~Ayla~
1 Week Later
Alpha Martin is here, Tori told me through our mind link, interrupting my conversation with my father. "Ten minute ETA to your house."
Noah? Is something wrong? A wave of anxiety washed over me. Noah always texted me when he wanted to visit; he never just dropped by.
It's uhh... Senior Alpha Martin.
That explained it. Noah's dad was one of the few former alphas that still insisted on being called by their title after their retirement, and odds that he was here to see me were small; he usually only came to visit my father, who was looking at me with a curious expression on his face.
"What's wrong?" he asked me as he pushed up onto his forearms and made a move to stand from the table.
I stuck out my arm for him to grab as he got up. "Dad, it's ok. You can sit back down. Alpha Martin is here to see you. I can send him up."
"Oh, wonderful news! Get me my cane. We should greet him outside."
By the time we'd made it down the stairs safely, I'd received another message saying Alpha Martin was making his way down our driveway.
"Jim!" my dad greeted the man as soon as he stepped out of his Porsche. "It's so good to see you, my friend."
Well over six feet and still packing muscles, Alpha Martin may have been retired, but he still looked intimidating as hell. I grimaced as I imagined that my father would've looked similar had my mother still been alive.
"Likewise, Thomas, likewise." Alpha Martin replied. "Why don't we take a drink inside?"
"Great idea. Ayla, dear, would you grab us my favorite scotch? We'll be in my office."
A wave of annoyance washed down my spine. Instead of lashing out and making myself seem like a petulant child, I bit my tongue and followed them inside as they headed to my office.
When it was just the two of us, I liked to forget that my dad had been an asshole to me for most of my life. Getting reminded of that made me feel awful. If my dad was anyone else, I would have stopped speaking to him a long time ago, but since my father's stroke, I'd been making do with the cards I'd been dealt. My father was my family, the only family I had left and since Killian left, the only family I would ever have in my future.
While getting the scotch, I was tempted to partake in a bottle of wine from the liquor closet, but I stopped myself. It was not the time for a pity party. I'd allow myself one glass and a nice bath later in the evening but only after I did something productive, like channeling my anger into target practice.
I texted Noah on the way to the gym. Only half joking, I nagged him for not letting me know about his dad's visit in advance.
I laughed softly at Noah's last message. Noah liked to refer to his father as "Old Jimmy Boy" when we spoke. Personally, I was prone to calling him "The Jimster."
A bunch of people were scattered across the gym upon my arrival. My plan to blare music until I felt satisfied with the number of holes I put in a dummy was squashed.
Just as I'd decided to go for a run around the territory instead, movement at the mats caught my attention. Nikolay was training with a man from my pack, which was unusual for the warriors Cox stationed here. Typically, they never spoke much to my pack members; they certainly didn't train with them.
Curious, I leaned against the closest wall to watch. Although Nikolay's partner was holding out pretty well, the man's torso glistened with sweat. Nikolay, meanwhile, was fully clothed and bone dry.
Neither man noticed me until they'd finished up their round.
"Alpha Huxley." Nikolay greeted me with a large smile. "Looking to get some practice in?"
"Why not?" Using the tips of my feet, I nudged my platform flats off my feet. While I'd ditched the tennis shoes since Killian had ensured my safety, I did wear my heels less frequently. I'd found that I liked being able to sneak up on people; it kept me entertained.
Nikolay and I had only briefly spoken a couple times since I'd first met him, and by the surprised lift of his bushy eyebrows in response to my reply, it had not been enough time spent together for him to figure out that I loved a good challenge. A pair of slacks wouldn't stop me.
"You do not know what you just signed up for," the man from my pack said to Nikolay before disappearing in the direction of the locker rooms.
"Oh, I have an idea." Although the man was still within earshot, I knew by the smile on Nikolay's face that his reply was just for me.
Drawing on my sessions with Killian, I made the first move without waiting for Nikolay to prepare. I'd been itching for a good fight since Kilian left, and handing a linebacker his ass sounded like a lot of fun.
Nikolay put up a good fight, but after ten minutes or so, I saw an opportunity to twist Nikolay into a throw I learned in judo. His breath audibly expelled from his lungs as his back slammed into the mat.
"Call me impressed." Nikolay said as he immediately pushed himself up into a sitting position, revealing dark marks of sweat speckled across the front of his gray t-shirt.
"Hi, Impressed." I offered him my hand to help him stand. "Thanks for sweeping my floor."
Nikolay declined my gesture and stood up. "No problem. Next time though - I'm expecting minimum wage at the least."
Scoffing, I continued playing into the shtick. "Minimum wage? Done. We pay union prices around here. Minimum wage is a deal."
His mouth dropped open. "You just played me into your little greedy capitalist hands."
"Who you calling little? I'm your boss, boy. Show some respect."
"Ay ay, captain." He saluted me.
We both held up our straight faces for only a few more seconds before descending into a fit of laughter. The light conversation had felt nice.
A buzzing sound against the concrete near the mats quieted us down.
"Thanks, Nikolay," I told him after realizing it was my cell phone. "I should take this."
Noah's face was centered on the screen below the incoming call. Seeing it was him, I slid my shoes back on and started walking towards the exit before answering.
"Helllooooo handsome," I joked, still riding the high the harmless bit of flirting had brought me. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Ayla."
Noah's tone paused me in my tracks.
"They want us to get married."
~~~
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