The Alpha’s Fat Mate

Chapter 4

Lilly

By the time I reached home, my stomach was cramping with hunger, my feet ached, and I was fighting the urge to cry.

It had been a terrible day.

A truly terrible day.

And somehow, I had a feeling tomorrow would be worse.

I stopped at the front gate and stared at the small, weather-beaten house.

The paint was peeling around the windows. The front garden was overgrown, and a broken fence leaned drunkenly towards the footpath.

Our house had never been beautiful, but I remembered a time when it had felt like a home.

I couldn’t remember much about my mother.

Only fragments.

A photograph of a smiling woman with kind eyes. The faint scent of lavender that sometimes seemed to linger in my dreams. And the stories I’d heard from the few relatives who’d bothered to visit when I was younger.

They told me she’d been gentle.

Patient.

Full of laughter.

Sometimes, I wondered what it would have been like to have her here.

Would she have defended me when the other children laughed at me?

Would she have hugged me when I came home crying?

Would she have looked at me and seen something worth loving?

I swallowed the ache in my throat.

There was no point wondering about things that could never happen.

My mother was gone.

And my father had made sure I never forgot it.

I unlocked the front door as quietly as possible.

The smell hit me immediately.

Stale alcohol.

Cigarette smoke.

And something sour that had been sitting in the kitchen bin for far too long.

I grimaced.

“Dad?”

Silence.

I carefully closed the door behind me.

Perhaps he’d gone out.

Perhaps I’d have a few hours to myself.

The thought brought a small, guilty wave of relief.

I slipped off my shoes and crept towards the kitchen.

An empty bottle lay on the counter beside a half-eaten packet of chips. Dirty dishes filled the sink, and a glass had been knocked onto its side near the edge of the table.

I stared at the mess.

Then I sighed.

Of course.

I set my backpack down and began cleaning.

It was easier to do things before he noticed they needed doing. If the house looked reasonably tidy, there was less for him to complain about.

Not that it always helped.

Sometimes he found something to be angry about regardless.

I had just finished washing the dishes when I heard movement in the living room.

My hands went still beneath the running water.

A chair scraped across the floor.

Then came the unmistakable sound of a bottle being set down.

My stomach tightened.

“That you, Lilly?”

My father’s voice was rough and irritated.

“Yes, Dad.”

“What took you so long?”

I glanced at the clock.

I’d arrived home at my usual time.

“I went straight home after school.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

I turned off the tap.

“I’m not lying.”

The words had barely left my mouth before I regretted them.

Silence.

Then footsteps.

Slow.

Heavy.

Getting closer.

I dried my hands on a tea towel and turned towards the doorway.

My father stood there, his shirt creased and his hair unkempt. His eyes were bloodshot, and his expression twisted when he looked at me.

“What did you say?”

My throat tightened.

“Nothing.”

He stepped into the kitchen.

“That’s what I thought.”

I lowered my gaze.

He smelled of alcohol.

He always did these days.

“Have you eaten?”

I hesitated.

“No.”

His eyes narrowed.

“Why not?”

“I didn’t have enough money.”

He stared at me as though I’d personally offended him.

“You’re always wanting something, aren’t you?”

I said nothing.

“Always taking. Always costing me money.”

My fingers curled into the tea towel.

I hadn’t asked him for anything.

I hadn’t bought new clothes in months. I used the same school supplies until they fell apart. I’d stopped asking for money for lunch because the arguments weren’t worth it.

But explaining any of that would only make things worse.

He looked towards the sink.

“What’s this?”

“The dishes.”

“I can see that, you stupid girl.”

My heart lurched.

He snatched a plate from the draining rack and examined it.

“Still dirty.”

“It’s clean.”

The moment I said it, I wished I could take the words back.

His face darkened.

“What did you say?”

I stared at the floor.

“I’m sorry.”

He threw the plate into the sink.

It shattered against the metal basin.

I jumped.

