Fated: The Alpha's Unwanted Luna-Chapter 101: Jealousy_Part 1

Standing right there in the kitchen, in front of the cooker, was none other than the Alpha. He was shirtless, his broad back facing her as he whistled softly while turning something that sizzled richly in the pan. The apron strings were tied securely at the small of his narrow waist, and he wore gray jogger pants that hung low on his hips, low enough to reveal the waistband of his briefs with the name "Kade" boldly printed across it.

Really, he wore his own brand of briefs? Viola thought in disbelief, her brows lifting slightly.

His back was tanned and powerfully toned, and the ominous snake tattoo she had always glimpsed on his chest extended all the way around to cover half of his back and trail down his sculpted, corded left arm, where veins bulged faintly beneath his bronze, sweat-sheened skin.

Viola’s throat went dry immediately and she gulped down her saliva. Was it even legal for a man to look this perfect, this eye-catching, that not even she could force herself to look away?

Gorgeous, tantalizingly charming.

He was so captivating that Viola knew she was mentally drooling over his perfection. She had never seen a man look this good without even trying.

His whistling gradually stopped, and his deep, husky voice, tinged with that distinct accent she always noticed among the pack members but most strongly in him, drifted toward her.

"Good morning, sleepyhead."

His words snapped her back to her senses. She blinked as she watched him turn to face her with a small smile. He held the sizzling pan in one hand and a spatula in the other, and somehow the domestic sight only enhanced his attractiveness rather than diminish it. She had never actually been around a man who cooked before; none of the men in Moonwillow believed it was their duty to cook, especially not an Alpha.

But this one cooks.

"Good morning, Alpha," Viola replied politely.

She immediately noticed his smile fall, his sexy lips pressing into a thin line. She knew exactly why, she had addressed him formally again. But could anyone blame her? She still couldn’t bring herself being informal with him.

Before he could comment on it, she deliberately shifted her gaze away from him and toward the kitchen counter, where an impressive spread of breakfast dishes had been prepared and carefully arranged.

There were pancakes stacked neatly, golden waffles, crisp toast, fluffy omelets, sizzling steaks, and several other varieties of breakfast meals laid out like a feast. Had he truly made all of this? Viola wondered in astonishment, unable to believe it.

As if reading her thoughts, Sebastian spoke again.

"I couldn’t figure out which one would be the perfect breakfast or which one you might like, so I made everything."

He watched as her eyes widened slightly, clearly surprised that he had prepared such an array. Was it really that unbelievable? To him, cooking was nothing extraordinary. In fact, it had once been his hobby when his parents were still alive. He used to compete with Matt, and his mother would judge who cooked the better dish.

Once upon a time in Silver, when his parents were ruling, they did not depend on omegas to cook their meals but instead prepared the food themselves. Even his father cooked.

When Viola remained silent, Sebastian’s gaze took in her disheveled morning appearance, from her frizzy hair to her bare face, before his eyes drifted downward to her feet, where he noticed what she was wearing.

He nearly laughed at the sight of his oversized slippers swallowing her small feet, but he bit back the sound so as not to offend her. Were his feet truly that large, or were hers simply that small? Whatever the case, he found it unexpectedly adorable that she was wearing something of his. That had to mean some progress, at least. She would not borrow his things if she still completely hated him.

"Alpha, she’s not in the room—"

The female voice cut off abruptly when its owner’s eyes landed on Viola.

Viola’s gaze instantly shifted toward the speaker as well. She saw a young woman who looked to be around her age, dressed in the uniform she had noticed the working omegas wore yesterday. However, this particular omega was strikingly beautiful, with a stylish hairstyle that seemed far too elaborate for simple household duties. She wore full makeup and delicate jewelry that subtly caught the light.

Viola could not help thinking that she looked far too refined and attractive to be merely an omega working in the main quarter. Then again, she expected nothing less from the Silver Pack, where even the weakest omegas were treated with some dignity, unlike in Moonwillow.

"She’s here already. She came down herself," Sebastian remarked calmly to the omega he had sent to wake Viola and help her freshen up for breakfast, but it seemed they missed each other as there were many ways to reach his bedroom in the house.

