The Alpha’s Arranged Bride

Lavender’s POV.

I skipped into the apartment, banging the door loudly. It was a habit of mine to do so on my arrival home. Mom hated it and you’d most times catch her scolding me. This time, though, I heard no warning call, or a displeased response. The house was eerily quiet. The unusual atmosphere made me pause cautiously before venturing farther into the sitting room.

“Mom,” I called the instant I saw her. She sat on the settee, very still, and apparently, she wasn’t aware of my presence. Something was wrong. Mom was the type who was always bubbling with stored-up energy. She always needed to dispel it, and sitting still was no way to. At least, no way she does.

I took a long stride and sat beside her, pulling her shoulders to me. “Mom.”

She seemed startled as she stared at me with bright eyes that were wide with surprise. Her face broke into a smile and she further pulled me into a hug concealing her face in my neck.

“You are back..” Mom breathed, pulling back to cradle my face in her soft motherly palm. “You’re as beautiful as the sun.” She murmured, her eyes displaying so much emotion.

A flash of what I couldn’t pinpoint zapped through my mom’s eyes and disappeared the second it came. It was almost like worry and resignation.

“I took after you,” I responded by kissing the top of her head and hoping that it would dissipate whatever she was feeling. Knowing Mom, there was no use questioning her for she was always willing to go to any length to hide problems from me, in her words, she didn’t want me to worry alongside her.

Countless efforts had made me realize that mom was more stubborn than I could ever be and the least I could do was please her and hope she came to the bottom of whatever the problem was faster.

“I know.” Mom forced a chuckle that was obviously fake from the lack of crinkles at the corner of her eyes. When she either smiled or laughed, her eyes took a smaller shape and the corners wrinkled up. I love watching them appear, but right now, there is none.

“Didn’t you say you were going somewhere today?” Mom suddenly jerked up as if recalling.

Another unusualness. She always faced difficulty letting me go anywhere. If I needed to go out and my destination wasn’t school, I had to involve whining and pleadings to get her approval. Strange how today, she recalled where, as I had completely forgotten.

I squinted my eyes to assess her, and she returned it with an innocent look.

“What? You kept rambling about this outing, eagerly describing every aspect of it, and begging me all day yesterday to grant you permission to go. You said you were going with someone named Carmen.”

“I don’t recall going on and on. Also, Mom. It’s Caleb, not Carmen.”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

She waved her palm in dismissal. “Whatever you call him, just don’t stay out late.”

I might not have ‘gone on and on’ like Mom had put it, but I did remember telling her about it and she must have seen my desire to attend the get-together with Caleb. But all of a sudden, I lost the interest in going. Was it the fact that I thought Mom wasn’t okay? Or the gut feeling nagging constantly in my head.

I opened my mouth to protest but caught Mom’s genuine smile for the first time since I arrived. “I want you to have fun.”

I half expected her to say something again. It sounded as if the sentence hadn’t ended, almost as if I could hear her saying, “I want you to have fun because you won’t get to again.”

I shook my head to dispel the feeling. Mom didn’t mean any of that, from her smile I could tell, so I nodded and pulled her into another hug.

“Alright, Mom. I’ll go dress up.”

******

Caleb’s apartment was nicely furnished, this wasn’t the first time I was visiting but he had decorated the sitting room in preparation for our little get-together. The settees were pulled closer so that the center table provided just the right amount of separation.

Caleb, Tiffany and two others I wasn’t exactly familiar with were already occupying a seat. I’m guessing Caleb or Tiffany must have brought them along. Trusting my two friends and school colleagues, I smiled warmly at the new acquaintance before hugging both Tiffany and Caleb.

There was only one available space, and it was beside Caleb. Something told me Tiffany was responsible for the sitting arrangements. She had taken it upon herself to play matchmaking when I had already made it obvious that Caleb would be nothing but a friend. His feelings towards me were quite glaring. He made a show of hiding it that it became blatant enough even for someone like Tiffany, who had difficulty picking up hints to know.

I sat beside Caleb, hugging him sideways and putting every effort I could to make the hug platonic. I really didn’t want to lead him on in any way, since I couldn’t reciprocate his feelings. The least I could do was subtly convey my lack thereof of it.

The two female friends introduced themselves, and it turns out Tiffany was the one who invited them. I got to know that Blondie was Eva and the second one, whose red hair competed with mine, was Samantha.

While the introduction was going on, Caleb excused himself to get the drinks. Tiffany offered to help, but he drew her attention to the cake in the fridge, which sent her successfully scampering off towards it. She was one for having a sweet tooth.

“God, it’s so obvious he likes you.” Samantha leaned over and whispered with exaggerated secrecy while a smile lingered on her face. I frowned, knowing exactly what they meant, but refusing to believe his demeanor gave him off that fast.

“I see how his eyes lit up when you walked in and how his offer to get some drinks was an open invitation for you to join.” Eva joined in. She brushed her hair to the side, but I could see the excitement dancing in his eyes.

Funny how it didn’t click to me to go along with him to the cabinet. I was all rigid, contemplating how to respond to their curious gaze when, thankfully, Tiffany reappeared with the slices of cake and her mouth full to the brim.

“What are you girls discussing?”

I made a face at her disgusting act of talking while eating.

Caleb dashed in too, setting the glasses first then the bottle of beer. He filled up everyone’s glasses and left mine halfway. “Mommy’s girl, she wouldn’t appreciate you getting drunk now, would she?” Caleb teased with a lopsided smile.

In all honesty, Caleb was a handsome guy, with his brown locks seated on his head and the fringes falling across his face. He had a boyish look to those blue eyes of his but exceptionally thin lips that always offed me. But when he smiled, it was a beautiful sight that made up for his thin lips.

“Don’t be such a tease now.” I chided, receiving the glass and gulping it down in a swift move. I didn’t reach out for more, instead, I held the empty glass and savored the taste.

A few conversations later, I was a drunk mess. I blinked in surprise. I didn’t drink much, that I was sure so why were my eyes weary? I could barely make out figures at this point and.. I seemed to be slumping against the settee.

Hazily, I saw Caleb seeing Tiffany and her friends out. Why wasn’t I also leaving? And they all had more drinks than I did, so why couldn’t I move a limb?

“Don’t worry, she will be okay. She can’t handle her liquor well, trust me to keep her comfortable until she’s sober enough to leave.” That was Caleb. I wanted to yell at him and remind him that I didn’t drink.

“I’m afraid… Alright,.. contact us if she needs anything.. leaving” The words Tiffany spoke were broken, and my ears found it difficult to pick them all up.

Why couldn’t I tell them what I felt? I couldn’t talk or make any movement. I was numb and limp. I barely had any drink, so why?

Unless… unless.. I might be feeling drunk, but this numbness wasn’t from the drink. Caleb shut the door behind him and I blurrily watched his figure come closer.

Unless.. My drink was spiked!