Chapter 3

I stared in complete shock at the guy who just walked into the women''s bathroom.

Here I was, minding my own business, and this man was standing in the doorway like he owned the place, staring at me for what felt like forever. I finally snapped out of it and pulled myself together.

"Can I help you?" I narrowed my eyes at him. "You do realize this is the ladies'' room, right?"

His eyebrows shot up in amusement. "Yeah, I know," he said with a shrug.

"So why are you here? What if someone was changing?" I gestured to the empty bathroom, but he just laughed.

"What''s so funny?" I couldn''t hide my frustration anymore.

He ignored my question completely, that smirk still plastered on his face as he moved closer. "I saw you checking me out. You can''t look at me like that and just walk away," he said with way too much confidence.

My eyebrows scrunched together as I stepped right up to him, close enough to touch. "You''re seriously confused about how I was looking at you. Don''t read into it," I said flatly. "Now if you''ll excuse me, I need to find my friend."

I flipped my hair over my shoulder and walked past him without another word.

I headed to the dance floor, hoping to spot Amelia. No matter where I looked, she was nowhere to be found, so I started up the stairs. A hand grabbed mine, stopping me cold.

I turned around – it was bathroom guy again.

I sighed and pulled my hand free. "Did you not get the hint?"

Once again, he ignored my question. "One dance and I''ll leave you alone," he promised, his eyes sparkling.

I had an internal battle between walking away and giving in. Unfortunately, I caved. "Fine. One dance, but that''s it," I said firmly.

He smiled and took my hand, leading me to the dance floor.

As we pushed through the crowd, I couldn''t figure out why all these women were glaring at me like I''d stolen their birthday cake or something. One blonde in particular stood out – she was staring at me like she wanted to rip my head off.

"Do you have a girlfriend or something? That blonde looks pretty pissed," I asked, wondering whose territory I was stepping into.

He glanced back at me, confused. "No girlfriend," he said, then turned back around.

We stopped on the dance floor, and he immediately wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me close. The moment our bodies touched, I gasped as heat spread through me like wildfire. I wasn''t sure what that feeling was, but suddenly the song felt way too intimate for two strangers.

I panicked and pulled away. "I should go," I stammered, not understanding what was happening to me.

I quickly walked off to find Amelia, not looking back to see his reaction or giving him a chance to say anything. All I knew was that something about him made my body go completely haywire.

Walking through the dining hall, I finally spotted Amelia with her parents and Paul.

"Hey! Where have you been?" I asked, trying to hide the worry in my voice.

"Paul was giving us a tour of the packhouse. Where were you? I tried looking for you – it''s like you just vanished," Amelia said.

I paused, wondering if I should tell her the truth. "I''m avoiding some guy," I whispered so only she could hear.

She looked at me like I''d grown three heads. "All the guys here are gorgeous. Who could be so bad that you need to avoid them?"

"I don''t know his name. Never asked," I answered.

Her expression said it all – she thought I was crazy.

"Well, the ceremony''s about to start. You could point him out," she suggested.

I nodded, wondering if I''d even see him in this massive crowd.

We made our way to a large round table with Amelia''s family. Unfortunately, Paul had to sit at the Alpha''s table for dinner, so he kissed Amelia''s forehead before heading to the long rectangular table at the front of the hall.

A soft buzz of conversation filled the air as we waited for the Alpha to arrive. I figured he''d shown up when everyone started cheering and clapping.

I glanced up and saw the same gorgeous man I''d left on the dance floor walking toward the Alpha''s table.

"No. Freaking. Way," I whispered, completely stunned.

Amelia looked at me. "Something wrong?" she whispered back.

"That''s him," I replied, my eyes glued to him, trying to keep my jaw from hitting the floor.

Amelia''s eyes went wide as she followed my gaze, nearly bulging out of her head before she turned back to me. "You''re telling me you''ve been avoiding the Alpha?" she asked, confused. "How is that even possible? That man has never shown interest in anyone."

