Alpha Knight’s Cursed Mate

NIRVANA

Axell caught me off guard when he tried to kiss me.

“I’m so sorry, Vana. I know I made a mistake. I should have been upfront with you.”

“It’s fine, Axell. I’m sorry, too. I guess we’re friends, and we’re not supposed to kiss.” Yeah. My feelings for him just vanished into thin air. Maybe I never really fell in love with him. I wasn’t sure what to feel anymore.

“Give me another chance.” He reached out for my hand.

I agreed with him sending me home because my car was with Kailin, and he wanted to talk. So this was the talk that he wanted.

“Give me some time, okay? You hurt me, Axell. You shouldn’t have told me you were having second thoughts about the trip.”

“I know, babe. I’m sorry.”

“I’ll call you.”

He barely nodded. He must have seen the reaction on my face that there was no chance for us to be together again. In my defense, he was not honest, and he already broke that trust.

“It’s okay.” I stopped him when he was about to help me out.

Before I could unlock the door, someone must have opened it from the outside.

I stepped out, carrying my dinner in the bag. I almost tripped to see the man towering over me. The smell of his cologne flooded my senses.

Knight closed the car door without a word.

“What are you doing here?” I met his gaze. I had to crane my neck to meet him in the eye. I was wearing knee boots, but he was still tall.

“Let’s talk inside,” he said calmly.

I felt his hand on my lower back. “Where’s Kailin?”

“In the hotel.” His words seemed limited as if I would fine him a dollar if he talked in long sentences.

“Okay.” We entered the lobby of my apartment. I had forgotten entirely about Axell until he said something.

“I thought you two broke up.”

“The last time I checked, you were not my dad.” Then I noticed him carrying his luxury duffel bag. “You didn’t check in?”

“No.”

We entered the elevator, and I pressed the button to my floor. “Look, Knight, if we will have this conversation, at least say something more than just no or one sentence. I promise not to fine you.”

He looked down at me. His gaze was intense, as if he wanted to say a lot of things but hold it back.

I picked up my keys from my bag and unlocked the door. “Welcome back.”

I tossed my keys into the bowl and hung my bag.

“Let me,” he said as he helped me remove my coat. Still, I only heard two words, but I didn’t push this time.

“Thanks.”

I walked to the kitchen to put the dinner on the countertop. When I came back, Knight had already hung his coat and loosened his tie but remained standing.

“Have a seat. Is Kailin joining us?”

If he came here to apologize for what he did back in California, he didn’t have to say it face to face, and I made my peace that he was not an apologetic kind.

He went silently to the couch and dropped his duffel on the floor.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“If this talk would take time, let me change, and I’ll be back. Feel at home.”

I grabbed my bag before I headed to my room. I dialed Kailin, but she didn’t answer. I changed into a T-shirt and pajama bottoms. When I came back to the living room, he was still in the same position.

“I’ll prepare dinner. Feel free to use my TV.”

“Thanks.” That was all he said.

I blew a breath as I headed to the kitchen. I took two plates and cutlery and set the table for two. Then I went to get some water and wine. With my hips, I shut the door of the ref. Then I bumped into something hard, making me yelp. The wine bottle dropped on the floor, the content sprayed and spilled on his white shirt.

My heart hammered, and my mouth hung open while he stood there, but he didn’t look mad.

“Oh, my God. I’m so sorry.” I was both terrified that he would turn into a beast and amused at the same time. “Why didn’t you say something when you were behind me?”

“It’s fine.”

“No. It’s not. That was my leftover wine, and I just spilled it on you. Are you always this hard as a terminator?” Oh, God. Why did I have to say that out loud?

“And you’re like a pudding.”

“A what now?” I stared at him in disbelief. “A pudding?” The longer I stared at him, I couldn’t contain it anymore. I burst into laughing.

“If you want to see me half naked, all you have to do is ask nicely. You don’t have to mess my shirt.” He unbuttoned it one by one before me. When he reached the third button, my eyes grew wide. Was he going to take it off in front of me? I wouldn’t mind, but not right now.

“That was unintentional. Believe me.”

“Where’s the bathroom?”

“Right, at the end corner.”

“Let me help you clean that up.” He left, maybe to take his extra shirt.

“I’m fine.” I blew a long breath once he was gone. My pulse hadn’t calmed down. “Well, that was fun.”

While he was in the bathroom, I mopped the floor and cleaned up my mess. Then I prepared our dinner. Thankfully, I always took home good for two people. I usually heated the leftovers in the morning.

He came back with a gray shirt and jeans. “I’ll take care of the dishes then.”

“Hey. You’re my guest. I treat my guests with respect. Sit down so we can have dinner.” I took home some chicken and pasta. “No more wine. Just water.”

“That’s fine. I will send you a bottle.”

I stared at him in disbelief. “Not everything has a price, Knight.”

“I know.” He looked at me. “I meant it as a gift.”

“Well, thank you.” I started eating, but he just sat there. “Bon appetit and my cutlery aren’t silver.”

“And?” A brow arched.

“I don’t know.”

He picked up the fork and ate his dinner. Even swallowing, it looked sexy on him.

Damn it. “So? What do you wanna talk about?”

“I want you to come with us. Even just for a few days.” Was that his way of apologizing?

“I can’t. Grandpa needs my help.” Grandpa and his employees could handle the restaurant without me, but the first time, it seemed to have traumatized me, not just because of what I saw. Honestly, I doubted if what I saw was real, but how he treated me scarred my pride.

“I’m sorry for what I did. Truly.”

“Why did you do that? I mean, I know from the start that you’re not fond of me-”

“It’s not like that.”

“Then what’s your beef with me, Knight? I couldn’t remember I did something terrible to you because, trust me, I never met you before.”

“It’s-” He put the fork down and drew a deep breath before looking into my eyes. “It’s hard to explain.”

“Well, try harder. I will only, maybe, come with you and Kailin if I know the reason why you dislike me.”

“It’s quite the opposite. I don’t dislike you.”

“You don’t like me either.”

“I like you.”