His Chosen Mate

Chapter 8

Alpha Noah strode towards me again after leaving me alone in the cafe for nearly fifteen minutes. I watched him quietly as he took his seat again and leaned his back against the chair comfortably.

"Didn't they serve the food yet?" He asked, glancing at his watch, "It has been like fifteen to twenty minutes since we ordered" He shook his head to himself.

I didn't really care about the food as I wasn't hungry. Right now, I needed to know why he marched out of the cafe suddenly just a while ago, "Can I ask where did you just go?" I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to read his facial expressions.

However, it was hard to do that because Alpha Noah has one of the best poker faces in the world.

He casually scratched the dark stubble on his cheeks and shook his head, "The answer is not going to benefit you" He said.

His answer bothered me for some reason but it is not like I can demand him to answer my question. I sighed, "Alright, then" I muttered under my breath and then my eyes fell on a waitress coming towards us with steaming food in a tray. I assumed that was for us, "I think that's our food" I said.

The waitress smiled at me and the Alpha before placing the tray in front of us, "I hope you two enjoy the meal very much" She said politely, her eyes lingering on Alpha Noah for more than a few seconds before she walked away from us.

I didn't know which meal was mine so I waited until Alpha Noah takes his first. He took one of the plates and placed it in front of me, "This is a fail-proof meal. It is made of prawns and crabs"

"Thanks," I said, grabbing the cutlery provided. I took a first bite and was pleased with the way it tasted. My eyes went to the bottle of ketchup in front of me and I felt like putting a bit of that on would make it much nicer.

I reached for the bottle of ketchup but Alpha Noah grabbed it before me, "Let me open it for you" He said, unscrewing the cap and handing the bottle to me.

I made a face, "That's alright, Alpha" I said, pouring a little ketchup onto my plate, "I am just human. Not incapable" I smiled at him pointedly. What does he think? That I can't unscrew that little cap by myself?

I understand that he is a lot stronger than I am but I can survive without his strength in this world.

Amusement flared in his silver eyes, "I was merely trying to be a gentleman" He said, gracefully cutting a piece of bread and dipping it into the soup. I watched him, dazed as he brought the fork to his lips to stuff that bread in.

When I realized I was blatantly gawking at him, I quickly looked away. My cheeks heated up almost instantly, "Good to know that chivalry still does exist" I muttered under my breath.

For the next few moments, neither of us said anything. We just enjoyed the food in silence. I was surprised that I was able to consume the meal within twenty minutes. I never knew seafood can taste this nice.

"How's the food?" Alpha Noah asked when I was about to take the last bite.

I swallowed the food in my mouth first and nodded at him in approval, "I am not really a seafood fan but this is good" I said, pointing at my plate and then blushing a little when I realized how messy my plate looked compared to his, "It tastes very mild. Not too overpowering"

A breathtaking smile curved at the corners of his lips, "I am glad you like it" He said, finishing up his food as well.

I took the tall glass of soda and had a sip, "Do you always bring your assistants here?" I asked him, curiosity was clear in my question.

He shook his head, "No, you're the first one" He answered honestly.

I bit the inside of my cheek, "Why the special treatment?" I asked.

"Because I like you"

My eyes widened and my lips parted as a little gasp escaped from my mouth. For a second, I forgot how to breathe. My ears felt closed up as I stared at him in shock. Did he just say that? Did he mean it as a compliment or-

Or did he mean that in a flirtatious way?

He was still smirking in mirth and mischief at me but the next second, he stiffened and his whole body went rigid.

"Um, what's wrong?" I asked him in a small voice, my eyes falling on how tight he had balled his fists.

His silver eyes darkened and he glanced to his right where we can look out of the window, "There is something not right here" "I can feel it. All the hairs behind my neck are standing straight as if there is potential danger nearby" He spoke through his teeth, his nostrils flaring.

I gulped audibly, following his gaze as well. Everything looked quiet and safe to my eyes. Releasing a quiet breath, I looked at him again, not knowing what to say.

"Cora, get up," He said urgently, jumping to his feet."We are going to get you to the car-"

A shrill scream left my lips when I heard the windows crash down into a million pieces. I bent down reflexively to protect myself from those tiny shards of glass, squeezing my eyes shut, my hands flying to my ears to cover them.

What in the world just happened?!

"Cora!" I heard Alpha Noah say in alarm. My eyes flew open to look at him and the first thing I noticed was how worried he looked as he scanned my face, "Are you okay?" He asked, brushing my hair away from my face.

I nodded my head at him, not trusting my voice. I lifted my gaze from him to see what happened and I saw four large wolves entering the restaurant via the destroyed window.

A few of the waitresses screamed in fright, pushing themselves as far as they can into the wall, trying to put a distance between themselves and the wolves.

"Rogues" Alpha Noah said, standing up to face them, "Stand behind me and do not make any sudden movements" He commanded and I slowly rose from my seat to hide behind him.

I peeked from his back, "There are too many of them" I whispered. I glanced at everyone in the restaurant again, "There are no werewolves here other than you" I added quickly, letting him know that he was outnumbered.

The Alpha scoffed, "Way to boost some confidence, Cora" He said sarcastically, "But, you don't have to worry about that" He continued, "Help is probably on its way" His eyes never left those wolves as he spoke.

"I am going to fend them off" He went on and then glanced over his shoulder to look at me, "You will get to the car and lock yourself in while I keep them busy. Wait for me there" He instructed.

I nodded at him warily, not sure if I was able to do that.

