The Code Of The Alpha

The rest of the night passed without allowing for any more time to think.

The boys plowed through the pizza and went downstairs to the basement to watch a hockey game while I stayed upstairs and took a bath.

Luca came upstairs later that night after Bates and Blaine had left to find me sitting in the bed with my notepad resting on my knees as I doodled.

He leaned over to look at the sheet of paper, seeing the dogwood flowers I had sketched out and begun shading.

“That’s really good,” he said.

I couldn’t help but blush.

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He backed away and walked into the bathroom, staying in there for a few minutes to shower and get ready for bed. I was pestered the whole time he was in there by a nagging guilt in the back of my head.

When he came out of the bathroom, dressed again in only boxer briefs, I felt like I was experiencing déjà vu.

He grabbed the blanket that was thrown over the back of the chair beside the bed and tossed it to the ground.

As he reached over to grab a pillow, I stopped him.

“You don’t have to sleep on the floor,” I said.

Luca pulled the pillow from my grasp.

“It doesn’t bother me.”

“It bothers me, though. I feel bad that you sleep on the floor in your own room. I can go back upstairs, if you want your bed back.”

“I don’t mind, really. I’d rather be on the floor with you in here than sleep in separate rooms.”

“But I mind,” I said.

I pulled back the comforter and slid over so he could get into the bed.

“Are you sure?” He asked.

I grabbed a pillow and put it in the middle of the bed.

“Just stay on your side.”

He rolled his eyes as he placed his pillow back down on the bed and climbed in next to me.

“It’s kinda cute you think that pillow will keep me over here and you over there,” he said, pulling the duvet over his legs.

“We’ll pretend.,” I said, stacking another pillow on top of the wall I had built between us, just in case.

Luca rolled his eyes and laid down, his face disappearing behind the mound of pillows that separated us.

I closed my notepad and placed the pencil next to it on the nightstand.

“Goodnight, Luca,” I said, as I reached over to turn out the light.

“Goodnight, amore.”

I woke up the next morning cuddling one of the pillows that separated Luca and I, the other pillow having disappeared under the sheets.

When my eyes opened to see him lying next to me, I couldn’t help but stare for a few moments. Hands and arms tucked under his pillow, Luca laid on his

stomach with his head turned towards me. His olive skin was a stark contrast against the pure white color of the sheets and his dark hair stood out even more so.

Luca’s facial hair had grown out a bit since I’d met him a few days prior. It added to his masculine aura and I decided that I liked it.

After laying there for a few moments, knowing I wouldn’t fall back asleep, I sat up in the bed slowly before getting up to walk quietly across the bedroom floor. It was still early in the morning, the room cast with blue hues of the twilight.

I closed the door behind me softly and walked into the kitchen to make tea.

Barely catching the kettle before it began to whistle, I had nearly dozed off standing at the counter waiting for the water to warm up. After pouring the steaming water over the tea, I carried the mug outside on the deck and sat down on the bed swing.

So far, my favorite part of Montana was the sunrise.

It was something I didn’t see much of in Oregon. I was used to getting up early, but never to take my time waking up. Rather, I would rush to get ready to be at school on time. Watching the sunrise as it came over the mountains and lake in the distance was almost enough to make me forget about the tea in my hands and the man sleeping in the bed I’d just left.

Almost enough.

There was part of me that felt guilty for letting him sleep with me the previous night. Although, I wasn’t sure why.

I was a grown woman who was certainly capable of making that decision, but for some reason I kept hearing my father’s voice in the back of my head: “Get away from my daughter.”

The closer I let Luca get, the louder that voice got. I felt almost disobedient. And then I thought about what Mady had said. Maybe if I could just call him and let him know that I was okay he would feel :

little better.

Maybe I would feel a little better.

My thoughts were interrupted by the backdoor opening. I turned to see Luca looking around, his gaze softening when he saw me.

“Why are you awake so early?” He grumbled, walking over to where I sat with sweatpants hanging low on his hips, the band of his boxers barely visible.

I pulled my knees into my chest, giving him room to sit next to me on the bed swing. Luca laid down on his back and put his legs next to my body.

He pushed a pillow under his head and looked at me with drowsy eyes.

“Good morning to you, too,” I said.

I took a sip of my tea and looked back out at the sunrise.

“Don’t you think it’s so pretty?” I asked him.

“I’ve woken up to prettier things.”

I looked at him to see his gaze still on me.

“Too cheesy?” He asked.

I shook my head as I blushed and took another sip of tea. After a few moments of silence, my eyes still trained on the sunrise and Luca’s on me, he spoke again.

“What are you thinking about?”

“My dad,” I answered honestly.

His jaw clenched for a moment before he looked up at the roof over our heads.

“Have you talked to him?”

I shook my head.

“My mom said he wasn’t able to talk when I called her yesterday and he didn’t answer when I tried to call his phone.”

I thought back to that odd conversation.