Arranged To The Alpha
Chapter 16

Blake:

“Are you okay?” I asked a while after Natalia’s secretary got our coffee.

She has been quiet since her parents left worrying Ares and I. She snapped out of her daze and looked at me with a smile. One which was professional and didn’t reach her eyes “I’m fine, Blake, I just have a few things in mind. But don’t worry”

“Do they include your parents?”

“Why did you come?” Natalia asked shocking me. I frowned in confusion trying to understand her question, but she didn’t seem to flinch as she waited for an answer.

“What?” I asked still trying to process what she asked.

“Why did you come here when I asked you not to?” She asked again. The woman was being bloody serious?

“Natalia, I just saved you a whole argument with your parents…”

“I never asked you to, okay? I never asked you to fight my fights for me, nor did I ask for your help” she snapped. I put the mug down and got up from my chair with her following in suit.

“I came here with genuine intentions. I didn’t want to you to stand up to your parents, but it seems like you can’t take a hint to at least say thank you” I said glaring at her. She walked toward me and stood in front of me, her heart raced against her ribcage, and the feeling I got in my chest wasn’t all easy on me either. Ares raged inside me, wanting her to relax, listen and understand, but he also wanted to defend her against her parents.

“I never asked you to…”

“You don’t need to ask me to do something which I see fit” I said glaring at her “get that through your head, not everything that is done for you needs to be asked for, people can do things because they genuinely want to help. They might care to do so even…”

“No one does things without expecting anything in return” she said stopping me “that’s the law of nature”

My chest ached for her as she walked toward her desk. I could tell that she was fighting back tear, however, I didn’t try approaching her. Her stance told me that she needed to be left alone, but I knew better than to leave a broken soul to heal on its own.

“Is that what they taught you?” I asked looking at her. Natalia tensed but didn’t answer “that they adopted and raised you, now you have to pay them back for what they did, and you believe that everyone would treat you the same way if they do something for you?”

“Why do you care, Blake? Just go back to being the man who didn’t care for a second whether I lived or died. Just leave me alone”

“Natalia…”

“What, Blake? Why are you pretending to care about me? What is it that you want?” I sighed at her question but didn’t bother answering. It was no use to do so anyway. Therefore, I got up from my chair, leaving my coffee untouched in on the coffee table.

“You know, I was genuinely trying to help. I didn’t know who your parents were, nor did I know how they treated you. But judging by your tone at home; I suspected that things weren’t too great between you. However, seeing as I did a mistake, I would not repeat it again, I assure you” I said taking a step back “thank you for the coffee by the way, I’ll show myself to the door”

I walked out of her office and toward the elevator, ignoring the looks I got from her employees, mostly the girls, who seemed to be muttering between one another. I got in my car and drove off without waiting to see whether or not Natalia would bother trying to stop me, not that I expected her to after she went quiet when she heard of my reason. I couldn’t blame her though, after hearing what her parents had said, and suspecting what they were going to say. Parents who didn’t mind sending their daughter with a lawyer rather than at least coming with her to say goodbye to her before she went as a bride. Hell, I don’t even think they called her once before today.

“Since you’re giving her excuses, why’d you leave?” Ares asked.

“You know, I was so used to your silence that I keep finding it odd that you decide to pop up and talk every few hours” I answered my wolf.

“Funny, your wife, our mate, needs you, and here you are driving away from her”

“You heard what she said”

“What did you expect her to say, Blake? There isn’t an insult that wasn’t said to the woman. Last night was your first night together in one room and she was drunk. You can’t just expect her to accept you” Ares said speaking reason to me “you know, if you keep this up. Might as well accept the rejection, because that’s what we’re going to end up getting once she realizes that she’s our mate”

“I never expected to have a mate…”

“You got blessed with a second chance, Blake, I suggest not to lose it” Ares said stopping me. I sighed not responding, not that I had a respond to give anyway. My wolf was right.