The next thing I know, he shifted into his humungous dark-haired beast form. His clothes were shredded into pieces and fell on the floor after he landed on all fours on the ground. An ear-splitting growl ripped from his throat and from the corners of my eyes, I saw the four other wolves take a few steps behind.

Alpha Noah's wolf was much bigger than the rogues. He made those wolves look like puppies.

The rogues exchanged a glance among themselves, probably wondering if they should attack Alpha Noah's extremely huge wolf but Alpha Noah lunged at them, not allowing them to do so.

I watched in horror as the Alpha tackled one of the wolves to the ground and went for his neck, intending to kill him. I looked away quickly, not wanting to witness that grotesque scene.

This is another reason why I hated living in Orchard Square. It was just too violent for me.

A few feral growls ripped into the air again and I looked to the front to see Alpha Noah fending the rest of the wolves altogether at once. The waitresses were still shaking like a leaf while they watched the wolves fight. I decided to get their attention so all of us can exit the destroyed restaurant together.

"Girls, come on" I whispered, "We need to get out right now" I added when they finally looked at me.

I motioned them to move slowly so they wouldn't distract the wolves. I headed to the exit of the building, trying to be as discreet as I can while doing so. The waitresses followed behind me, copying my movements in a desperate attempt to get away from those wolves.

I was about two steps away from the exit when the door flew open with a bang and more wolves swarmed into the restaurant. In my haste to get away from them, I took a step back without looking down and my leg got caught with something.

I tripped and fell onto my back, a grunt escaping from my lips as my body collided against the hard ground but at that moment, I did not feel any pain and I blame it all on high levels of adrenaline that were currently rushing in my body.

My mouth went dry as I looked up those new wolves, knowing there is no way I can get through them. I glanced in Alpha Noah's direction and realized he had managed to pin down another wolf.

The new wolves growled at the fighting beasts and lunged toward them. I lost count of how many wolves ran past me to Alpha Noah as I was staring helplessly at the leader of the Orchard pack, knowing he wouldn't be able to survive this.

I thought these new wolves will attack Alpha Noah but they helped him take down the two other wolves.

Is this what Alpha Noah meant when he said help is probably on its way?

I looked away once again when I noticed that the wolves were shifting into their human form again. A blush formed on my cheeks again. Nudity might be nothing to werewolves but it is something sensitive for me.

"Cora!" I heard the Alpha say and then his heavy footfalls ran towards me, "Are you okay?" He asked, kneeling next to me as he scanned my face once again as if he was checking for visible injuries.

He was bare-chested but thankfully, he had pulled on a pair of trousers to hide what was necessary, "Cora, speak" He said, lightly shaking my body to get a response from me.

I nodded my head slowly, "Yes, I am fine" I said.

Alpha Noah let out a relieved breath but his eyes still held immense concern in them, "Are you hurt?" He asked, pulling me into a standing position, "You almost gave me a heart attack when you fell on the ground" He said, inspecting me still.

I shook my head, "No, I am not hurt"

He exhaled another breath, seeming relieved at my answer. He opened his mouth to say something but another man approached him, "Alpha Noah" He said, "First and foremost, I apologize for being late" He started, his eyes flickering towards me in interest but never staying on me for more than a few seconds.

"You were right on time, Alpha Lucas" Alpha Noah said.

Alpha Lucad smiled at Alpha Noah, "We were a little surprised to see a party going on" He chuckled, "And we scared this poor girl as well. She looked like she had prepared for the worst" Alpha Lucas gestured his head in my direction.

"She must have expected you guys to be rogues as well" Alpha Noah explained while I blushed profusely, "What was that? I thought this land is a protected territory. How did these rogues get past the security?"

"We are currently investigating that, Alpha Noah" All the smile on Alpha Lucas's face were wiped clean as his whole face went tight with seriousness, "We are just grateful that no lives have been lost here"

Alpha Noah nodded in agreement, "Those waitresses?" He asked pointedly.

"They are well aware of werewolves" Alpha Lucas answered, "This is not anyone's territory. It is just a protected land so there are humans who know about us. However, they cannot tell if we are werewolves or humans in this form"

"It is still dangerous to let humans know about us," Alpha Noah said, shaking his head.

Alpha Lucas's eyes flickered towards me again, "And yet you have one by your side"

Alpha Noah stiffened, "She is the daughter of one of my packmates" He explained to the other Alpha, sounding defensive now "She is one of us"

Alpha Lucas didn't hide his surprise, "I see" He said, "We can take this conversation to an appropriate place" He continued, "You know my pack is not that far from here"

Alpha Noah nodded his head, "I will meet you at your packhouse"

Alpha Lucas nodded his head and left us alone after that. I watched as he made his way to the rest of his group who were currently clearing the restaurant.

"Let's get you out of here," Alpha Noah said, placing his hand on the small of my back and giving me a gentle push forward so I would start walking.

I sighed and nodded at him wordlessly, taking a step only to lose my balance as pain jolted in my right ankle. Alpha Noah quickly caught me before I can fall again and steadied me.

"Are you okay?" He asked me again, looking down at my leg as I held it up a couple of inches from the ground.

"Yeah," I said, "I think I got it sprained when I tripped just now" I looked down at my leg.

"I can carry-"

"No, that won't be necessary" I protested before he can finish his sentence, "I am fine" I added. I started to hop with my left leg to get myself out of the building. It was working but I probably looked funny and it took more time than walking.

However, I didn't manage to get far.

A gasp left my lips when I felt my leg leave the ground as Alpha Noah lifted me into his arms, cradling me like a baby against his chest. Without another word, he started walking out of the ruined restaurant while I turned crimson in his arms.