“You’re good for nothing,” he snarled. “Can’t even wash a bloody plate properly.”

I stood frozen, my heart hammering.

The broken pieces lay scattered across the sink.

One small fragment had fallen onto the floor beside my foot.

I couldn’t stop staring at it.

“Clean it up.”

I nodded.

“Now!”

I crouched immediately.

My fingers trembled as I began gathering the larger pieces, careful not to cut myself.

My father muttered something under his breath before returning to the living room.

I waited until I heard him sit down.

Then I allowed myself to breathe.

My eyes burned.

I blinked rapidly.

Not here.

Not where he could see me.

I finished cleaning the broken plate, checked the floor for fragments, and put the rubbish in the bin.

Then I went to my bedroom.

It was the only place in the house that felt even remotely like mine.

The room was small, with faded curtains and a narrow bed pushed against the wall. My desk was covered with textbooks, notebooks, and the few personal belongings I’d managed to keep over the years.

There were no expensive decorations.

No beautiful clothes hanging in the wardrobe.

No photographs of happy family holidays.

Just a bed, a desk, and a battered chest of drawers.

But it was mine.

I closed the door and leaned against it.

For several seconds, I simply stood there.

Then my knees weakened, and I slid to the floor.

The tears came before I could stop them.

I pressed both hands over my mouth, trying to keep the sound from carrying through the house.

I didn’t want Dad to hear me.

I didn’t want him to come in and demand to know why I was crying.

I didn’t want another argument.

I just wanted to feel safe.

Was that too much to ask?

I thought about the day I’d had at school.

Madison’s cruel smile.

Tyler destroying my assignment.

My lunch lying on the cafeteria floor.

And Kaiden.

Especially Kaiden.

I still couldn’t understand why he’d pulled me aside after class.

What had he sensed?

What did he think I was?

I rubbed my arms, suddenly cold despite the warmth of the room.

For a brief moment, I remembered the strange sensation I’d experienced in the corridor.

The growl.

The anger.

The loneliness that hadn’t felt like my own.

I’d tried to convince myself it had been a trick of my imagination.

But now, sitting alone in my bedroom, I couldn’t quite shake the feeling that something inside me had changed.

Something I didn’t understand.

Something I couldn’t explain.

I closed my eyes.

“Please,” I whispered into the empty room. “Let tomorrow be better.”

It was a foolish prayer.

Tomorrow was unlikely to be better.

But I needed something to hold on to.

Even if it was only hope.

⸻

Across town, Kaiden stared at the same page of his textbook for the fifth time.

He hadn’t absorbed a single word.

His attention kept returning to the girl who’d stood frozen in the classroom doorway that afternoon.

Lilly.

The human girl.

The one most people barely noticed unless they wanted someone to laugh at.

He’d never given her much thought before.

He knew who she was, of course. Everyone at Briarwood knew Lilly. She was the girl Madison Price loved to torment, the one who seemed to spend her life apologising for things that weren’t her fault.

But knowing who someone was didn’t mean you knew anything about them.

And until today, Kaiden hadn’t cared to find out.

Now, he couldn’t stop thinking about her.

He set his textbook aside.

Something had happened when she’d entered the classroom.

He’d felt it.

A strange sensation had swept through him, so sudden and unfamiliar that he’d initially mistaken it for irritation.

Then he’d looked at her.

And the feeling had intensified.

It hadn’t been fear.

Kaiden wasn’t easily frightened.

It hadn’t been anger, either, although he’d been unable to explain why the sight of her trembling hands had made his chest tighten.

It had been something else.

Something instinctive.

Something that had come from a place deeper than conscious thought.

He dragged a hand through his hair.

“What the hell are you hiding, Lilly?”

The question hung unanswered in the quiet room.

He knew she was human.

He could tell.

There was no wolf scent clinging to her, no familiar trace of pack affiliation.

Yet something about her had unsettled him in a way no ordinary human ever had.

