His unexpected mate [the green coven series]

PEPPERONI PIZZA

ALEX POV

Beside me, Alice jumped, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment as Max and Val stepped out from the dense foliage, their figures gradually coming into view and their grins widening as they approached.

The position we found ourselves in left little room for misinterpretation; Val surely had suspicions brewing from the night before, but I had just served up the evidence on a silver platter. Alice was attempting to extricate herself from my embrace with little success. Neither Leo nor I were willing to lose physical contact with her; she was in the safest place in the world, nestled between my arms, and there was no reason to try to leave.

"Well, this is quite the sight," Max chuckled, breaking the tension "Didn't mean to interrupt, but it looks like Alice got caught by a wolf", his amusement unmistakable.

"Dude, what the hell?" I mindlinked Max glaring daggers at him.

"I've been trying to reach you via mindlink for the past 15 minutes. Now I understand why you had me blocked," he responded, his tone laced with humour.

After Max's awkward comment, Alice's face flushed bright red, resembling a ripe tomato, as she made another attempt to extricate herself from my embrace. Her movements were slightly frantic as she tried to regain her composure, but in her haste, she stumbled and fell face-first onto the grass. Val struggled to suppress a laugh at the sight while Max burst laughing uncontrollably.

"It's not what it looks like," Alice blurted out, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "I got a mosquito in my eye, and Alex was just helping me remove it," she added sheepishly, nervously chewing on her bottom lip. It was such a lame excuse, and she was such a bad liar!

My body tensed involuntarily, muscles coiling with the effort to contain the torrent of conflicting emotions raging within my mind, each thought vying for dominance as I grappled with my feelings for Alice. On one hand, I burned with the desire to protect her, to keep her safe from harm. On the other, frustration gnawed at me, fuelled by her apparent reluctance to reciprocate my affections.

"Actually, that's exactly what it looks like," I retorted, smirking, though inwardly hurt and offended by her words. Why was she denying our kisses? Was she afraid of me or of being seen with me? "MINE," Leo growled in my mind.

"Alright, awkwardness is thick in the air," Max stated, breaking the tension. "Val and I couldn't care less about what the two of you were up to. We came looking for you because it's time to head back, grab something to eat, and then get back to the Packhouse ASAP. Your father couldn't reach you, so he called me."

"What's going on?" I asked, concerned.

"I'm not sure, man," Max replied shrugging. "He was asking for you. I told him you were out running in the forest to burn off some excess energy, and he told me to get our asses back to the pack territory before sunset."

"Wait! So I'll be alone here?" Alice frowned, her voice tinged with concern. "Val, will you be with me?" she pleaded, turning to Val with a hopeful look. Val glanced at me, silently seeking my approval as her Alpha. Little did she know, I wasn't about to let my little bunny out of my sight, not now, not ever.

"Alice, you'll come with me," I asserted firmly, leaving no room for argument or interpretation. "If Val wants to come home with us, that's fine, or she can stay here in the dorm." I added, addressing the unspoken question.

Ali's expression paled, clearly caught off guard by my decision, turning her pleading gaze to Val.

I needed something more to reassure her, an excuse to convince my little bunny without revealing my true intentions.

“fine, I’ll come home too” Val scoffed and Ali squeaked in excitement.

We headed back into my suite, were 4 large pizzas were waiting for us, thanks to Max efficiency: hot honey pepperoni pizza, Hawaiian pizza with triple cheese, Margherita and loaded chicken supreme pizza with fries and coke.

The hot honey pepperoni pizza was adorned with sizzling slices of spicy salami, its golden crust glistening with melted cheese and fragrant herbs, I put a slice of this goddess given gift in Alice’s plate and in mine. Always the best for my little bunny from now on.

Only the aroma made my mouth water as we dug into our meal, engaging in light conversation while carefully avoiding the topic of werewolves versus warlocks. However, I couldn't help but notice that Alice wasn't eating much at all. She had been toying with the same slice of pizza on her plate for the past 10 minutes, barely nibbling at a few fries here and there. What was going on? Wasn't she Italian? No coffee and no pizza—now that was suspicious.

"Don't you like it?" I asked, gesturing to the pepperoni slice.

With a forced smile, she replied, "It's not that. It's just that I wasn't expecting spicy salami on a pepperoni pizza. I'm a bit confused. Why do you call it pepperoni pizza if there are no peppers?"

I frowned, why is she so complicated? “what do you mean?”

“I mean, peperoni word in italian means peppers and you call pepperoni a salami. That’s confusing. Even more confusing is that you guys like to put pineapple and chicken on pizza. That’s criminal. You should be in jail in Italy” she mocked.

"Looks like you're going to introduce your Luna to the pack this weekend," Max mindlinked me. I choked on my coke, coughing and spilling it on the table. "She's quite stubborn, persistent, and she's got you wrapped around her finger. It's going to be the most entertaining weekend of the century."

I shot him a glare before refocusing on Alice.

"Alright, now eat something. We're leaving in 30 minutes, whether you like it or not," I retorted sharply. She doesn't have me wrapped around her finger. I'm the one in charge. I'm the alpha.

My little bunny straightened her back, cheeks flushing and jaw clenched. Her hands trembled slightly as she continued picking at her food, her gaze darting nervously around the room, avoiding my gaze. A shiver ran down my spine, an involuntary response to the tension that crackled in the air between us. Damn it. I've been an asshole while she was trying to engage in light conversation. Why do I let my emotions and ego control me?

As I watched Alice, her discomfort palpable even in the subtle tremble of her hands, I felt a pang of regret gnawing at my conscience. She deserved better than my brusque demeanour and dismissive attitude. With each passing moment, the weight of my actions bore down on me, a heavy burden that I alone carried.

"Hey," I murmured softly, reaching out to gently touch her hand in a silent gesture of apology and reassurance. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. It's just..."

Her gaze flickered briefly to mine, a flicker of surprise and uncertainty dancing in her eyes before she quickly looked away interrupting me “it’s ok, you don’t have to apologize, I know that my life is a mess and I’m going to drag you all in a gigantic mountain of sh*t”.

On that line she got up abruptly, leaving the room bursting into tears.

My heart sank al this sight, the sting of rejection cutting deeper than I cared to admit and Leo was so frustrated and enraged by my words that retracted growling in the mack of my mind. just great.

"and the winner of the asshole awards of 2024 is..... ALPHA ALEX" Max mindlinked, shaking his head.