The Alpha Who Hates Me

CHAPTER 4

I stared at the ceiling of my room for the longest time. It’s been four hours since I returned to my room and attempted to fall asleep but I still failed to do so.

Kaleb kissed me.

And it wasn’t a dream anymore.

It’s no longer one of those dreams where I would wake up and realize that none of those actually even happened.

The kiss was real.

I grabbed a pillow and screamed my lungs out into it, my feet kicking excitedly.

I was only dreaming about having my very first kiss with Kaleb and it actually happened tonight. I must be in the clouds right now.

But what does the kiss actually mean for Kaleb? Why did he even kiss me?

Did he kiss me because he finally accepted my feelings for him and that he already feels the same way?

I have to know the answers from him.

I don’t know when but I finally dozed off with all those questions running inside my head.

---

Morning came and I quickly got up from my bed as soon as I woke up.

I made a quick stop at my bathroom to brush my teeth and freshen up. It’s Saturday today, so I don’t have any lessons with Narcia.

I put on a yellow summer dress and put my hair up in a low bun before I hurriedly ran downstairs and headed straight to the kitchen.

Kaleb was just walking out of the kitchen before I even made it there. He was dressed in his worn out jeans and a brown bomber jacket with a white shirt beneath it.

It’s his usual get up if he’s visiting the border with the other shifters. But it’s Saturday. He doesn’t usually go to the borders for inspection during weekends as he normally just stays home.

Disappointed that I didn’t get to have breakfast with him this morning, I still greeted him while he was putting on his shoes.

“Good morning, Kaleb. It’s Saturday. Are you going to the borders right now?” I asked.

“Yeah, we received a report earlier that there's damage on one of the borders and we need to investigate who or what caused it.” He answered nonchalantly. He didn’t even look at me when he answered, “Narcia has already prepared your breakfast. Stay here for the day. I don’t want you going around anywhere until tomorrow. That’s your punishment for going past your curfew hours last night.”

“What time will you be back?” I asked, ignoring what he said.

He shrugged. “I don’t know. It depends on how serious the damage was. If it’s something small, I might be back before dawn. If not, then maybe tomorrow.”

I couldn’t hide the disappointment in my face. I really thought I could talk to him about what happened last night as soon as I woke up, but it looked like it needed to wait.

The safety of everyone in Maycomb was more important after all.

Kaleb stood up and finally looked at me. “Is there anything else you need? I have to go.”

There was no emotion in his eyes. I tried reading what was on his mind, but the typical Kaleb was really hard to read even before. He’s always cold and uncaring. Maybe I just thought something changed last night. Maybe it was just another meaningless kiss just like what he'd shared with all of those other girls he'd taken to his bed. I was nothing special.

I shook my head no and didn’t say anything. I just watched him walk out of the house and close the door, never looking back.

I didn’t realize Narcia was standing next to me until she spoke. “Oh, you’re up? Breakfast ready. Come join me, dear.”

“Good morning, Narcia.” I smiled at her even though inside I was already breaking into tiny little pieces.

She held my hand as she led me to the dining table and helped me to my seat. “I made your favorite soup.”

“Thank you.” I told her as we sat across from each other on the dining table.

She placed a toast on my plate and a few pieces of sausages and my favorite carrot soup in a bowl. Narcia was really sweet and caring. If not for her, I might’ve never even had this cheerful side of me. If I grew up with Kaleb alone, I might be as cold and domineering as him.

Before I knew it, a single tear had fallen from my eye and Narcia was quickly on her feet and next to me.

“What’s wrong, Ellie, my dear? Are you okay?” The panic and worry was evident on her face.

“Nothing.” I replied, shaking my head. “I’m just thankful that you’re here, Narcia.”

“Aw, come here.” She pulled my head so I was leaning on her stomach and caressed my hair. “Of course, I will always be here for you.”

---

After we finished eating breakfast, I helped Narcia with washing the dishes and cleaning the dining table. I told her I would just be outside in the garden to finish the painting I started last week. She said she'd be somewhere real quick but if I needed something or if something happened, Czar was just outside and I could call him anytime.

Whenever Kaleb leaves and if he knew he’s not going to be back for a long time, he would often leave one of his men to guard the house and look after me and Narcia. It’s usually Czar, but sometimes it’s Kiba.

Although Hail prioritizes peace above all, all male shifters were trained to be strong and ready for anything that might happen if ever the border had been taken down by anyone, especially their mortal enemies, the Devlins.

They were the ones behind the attack and killing of my entire family. It was only when I turned fifteen that I learned I was the reason why they attacked us. But no one knew exactly the reason why they were after me. Aside from the fact that I have this mythical bond with Kaleb, there might be a bigger reason why they wanted to banish me.

