Filed to story: Claimed by My Ex’s Alpha Brother
“It’s the last day of exams! We have to celebrate.”
“No, I’m good. I’ll see you later. Good luck on your test,” I said and walked away from him, headed toward the science building.
Part of my mind was still fuming about what Noah had said. The other half was wondering if Ella was going to go to the party. She probably was, since Noah was going. I was bummed not to be in the same space as Ella. But, honestly, I was even more afraid of spending time with her. Who knew what could happen when alcohol was involved?
I might say something I could never take back.
Ella POV
“You found a ring in the pocket of his jeans?” Scarlett asked, her eyes wide with surprise.
She stepped away from the mirror and turned toward me. Only her top lip had a smear of red lipstick on it. The application tube was lying on my messy vanity where she had put it down when I shocked her with my news.
“Yep,” I confirmed. “Last night I was over at Noah’s house helping him study for his history final. When he was getting us some water I, um, looked around a little.” My cheeks reddened.
“Nothing to be ashamed of.” Scarlett shrugged. “We all do it. I call it casually snooping. Sometimes I’ll look through Troy’s phone. Not because I don’t trust him, but I’m just curious. I found a really cute picture he took of me sleeping the other day.”
My friend had the same faraway look in her eyes that she always got when talking about her boyfriend, Troy.
I nodded in agreement and turned back to the other mirror in my room to continue straightening my hair. Guilt seeped into my stomach. When I had looked through Noah’s pockets yesterday, it hadn’t been just to casually snoop. For a couple of weeks, there had been a small voice in my mind telling me that Noah was hiding something from me. I’d tried my best to ignore the voice, but when it got too loud last night, I decided to look through Noah’s room when the opportunity presented itself. When I found the engagement ring, a flood of emotions hit me. I didn’t have any time to process them before Noah came back into the room.
Then, I met Liam on the stairs as I was leaving. He had a white towel wrapped around his waist, and his light brown hair was dripping from a shower, causing droplets of water to slide down his muscled chest. Of their own accord, my eyes had followed the water’s descent as it ran down his toned stomach.
Liam apologized profusely, saying that he thought I had left already, or he would never have been walking around in a towel. Before I could assure him that it was all right, he rushed past me into the safety of his room.
The rest of the night, I wondered why Liam had avoided me ever since Noah and I started going out. Did he think I wasn’t good enough for his brother? Or was it because of a different, far more embarrassing reason? Could he tell that I harbored secret feelings for him? Did he catch when my gaze lingered too long on his olive green eyes? Was it obvious I laughed a little too loudly when he made a joke? Or did he know about the fact that I was sometimes late for class because I was hoping to catch a glimpse of him walking down the school hallway?
The truth was, I’ve had feelings for Liam Boone for as long as I can remember. After he saved me from that Rogue wolf, I was going to ask him if he felt the same. But then Noah asked me out, and I said yes because I was confused and still had strong pain medication pumping through my system. And Liam started to avoid me after that.
For the past two years, I’d focused on my relationship with Noah. I tried to be the best girlfriend possible and be fully present in our relationship. But it was Liam who I thought about late at night when I couldn’t sleep. Which was horrible of me. He was my boyfriend’s best friend.
My stomach swooped when I realized that Noah could be my
fianc?. Was that what I wanted? Finding that ring had shocked me to my very core. Was Noah ready to commit to me for the rest of his life? Sometimes it seemed like we were just going through the motions of a relationship. We never talked about the important things in life, like our deepest fears and our wildest dreams. Honestly, we didn’t really discuss the small things either. I couldn’t say what his favorite color was.
Over the past two months, we’d been getting into fights about how much time he spent betting at the casino in our town. The same small voice in the back of my mind that urged me to snoop around his room was warning me that if Noah proposed, it would be like him placing a bet on our relationship. He didn’t care if I said yes or no. All he wanted was the thrill from doing something impulsive.
And I was eighteen. Was I ready to be engaged to anyone right now?
An image of Liam in a black tux standing at the altar burst into my mind.
No.
I was dating his brother, who might propose to me soon.
“So, you’re surprising Noah tonight?” Scarlett asked.
“Yes.” I finished my hair and walked to my closet to pick out my outfit. “You know that I’m not the biggest fan of parties, and when Noah asked me to go, I said no. But after finding the engagement ring, I want to surprise him.”
“That’s so romantic,” Scarlett said and sighed wistfully.
My face grew red as I went to the bathroom to change into a long black skirt and white tank top. Would Scarlett still think that it was so romantic of me to surprise Noah at the party if she knew I was only doing it to get another guy off my mind?
***
“My parents want me to be home by midnight,” I reminded Scarlett as she opened the door to Joshua Collin’s house.
As soon as I stepped over the threshold, I was overwhelmed. Loud pop music was blaring from the black speakers in the living room. The only lighting was neon purple strip lights on the walls. And it seemed like my entire graduating class was crammed into this tiny space.
“Why are they so overbearing?” Scarlett asked as we sidestepped a couple making out aggressively against the wall. “You’re eighteen. Can’t you stay out however long you want?”
“Well, um, they’re protective because of the attack on me.”
She blushed.
“Oh, right. Sorry. Well, Troy isn’t going to drink either, so I’ll just catch a ride home with him. I’m going to go find him, actually. Catch you later. Good luck with Noah!” Scarlett said, already turning to leave.
“Thanks…”
Before I could get another word out, she was lost in the crowd.
Noah was nowhere to be found in the living room or kitchen, so I slowly made my way up the stairs, stepping over discarded red plastic cups, another couple making out, and Samantha Matters screaming at her on-again, off-again boyfriend. When I got to the top, a strange prickling feeling started in the back of my neck, then spread to the rest of my body. All of the noise of the party faded into the background as I walked down the hallway.
Instinct told me to pass by the closed doors and go to the one at the end of the hall that was hanging slightly open. I knocked once and held my breath.
“Find another room! This one’s occupied.”
Noah.
Without hesitating, I burst through the door and turned on the light. My boyfriend and Makala Hanson were naked in bed, blinking up at me with annoyed expressions. Makala and I had never been close friends, but it wasn’t a secret that Noah and I were going out. When their eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, their faces drained of color. Noah scrambled off the bed and called my name. As he stood, his foot caught on the sheets and he fell onto the ground.
A strangled laugh came out of me.
