Alpha's Tempting Stand-In Mate

Chapter 6. Husbands Do What They Should Do to Their Wives

Avery

"I'm hungry," Flavio announced as he entered the room with a gentle knock, dressed in light yellow pajamas.

Observing the adorable little child before me, I furrowed my brow. How could he be hungry so soon? Nonetheless, I threw on a robe and made my way downstairs to prepare a meal for Flavio. As I rolled up my sleeves, it exposed the scars that adorned my arms.

Seated at the dining table, Flavio's gaze fixed upon the bruises and red marks on my arms, causing a slight frown to form on his young face.

Once two identical breakfasts were placed on the table, the young Alpha's sea-blue eyes remained fixed on me. He looked at me with such seriousness beyond his years, yet his cuteness had the power to melt my heart.

I crouched down, making an effort to keep my voice as gentle as possible. "What's the matter?"

"Does it hurt?" Flavio asked, raising his delicate little hands to point at my arm. Before I could respond, he hopped off his chair and headed towards a shelf where he fetched a medicine box.

"It doesn't hurt," I assured him, taking the medicine box from him. "I'll take care of it myself."

He nodded then returned to his chair. He observed me quietly while eating as I applied the ointment, unaware of the love bites covering my body. As I tended to my wounds, I cursed the man from last night silently in my heart.

I applied the ointment to my arms haphazardly and then extended them towards Flavio. "Okay?"

"You forgot your legs," he pointed out.

I was left momentarily speechless. How had he know there was an injury on my leg? Just then, my phone, which was placed nearby, began to ring. Wayneshia's anxious voice reached my ears. "Avery, I know you're married, but isn't it time to come to the set? We have a lot of scenes to shoot today, and the director mentioned that an actress is asking for you."

"I'll be there soon," I replied hastily.

When I had been in love with Alpha Ritwik Cooper, I'd wanted to see him every day without raising suspicions. So, I had followed Ritwik's suggestion and found work as a stuntwoman.

Among the stuntwomen, the martial arts stunt doubles earned the most money, I had chosen that path to support myself. It had also been my way of escaping the toxicity of the Green Wood Pack and finding some moments of peace in solitude.

As the only female stand-in at the studio, I had become quite popular.

"Auntie needs to go to work?" Flavio asked as I hung up and rushed to the door to put on my shoes. "Don't go," he insisted, quickly leaping from his chair and standing in the doorway with his arms outstretched like a little eagle. "You're injured. You need to rest."

His voice held such innocence, yet it carried an air of authority and genuine concern.

My heart warmed instantly. I knelt down and affectionately ruffled Flavio's little head. "These little injuries are nothing to aunty," I reassured him.

As a martial arts stand-in, such injuries were nothing more than a passing rain shower.

"No!" Flavio protested, biting his lip and extending his small hands further. "Five minutes. Leave in five minutes, okay?"

"Okay," I agreed with a smile. Five minutes was a small price to pay to keep a child's heart content.

Third POV: 

Flavio let out a sigh of relief, pulled out his phone, and sent a message to Flynt, using his profile picture.

Upstairs, Flynt, dressed in the same light yellow pajamas as Flavio, promptly opened the study door.

"Daddy, I need your help!" he exclaimed.

****

Avery

Time passed minute by minute as I smiled at the little Alpha in front of me while putting on my shoes. "We agreed on five minutes, but it's already four minutes. In just one minute, you won't be able to stop me from going to work."

Flavio nodded earnestly. "Yes"

with only thirty seconds remaining of our agreed five minutes, my cell phone began to ring.

"Avery, you don't have to come to work today," Wayneshia's voice carried excitement. "The studio is closed for the day!"

I was stunned. "Closed for the day?"

"Yes," Wayneshia continued, her tone filled with envy. "They say a powerful Alpha didn't want his mate to work, so he gave the entire studio crew the day off. Tsk, tsk, those rich Alphas are so indulgent!"

I held the phone in a daze. The movie theater had always been a profitable venture, and in all my time working there, it had never closed for a holiday. Now, just because an Alpha wanted to spend time with his mate, they had shut down operations. It was indeed...indulgent.

I ended the call with a deep sigh, watching as my hopes of earning money slipped away like banknotes floating in the wind.

For some reason, I detected a hint of pride in Flavio's eyes. He cleared his throat seriously and gazed at me calmly. "Come and eat."

I nodded in resignation. With no opportunity to earn money now I had no choice but to obey and go eat.

Flavio didn't join me at the table. Instead, he casually placed his hands in his pockets and strolled upstairs. "I have something to do."

After uttering that statement, the young Alpha turned to leave. After taking a few steps, he looked back and cast a casual glance at the meal in front of me. "Start eating."

"You asked me to make you two breakfasts, but you only ate one," I remarked, noticing Flavio's brief pause in his movements. 

After a moment, he replied awkwardly, "I'll be back down to eat in a moment."

With those words, he briskly headed upstairs. It wasn't long before the young Alpha rushed back downstairs, his hair still tousled as before. "I'm here for breakfast!"

He hurried over to the dining table, sat down, and complimented the meal as he ate. "This is delicious!"

I found myself baffled. Why had this child gone upstairs and returned as if he were a different person?

Killian

I was in the midst of reviewing and signing some papers in my study when Flavio pushed the door open and entered. His small frame climbed onto a chair, then from the chair onto my desk. Finally, he settled gracefully on my desk and pushed a phone toward me. "Alpha"

I set the papers aside and picked up the phone. On the screen, there were images of a woman's hand covered in bruises and red marks, followed by pictures of her legs bearing similar bruises.

Flavio folded his arms across his chest and stated firmly, "I need an explanation."

I placed the phone back on the desk, crossed my arms over my chest, leaned back in my chair, and responded with a cool commanding tone, "You asked me to marry her. A husband does what he should do to his wife. Do you still need an explanation?"

"I'm protecting her," Flavio declared, looking at me with unwavering determination. His voice carried the innocence of childhood but also an unmistakable air of authority. "Don't you owe me an explanation for hurting someone under my care?"

As father and son, we shared the same posture and bore the same face. One seated on a chair, the other perched on a desk, we locked eyes in a silent standoff.

"Alpha..." Slater knocked on the door and entered. "The acquisition contract for the cinema has been signed..." But before he could finish his sentence, both pairs of sea blue eyes fixed upon me.

"Get out," we both said in unison.

Slater:"……"

Slater sighed softly, casting a weary glance between Flavio and I. He lowered his voice. "What's the matter this time?"

"Alpha hurt my people," Flavio retorted, his lips pressed into a cold, disapproving line.

My Beta appeared bewildered for a moment before it dawned on him that Flavio might be referring to...

"Alpha Flavio, you've got it wrong," he approached, wearing an expression that was a mix of amusement and exasperation. "The injuries on Luna Avery's body were not caused by Alpha."