Awakening the Alpha's Daughter

Chapter 97

Jaheim

Thursday. Three days before present day.

I pass Carisse her plate before sitting down on the other end of the sofa to eat. I've made her favourite, jambalaya, but I can tell she isn't gonna eat much. She's pushing it around her plate with her fork already.

She’s barely eaten a thing since we moved in here a couple days ago. My links in real estate managed to find me this apartment quick, so I paid a couple months upfront. This place ain’t as big as I’d like, but I had no choice. Carisse doesn’t like staying in hotels, and I need my own space. I ain’t used to living with anyone.

It's just the two of us here now. Evette left this morning cuz she needs to get back to work. She won’t take my money, even though I offer it to her. She only accepted the house she lives in now because I threatened never to talk to her again if she didn’t. I might not call her Mom, but she has been to me in every sense of the word since my parents died. It’s the least I could do to try keep her comfortable.

Evette has a good heart and I can see why my mom was best friends with her. I remember her coming to pick me up from school with red, puffy eyes, breaking the news to me that Mom and Dad had been killed in a car accident and that her and Dalton would be looking after me. She’s treated me as her own flesh and blood since that day, even when Dalton left soon after Carisse was conceived, and it’s something I’ll never forget. No matter how long I live.

I give Carisse another glance. She’s not wearing her usual makeup, and her hair’s been tied up in the same headscarf for four days now. I know she’s feeling low; I can almost sense it, too. She thinks I can’t hear her crying when I go to bed at night, but I can hear it clear as crystal.

Same as everything else.

It just makes me wanna beat the shit out of Davonyé even more, cuz as entitled and as rude as my little sis can be, she don’t deserve this shit.

“How you feeling?”

Her eyes lift from her plate. “Like shit. I dunno what I'm gonna do, Jah.”

I nod. “I don't even know what to tell you, Sis.”

She looks back down at her plate. “Yeah, well, it's not like you know how this shit feels, is it?”

I ignore her comment. This is another reason why I don't do relationships. Fuck all this heartbreak shit. “Did you speak to school?”

“Yeah, this morning while you were at the store. They've agreed to let me study from home after your email. Thanks for that.”

“No problem.” I made a donation and they soon changed their minds about giving her some time off. “Make sure you get that shit done, though. Don't be fucking up your life over that worthless brother.”

“I ain't.” She wipes under her eyes and I know she's upset, so I change the subject. “Why don't you ask your friend to come over? It might do you good to talk to her.”

She nods, but she don’t look at me. “Yeah, well, I been ringing her and she ain't answered. We have exams coming up soon, so maybe she's revising. I dunno. I'll text her again over the weekend.”

“You really think her cousin’s messing with Von?”

She stabs her fork into her food. “I'd bet money on it. Trust me, that hoe was always staring at him. Fucking freak.”

I nod. If she is then I’ll definitely need to stay away from Harmony, which is annoying because I can’t seem to get that girl out of my head.

There was just something about her…

She had a slight dimple in her left cheek that became more prominent when she bit her lip or smiled, and her hair was braided so I don’t know if it’s naturally that long, but either way, I remember wanting to pull it.

Her mocha skin was just what I like, and she’s not too short either; I’d guess about five eight? She’s slender but I noted the outline of her full breasts beneath her cashmere sweater and the curve of her waist in those tight, blue jeans.

But it was her eyes that I couldn’t stop looking into. She’s mixed with something; Chinese, Japanese? Maybe Thai? I don’t know, but her eyes were stunning and like a hazelly burgundy colour.

Or maybe I was just imagining that?

But as attractive as I found her, in all honesty, I should stay away from her.

“You like her?”

I look back at Carisse. “What? Who?”

She rolls her eyes. “Harmony?”

“What makes you think that?”

“Uh, because of the way you two were fucking each other with your eyes when you picked me up from hers. I didn't think she was your type.”

Here we go. “And what's my type, Carr?”

“Not female,” she says under her breath, but I act like I don't hear her bullshit. “Loose girls.”

I frown now, experiencing a spike of something in my gut that feels a lot like defensiveness. “I thought you two were friends?”

She looks annoyed that I’ve called her out. “We are, but that don't change the fact she’s a thot. She fucks nuff niggas.”

I’on really give a fuck about that. I fuck nuff women. Or at least I used to. That just tells me she likes sex, and so what if she does? As long as she’s using protection. That’s better for me anyway cuz hopefully she has an open mind…

I shake my head. I need to forget about her.

“I ain't interested in your friend.”

“Good. Cuz as much as I like her, I can't trust her. Not over her cousin anyway.”

I get that feeling again and as much as I want to ignore it, I can’t. “Even if what you think is true, that ain't her fault. You can’t hold someone accountable for other people’s fuck ups. That's not how life works, Sis. Besides, Davonyé’s the one in the wrong here. He was in the relationship with you, not whoever the other woman might be.”

She grunts and eats a little of her food. Carr is still immature, but then, she’s only like that because Evette is always babying the fuck outta her. She ain't got a clue about life, and if she did, this shit would've been a lot less hard on her.

My phone vibrates and I check it on the arm of the chair. It's an email from Janelle, letting me know the venue for Monday night is all prepared and ready for this month’s Hush night. I'm hosting this one, which in my current predicament, should be interesting...

“I gotta go back to Ontario Monday night. I'll be back Tuesday.”

She shrugs. “That’s cool. I'll be here.”

“Alright.”