Chapter - 4

"I, uh, I was just, um, going back?" I said, but it ended up being more of a question than anything else. I was extremely nervous and could feel my hands begin to sweat. 

Within seconds, Alpha Evan had crossed the clearing using the log of wood which connected the two sides and was standing in front of me. 

"Not anymore, kitten," he said, his voice smooth as ever and his intoxicating scent surrounding me like a blanket. 

I fought to keep my thoughts grounded and not drown in his scent. "Why not?" 

He smirked and somehow, it made him look hotter than he already was. "You're too naíve if you think I'll let you go just like that now that you've seen what you have."

I titled my head at him. "And what did I see, Alpha Evan? How are you an Alpha when you're clearly a witch as well?" I asked, my curiosity overpowering any nervousness I'd felt seconds ago. 

"That's because I'm both, a witch and a werewolf. A hybrid, so to speak," he stated calmly, as if it was something completely normal. It probably was for him. It was who he was, after all. 

But for me, it was like folklore coming to life right in front of me. Sure, I'd heard stories about a hybrid somewhere up North but I hadn't ever considered them to be true. Now, seeing one right in front of me, I didn't know what to do or how to react. 

"You're not kidding, are you?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Do I look like I am?" 

He did not. 

He really was a hybrid.

Wow. 

But if he was, why hadn't I heard of it before? A news like that was sure to travel around here like wildfire. 

Which, combined with his statement about how he wouldn't let me go now that I'd seen him doing some sort of magic led me to believe that no one knew who he really was. 

That piece of information made me feel oddly empowered. That there was something only I knew. 

"So, I'm the only one who knows that you're a hybrid?" I asked, just to clarify. 

He nodded in response. 

I hummed to myself, an idea coming to my mind like a light bulb going off. "Right. So, you probably want me to stay silent and not tell anyone that you're a hybrid, right?"

He nodded again, his moss green eyes never once straying from my face. It was slightly unnerving but I was too excited at the quickly forming idea in my head to give it much thought. 

"Okay. But my silence comes at a price. I want you to take me away from here when you leave at the end of this event. I don't care how you do it, only that you do. Or I'll tell everyone the truth about you," I tell him, letting it all out in one breath. 

His lips pulled up at the corners a little, amusement glinting in his moss green eyes. Was he laughing at me? Did he think I wouldn't do it?

"I'm serious about this. I'll go and tell everyone who you are," I told him, trying to instill as much authority into my voice as I could. 

He still looked as amused as ever, stepping closer to me, invading my personal space. His scent overpowered all else, making me completely loose my train of thought as I tilted my head back to look at him better. 

His piercing green eyes bore into my own, burning with an intensity I'd never felt directed at me. Slowly, he brought a hand up, rubbing the back of his hand along my cheek. It was a whisper of a touch, but I still felt goosebumps break out all over my skin. 

"Alright, kitten," he whispered, bending down a little so his mouth was directly in front of my ear when he spoke. "I'll take you away with me when I go. Anything else?" 

It took me a moment to gather my thoughts enough to form a coherent sentence because of his close proximity. When I felt that I wouldn't sputter out absolute nonsense upon opening my mouth, I finally spoke, "No. Not right now." 

He nodded, taking a step back and almost involuntarily I let out a breath, not realising I'd almost stopped breathing when he had come so close. 

"Can I go now?" I don't know why, but I felt the need to ask. 

"Do you absolutely have to?" He cocked his head at me, his piercing green eyes pinning me to my spot. 

I swallowed. "No, not really. I don't really have anyone waiting for me."

"No? Not even your friend from back at the party? He seemed to care a great deal about you," he said, his tone suddenly frosty. If I didn't know better, I'd say he was almost jealous. But that couldn't be, could it? Why would he be jealous over Raymond? 

I frowned. "You mean Raymond? Why would he be waiting for me? It's not like we live in the same house or anything."

Alpha Evan nodded slowly, taking my words in, but he didn't look convinced. "So, who is he to you then?" He cocked his head at me, his gaze inquisitive. 

My frown deepened. "What does it matter to you?" 

He stepped closer again, invading my personal bubble. His scent flooded my senses yet again, rendering me completely speechless. Bringing a hand to my face again like he had done moments ago, he brushed his fingers along my cheekbone, his touch feather light. Almost involuntarily, I closed my eyes, leaning into his touch, warmth spreading from the point of contact all throughout my body.