And that made no sense.

Humans were fragile.

They were physically weaker than werewolves, unable to access the strength and instincts that came with having an inner wolf.

Most wolves barely considered them a threat.

Kaiden had certainly never had a reason to think otherwise.

Until Lilly.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

He remembered the way she’d flinched when he’d spoken to her.

The way she’d immediately apologised, even when he hadn’t accused her of anything.

He remembered the fear in her eyes.

It had irritated him at first.

Now, for reasons he didn’t understand, the memory made him uncomfortable.

Had he really frightened her that badly?

He frowned.

Of course he had.

He was the future Alpha.

People were careful around him.

Some were intimidated by his position, while others were eager to gain his approval.

But Lilly hadn’t looked at him with ordinary nervousness.

She’d looked at him as though she expected him to hurt her.

The distinction bothered him.

He didn’t know why.

A knock sounded at his bedroom door.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Tyler stepped inside.

“There you are. I’ve been trying to get hold of you.”

Kaiden barely glanced at him.

“What do you want?”

Tyler grinned.

“Nothing much. Just wondering what that was about earlier.”

Kaiden’s expression hardened.

“What was what about?”

Tyler laughed.

“Don’t play dumb. You practically dragged Lilly out of class.”

“I spoke to her.”

“Yeah, and that’s what I’m wondering about.”

Tyler dropped into a chair.

“Since when do you care what happens to her?”

Kaiden’s jaw tightened.

“I don’t.”

“Then why were you questioning her?”

“That’s none of your business.”

Tyler raised his hands.

“All right, mate. Relax.”

Kaiden said nothing.

Tyler studied him for a moment before his grin returned.

“Madison reckons Lilly’s been acting strange.”

Kaiden looked up.

“Strange how?”

“She doesn’t know. Just said you were asking her questions and she looked terrified.”

Kaiden’s stomach tightened.

“She always looks terrified.”

“True.” Tyler shrugged. “Probably because she’s a pathetic little human who can’t handle being around people.”

Something unpleasant stirred in Kaiden’s chest.

He looked at Tyler sharply.

“Leave her alone.”

Tyler blinked.

“What?”

“I said leave her alone.”

A confused expression crossed Tyler’s face.

“Since when do you care if we mess with Lilly?”

Kaiden didn’t answer immediately.

Because he didn’t have an answer.

He didn’t know why the thought of Tyler deliberately frightening her had suddenly become intolerable.

He didn’t know why the memory of her trembling hands kept returning.

And he certainly didn’t know why something inside him seemed to resist the idea of anyone hurting her.

Finally, he leaned back in his chair.

“Just do as I say.”

Tyler stared at him for a moment before giving a short laugh.

“Whatever you say, Alpha.”

He stood and headed towards the door.

But before leaving, he glanced over his shoulder.

“You know, if you ask me, that girl is trouble.”

Kaiden’s eyes narrowed.

“Get out.”

Tyler left.

The door closed.

Silence settled over the room once more.

Kaiden stared at the empty doorway.

Trouble.

Perhaps Tyler was right.

Lilly had appeared in his life as an insignificant detail, someone he barely noticed.

Now, one strange encounter had left him questioning things he had never questioned before.

He didn’t like it.

He didn’t like not understanding what was happening.

And he especially didn’t like the uncomfortable feeling that, somehow, Lilly had become important to something inside him that he couldn’t control.

He stood and crossed to the window.

Outside, the evening sky had darkened, and the first stars were beginning to appear.

Kaiden rested one hand against the glass.

Somewhere out there, Lilly was probably going about her evening, completely unaware that she’d managed to get under his skin.

He should have forgotten about her.

He should have returned to his studies and dismissed the entire incident as nothing.

Instead, he found himself remembering her face.

The fear in her eyes.

The way she’d looked at him as though she was waiting for him to hurt her.

His jaw tightened.

“What are you, Lilly?”

He had no idea.

But he intended to find out.