I stared at the painting for the longest time. It’s almost done and just needs a little finishing. It’s a painting of the moon above the sea. I haven’t been to the sea before but I’ve seen pictures of it and Kaleb has that painting hanging above his bed.

He said it was his mother who painted it. Kaleb was the one who taught me how to draw and paint when I was younger. It was our pastime before and we usually hung out most of the time until I reached sixteen. That’s when he started being cold towards me. Maybe because it was also when I confessed my feelings for him.

I sighed to myself.

If only I could divert my feelings to someone else. Kaleb would even be grateful about it.

---

The next morning came and I heard noises downstairs. I did my usual morning routine before I went down, only to find Kaleb and the rest of his men having breakfast in the kitchen. They were all laughing and it was also the first time in a long time that I saw Kaleb smile.

But one particularly familiar face caught my attention.

“Lowell?” I called him out, not sure if it was really him. Lowell is Kaleb's best friend and they’ve been together for decades. He's seven years older than Kaleb in shifter’s age. He went on a mission when I was fifteen years old and that was the last time that I saw him.

“Good morning, Little El!” He stood up from his seat as he greeted me, waving his hand.

It’s really him!

I squealed in delight and rushed towards him. We almost stumbled as I threw my arms around him and clung to him like a child clinging to her father that she hasn’t seen for a very long time.

He didn’t even change a bit except for the scruff on his face and his dirty blonde hair was longer now.

“Oh, wow! You’ve gotten heavier.” He teased and that earned laughter from Kaleb’s men.

I knew all of them and they were all kind and treated me like a princess, especially when I was younger, but I was closest to Lowell since he would always play with me and read me stories.

I pouted and lightly hit him on his shoulder before I pulled away. “You’re back! Are you going to be here for good now?”

He nodded, ruffling my hair with his big hand. “I’ll be here for good and I will make sure to annoy you every day.”

That’s Lowell right there. He would always make fun of me, but not in a way that would offend me, but most of the time it’s just to annoy me.

I rolled my eyes at him and stuck my tongue out like a kid. “You’re mean.”

He laughed heartily, pinching my cheek just like he always used to before. “And you’re cute. How come you’re already nineteen but you’re still cute like a little toddler.”

“Stop, I’m a woman now.” I huffed, prying his hand away.

“Okay, quit bickering now, you two. The food will get cold.” Narcia called out to us. I greeted her good morning and the rest of the guys.

“Good morning, Kaleb.” I greeted him and he just gave me a short nod, his attention on his food.

I ignored the fact that he was still cold towards me after that kiss and tried to enjoy having breakfast with them.

When everyone was done eating, they all said goodbye except for Lowell, who insisted on helping us with cleaning up and washing the dishes.

“I’ll be in my room,” Kaleb announced. “Lowell, if you’re done, meet me at my office later.”

“Sure,” was Lowell’s quick reply while he was handing me some of the dirty dishes.

Once Kaleb was gone, Lowell and I continued cleaning up while Narcia was the one washing the dishes. “So, were you at the border as well yesterday?”

“No, I just arrived earlier today.” Lowell said. “They were already done fixing one of the borders when I arrived. It seems that a bear did it.”

“How can a normal bear damage a barrier that’s been hidden for years? That’s quite odd,” Narcia interjected.

“That’s true.” Lowell agreed. “That’s why Kaleb sent some of his men to the human world to find the witch that created the spell on the borders. It seems that the spell is somehow starting to wear off, which shouldn’t be the case because the spell to hide the borders was meant to last for a thousand years.”

“What if the Devlins were able to track down Ophelia?” Narcia asked in a worried voice.

“Who’s Ophelia?” I followed up with her question.

“She’s the elder witch who made the spell on the borders. There were actually two of them but Ophelia was the one who actually created the spell.” Lowell placed the rest of the dishes on the counter then gave Narcia a light pat on her shoulder. “Ophelia is a very powerful witch. It will take a hundred years or never for the Devlins to track her down and her kind. I’m pretty sure there’s a reason why and how a bear managed to break into one of the barriers. That's why Kaleb is already doing his best to find it out.”

“I’m just worried, Lowell. The Devlins will not stop until they get what they want.”

I was pretty aware that Narcia was referring to me. It was me that the Devlins were after. And I still don’t know why. How can we fight an enemy when we don’t even know why they’re so dedicated to getting me killed?

Lowell looked at me as if he sensed what was going on in my head. “We’re here to protect you, Ellie. Kaleb will do everything to protect you.”

I gave him a small assuring smile to let him know I was okay. I should only be worrying about how to get the man I love to love me back, but at a very young age, I also had to worry about getting killed by people I don’t even know.