UNTAMED: THE ALPHA

Emily's mind had been plagued with this question for a long time, but she didn't have the courage to ask Eros for the clarification. She was afraid this would ruin everything between them.

But, they were no longer children and the thing between them needed to be said clearly, or else, it would only snowball and become a huge misunderstanding later.

"Eros." Emily stopped him when he was about to enter the room to meet Xerxes. She squeezed his hand tightly when he was about to let go.

"Hm?" Eros turned around and looked at her patiently. He had always been patient with her, even from the day they met for the first time twelve years ago. "What is it?" Eros waited to hear what she wished to say.

Emily licked her lips, her throat suddenly became so dry and she couldn't squeeze out the words that she wanted to say. Her heart was thumping so wildly and in this silence, Emily was sure that Eros would be able to hear her frantic heartbeat. With his excellent hearing ability, that was possible.

She opened her mouth, but then she closed it again, not knowing what to say.

"Just say it." Eros stretched out his hand and caressed her cheek before tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. His touch was so gentle, but that was the way she remembered him. He was always so gentle toward her.

"Do you love me?" Emily blurted out, her ears rang and her face flushed crimson red when she said it. She finally said it and she didn't know what to do right now, because Eros was visibly surprised at her question.

Emily blinked her eyes and gulped down nervously because she didn't know what kind of reaction that she would get. Did she just make a mistake? What if Eros didn't like it? Did she overstep a boundary?

Emily wanted to avert her eyes from Eros, but she couldn't bring herself to do it because she was stunned speechless by how bold she felt at this moment.

On the other hand, Eros's shocked expression began to relax again and he showed a gentle smile when he watched how Emily was fidgeting around nervously.

He leaned over and kissed her temple again, while saying in his low and a little bit hoarse tone. "Of course, I do."

He loved her, but did he mean the love between a woman and a man?

They had said they loved each other countless times when they were children and also while growing up. The word 'love' had lost in translation for both of them, while its meaning became so blurry.

What kind of love did he mean? Was that the same as she thought?

"What are you trying to say?" Eros asked her again, pinching her ear gently. He didn't look upset, or let her know what was in his mind.

Emily didn't know what got into her, what possessed her to do the next thing that she did, because a second later, she tiptoed and pressed her lips against his.

It only lasted for a brief second, but Emily felt her head would explode with the rush of adrenaline in her blood.

"I…" Emily tried to find an excuse to justify what she had done, but her tongue failed her and the shock in Eros's blue eyes made her unable to find a word in her mind, she was afraid that Eros would push her away or treat her differently.

If she could, she would turn back time and swallow her confession, or she would kick herself before she went for such a bold move to kiss him.

What should she do now? What would she do if Eros hated her and thought bad about her?

Emily couldn't help it, she lowered her head because the tension was so great, and silently waited for Eros's reaction.

But, when she thought Eros would ignore her and pretend like nothing had happened, or even get angry for what she had done, he caressed her hair and kissed her head instead, which made Emily raise her head and look at him again.

There was no resentment in his eyes, there was no disgust or anger in his expression, he was smiling softly, which gave her a relief.

"I will go inside now, shout to me if something happens here, okay?" His voice was so calm. He didn't get angry, but he acted as if nothing had happened.

"O… okay," Emily stammered. What was that? Why didn't he say anything about it? Why was he so calm and collected?

Emily wanted to know, but she couldn't push him further.

In the end, she could only watch as Eros entered the room and closed the door behind him, leaving her in this dark corridor, amidst her confusion and frustration.

Did he even think of her as a woman?

Emily bit her lips, she felt her heart thumping wildly against her chest while her face became so hot. She didn't want to think about what kind of expression she should show him when they returned to their room again.

She completely forgot the fact that they were still sleeping in the same bedroom that they had been occupying since they were children.

But, starting from now on, everything would change, what she did would change things between them.

Emily sighed deeply and cursed at herself. She lifted her head and leaned her back against the wall. In front of her was a grubby and scruffy garden.

The night was very still, the wind didn't even blow and the moon hid behind the gloomy clouds.

Inside the room, Eros didn't immediately walk toward the sickbed of the previous alpha. He stood in silence, as he touched his lips. His expression was devoid of any emotions, but there were a lot of things that flashed in his mind and this made him frown, before finally he decided to brush it away and walked toward Xerxes.

"I have been wondering…" Xerxes spoke in his hoarse voice, his breath ragged. "…about when you will come see me again." There was a smirk that curled the corners of his lips when he spoke to Eros, as if he had been waiting for this moment and lived only for this visit.

"We can continue now," Eros said coldly, in a completely different tone from the way he talked to Emily earlier, even though he was shocked by her strange action earlier.

Xerxes chuckled, but it came out as a gruff sound, as if he was coughing.

"I am old already… I forgot what our last… conversation was about…" He was still that jerk of an alpha. Even now, when he could no longer do anything, he loved to be in control.

"Why did Emmet die?" Eros reminded him immediately, he didn't bother at all about the way he treated him, because for him, this was nothing. His measly attempt to preserve whatever that was left of the dominance he had in his golden days looked so pathetic to him. Moreover, Eros didn't have time to dwindle about such things.

"Oh, right… my son died…" Xerxes looked very gloomy at the mention of his elder son. He remembered clearly what happened that night and what Zuri had done to him like it only happened yesterday.

Not only had that bitch killed his first son, but she also burned him. Even though it was Liam, who had continued to torture him, if it was not because of that ungrateful girl, he wouldn't be in this place right now and Liam wouldn't have stood a chance to get the alpha position from him after what he had done.

"Why did he die?" Eros asked again, his patience ran thin because he didn't give him the answer that he wanted immediately.

"That stupid girl… killed him," Xerxes said simply, but because of the pressure of the silence and Eros's lack of reaction, he was forced to continue with his explanation about that night.

He didn't have all the details about how Emmet forced himself on Zuri, of course, he was not sick enough to eavesdrop on their deed, but it was satisfying for him to recount the pain that he had inflicted on that ungrateful bitch.

"You did what?" Eros's voice was exceptionally cold, his blue eyes became a few shades darker.

However, it didn't occur to Xerxes the terrible predicament that was waiting for him because of his reckless words. He wanted to brag, to flaunt the devilish thing he had done, because it was a habit of his, one he couldn't get rid of.

Yet, he was out of touch from reality for so many years and now he lost his instinct to read the situation and more importantly to read Eros's intentions.

"I didn't do it…" he gasped for air. Recounting this story made him excited and he started hyperventilating in no time. "Liam did it… that stupid boy… apparently was not that stupid…"

With so much difficulty, Xerxes told Eros how Liam had tricked Zuri and how he got everything, how he manipulated people around him to get to his position right now.

He was exceptionally talented at manipulating people around him and Eros shouldn't be surprised by that. After all, he had been following him for years and had countless opportunities to see what Xerxes meant by that.

"I am not completely blameless… but, he is even scarier than me…" he gasped for air, while Eros's mind reeled with this new information that he got.

He couldn't contain this anger.

He shouldn't feel like this, since that girl was not his concern, but… he couldn't deny the fact that she was his mate…

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*Read my new book: KISSED BY THE DARK ALPHA*

Alpha Micah Donovan's second chance mate.