The Mystical Attraction of Alpha
Chapter 89

Chapter 89

Chapter 89 – Jealousy

Sinclair

“I’m not jealous!” Ella explodes, almost as soon as the question left my mouth. Her heart is pounding inher chest, so fast and loud that I wouldn’t be able to tune it out if I tried. Her cheeks are consumed by acrimson blush, and my wolf is already celebrating in my head.

She’s jealous! She has feelings! She knows she’s mine! Mine, mine, mine!

He has a point. Ella is not a good liar, and though she may be able to disguise her feelings under usualcircumstances, her emotions are much too turbulent to allow that now. She sounded about asbelievable as a fox caught breaking into a henhouse, insisting it only wanted to look at the tastymorsels inside.

I arch my brow skeptically and, seeming to realize how defensive she just sounded, Ella takes a deepbreath and tries again. “I’m not jealous.” She repeats, and though she does sound more convincingnow, her body is still betraying her. Her color is still so high, and her heart is still racing. “I’m angrybecause you lied to me.”

I know I should correct her right here and now, explain exactly what happened last night whether shewants to hear it or not. But my inner hunter knows I’m onto something, and there’s no turning off myprey drive. “Then you don’t care whether I sleep with other she-wolves, as long as I’m honest about it?”

Her plump, pink lip – still stained with blood – trembles dangerously, and her voice sounds suddenlytight. “That’s right.”

Liar, liar, pants on fire! My wolf chants, running triumphant laps through my consciousness. He’szooming around like a puppy, though I can’t let Ella see how excited I am. As thrilling as this revelation

is, she is lying to me. I might be able to forgive that since I know she’s trying to protect her tender heart,but forgiveness doesn’t mean acceptance. “Are you being honest with me, little human?” I rumble,pinning her with a stern glower.

Ella’s luminous gold eyes widen and her lips part on a startled gasp. I can see her preparing to answerme, to tell me another falsehood, but before she can say yes, she seems to realize how hypocritical thequestion is. “Why should I have to be honest when you aren’t!?” She demands fiercely.

“Ella –” I growl, a clear warning.

“No! You’ve kept things from me over and over again in the name of protecting me, and you went backto your ex after promising that there was nothing between you.” She accuses. “Last night probablywasn’t even the first time! How long have you been sneaking around with her, Dominic? Has everythingthat’s happened since I got pregnant been some scheme you two orchestrated to get an heir and winthe campaign? Did you arrange the switch at the sperm bank to send all this into motion? What are youplanning once the baby comes? Are you just going to steal my child and kick me to the curb?”

I reel back, shocked by the depth of her mistrust. My wolf’s jubilance over her jealousy disappearsimmediately. He whimpers pitifully, devastated to see her so miserable – so undone by fear andbetrayal. No, this isn’t right! Fix it!

She can’t honestly believe any of those things are true, can she? Are these fears that have beenbuilding up in her all along? Or is she simply spiraling because of the perceived lie? She’s had trustissues from the day we met, and it pains me to think she might have been tormented by such paranoia,but I could also understand how her baggage might turn one trigger into this maelstrom. I want to tellElla these ideas are absurd, I want to insist that she’d have to be mad to believe these things, but Iknow that won’t help anything.

“Ella.” I say firmly, “Look at me.”

“I don’t want to.” She snaps, stubbornly turning her head away from me.

“I’m not asking.” I clarify severely, waiting for the power in my voice to do its work. Slowly she obeys,turning her head back and lifting her blazing, terrified eyes to mine. I press my hand to her belly, lettingher feel the solid weight, praying my warmth will bleed through her skin and into her bones. “I didn’t lieto you, Ella.” I state evenly, “I know you don’t want to talk about it, but –”

To my amazement, flames blaze to life behind Ella’s eyes, and she slams her hands over her ears,glaring at me with so much hurt and animosity that the gesture no longer seems childish. A world ofpain and betrayal swirls in her brilliant irises, and I remember that she’s not only a woman who’s beendeeply scarred by her past, but also one who is battling a thousand raging hormones. Exhaling heavily,I remove my palm from her tummy in order to pull her hands away from her ears. As soon as I do, hereyes fill with tears, and I realize how afraid she is of having her fears confirmed.

“I didn’t lie to you.” I repeat, deciding that this will have to do for now. “When you’re ready to listen tome, I’ll explain everything, but right now I need you to know that everything that has happened sincewe met has been completely real. I didn’t have anything to do with the switch at the sperm bank, and Iwas just as shocked by it as you were. Sweetheart, you remember how angry and unreasonable I wasat the time.” I remind her, biting back a smile. “I couldn’t fake that if I tried, nor is it how any sanehuman would act if they wanted to draw someone into a trap.” I forge on. “I am not, under anycircumstances, going to keep Rafe from you. He came from each of us, and he belongs with each ofus. I know I hid some things from you, but I haven’t ever deceived you about my feelings, and I haven’tbeen sneaking around with Lydia or anyone else.”

Little by little, my words sink in. I can see the change in Ella’s posture as she slowly deflates, unwindingthe tension from her muscles with every sentence I complete. Of course, the more she unwinds, thecloser she comes to falling apart. Soon her tears are falling freely, and she looks utterly ashamed ofherself. “I’m sorry, I know I’m being crazy.” She hiccups. “I don’t even know why I said those things. Ithink I’m losing it.”

“Jealousy can do that to a person.” I tease gently, reflexively pulling her closer, trying to draw her intomy lap.

Ella’s little body goes stiff with outrage, and she pushes my hands away. “I’m not jealous!” She repeats,though her exclamation sounds more like a whimper now.

“Tsk, of course not.” I sympathize, overwhelming her struggles and scooping her up. She doesn’t comeeasily, but I gradually trap her defiant limbs until she’s completely bound in my arms. I purr softly, andthough I know she doesn’t want to submit, soon I feel her tearstained face pressing into the curve of myneck, and her pert nose breathing in my scent. “Though it’s too bad.”

“Why?” Ella demands grumpily, sniffling as she snuggles closer. Petulant as she’s feeling, she leansinto my touch as I pet her disgruntled form and nuzzle her hair. Her delicious aroma fills my senses,and I feel like I can breathe for first time all morning. Goddess I needed this. When I realized she wasmissing this morning, I’d panicked completely. Not only because I feared for her safety, hating the ideaof her being unprotected in a city full of wolves, but also because I was afraid that Lydia had brokensomething in our relationship for good.

When I found Ella at her sister’s, furious and lashing out at me like a hellcat, I realized there was stillhope. She wouldn’t be so upset if she didn’t care, but I also hated seeing her so unhappy. My wolfwouldn’t be calmed until she was safe in my arms again, not attacking me anymore, but seeking mycomfort. Yes, this is the way it’s meant to be.

“Because of what it would mean if you were jealous.” I murmur, finally answering her.

“That I’m a fool.” She suggests bitterly, making me shake my head in exasperation.

“That you have feelings for me.” I correct, letting some of my own feelings seep into my tone. My hopeand desire, the passion that takes all my effort to contain whenever we’re together.

“Oh I’m sure you’d love that.” She mutters mutinously. “The big bad Alpha needs all the women to fallat his feet whether he wants them or not. How amusing for the hopeless little human to –”

Before she can continue, I shut her up – claiming her mouth with my own and stealing her ability tospeak another word.