Alpha’s Hybrid Cinderella
Chapter 26

I'd been beaten before, punished for every imaginable thing including when I simply happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and within reach of Elly's or Maria's slaps. But this was the worst pain by far, dull and gouging as I got up from the table without a word. Evan. He was angry Ken was picking me up. He didn't want me to go with him, jealous and possessive as if he wanted me - but he had made it clear already he didn't want me enough to stop looking for his real mate.

I wasn't good enough for him and never would be. Evan could be as angry as he wished, but in the end, he was treating me as nothing more than a toy to pass the time with. And the only reason he was angry was because he thought someone was taking that toy away from him before he'd had his fill.

And he couldn't even commit himself to it enough to ask me not to go. Not that I would have let him win because I refused to be played with, but if I were his fated mate, he would never have let me walk out the door, not this easily. Good. At least he was letting me have this without being a hypocrite. If he was determined to be with someone else he hadn't even met yet, then he had no right to stop me from seeing other people either.

And one day, maybe this ugly twisting in my chest would finally fade.

***

"This coffee is good," I said as I held the steaming paper cup in both hands. "Where is this from? Did you stop by a coffeeshop on the way here?"

"Something like that. I made my morning rounds, and I helped out at our flagship coffeeshop. That cup you have there was truly made by you."

"Oh, so you're not just a businessman and a chef. You're a barista, too."

"A good businessman wears all kinds of hats." He smiled at me when we came to a brief stop at an intersection. "We're launching a new line of products but still emphasizing the luxury coffee experience. Taste good?" "Very."

"Lucky. What if I told you I'd never made a cup of coffee before today?"

"Then you'd be a liar. This is not your first time."

He laughed and glanced at me as he inched the car forward, the light now green again. "All right, you got me. I studied for about a year on the side a while back when I first put forth the mock proposal. I wanted to emphasize the shop culture and figure it all out, but you can't separate yourself from something if you want to understand it. You have to jump in feet-first."

"And it worked out well for you. You have another line of business that's going to bring in a lot of revenue."

"I hope so. But not every business venture turns out perfectly. Jumping in feet-first is good for enthusiasm and maximizes potential growth, but sometimes a bad investment is a bad investment, and you get burned. The smart thing to do then is to extricate yourself and find a more profitable route. I've racked up my share of scars and disappointments, so this isn't an easy victory."

My stomach lurched. He might be talking about something else entirely, but the words rang true for me, too, with a sickly weight. I took a deep breath, willing the thought to leave me. I was with Ken right now, not Evan, having fun with a friend and learning new things. I needed to stay in the moment and appreciate it.

"I wouldn't mind picking up business as a minor if I had the space in my schedule next semester," I remarked. "It seems like the go-to major for so many people because you can use those skills anywhere. But I never took anything business-related in high school, all the electives I managed to get into were just home economics classes."

"I think you'd do great. You don't need to have taken prior classes. That's what introductory courses are for, and I'd be happy to tutor you."

If it had been anyone else, I might have thought that was a clumsy pickup line, but he sounded so earnest. "All right. Or maybe I should jump in feet-first like you say. What if I start investing now? Is that possible? How much would I be able to make on the side if I started now?"

"Oh? Claudia getting ready to strike it rich! I would have thought Evan would give everything his savior could ever want, but I guess he's been slacking if you're looking to earn some money on the side." Savior? "Wait, you know about that?" I asked. "You know why he brought me to the Scarlet pack?"

"I do."

"How?

"It's one of the perks of a business partnership. He's a warlord and a politician and all the things in between, but he still needs economic support from businessmen. He isn't completely independent no matter how powerful he seems. Money is what makes the world go around."

I'd never been exposed to pack politics and the workings of money, but it sounded like he was saying Evan was at the mercy of others, not the other way around. "So if he's dependent on you, does that mean you could replace Evan as Alpha of the region if you wanted? Or that any of the richer businessmen in the city could?"

He shook his head. "No, no. There's a balance to it. Business puts profit first, so that's what we worry about. And the regional Alpha worries about actual governance. That's a different world. No one denies that Evan is a successful leader."

I changed the subject after that to something lighter, asking about how to get started - maybe even opening my own small business, and he eagerly shared a plethora of tips. Soon, we were on the campus parking lot before we knew it, but traffic was horrendous. The lot was crammed full of hundreds of cars already, and we were lucky Ken had a reserved spot. It still took ages to maneuver through all the walking students heading off to class, but that only gave us more time to chat. When I climbed out of the passenger seat, however, there were several students loitering by the adjacent car watching me.

"So it's Ken Joseph now," someone muttered. "She really has no shame. What a man-eater."

I ignored it. My time in Dark Moon had made it easy for me to ignore low-grade insults like that. What surprised me were the compliments that came from elsewhere. Ken must have heard them too, but he gave no indication of approval or amusement when several girls behind us whispered loud enough for us to overhear:

"Maybe it's because she's a hybrid. It's like, exotic, right?"

"I guess. She probably has a different kind of scent too if you get close enough to catch it."

"Being different makes you stand out, so if you're at least cute, it can only help."

"She's not bad-looking. She's pretty, actually, so that helps."

They had no idea we could hear every word. I ducked my head, stunned but pleased despite myself. Did they really mean it? To be complimented secretly in someone's thoughts was flattering, but they were saying it out loud to each other, not insulting me but giving me casual praise.

I thought about it all day long after Ken and I parted ways, and Raf had a hard time getting me to focus as she demanded to know details of what Ken's house looked like. She chased me all the way to the library where I checked out several reference texts on investment practices until finally I agreed to get at least one picture next time.

"Next time?" she asked, eyebrows waggling. "Oooh..."

"Raf! Leave me alone. You're awful."

She laughed until a passing librarian shushed her with a finger to her lips.

***

I unloaded all of my borrowed economics books on my bed and heaved a sigh. This was a lot more than I'd planned to bring, but they had all looked helpful and I couldn't choose. Maybe I should have waited for Ken like he had suggested, but I wanted to do at least this much on my own.

I was so engrossed in examining the books that I didn't notice Evan walking into my bedroom.

"Those aren't good for beginners. Except maybe that one." He approached my right and picked up a blue textbook, hefting it in one hand. "But this edition changed a lot of things. The third edition has all the diagrams, and that's what most people prefer." "Oh. Thank you. I'll look for it."

But he didn't move away. He stared at me, eyes gleaming. "You want to study economics?" he asked.

"It's just a new hobby I'm interested in."

"New hobby? Who got you into it?"

I looked up at him, uneasy. His tone didn't sit right with me. It was tightly controlled, so calm it was unnatural, and when our eyes met, his face darkened as the placid facade disappeared.

The hardness that remained was so - lonely. And the hollow pain emanating from his mind didn't help. He felt abandoned, or betrayed. More likely both.

And it was because of me.

No.

I was not going to let him guilt me into being his temporary sidepiece, his toy to play with until he found his mate. I was not going to settle for a temporary love.

"Evan, I don't think we should get too close," I said plainly. "You almost said as much when we last talked. Otherwise you would have told me you were going to stop searching for your mate. But you're not, so you have to stop doing this instead." "I don't want to stop."

"That wouldn't be fair. Anyway, I'm tired so I'm going to go to bed early, and you should too, Alpha Evan."

"I told you to call me Evan when we're alone."

Before I knew it, he was close, so close - moving in to kiss me.