Selling Myself To The Alpha
Chapter 10

Axel

POV

I curse under my breath as I park the car and quickly get out to follow Liana. I stay in the shadows as I follow her from a distance. I might not trust the female species, but I have no interest in explaining to the police why I was the last person to see her if she did not I watch as she enters a house and closes the door behind her. Satisfied that she's home safely, I turn around and jog back to my car.

get home safely.

Tonight's event was totally unexpected but also exhilarating. When I realized she witnessed my altercation with Paula, I was furious. She keeps on telling me that we will not see each other again but she keeps on popping up. Even more reason I do not trust her. But I could not ignore the pull of the mate bond when I confronted her.

Rejecting her would be easy - except for the part where I will have to endure the pain while she walks away scot-free. Not to mention the s*x. The first time with her was the same as every other girl, but tonight... tonight the mate bond was involved. It will be hard to return to mediocre s*x with other women now that I know how it could feel.

After tonight, I am more certain than ever that Wyatt did not educate Liana on the mate bond. From her reaction, I could tell it was new to her. Which I replace interesting because she should have felt the same when she was with Wyatt. From what I know about the mate bond, there are two possible explanations. One, she was never Wyatt's mate. But I doubt it. He would not have invested so much time with her when he could be with Gwen.

Secondly, Wyatt watered down the mate bond by using a mind link. Whenever he got physical with Liana, he would mind-link Gwen. Judging from what Wyatt told me, he would rather kiss Gwen than Liana. By mind-linking Gwen while kissing Liana, the mate bond loses its intensity. I have never heard of anybody actually doing it, but I know it can be done.

I know I am being a jerk. I do not want her, but I do not reject her either. But after Mia's stunt and Greta's death, I decided I did not want my mate or any bride. I kept on dating to keep my mother off my back, but I did not have any intentions of settling down. Women cannot be trusted, and they proved that to me on more than one occasion.

And I might have had the best sex of my life, but Liana will turn out to be as useless as Wyatt claims she is, and she cannot be my Luna. Liana POV

"Where were you?" Nina asks from the kitchen as I tiptoe to my room, and I groan inwardly. I so hoped that she would not hear me come in. The last thing I want to do is explain what happened. Lying is not even an option, Nina will call me out. "At the waterfront," I shout as I enter my room. "I'll join you in a second."

I take a brisk shower and dress in sweatpants before I walk to the kitchen.

"Are you okay?" Nina looks at me with eagle eyes as I turn on the kettle.

"No," I reply with my back towards her. "I still can't replace a job. So, I took a stroll and felt sorry for myself."

"I'm sorry," Nina says sympathetically as she takes out coffee mugs. "Just hang in there, something will come along. And you can stay with me until you're on your feet."

"I can't believe what I sacrificed for him," I smile sourly as I pour the hot water into the mugs. "I had a job, a decent apartment and favourable prospects. And I gave it all up for that cheating bastard. I was so fucking stupid."

"No, you were not," Nina replies firmly. "You committed to Wyatt. You trusted him and followed your heart to your happy future. It's not your fault Wyatt is a two-faced bastard. Not only did he cheat on you, but he also cheated you out of a future. You should sue him."

"Like that would help," I snort unladylike as I pick up my coffee and go sit at the kitchen counter.

"Seriously, you should do it," Nina continues as she joins me. "At the very least he should reimburse you for loss of income since he's the one that told you to quit your job."

"I want nothing from him," I say adamantly. "I'd rather die from hunger."

"Do you still love him?" Nina asks softly after a moment of silence.

"How can I not?" I clear my throat as I look down at the mug in my hands. "He was my everything for seven years. He never mistreated me, Nina. He was kind and funny. Granted, he was never romantic or affectionate, but a lot of people are like that. I just didn't know he actually was like that but just not with me."

"I'm sorry," Nina says sympathetically.

"I miss him most at night," I continue with a hoarse whisper. "Sleeping in his arms... I felt so safe, you know? Like I have somebody to come home to. I didn't care that he didn't like kissing me or holding my hand in public. Because every night he would turn around in his sleep and hold me. As if he was wired to be close to me."

"That was his wolf," Nina says, and I look at her in confusion. "Wyatt, the man, might not have been interested in you, but his wolf wanted you more than anything. His wolf needed you. When Wyatt was sleeping, his wolf stepped up and turned to you." "That's so ..." my cell phone starts ringing and interrupts me.

"It's my mother," I sigh as I look at the number. "I've been avoiding her calls the entire day. I just can't deal with her right now."

"You should answer," Nina stands up and rinses out her mug. "There might be something wrong if she's so persistent."

I sigh as I slide the green button and put the phone to my ear.

"Hi, Mom," I keep my voice neutral.

"Li... Liana," Mom starts crying and icy tendrils curl around my heart.

"Mom, what's wrong?" I ask urgently.

"Your father... heart attack... hospital ... operation ...

"Mom, please stop crying," I almost yell into the phone as panic takes over. "I cannot hear you."

"Co... come ho... home," she sobs.

"Mother, what's going on?" I ask urgently and wish I could teleport to her.

"Mother?" There is a rustling on the other side of the line followed by muffled voices.

"Liana," my brother, Leon, speaks. "Dad had a heart attack. He's in the hospital and it's not looking good. He needs surgery."

"Okay, okay," I mumble as I start pacing up and down to align my thoughts. "So, when is the surgery scheduled?"

"In six months," he sighs.

"Six months?" I explode. "Will Dad survive that long?"

"Please don't turn hysterical like Mom," Leon pleads with me. "We don't have health care and the hospital is understaffed and overcrowded. And they don't have a heart surgeon. We're trying to get Dad transferred to another hospital, but it could take up to six months because it's not that urgent." "And there's no other alternative?" I ask grimly.

"Unless we come up with one hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars and take him to a private hospital, the answer is no," Leon explains patiently. "Liana, Mom wants you to come home and see Dad. You know, to say goodbye just in case." "O... okay," I whimper. "I'll be there in a day or two. I ... I must go now."

I do not wait for his reply and end the call. The phone slips out of my hand to the floor and I stare blindly in front of me.

"Take this," Nina forces a glass in my hand, and I obey like a zombie. The amber liquid burns down my throat and I start coughing but it has the desired effect as life slowly returns to my loins.

"Tell me everything," Nina demands, and I close my eyes before I repeat the conversation.

"I'm buying you a bus ticket right now," Nina says as she takes out her phone. "And I'll give you a thousand dollars. You never know what you might need."

"Nina, no," I shake my head. "This is not your problem."

"Don't be a fool, Liana," she snorts. "This might be the last time you see your father. I can always make more money, but I can't buy your father time."

"But it's not the solution," I break down crying. "I appreciate your offer, and thank you, I'm accepting it. On condition that I repay it double. But what about the hospital bills? I need a job, Nina. I must replace a way to help them financially. Leon is a leech and of no help. I can't allow my parents to suffer like that."

"First things first, Liana," she looks at me sternly. "Go and see your father. Get some peace of mind. Your mind is too clouded now to make life-altering decisions."

"You're right," I agree just not to talk about it any further. "But don't buy the bus ticket just yet. Just give me the night to think things over."

"Are you sure?" she frowns.

"Yes," I nod and try to smile, but I fail miserably. "I'm emotional right now. I'll phone the hospital tomorrow for more information and then I'll know better." "Just remember I'm here for you, okay?" Nina hugs me tightly and I close my eyes briefly.

"Thank you," my voice is hoarse as I pull away and walk to my room.