Flash Marriage to the Dangerous Secret Alpha

a P

rty minut

my phone, the numbers glowing l

y. Mi

nd he'd be here in ten minutes, ready to flip the table and p

of burnt coffee and sugar. No. I was twenty-three

o broad for the narrow aisle between tables. Hayes. He didn't apologize. He didn't even offer a tight, insincere smi

s, my favorite worn-in sweater, my practical boots.

ed, his voice laced wit

stretching a cold rubber band across

table toward him. "Can I get you a coff

it were contaminated. "I only drink VOSS

familiar knot, the one that appeared whenever I ha

red a bottle of their most expensive sparkling water for him. For mys

s on the table, creating an immediate, unwelcome sense of intimacy. "Let

corrected him, my posture stif

s dripping with dismissal. "You'

s seemed to freeze

strangers. It's unseemly. You'll have duties at home. My pa

Daily Grind, was my life. I'd built it from nothing, pouring every dollar I had and every ou

t the condensation. "And why, exactly, would I giv

lfless, Anna. You should be grateful an Alpha from a family like mine is even considering you. Y

fle

adopted, but my inner wolf had never surfaced. I couldn't shift, couldn't mind-link, couldn't feel the pull

le, my vision blurring. My

in front of me, the dark liquid swirling around the ice cubes. The b

pack functions. You'll need to learn the family histories of the top twenty families. My mother will quiz you. Sh

My vision cleared. I looked at the condensation dripping down

weak. He though

as w

ly light, almost conversational. "Y

ed. "I knew you

cano. The plastic cup was

er," I said, my eyes locked

nodded, l

out your family'

elle

come to a

y wrist, I upende

ascade of ice cubes, arced through th

fell open. A single ice cube slid from his collarbo

ith a loud crash that silenced the entire cafe.

chin onto the floor. His expensive

dollar bill, and slapped it onto the table. "For the drinks,"

puttered, pointing a

But you are incredibly selfish, and I would rather die

hiding smirks behind their hands. A few teenag

h rage. He lunged, his han

ng crowded cafes had made me nimble. "Don't

on was a visible wave that washed over his features. He let out a strangled curse, clutched

n holding. The tension in my shoulders ease

knew. My mother would be furious

ation prickled the back of my neck.

aring pastries, students hunched over laptops, a mother t

a newspaper, but I could see a strong jaw and a dark, well-fitted jacket. There was an

elt a jolt, a strange h

cing from deep water, only to sink again before I could grasp it. Was it the line of his jaw? The way he sat so utterly still, that coiled tension in his posture? I was certa

some long-ago trip? None of it fit. But the feeling wouldn't leave. It clung to a dark corner

ewspaper rustling as he lowered it slightly. I couldn

from the confrontation. I shook my he

sidewalk, the city noise washing over me. The brief moment of unease