I gave her a deadpan look. "Well," I tapped my lip, thinking it over, then shrugged. "I don''t know, but he''s pretty persistent."

"You''re giving me all the details later. I want everything," she gushed, grinning.

Before I could argue, I was struck silent when the Alpha started speaking.

"Thank you all for coming tonight. It''s a pleasure to meet the new families joining our pack and catch up with others I haven''t had the chance to spend time with lately. I hope everyone''s enjoying themselves so far." He smiled at the crowd and glanced in my direction, his eyes meeting mine. He smirked and raised an eyebrow before continuing.

I rolled my eyes at his complete inability to take a hint.

"I want to announce that my Beta Paul found his mate this evening, and they''ll be planning their wedding soon. Let''s congratulate the happy couple!" He whistled and patted Paul on the back.

Everyone cheered, and the crowd erupted in applause as Paul stood, raising his glass. "Thank you all," he beamed. "Would my beautiful mate please stand as well?" He pointed his glass toward Amelia.

She stood and raised her glass too. "Cheers to our future!" she said proudly.

The crowd cheered again, but through all the commotion, I caught the Alpha staring at me. Again. Seriously, what''s his deal? I thought, trying to make sense of this insane situation.

I broke away from his gaze and hugged Amelia. "Congratulations!" I squealed, already thinking about wedding planning with my best friend – something we''d always talked about when we were little.

"Thank you!" She smiled and leaned in so only I could hear. "By the way, the Alpha''s name is Malachi."

I brushed it off. "I don''t think it''ll matter after tonight."

I narrowed my eyes when she gave me a mischievous grin. "Don''t be so sure. I think he likes you," she whispered in my ear, making me roll my eyes again.

"Enough about me and this mystery Alpha. Let''s celebrate you," I declared with a smile.

When the wait staff brought out the food, everyone started eating, and the crowd settled into quiet conversations around their tables. While I was looking around, I noticed Paul walking over to our table.

"Excuse me for interrupting, but the Alpha would like a word with you, Miss," he said, his eyes focused on me.

"Me?" I asked, pointing to myself and looking around awkwardly.

"Yes, the Alpha asked me to bring you to his office." He glanced at Amelia for some help encouraging me.

Amelia looked at me with a grin. "Go ahead. I''ll be here when you''re done." She laughed, then proceeded to make humping motions in the air while Paul''s back was turned as he talked to her parents. Like I was going to sleep with her pack''s Alpha or something. I smacked her and tried not to laugh.

She straightened up when Paul cleared his throat after turning back to us.

"You''re horrible," I whispered with a smirk, then looked back at Paul. "Okay, let''s go."

Paul nodded and led me to a private room in the back of the building. "Right through that door, Miss," he directed, and I suddenly felt nervous.

"You''re not coming with me?" I asked, hoping the answer was yes, but tonight wasn''t my lucky night.

"No Miss, the Alpha asked to see you alone," he explained.

I hesitated, contemplating my next move. "Um... okay, see you later." I waved, my heart jumping into my throat as Paul walked off down the hall.

I took a deep breath and opened the door to find the Alpha half-sitting on his desk. He looked up from the papers in his hands. "Come in, please close the door behind you," he said softly.

As the door closed, he stood from the desk and walked toward me.

"Wait," I said, putting my hand up to stop him. "Why did you ask me here?"

"I want to understand why I can''t seem to resist you," he said quietly, his eyes scanning my figure.

"You''re the Alpha. How could you possibly not resist a fragile human like me?" I asked, stifling a laugh. None of this made any sense. My body was sending me through a whirlwind of unfamiliar emotions, clouding my judgment.

I kept my eyes locked on his as he came closer, stopping just inches away. That''s when I became very aware of how tall he was. He towered over me, looking down into my eyes. "I''ve never wanted someone this much in my life," he confessed.

His hand brushed against mine, and I felt an electric current hum between us. I stepped back, wide-eyed. "What was that?"

He tried to step closer, but I raised my hand, pressing it against his chest.