you serious?" Avaia gapes as I watch her over the rim, gulping down the wine, the feelings from earlier unfurling in my chest. "When did you see him?" Lucy rushes out, pushing her glass to the side. "Where did you see him? Did you speak to him?"

I lick the liquid from my lips and shake my head, my jaw tightening. "No, Malakai told me." My tongue runs over my teeth, the lie bitter in my mouth. "f**k," Avaia groans, standing from the chair and I watch as she lifts the wine bottle, pouring more into my glass. "Now we have to go to the races tonight." Avaia brings the bottle to her lips and swallows.

-

"Did you forget that I'm your f*****g boyfriend?" Ronan's voice vibrates in my ear, over the sheer sound of bikes revving and people chatting along with the noise of music blasting from the speakers tied to trees. I blink, my hand tightening around the phone in my hand. I fling my gaze to the side, striding through the trees, away from the noise. "No," I mumble, lowering the volume. I hear him inhale a deep breath, "It f*****g seems that way, Navey. You never answer your phone or tell me where you're going, and I know you're drunk right now." Angrily, he sighs.

My teeth sink into my bottom lip, eyes falling to the ground. Ronan Hunter, my boyfriend and second son of our pack's Alpha. Also, the brother of the man I despise the most. I kick a few dry leaves with my shoe, tucking tendrils of my hair behind my ear. "I'm not drunk," My voice is meek, twisting around to wander further into the forest. "You could've invited me to the races. Why didn't you?" He scoffs. I blow out a breath, my eyes falling shut. "I thought you'd be here." This is ridiculous, he attends every single illegal race with his friends, never inviting me to join.

My fingers dig into the ridges on the tree. "I'm seriously pissed, Navey. Can you just leave and come here?" He grumbles, a near sneer to his tone. My eyebrows draw together, my nails digging into the bandage wrapped around my palm, annoyance pricking at my skin. Ronan has always been a selfish man, wanting everything to go his way. "I can't just leave my friends." I throw my hand up into the air, rounding a tree. "I've had a really bad day," His voice softens, silence following. "Davian is back, Navey." Voice hushed, almost like he's too scared to say his name.

My heart sinks, nails aching as I push them into the wood. Something churning unfurls in my stomach and I inhale a thin breath. "I'll come." I clear my throat, every fibre in my being igniting with a spark of hatred. Yes, Ronan, I know the devil has returned. My eyes lift, glancing around, no sounds around me but the faint flutter of leaves. f**k, I'm lost.

--

"P-please davian, just f**k me already." So pleading, so desperate, so needy. The way the words roll off her tongue — breathless, erotic. I halt in my tracks, not because of her moans or pleads, or even because of the fact that I haven't heard or seen another human in ten minutes, but due to the name. That name. Davian. The cold breeze sweeps through the leaves, twirling through my hair. "Davian," Haunting, the way the name jolts through my body in the most disturbing way. I stare ahead at the large trees surrounding me, the shadows of leaves frantically dancing around on the dirt.

"Oh f**k, f**k. Please." It all spills out of her mouth, no concerns for being loud, no regard for any decency. My bottom lip rolls into my mouth and I bite down on it, painfully hard, my eyes fluttering shut. I should run, I should run as fast as I can — but my limbs refuse to move, refuse to lead me down the path. Slowly, I turn, turn in the direction of their pants and moans and groans. My eyes are wide, my heart pounding against my chest, a lump forming in my throat. I push forward, avoiding sticks and dry leaves, convincing myself that I'm doing this purely out of necessity, not curiosity.

I step forward, my trembling hand reaching out and I slowly move the branch to the side, blinking rapidly as I take in the sight before me. A petite brunette seated on Davian's sleek, black bike, her back to me as she moans and groans, her hair swaying in the wind. "Oh," She gasps, her head craning backward in pleasure, her tan skin glowing in the moon light. Who is she? My eyes dart to the man standing between her thighs, the man making her plead and writhe beneath him.

Goosebumps prick at my skin, painfully so as my eyes wander over him, standing in all black, large and intimidating, his veiny hand wrapped around her hip, the rings around his fingers glinting, his other hand lost underneath her dress. My lips part, my eyelashes fluttering. "Don't stop." She pants and my thighs clench, my body throbbing as I force myself to look away, to glance to the side, to run away. Then, I see him. Kissing along her jaw, down her neck. His black strands unruly, his silky hair pointing in every direction, a beautiful mess.

A lump grows in my throat, making it impossible for me to breathe as my eyes wander over the side of his face, reminded yet again that he is, for a fact, the most beautiful man my eyes has ever roamed over. His sharp, strong jaw, plump, soft lips, his irresistible smooth skin and scorching green eyes that I haven't gazed into for months now. Oh, Davian. "Don't make me beg," She pleads, the need so apparent that I swallow, hard.

I watch as his lips tilt up into a devious smirk, a small dimple denting into his cheek as he brushes his lips over her bare shoulder. I shiver. "Oh, but you know I love it when you beg." His eyes flick up so swiftly, directly meeting mine, so intense that I stumble back. Blue, so so blue. My breath hitches in my throat. He caught me. "Davian."