Not everyone gets to have the chance that I did, and some can live and die without finding their mates to begin with. Therefore, for me to be blessed with finding a second mate after I’ve lost my first was something that I should be grateful for.

I sighed running my fingers through my hair before nodding to myself “think, Blake, you have to find a way to earn her trust…”

**********************

“Hey” I said when Natalia entered the house. Her eyes met mine and she gave me a weak smile before heading toward her room as she always does, not expecting me to want to have any conversation with her.

I got up from the couch, surprising Mason who was watching TV with his mate in his arms. However, I didn’t bother waiting as I followed her up the stairs and wrapped my hand around her wrist, stopping her.

I took her laptop bag making her frown in confusion “follow me”

She raised an eyebrow, but I could tell by her exhausted state that she wasn’t in the mood to argue. Her eyes widened when she saw that her things were all out of her room, and when she turned to ask, I motioned for her to head to my room.

The maids were in there fixing up her things in the room, her side of the closet was being organized, and her personal belongings were on the bed waiting for her to organize them where she pleased.

I walked out of her office and toward the elevator, ignoring the looks I got from her employees, mostly the girls, who seemed to be muttering between one another. I got in my car and drove off without waiting to see whether or not Natalia would bother trying to stop me, not that I expected her to after she went quiet when she heard of my reason. I couldn’t blame her though, after hearing what her parents had said, and suspecting what they were going to say. Parents who didn’t mind sending their daughter with a lawyer rather than at least coming with her to say goodbye to her before she went as a bride. Hell, I don’t even think they called her once before today.

“Blake, what is this?”

“I told you that I wanted to start fresh” I said looking her in the eye “we’re a husband and wife, might as well share a bedroom”

“Blake…”

“Come on, we’ll leave them to work while the two of us talk” I said taking her hand in mine. I intertwined our fingers and had her follow me to the study room which I had on the same floor not wanting to talk in front of the maids.

“Blake, what the bloody hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Working on fixing our shattered relationship…”

“We don’t even have one, Blake! What the bloody hell?”

“We’re never going to build them if you proceed with acting the way that you are” I said looking her in the eye “listen, I never said that we would be doing anything that you’re not ready for, and if you’re worried about me taking advantage of you…”

“You screwed girls in that room every night…”

“The bed has been changed, you needn’t worry about that, Natalia” I snapped glaring at her. Natalia’s eyes widened and she shook her head at me making me frown in confusion.

“You don’t just get to decide that I’m moving in to your room without consulting me!” Natalia snapped “you had your maids remove my things…”

“I am f*****g trying to make things work between us” I said stopping her “I am trying to become a husband to you. It does not mean that I will hurt you, or use you against your will. But I want us to make this work”

“Shouldn’t you have thought of that before making sure that every bit of dignity I had was shattered when it came…”

“Do you even know how hard it is for me? I lost my mate and other half, the woman died in front of me. How do you expect me to accept getting married a year later and easily accepting another woman? Would you have accepted me if it was YOU who was in my shoes?” Natalia stayed quiet as she listened to me. Her heart raced against her ribcage and I sighed before taking a step toward her.

I put both hands on her shoulders for a second before putting my finger under her chin, gently raising her face to make her look at me “I want to try to make things work. Please open up for me and let me give it a shot”

Natalia stayed quiet for a few seconds before taking a step back and nodding “it’s not like you’ve left me another option, everything is already in your room”

“You can start calling it our room”

“Whatever, it is a bloody room in this house” Natalia snapped “can I please go shower, change, and look at what your maids have done. I need to at least know where my things are”

“Be my guest” I said taking a step back, giving her the way to the door “but by the way, your bathroom ornaments are already in our bathroom”

“You are going to be the death of me” she said rolling her eyes.

“That’s not in my plans so far, don’t worry”

“Thanks, I feel extremely assured”

“You’re welcome”

“Idiot” she said walking past me.

“Classy” I teased from behind her.

“Get used to it, Alpha”