Secret of An Alpha: Repercussions

Chapter thirty-six

His neck hurt. He thought the masseur might have damaged a vein. He was massaging his neck, not at all paying attention to his surroundings.

He crashed into someone, but by the faint sparks he felt and his scent, Rolus knew who it was.

He didn't realise how much he missed his mate until that moment.

Luke had managed to hold on to the box he was carrying, whilst also having a hand around Rolus' waist to steady him.

"My bad," Luke said, smiling at him.

Rolus steadied himself, but Luke still kept his hand around his waist. It's not like he minded. "Where are you going?"

"Still making arrangements. What are you doing?"

Rolus shrugged, but felt pain on his shoulder. That masseur really did a number on him. "I'm coming from the spa."

Luke nodded in acknowledgement. "I have to go." Luke didn't seem to want to leave yet.

Rolus laughed when Luke pecked him on the lips, then reluctantly let go of his waist.

"I'll see you later," Luke said, the longing in his eyes mirroring Rolus'.

"Yeah."

Rolus' shoulders slumped when Luke left. He already missed the warmth of his hand on his waist. He shook his head, then went out the back to the garden.

There were some people lounging, basking in the sun. There was a table with light snacks, and Rolus thought it wouldn't hurt to have some.

He grabbed a plate and put pretzels, crackers, and an oatmeal muffin. When done, he went to a vacant bench and sat down. The day was a lazy one, and he wanted to lie down. He couldn't do that out in the garden, so he planned to head back to the room and nap.

He finished his snacks in no time. He went for seconds. When he sat back down, he groaned when he saw Natalie. She was heading straight for him. Natalie was simply a pest.

"I've been looking all over for you! Even your husband didn't know where you were," she said, hands on her hips.

Rolus placed the plate beside him. Luke knew where he was by scent. He probably didn't want Natalie finding him. "What do you want?" He was relieved his voice came out neutral.

Natalie pouted. "I'm here to say goodbye. We are leaving."

Rolus nodded, standing. He already knew that Natalie wanted a hug. He awkwardly hugged her. It was brief. "Travel safely."

She beamed, then said, "We'll keep in contact. Maybe we could arrange some getaway. Enjoy the rest of your stay."

Before he could politely decline, she was off to the other people. She went around hugging everyone.

Rolus assumed Luke gave some kind of contact information by the way she said that they'll keep in touch.

He quickly finished his snacks, then went to put the plate on the designated dirty plates station.

He ended up roaming the resort. He always made sure to follow the mate pull because he was bored. He made sure to stay a distance away so as to not disturb him.

When he got bored of following his mate around, he decided to go back to their room. He needed the sleep to relax his muscles.

Of course things couldn't be simple. He narrowed his eyes when he saw Leo. Didn't they leave?

As if that wasn't enough, he also saw his mate walking with Natalie.

He was done being nice. These people were downright infuriating. At this point, he was convinced that the couple loved attention. Actually, Natalie seemed to really thrive on attention.

He was about to go to them, but Luke's firm stare held him in place. He grunted, hating himself for obeying.

He heard their conversation. It seemed like Natalie was saying her goodbyes for the millionth time.

"Nice to see you again, Rolus," Natalie said, voice as chirpy as ever.

"I thought you left already," he said, hoping his eyes conveyed his agitation.

She laughed, waving her hand. "Oh, that? We are leaving now, actually."

Rolus frowned. "Where's the baby?"

Natalie rolled her eyes. "We have someone watching her. Don't you worry. And like I said, it was lovely to meet the both of you. I really hope we can keep in touch. Take care, alright?"

Rolus didn't like the hand she put on Luke's shoulder. When he glanced at Leo, he was busy on his phone.

Luke gave him a shake of the head. Maybe to tell him to control himself?

When they left, hopefully for good this time, Luke grabbed Rolus' hand. The contact had Rolus' frustration and momentary jealousy fading away. He only saw his mate, who was frowning at him.

"Are you alright?" Luke asked, leading Rolus to the little corner by the stairs.

Rolus was not alright. He was mad. Mad at the couple, and mad at his mate. Hell, he was fucking furious.

He snatched his hands away from Luke, turning around to leave. He took the stairs two at a time, with Luke right behind him.

"Oh, come on! What did you expect me to do?" Luke snapped.

Rolus stopped abruptly. Luke enveloped him in his arms when he bumped behind him. Rolus was about tot push Luke away from him, but remembered that they were on the stairs.

He turned back around to head up the stairs. He could feel Luke's anger, agitation and worry. He tried to focus on the anger.

When they reached their floor, Luke grabbed Rolus' hand. The contact calmed him down, a bit. He pried Luke's fingers off his wrist, then glared at him. "Luke, why don't you go do whatever you have been doing the whole day?"

Luke faltered, stunned. Rolus could feel the hurt through the bond, but Goddess forbid he relented.

Rolus went into their room, with Luke following. What pissed him off was that Luke was not on his side. He was siding with Natalie. Maybe it was to spare them the drama that would've ensured had Luke let Rolus act however. But still, it felt like a betrayal to him. They were supposed to stick together, and stand up for each other.

Luke closed the door behind them gently, then crossed the room to get to Rolus. He sat beside him on the bed, hands finding his. Rolus didn't have the strength to pull away.

"What's wrong?" Luke asked. Both his hands now enclosed his.

Now Rolus felt foolish for acting the way he did. He didn't feel like his reasons were valid enough. "You are not taking my side."

Luke frowned in confusion. "What side?"

"You were taking Natalie's side! And this just got me thinking. When we are officially together, will you take my side? Or will I always be the sacrificial lamb?"

"Rolus, I'm sorry that I made you feel that way. I did not want us drawing attention to ourselves."

Rolus didn't feel better, but he let Luke's apology settle. "Is there somewhere you need to be right now?"

When Luke shook his head, Rolus grinned. He tugged Luke to him, caging him in his arms and fell back on the bed. He flipped them over and peppered kisses on Luke's face, making him laugh.

Rolus rested his chin over Luke's shoulder. He kissed the exposed skin around his shoulder blade, then placed another one on his neck with his hands roaming shamelessly under his shirt. He then captured his lips with his warm ones, the movement of their lips in sync with his heartbeat.