Alpha’s Hybrid Cinderella
Chapter 15

I sat on the curb, desperately willing away the last traces of alcohol lingering in my system. Please, I thought. Don't let this be happening.

But prayers or no prayers, it was what it was. I watched helplessly as Leon - who turned out to be the brown wolf who came first - pulled away the half-crying, half-fighting Raf without a goodbye, no doubt to take her home. The last thing I heard of his thoughts before he left the range of my mind-reading was a cursing complaint about how the two of us could be so reckless as to get targeted by a band of creeps.

I wanted to shout at his back that maybe if he hadn't gotten into a fight with Raf, she wouldn't have felt the need to do this at all. But that wasn't fair. I didn't know the whole story. But what would be completely justified was telling him off for blaming Raf when a woman should have every right to expect men to be decent and not try to r**e her on the street just because they could.

But that would have to wait, too. At least Leon had been able to sense Raf's location through the mate bond And he had come to replace her before she was ever in danger, so that was a point in his favor... though it was a coincidence that just as he stumbled upon us, he had witnessed those guys about to make their disgusting move.

Well, it was a welcome coincidence anyway. As they disappeared, Raf put her head on Leon's shoulder and be leaned on her as well.

Forgiven?

Maybe not. But for now, they were both thankful they were safe.

Leon was Raf's protector tonight, even if he wasn't the most powerful wolf. He had come to make sure she was safe even if they had fought. And... here was Alpha Evan, who had also come.

What was he here for? To make sure I was safe? Or to keep an eye on me and make sure I didn't do anything he disliked?

"Alpha, what are you doing here?" I dared to ask. I was definitely still tipsy, but to hell with it. I was never stupid enough to spit all my thoughts out without caution. Tonight, I wanted that luxury. I wanted to be stupid. "Alpha Evan! Aren't you always busy? You should go home and take care of your business."

He was angry. So angry. If I were sober, it would have frightened me, but it only made me smile now. And I wasn't done talking, either.

"You're just going to say you took care of it all and came to get me, aren't you? Like you did before." I jabbed a finger in his direction. "You're so arrogant sometimes, do you know that? It's not cool. It detracts fr-from..." I shook my head and tried again, but the words left me. Damn it. I'd use smaller words this time. "It's not cool, Alpha. Not cool at all. So cocky." "You're drunk. Come with me. Right now."

"You even brought an extra change of clothes in your car," I giggled. "Did you know you were going to

tearing out of the ones you were wearing? You're psychi-"

Oh, no. Here it came. I retched once, then doubled over and did it again over the curb. Nothing came out, but my stomach seized over and over again as it fought to reject the alcohol. It went on several more times before my body gave up and let me slump over, but it wasn't onto the ground that I fell, but rather Evan's arms!

"You should have eaten before you drank," he admonished. "That's why it's affecting you so badly. You have nothing in your stomach at all to even throw up, do you?"

Even so, he dabbed at my chin with a paper towel he ran to get out of his car, just to make sure. My heart swelled.

He wasn't allowed to do that. He shouldn't be treating me so gently, and yet with such anger.

"Do you still want to throw up?" he asked after a moment.

I shook my head. My eyes watered as I rubbed at them, emotion riding high in my throat. I was never going to drink again. This was horrible. I didn't know if I was dying, truly.

“Come on. We need to get you hydrated. You didn't even bring up any water, that's not a good sign." He effortlessly pulled me to his car several meters away and parked me on the passenger seat. After rummaging in his trunk, he found some mineral water. I took it gratefully.

By the time he leaned over and buckled me into my seat, I was clearheaded enough to remember: "Wait, Evan!"

"What is it."

"My... my jacket, and my backpack..."

"Don't worry about it."

"Then what about my car?"

"You think you can drive it home?"

"But... so expensive..." I slumped into my seat, ashamed. "Sorry. You're right."

"Don't worry about it," he repeated as he finished securing my seat belt. "Just rest and sit back. I won't lower your seat in case you do actually vomit. It could be dangerous if you're face-up." "Okay..."

I flushed again. He shouldn't be talking like that to me. Be cruel, I ordered silently. Be like Elly! And Maria! And Alpha Kris. Be like Dark Moon and treat me like trash!

But he did nothing of the sort. He climbed into the driver's seat and eased onto the road, glancing at me every so often.

I couldn't take it anymore. Seeing him made me sick to my stomach for so many reasons. None of which I wanted to admit as I counted the neon lights we passed one after the other.

Until that too made me sick. I clutched at my stomach. Evan must have noticed.

"We'll be home son, Claudia. Move closer to your window. I'm going to open it for you."

Answer him. Answer him, Claudia. "Okay... and thank you. For picking me up. For grabbing me..."

I was incoherent, or on the very brink of it at least. It was a miracle he could understand me at all.

"It's just this once, Claudia. You'll never be able to drink there again. I'm ordering the nightclub to make their screening more stringent, and the bar is going to make sure in particular they never serve you again."

I thumped my head against the glass of my half-open window. Poor bartender. He was probably going to lose some customers if they started rejecting all the obvious fake IDs. There had been plenty of younger university students as well as high school students too. But it was just my luck to be unable to hold my liquor even a tenth as well as they could. Rotten.

"You know, you were drunk too," I muttered. "That first night I walked into your room. You were... so drunk. Your whole bedroom reeked of liquor."

"I don't drink more than I can handle. Claudia, do you still not realize how much danger you were in? Do you still not realize what could have happened if I hadn't shown up in time? A minute later would have been too late. They would have hurt you already." My face flushed. Of course I knew, even past the haze of my tipsiness. But I didn't want to acknowledge it, and if I ignored it, maybe it would go away. I didn't want to admit I'd made a mistake with the freedom I'd dreamed so ardently of, the freedom I prized so greatly now that I possessed it.

So I changed the subject to something else. Something random. Or maybe... I was changing the subject to the thing I had wanted to talk about for too long now, and I could no longer keep silent.

"Evan. You're so confusing. I hate it."

"What?"

"Stop treating me like this. You know you shouldn't be. So just stop it."

He sighed. Maybe he thought I was too drunk and that I was making no sense. Or maybe, maybe... he understood exactly what I was saying. Maybe he understood, and he was sighing because I was such an irritant that he couldn't stand it. Why couldn't I read his thoughts all of a sudden? Why was that veil coming over his mind again, confusing me with its blurred darkness? My eyes welled up. Had I ever been so frustrated in my life?

"I can't take my eyes off of you," I mumbled. I didn't even know what I was saying anymore. I didn't care. "Alpha. Alpha Evan."

We arrived at the manor. I couldn't remember if I'd fallen asleep. But before I could fumble for the door, Evan turned to face me. "Claudia," he said in a low voice. "You're drunk."

He was so beautiful. I hated it. I hated me. I hated how weak I was that I would become like everyone else and fall for it...

His eyes were so bright in the moonlight, drawing me closer. Closer.

I leaned in.