Show Me You Love Me, Alpha Chapter 04

Show Me You Love Me, Alpha Chapter 04

His wolf’s voice sounded distant.

“Pick up the phone.”

“It’s raining outside. She just completed the rejection, and her wolf is weak. What if she catches a cold?”

“Noah… just swallow your pride and apologize.”

“Standing here watching her walk away isn’t like you at all.”

His wolf really did see him through rose-colored glasses.

Someone as proud as Noah would never apologize.

Sure enough, after I answered, he was silent for two seconds before speaking in a hoarse voice.

“Where do we keep the new toothbrushes?”

“Faye can’t get ready for bed without one, and she needs to be in top shape for tomorrow’s tournament.”

I said nothing.

After a long pause, I let out a quiet sigh.

“Second cabinet next to the sink, on the left.”

“Noah, don’t ask me about trivial things like this anymore.”

“There are plenty of Omega in the pack house to take care of you. I’m

—

not responsible for you anymore.”

“…Trivial?”

Confusion crept into his voice, then gave way to frustration.

Finally, he awkwardly changed the subject.

“Anna, you left a lot of your stuff behind. It’s taking up space.”

“If you don’t want any of it, I’ll just box it all up and toss it.”

I’d left in a hurry.

I only brought a few clothes and the documents I needed.

The photo on the nightstand, the crowns he’d made for me, the paintings he’d painted of me—none of it mattered anymore.

“Sorry for the trouble. Just throw it all away.”

The words left a bitter ache in my chest.

I quickly hung up, flagged down a taxi, and booked a short-term rental even though it cost far more than it should have.

After a hot shower, I collapsed into bed and fell into a restless sleep.

That night, I dreamed of Noah again.

He excelled at everything.

Even while managing pack affairs and keeping up with brutal training, he always found time to paint.

—

His favorite subject was me.

Me in everyday life. Me training.

Me laughing. Me crying. Me angry.

Under his brush, I always looked alive.

His wolf used to say Noah poured every bit of his love for me into those paintings.

I believed it.

Until one day, I asked him, “Alpha Noah, do you paint me because every artist needs a muse?”

The tips of his ears turned red.

His face stayed cold.

“Don’t flatter yourself. You’re just practice. You’re nowhere near good enough to be one of my real works.”

I only pouted.

His rudeness didn’t bother me.

His wolf had already exposed the truth.

Noah had worked so hard to improve his painting because he wanted to capture the woman he loved as vividly as possible.

So I kept smiling through his cold words.

—

Now, I finally understood.

Love was never meant to be something you hide behind cruel words.

I never even liked painting.

But just to be a little closer to him, I went to more than ten art exhibitions every year.

No matter how well I memorized every artistic movement and every famous school of painting, I could never stand beside him.

Faye could. She effortlessly reached the place in his heart that I never could.

Whether it was managing the pack or talking about art, they were always perfectly in sync.

For the past seven years, I’d given up my own career.

I’d devoted myself to becoming the perfect Luna, handling every detail of the pack so Noah never had to worry.

It was time to live for myself.

I woke from the dream with a start.

Rubbing my temples, I became more certain than ever.

I submitted a formal notice to the pack council that Noah and my mate bond had ended.

Then I filed an application to transfer to the border garrison as a

—

commander.

To my surprise, Elder Nivas contacted me through a mind link almost immediately.

“Anna, we’re saddened by how things turned out between you and Noah.”

“But we’re also happy for you. You’ve finally started choosing yourself.”

“The commander position at the border garrison has always been waiting for you. It’s yours the moment you’re ready.”

My eyes burned. Tears rolled down my cheeks.

“Thank you. For not looking down on me as a rejected Luna. For giving me a second chance.”

His deep voice carried quiet certainty.

“As Luna, you fulfilled every duty without fault.”

“As a warrior, you’ve always been one of this pack’s finest.”

“This opportunity’s yours.”

“Go walk your own path, Anna.”

My heart felt lighter than it had in years.

I even stopped by the pack tavern and celebrated with a couple of drinks.

—

After using the restroom, I accidentally pushed open the door to one of the private rooms.

The sight inside stopped me cold.

Faye lay naked beneath a blanket on the couch.

Noah sat in front of an easel, his brush moving across the canvas as he painted the graceful curves of her body.

The instant Faye noticed someone at the door, she screamed.

Noah rushed over and wrapped the blanket tightly around her.

Then he looked up. Our eyes met.

For the first time since I’d known him, panic spread across Noah’s face.

He just stared at me, speechless.

His wolf was speaking again, “Tell Anna it’s all a misunderstanding.”

“Faye messed up at the Warriors Tournament. We brought her here for a drink.”

“She had too much to drink and begged us to paint her nude because she wanted to study figure painting. It’s just a normal artistic exchange…”

Noah’s knuckles turned white.

“Do you have nothing to ask me?”