Slightly dazed and completely captivated by his scent, I looked up at him, thoroughly enjoying his proximity and the feel of his hand rubbing against my skin. 

"You'll tell me who he is to you, won't you?" he murmured, his voice low and extremely sexy, his gaze intense as he stared straight into my eyes. 

"He's a good friend of mine," I admitted softly, the words leaving my mouth without much thought. I'd give him anything he asked as long as he stayed close, touching me the way he was right then. 

Suddenly, his expression morphed, a self satisfied smirk gracing his handsome face as he stepped back completely, putting a good foot of distance between us. 

Missing his warmth and still a little dazed, it took me a moment to realise what had just happened. Anger flared within me, a different kind of warmth enveloping me as my cheeks heated in embarrassment. 

The man knew what his proximity did to me and he had just used that to get an answer out of me. 

It made me as angry as it did flustered. I huffed, folding my arms across my chest but before I could say anything, he spoke up, "You look pretty cute when you're trying to be angry." 

I blushed harder. "Flattery won't get you anywhere."

"Staying close to you and touching you definitely would, though. Don't you think so?"

The nerve of this guy! On instinct, I picked up a small pebble and launched it at him. 

The little thing bounced off his broad chest and fell to the floor with barely any sound. 

I cringed, looking at the pebble, cursing myself internally for having done that. Why, goddess, why did I have to do that?

"Should I even say anything about that?" he asked, looking like he was trying really hard not to laugh. 

My cheeks burned even hotter as I shook my head vigorously. "No. Definitely not." 

He eyes crinkled in unbridled joy. "You're quite an entertaining person, Melody."

"Glad to be of service, Alpha," I shot back, huffing a little. 

He let his gaze travel over my body from head to toe, the mood suddenly shifting from playful to something much, much hotter. "I do have a few other things in mind where you could be of service," he murmured, his gaze stopping at my eyes, pools of green swirling with a hunger that made me feel like the hottest woman alive. 

If a look and touch alone could make me feel all these beautiful emotions I'd never once felt before, what would having his body on top of mine as we made hot, passionate love feel like? 

My eyes widened at my own thoughts, a blush coating my cheeks as I shook my head. What was wrong with me? Why was I thinking all this? And why the hell was I feeling this way towards him? Deciding to ignore both my thoughts and his last sentence, I asked instead,"How do you know my name?" 

His infuriatingly sexy smirk was back on his face. "I have my ways, Melody," he replied, enunciating each syllable of my name slowly. 

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "Be a little more childish, why don't you?"

"I can assure you, kitten, there is nothing childish about me," he smirked. 

It was true. 

There wasn't. 

He was the manliest man I had ever had the pleasure of seeing. 

But I wasn't going to tell him that. The man definitely did not need an ego boost, least of all from me. 

"I'll believe it when I see it," I said instead, almost instantly regretting my words when his smirk widened. 

"You should've said it sooner," he said casually before pulling his shirt off in one smooth motion. 

I gasped, my throat suddenly drier than the Sahara as I took in his bulging muscles that were so perfect that they had to have been carved from stone, that too by the most skilled sculptor to ever exist. 

"Close your mouth, kitten. Don't want any flies getting in," he said, making me both shut my mouth, which embarrassingly enough had been hanging open, and snap my eyes up to his. 

"Right," I muttered, forcing my gaze away from his smirking face and Greek God like body, making a conscious effort to look anywhere but him. 

"You've proven your point. Put your shirt back on now."

"Distracting much?" I could hear the smirk in his voice. 

I shot him a glare in response, taking care not to let my gaze stray downwards. 

He chuckled. It was the sweetest sound, dissolving my heated glare in a moment and I smiled as I watched him put his shirt on. 

Being around him somehow made my heart happy. This was the most I'd talked to anyone other than Raymond and my nanny. And while I'd always imagined an interaction with another person being awkward as hell, talking to him had been the complete opposite. I'd felt right at home, bantering back and forth with him without a care in the world.

Sure, I knew in the back of my mind that he was an Alpha, and a hybrid, which made him even more powerful than the average Alpha, but there was not even an ounce of fear in my heart. If anything, I felt the safest when he was near me. Almost as if nothing could harm me now that he was here. It was a weird feeling, but a happy one all the same. The kind I didn't know I'd craved so much until it was right there in front of me. The kind I almost never wanted to let go of. 

And that was a dangerous thought to have. 

I could only hope this deal wouldn't come bite me back in the ass later.