Alice and The Rogue Wolf

Chapter 20

As soon as Brayden's mother, Mrs. Allen, noticed my presence, she abandoned the bubbling meal and wrapped her hands around me in one of those bear hugs she usually gave, while Megan found herself a seat. she finally released me, after I reminded her I was still feeling weak.

"Don't you worry. I'm here to make you feel better," she said, cluttering over to the boiling pot. She sighed satisfactorily when she tasted the meal she had shaken off the ladle and onto her palm. "Megan, dear, please go set the dining table, I'll be right out with the food."

When it was just the two of us, she switched off the cooker and leaned beside me on the kitchen counter, with an inquisitive look on her face.

"You seemed to have grown even bigger while you were in a coma," she remarked.

I gasped. "Brayden told you? I told him to keep it a secret."

"Dear, Brayden tells me everything about you. But don't worry my lips are shut and your secret's safe with me," she whispered, drawing a lock over her lips.

"I hope the things he says about me are good, though," I muttered, itching my neck nervously. "Where is he anyway?"

"Oh, he didn't tell me. But he will be home anytime soon." Hardly had the words left her lips, when the front door creaked open and Brayden's voice echoed in the doorway. "Well, speak of the devil! C'mon, help me with the plates, he's probably famished."

I grabbed the dishes and cutlery, and moved out to the dining room, only to meet Brayden fondling a bouquet of roses behind him.

"Hey, You're Awake. How are you feeling?" He asked dully, helping me with the plates.

"I'm alright. Are you?"

"Yes, I am. I just thought that after what happened, you'll probably still be mad at me."

"I'm still mad about it, but I can't beat you up in front of your mother and sister now can I?"

He scoffed. "You wish. If you think I'll let you win as I used to do when we were kids, then you're on the wrong side of the fence."

"I'm pretty sure all those while I used to defeat you, it was a fair fight and you were just weak. if you think you ever stood a chance with me, you better wake up to reality," I boasted, making a laugh escape his lips. I pointed to the bouquet in his hands. "Are those for me?"

"Oh, these? No! This is a gift from one of my girlfriends."

The thought of him having a lover made my stomach twist in a knot. Why I felt bad, I couldn't tell. I tried to laugh the feeling off, but what came out was hoarse and sounded more like a cough.

"Look at you all jealous. I'm just pulling your legs, they are for you, but from one of the neighbors," he said, handing them over.

"I'm not jealous!" I retorted, but the lump in my throat betrayed me once more. I glanced at him threateningly but his face remained jovial. I sensed mischief in his tone which was only further confirmed before he could get away when my eyes fell on a note attached to the bottom of the bouquet wrap.

"It says here that they were delivered to Brayden Allen. is that a coincidence that you bear the same name as your neighbor?" I said aloud sarcastically, sniveling in the fresh and enticing scent of the flowers.

He giggled and pulled out a chair for me as we all sat down to have lunch. Mrs. Allen had prepared my favorite meal: cheeseburgers and tomato soup, and to say it was delicious was an understatement. After the meal, Brayden helped clear out the dishes and when he was done joined me on the porch.

"I see you are already fitting in," he whispered, reclining into a rocking chair.

"You didn't think I would?"

"No. Honestly, I had a suspicion that you know, without your memories, it would be hard to familiarize yourself. But, look at you gossiping with my mother already."

"Yes, it was hard laying down my defenses at first. But everyone behaved so compassionately toward me, something I have not experienced so much in the pack so they gained my trust easily. Besides, I had gotten back most of my memories and was able to recognize most of them."

A look of disbelief appeared on his face and he blurted out: "You got back all your memories? How?"

"Well I'm yet to recover all my memories, but I will, I was told, with time. I met a Witch and she performed some kind of ritual and I recalled everything."

"A witch? Why would you go to a witch?" He barked, his eyes darkening in anger.

"Would you reduce your voice, you are disturbing others. I just told you that I had regained my memories and instead of rejoicing with me, you are vexed, why?"

"Is that where you were returning from this morning when I found you unconscious?" He asked.

"Yes, the ritual took place this morning. You still haven't answered my question! " I snapped.

"I'm angry because you willingly put yourself in the face of danger. You were warned that conducting that ritual to remove your memory block could have harmed you and even worse, kill you but you didn't listen. You went about selfishly and did it anyway. What if you had died?" He retorted, and slowly recoiled when he found out he had said more than he was supposed to.

I gasped in shock! "What did you just say?"

He looked away, not answering the question. Instinctively, I moved back in the chair I sat, wondering how on earth he had known about the ritual or its side effects. Everyone else knew I had an accident, so there was no way he could have known anything about my memory block except there was something he wasn't telling me.

"How did you know about the witch's block, Brayden?" I repeated, my voice growing more intense. "Answer me!"

"Fine!" He groaned. "I know I had told you already that we used to be very good friends but truthfully, we used to be more than friends, we were lovers. Something happened that had to do with Jonathan, who told me about the curse, and your memories had to be locked up. The block was manufactured to kill you if you ever tried to break it.

"What happened, Brayden? And why wasn't I told any of this?" I asked, rising angrily.

"Alice!" He called, rising as well. "Listen, things are more complicated than you think. I can tell you everything now but you are gonna have to trust me," he said, trying to grab a hold of my hand.

"Don't you dare touch me!" I scolded, repelling his touch. "How can I trust you when you don't trust me enough to tell me what has happened? I thought you would have changed after what happened last time but now I'm beginning to regret coming here in the first place."

"What do you want me to say, huh? The little you know about what happened for now, the better it will be for now till things get back to normal. I just need you to trust me."

Immediately after he was done speaking, I flung my palm, whacking across one of his cheeks. He held his cheeks nursing the pain and I could see a dark ring growing around his pupils. I tried to turn round and flee but he grabbed me by my shoulders and just when I thought he was about to fling me against a nearby wall, he pulled me closer and clasped my lips on his.

He devoured my lips like a famished toddler while one of his arms cunningly wrapped around my waist keeping me in place. Unlike his other kisses which were slow and taunting, this one was rough and demanding, and I could tell it was a punishment fit for the slap.

He sucked, nibbled, bit, and even licked my lips, unleashing his lustful wrath on me while I stood there still as helpless as ever while he worked my lips. His hand movement on my back sent sparks to different parts of my body I didn't know existed and also caused a tingle in my heart. While we made out, we lost track of time, and only when he disengaged his lips satisfied, did we pause to catch our breaths.

Even though I felt guilty in the end, I couldn't deny the fact that I enjoyed what had just happened. I had experienced a couple of these kisses with Jonathan but I didn't yearn for him the same way I did for Brayden. Perhaps it had something to do with us being lovers in the past. However, in this case, the feeling of guilt that I had just cheated on Jonathan began to haunt me even more.

None of us had said a word after the kiss and along with the growing silence came awkwardness. I tried to think of something to say but Brayden beat me to it, uttering what would keep me stunned for the next couple of seconds.