REIGN
^~There is a charm about the forbidden that makes it unspeakably desirableâ¦~^
âHey, girlfriend! Howâs life now youâre an alpha?â my friend Brie squealed out as she plonked down into the empty seat beside me.
We were sitting in our usual meeting spot, the booth opposite the front window tucked away from prying ears.
It was a plush-type bar. You know, the ones that serve cocktail towers and âstreet foodâ snacks like popcorn chicken and such.
Weâd been hanging out here since high school. I had preordered our cocktails. I was gonna need a drink for this conversation.
Brie had been my best friend since we were pups. We shared our deepest darkest secrets with each other and made a blood oath that we would take them to the grave.
She removed her jacket and got comfy taking a sip of her drink. âSo come on, girl! Howâs things been?â
I popped my head up above the booth to make sure no one was around to overhear us, but just to be doubly sure, I cast a silencing spell around our booth. Bless Grams and her lessons.
âI have to tell you something, and as always, Iâm evoking the blood oath, but I am also commanding you as your alpha to never repeat this information to anyone outside of us. Got it?â
Her eyes went wide, and she nodded, clutching my arm âReign, what is it?â She sounded worried.
I swallowed thickly, trying to force the lump in my throat. âI fooled around with my beta on my desk in my office two days ago.â
She spat her drink onto the table, getting us a couple of looks from others in the bar.
âIs everything okay?â A waitress appeared out of nowhere with napkins
âYes, yes, perfectly fine, thank you. Iâll do that, thank you. Leave.â Brie swatted the waitress away, taking all of the napkins off her. She dabbed at the table.
~I wonder how long it will take her to put the pieces together.~
âReign, youâre acting like itâs a big deal, haze season is coming soon, and you know sex is a part of our nature. We are primal creatures.
âThe haze happens every year, Reign. Itâs not like itâs love or anything. Itâs just seâ OH MY GODDESS!â
~There it was. ~Her eyes almost came out of her sockets
âWe are fine! Go away!â she barked at the waitress.
I shot the poor girl a sympathetic apology look, half smiling.
âOW.â Brieâs rough smack to my arm brought my attention sharply back to her.
âHave you lost your damn mind? ~Please~ tell me you did not almost sleep with your brotherâs best friendâs ~father~! Oh my goddess, Iâm gonna throw up.â
She put her head in her hands, rubbing her temples.
âI couldnât help it, Brie. We were having a couple of drinks, and the first trickles of the haze had begun. I broke a glass and cut my hand, and one thing led to another andââ
âAnd you just let him play fiddle in your vagina? Are you hearing yourself? He is mated, Reign. ~Mated!~ Not even that, he was your dadâs best friend! Reign!â She looked at me exasperated.
I wiggled in my seat, taking a large gulp of my drink. She was right. ~What was I thinking?~
âHe and his mate separated permanently. She couldnât live with his lifestyle as beta anymore,â I mumbled my pathetic excuse. ~Like that made it okay,~
Honestly, I knew this whole situation would bring shame to the family. If Pops didnât kill Jordan, then Uncle Diego definitely would. My stomach dropped at the thought.
Brie reached out for my arm, clutching it gently. âI get it, Reign. With everything youâve been through, Iâm sure his presence made you feel comfortable.
âBut this is lust, not love. Whether he and his mate have separated or not, any relationship you have with this man will ruin your chances of finding the mate ~actually~ granted to you by the goddess.
âPlease donât do this, Reign.â
I gulped back the rest of my drink. She was right. We drank in silence for a couple of minutes before the conversation changed to who she had chosen as her partner for this yearâs haze.
I nodded along, my mind elsewhere. Why was it so hard to shake off this sudden feeling of attraction toward him? ~Is it because of the haze? Or is it because it's frowned upon?~
âReign? Are you listening?â Brie blinked at me.
I snapped out of my daydream. âYeah, Iâm sorry. I was thinking about, uh, Milly. Just wondering how sheâs doing.â
Brie nodded, but I could tell she didnât really believe me. âWell, Roberto and I are gonna go to a movie tomorrow night. Are you free to come?â
âIâll have Rita check my schedule and let you know by lunchtime tomorrow.â
The rest of the evening was pleasant. Nothing more was said about what happened with Jordan, ~thankfully.~
As I got home, I pulled out my phone to text Milly.
Reign
Hey, howâs your mission going? Are you due home soon?
I paced the floor of my room, waiting for her response, Milly and I had always been close, and if ever there was anyone who would understand and take my side, it would be her.
I jumped out of my skin when my phone buzzed. Sinking onto my bed, I opened her message
Milly
Hey there Miss Alpha ;) Yeah itâs going good, few ups and downs but nothing I canât handle. I should be home next week why? Whatâs up?
Reign
I mightâve done something I shouldnât have and I kinda need your advice.
A few minutes passed, and my phone buzzed again.
Milly
⦠Iâm coming home
A feeling of relief washed over me. I just hoped I was right about her being understanding. Cause I was really screwed if she wasnât.
~What a great start to being alpha.~