I'm the Alpha's Crush

Chapter 50

A few minutes earlier...

In the bathroom of the brewery, I washed my hands, still troubled by the news Malcolm had gotten this morning.

A vision of Blake, his sleazy smile and veneer of politeness, passed through my thoughts.

"It's not looking good."

Turning off the faucet, I glanced up, meeting my own eyes in the mirror.

He has less than a week.

What could he possibly find in the next few days that he hasn't found in the past month?

I sighed, cranking about a foot of paper towel out of the dispenser and drying off.

Maybe he's looking in the wrong place.

Pausing, I considered the idea.

He'd been researching the mine - hell, he'd gone to Tennessee to learn about the impacts of coal mining on pack life - but had he been researching Blake?

Energized by the sudden epiphany, I rushed through the expansive brewery tasting room and went to Malcolm's side.

He was speaking with an older, female alpha, and I nodded apologetically at her as I laid my hand on Malcolm's arm, "Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Malcolm murmured an apology to the other alpha and kept up as I led him outside, heading for the far corner of the patio for the sake of privacy.

"What is it?" There was a note of concern in his dark, warm eyes, but as I laid out my plan, they lit with possibilities.

"...If I asked River to only find mine-related communications and ignore everything else, do you think they could do that?"

I smiled, admiring how he was determined to follow his conscience and abide by the limits of his power when my gut told me that Blake had no such compunctions.

"I think you might want to ask them that when you give them a call in the morning."

I savored the hopeful grin on his lips, noting how different he seemed after his palpable worry earlier.

Then, it hit me.

That scent.

It tickled my nostrils and sent my hair standing on edge.

Oh, no...

Glancing around surreptitiously, I tried to pinpoint the source, and then I froze.

He stared back at me from the bar.

Ice water rushed down my spine as a flurry of images passed through my mind, memories of the darkest, most miserable time of my life.

This isn't happening.

The years had aged him slightly, but recognition still came in an instant.

"Do you know him?"

Time slowed to a crawl as I looked up to find Malcolm's eyes on me.

"Hmm?" I frowned, trying to stall as long as I could.

His brow furrowed as he elaborated, "The guy at the bar - he's staring at you."

"Me? I thought he was staring at you," I lied.

He shook his head, "I don't know him. Do you?"

I shrugged, attempting nonchalance as my heart pounded against my ribcage, "He kind of looked familiar, but I don't have a clue who he is," turning my head, I sought him out-

-and felt a rush of overwhelming relief when he was gone.

Thank the goddess...

"Did he just disappear?" Malcolm wondered aloud.

"No idea. Huh," I faced Malcolm, feigning confusion, "that was weird, right?"

"Very," he agreed.

We stepped back inside, and it seemed like he had genuinely left the premises - only a half-empty pint glass marked where he had been.

Can't blame him - I don't think he's any more eager to see me again than I am to see him.

But that momentary encounter, as brief and distant as it was, soured my night and set my nerves on edge for the rest of the event.

As we left some hours later, I caught sight of the luminous moon hanging in the sky above us. Silently, I sent a prayer into the ether-

Please, please let him stay away. Please let this bubble last as long as possible.

The next morning broke bright and cloudless through the windows of our room. As I came to consciousness, I squinted my eyes at the light.

In that moment, I'd never hated the sun more.

Exhausted after a week of running myself ragged, all I wanted was to lay in bed for the next month.

Groaning, I buried my head beneath the sheets, nestling against Malcolm's warmth.

"Hiding isn't going to make it go away." His resonant voice rumbled through him.

Mumbling into his chest, I said, "It will if I hide long enough."

"Come on - one more day and then we're out of here."

"Or we could skip out early-"

"Will's already doing that, and I promised that we'd stick it out through the last few events."

Pulling the sheets down, I frowned at him, "I don't remember agreeing to this."

Malcolm smiled, brushing his fingertips over my messy hair, "I'll make you a deal - you can sleep all the way back to Pennsylvania."

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, sleep, except we're going to have three teenagers in the back, remember?"

"No, actually we won't. They're driving back with their parents."

"Parents?"

"They came up last night - couldn't take the entire week off to be here, but they wanted to see the closing ceremony and meet the alphas of the packs they'll be staying with."

"Oh?"

"Yep, we get to drive back alone."

I sighed, peering up, "Are you sure I can't just stay in bed for the rest of the day?"

Malcolm smiled, "You could, but you'd be leaving me to deal with these people alone."

Resting my chin on his chest, I mused, "I'd have to be truly heartless to do that."

Never mind that staying in bed was probably the safest option for me.

After all, if I was here in this room, I ran no risk of encountering him again.

He went out of his way to avoid you too...

There was some comfort in that - knowing that I wasn't the only one trying to avoid confrontation.

If only we could just leave right now...

After showering, Malcolm made a call to River, explaining the situation and giving them permission to dig into Blake's interactions regarding the mine.

I watched from the other bed, fastening my necklace clasp and hoping that it would be enough.

As he ended the conversation, he stood, sliding his phone into his back pocket, "So, breakfast?"

I looked up at this man, this wonderful, kind, caring man, terrified that I would lose him just as fast as I had found him.

He offered his hand, and I accepted it, standing and slinging my purse over my shoulder.