Chapter Seven
818 Words
The man holding my hair slowly let go.
Not because he felt sorry for me.
But because something outside had stolen his attention.
The growl came again.
It rolled through the night like thunder and slammed into the diner, making the whole building tremble. Plates rattled violently on the shelves, and the hanging glasses knocked against each other with sharp, nervous clinks. Outside, the rain poured harder, drumming against the windows like it wanted to break its way inside.
For a moment, everything froze.
No one spoke. No one moved.
The customers who had been crying just seconds ago slowly turned their heads toward the kitchen. Even the little girl hiding behind her mother stopped sobbing, her wide eyes fixed on the sound.
The man in charge frowned, his jaw tightening.
“What was that?” one of his men asked, his voice lower than before.
“I don’t know,” the leader replied quickly.
The air inside the diner changed instantly. Every man in the room stiffened. One of the younger ones slowly lifted his head, his nostrils flaring as he sniffed the air. Within seconds, all the color drained from his face.
“Boss…” he whispered.
“What now?” the leader snapped.
I know that scent.
The leader rolled his eyes. “Then speak properly.”
“I…” The young man hesitated, his eyes drifting toward the back door as if it might explode at any moment. “I don’t think we should be here.”
A short, harsh laugh escaped the leader.
“You’re shaking because of a scent?”
“It’s not just a scent,” one of the men said, taking a small step back. His voice dropped lower. “It’s… an Alpha.”
That word changed everything.
Another man beside him quickly sniffed the air too. His eyes widened instantly, fear flashing across his face.
“No…”
It slipped out before he could stop it.
The leader’s expression darkened as he looked between his men.
“What is wrong with all of you?”
But no one answered.
They didn’t need to.
The fear in their eyes said everything.
I frowned slightly, still standing there with my heart pounding.
An Alpha?
For a brief, stupid second, Kaleb’s face flashed in my mind.
It hit me so hard that my chest tightened.
Then I forced the thought away.
No.
Kaleb wasn’t coming.
If he had cared, he would have been here long before now.
He had already made his choice.
He rejected me.
He watched me leave.
And he never once looked back.
That memory burned inside me like fresh fire. My throat tightened as I wrapped my arms around myself, not because I was cold, but because something inside me was breaking all over again.
Then, The back door open.
The sound sending everyone in shock. The wooden door slammed hard against the wall before collapsing onto the floor. Cold wind rushed inside instantly, dragging rainwater with it that splashed the kitchen tiles.
Silence returned, but it wasn’t peaceful.
It was heavy.
Waiting.
Footsteps followed.
Slow.
Unhurried.
Each step echoed through the diner like a warning that didn’t need words. Whoever was coming wasn’t afraid. Not even a little.
The footsteps grew louder.
Every head turned toward the doorway now.
Even I found myself holding my breath.
A shadow appeared first.
Then a man stepped inside.
He was tall. Taller than anyone else in the room. A long black coat clung to his frame, dripping rainwater onto the floor as he moved. His dark hair was wet, strands sticking slightly to his forehead, and water ran down the sharp lines of his face.
He looked like someone who had walked straight through a storm.
No hurry. No fear.
Just control.
His eyes slowly moved across the diner.
The broken chairs.
The shattered plates.
The frightened people against the walls.
He paused briefly when he saw an elderly woman holding a child tightly in her arms. Then his gaze moved again.
And finally It landed on me.
Something inside me shifted.
I forgot how to breathe.
Those eyes… silver.
Sharp enough to slice straight through anyone they looked at.
But when they met mine…
Something changed.
Not in his expression.
It didn’t move.
But the coldness in his gaze… softened.
Just slightly.
So quickly I almost thought I imagined it.
Why was I reacting like this?
I had never seen this man before in my life.
At least… I didn’t think I had.
A strange warmth spread through my chest. It wasn’t painful. It wasn’t dangerous the last time I believed I was safe…
Kaleb destroyed me.
I forced myself to look away.
Don’t be stupid, Elisa.
He’s just another Alpha.
And powerful men only know how to hurt people like you.
The silence in the diner stretched until it became unbearable.
Then the stranger said only five words.
- Writer
