Defying the Rogue Alpha
Chapter 197: Wholesome

Chapter 197: Wholesome

And what kind of woman stayed out that late anyway? May seemed so... wholesome. Shy smiles, soft laughter. Now suddenly she was living her best life on a date?

He tried not to imagine it. Her laughing at another man’s jokes.

What if he kissed her?

Kade’s fist clenched, the armrest groaning beneath his grip.

He didn’t care.

Not at all.

He was fine. Just... fine.

The clock struck twelve with a long, resonant chime. The sound echoed through the house, bouncing off the quiet, stirring up emotions he refused to name.

Soon after, the hum of tires on gravel reached Kade’s ears. His head snapped toward the window. A little car pulled into the driveway, its headlights momentarily slicing through the darkness.

He stepped closer to the window, muscles tight, jaw clenched. May stepped out of the car, giggling. A soft, airy laugh and he hated how his chest responded with warmth.

Kade’s eyes narrowed when he saw her date round the car, complete with a puffed-up chest and swagger. He placed his hand on May’s waist with casual confidence, like she belonged there, tucked up against his side.

Who the hell did he think he is?

One date and the man thought he’d unlocked premium access? Kade growled low in his throat. May hesitated but she didn’t pull away.

Kade’s wolf snapped inside him.

She doesn’t even know what she’s doing. She was unaware. She didn’t see the manipulative gleam in the guy’s eye, the practiced charm in his posture. Kade did. And suddenly he was moving.

He yanked open the front door with more force than necessary. The night air slapped his face, but it didn’t cool him. By the time he stepped out, they were already kissing.

Oh HELL no.

Kade cleared his throat like a thunderclap.

May sprang back. Her cheeks flushed, and her eyes were wide with embarrassment. "Mr. Kade!"

"It’s late," he said.

May’s date turned. "I’m sorry," the guy said quickly, stepping forward. "We were stuck in traffic. I’m Brian." He held out a hand, bright smile back on.

Kade didn’t move.

He simply stared at the outstretched hand, calculating all the ways he could remove the arm attached to it and bury it in the woods where the coyotes would do the rest.

Brian’s smile faltered.

May shifted awkwardly, smoothing her dress and avoiding both their gazes. "We, uh, lost track of time."

"You sure did." "It’s nearly one. Not exactly safe out here after midnight."

Brian awkwardly retracted his hand, his face slipping into a sheepish smile. "Well... good night," he said, giving May one last hopeful glance.

"Good night," May replied, her smile still polite, but her posture slightly stiff. She could feel Kade’s presence looming behind.

Brian, apparently unfazed or too charmed to care, leaned in again, clearly aiming to sneak one more kiss. But Kade’s voice sliced through the air.

"It’s best you leave. Now."

His tone was deceptively calm, but it was also sharp. Of course, in his head, the message was far more colorful: Or I’m going to fuck you up painfully and slowly.

Brian’s swagger evaporated from his posture as he nodded a bit too quickly. "Right. Of course. Yeah... uh, night!"

He gave a nervous wave and all but ran to his car.

May rolled her eyes and waved back, but her smile dropped the moment she turned to face Kade. Her scowl was immediate and fiery. She didn’t say a word as she stomped toward the front door. Kade followed behind.

Once inside, she spun to face him. "Would it kill you to be nice for once?"

Kade cocked a brow. "Why do I have to be?"

"Oh, I don’t know," May snapped. "It’s what normal humans do. Say hello, shake hands."

"Whatever... I don’t care." May huffed and started toward the kitchen, flinging her clutch onto the table. "If you can’t be nice to me, then just do me a favor and stay away from me."

Kade leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

May spun around, scoffing. "Oh, what, are you my dad now? Who made you the time keeper of all things decent and punctual?"

"Out all night with a strange guy," Kade growled. "What if something happened?"

Her brows shot up. "What if something didn’t, huh? Ever think about that? What if I had a nice night with a nice guy?"

"He is not a strange guy," May snapped, eyes wide and cheeks flushed with frustration. "He’s our neighbor. Miss Nelly herself told me to go for it."

Kade blinked. "Nelly?" That sly old woman, always two steps ahead with a master plan.

"Yes, Nelly!" May said, arms flailing as she stepped forward. "She said I was young, pretty, and wasting away! Her words, not mine."

He stared at her, jaw tightening. Every word she threw at him dug in a little deeper. Because he had no right to feel what he was feeling.

"Why the hell do you care?" she asked.

Great question. Why did he care? Why did every cell in his body react when she walked into a room? Why did her laughter feel like music and her scent like home? Why did the idea of another man touching her make his wolf want to claw through flesh?

But he couldn’t say Because you’re my mate, and fate has already written your name into my soul.

So he said nothing.

May waited. But when the silence stretched too long, she exhaled and turned to leave.

That should’ve been it. He should’ve let her go.

But reason fled his body.

"May..." he grabbed her wrist, and in one fluid, reckless moment, pulled her back into him and kissed her. Hard.

Her gasp was swallowed by his mouth.

And then she kissed him back, harder.

She clung to him like he was oxygen and she’d been drowning. Fingers curled around his shirt, then his neck, then raked down his back with such intensity that it made Kade groan against her lips. Her response was just as wild, just as needy, just as lost in the storm they were both caught in.