The omega turned her brown eyes toward Viola, a strange look briefly crossing her face before she shifted her gaze back to the Alpha with a gentle smile, one that did not go unnoticed by Viola.

The Alpha’s own gaze softened ever so slightly when he looked at the young woman.

"I can see that," the girl replied lightly. "Perhaps I should take her to freshen up, then?"

Sebastian nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm."

Then he turned back to Viola. "Go with Angela. By the time you come back down, I will be done here."

However, Viola did not move. She simply stared at him with blank, unreadable eyes that made Sebastian’s chest tighten faintly with concern.

What was wrong? Didn’t she want to freshen up? he wondered as he began to walk toward her.

But the moment he stepped closer, she stepped back, creating distance between them. His eyes dimmed in quiet displeasure.

Had he done something to offend her? Why did it seem like she’d always step away from him whenever he came near? Did she still hate him that much?

Had they not been somewhat fine yesterday, fine enough that she had allowed him to rest his weight against her shoulder like a pillow? Not to mention, she was even wearing his slippers now. He had thought they might at least have reached some fragile truce, perhaps even stepped tentatively into something resembling a cautious friendship.

"Is something wrong?" Sebastian asked, unable to fully understand her. She was so different from the women he was used to, women whose moods he could read effortlessly with a single glance. Most women would he high over the moon for the set of jewelry he got for her but she hadn’t even worn it.

Viola shook her head lightly. "Nothing. I will go and freshen up."

With that, she turned away from him and followed the omega, Angela, out of the kitchen.

She did not understand why she had found it unsettling to see how familiar and relaxed he seemed with Angela. Viola had not missed the way the girl had looked at her for a brief moment, a dark, possessive glint flashing in her eyes before it disappeared. It had been subtle, almost hidden, but unmistakably there in her eyes.

It was almost as if Angela had been displeased that Viola had stepped into territory she silently claimed as her own.

Viola recognized that look all too well because she had worn it herself many times in the past. Whenever random women tried to linger around Evan, she had fixed them with that very same stare, wanting to scare them off without uttering a single word.

Now, as she walked behind Angela, watching her straight back and the confident sway of her steps, Viola noticed how the omega’s dress was cut just a little too short, revealing long, fair legs accentuated by heels. Her hairstyle, a neatly styled bun, looked far too fashionable and deliberate for a simple household worker.

Viola did not need anyone to tell her that Angela was the type who harbored big dreams, dreams of catching the Alpha’s attention and rising far above her current position.

Viola did not necessarily have a problem with ambition. After all, she herself had used the Alpha as a stepping stone to rise above her own miserable circumstances. The difference, however, was that she did not appreciate the familiar possessive look Angela had directed at her. Moreover, considering that she would soon be marrying the Alpha, Angela should not be carrying herself with such territorial air around him.

Angela, on the other hand, was furious, though she concealed it well. How dare this nobody appear from nowhere and suddenly position herself as their future Luna? She clenched her teeth subtly, suppressing the anger bubbling within her.

She had worked in this house for years, ever since she was a little pup. Her mother had served the Alpha’s mother faithfully, and the two women had been close, almost like sisters. Because of that history, Sebastian had always treated Angela more kindly than the other omega maids.

Somewhere deep in Angela’s heart, she had nurtured a foolish hope that a fairytale might unfold in her life, that one day Sebastian would finally notice all her subtle attempts to draw his attention, her careful gestures meant to seduce and charm him into seeing her not as a working omega in his quarters, but as a woman.

Angela would not have been particularly angry if he had simply brought a woman home to use in bed and then discard. She was well aware that the Alpha had several mates over the years who he took to his bed. But he had never truly wanted any of them. After the death of his first Luna, no other woman except Miss Zoe had ever stepped foot into his main quarters, let alone shared his bedroom here.

He always took them to his penthouse or some hotel in the pack.

But he didn’t only bring this one here. And the worst part? He had cooked for this woman.

Angela had never once seen him cook for his first wife, Natalia. The only other time she remembered him cooking was when his younger sister had been ill, and even then it had been out of necessity because Miss Zoe had said she wanted his cooking and no one else.

Yet now he had woken up early in the morning to prepare an entire feast for this wolfless woman.