9

"Nothing!" I shout.

Obviously, he doesn't believe me. He turns his back to me and looks out the window.

-"Don't leave me alone...", I beg.

He turns. I move closer to him and lay my head against his chest. He hugs me and his heartbeat soothes me.

Long minutes pass, I feel better and I feel that he is more relaxed.

He sits on the bed and puts me on his lap. My head is still on his chest. He continues in a softer voice:

-"Lou... You have to tell me."

I take a deep breath.

- "When you left the hotel, earlier, I started to feel sick to my stomach, as if someone were sticking needles in it. So I went looking for you, I found you and I I'm better. But it hurts me because you're not here. I miss you."

I look down. He hugs me tighter and I let myself go. My head is in his neck, he smells of forest, wood and a little... him. Yes, yes, he smells it!

I close my eyes. I don't realize how torn I am.

•••

When I wake up, my first instinct is to look at my watch. It's 4 o'clock. I look around me. I am on a gigantic bed, the walls are carefully gilded and the furniture looks well polished. Besides, speaking of furniture, you can't see the top of it, there are so many papers. They are classified and well ordered, yet there is a gaggle of them. I get up and walk around the apartment, which is actually a duplex. I spot the bathroom, the kitchen and the living room.

-"Hello!"

I turn around suddenly, Étienne looks at me, amused.

"So, slept well?! The apartment is to your liking?", he asks mockingly.

I don't answer. A few seconds later, I say with a sigh:

- "Well, I have to go, I have an appointment with Gab."

"I'll come with you.", he said in an authoritative tone.

- "Hum... okay, but Gab mustn't see you.", I had set my condition.

He accepted without blinking. Before we left, he put away some files he had put on his desk in drawers. I waited for him near the front door and watched him. Like when he was angry, his eyebrows were furrowed and his face was serious. Her forehead was in creases and her black hair was disheveled.

A few minutes later, he looked up.

- "Okay, I'm done. We can go."

He passes close to me and I realize how big he is, he must be 25 centimeters taller than me!

Before opening the door, he turns to me and lowers his face to mine. His breath hits my mouth and when he kisses me, I burn. I'm shivering. I grab his shirt and he pulls away.

We look at each other for long minutes and he approaches me before hugging me in his powerful arms. I hear his heart. I feel good, close to him, against him.

We finally get out of the apartment and walk silently down the hall. A dozen doors further, one opens on my right. I turn my head towards the person coming out. The Alpha of Africa.

- "Hello Etienne, hello miss.", he said, surprised to see me.

-"Don't worry Mathieu, she's just a friend!" Étienne is lying, I'm not just his friend.

I say nothing, but I am sad. He does not assume. I would have liked to be, in everyone's eyes, his soul mate.

Africa's Alpha, Mathieu, looked skeptical, yet he didn't argue.

The three of us arrive in front of the elevator shaft which contains half a dozen of them.

Two elevators arrive, the Alpha of Africa goes up in the first, which contains people, and Étienne and I go up in the second. At first I say nothing, then I ask him:

- "Why did you say that I was your friend at the Alpha of Africa. It's not true."

He observes me and explains... amused?

- "To protect you, woodcock! Don't think that I don't assume you!"

-"To protect me from what?!", I insist.

-"People.", he answers simply.

The elevator has arrived and we step out into the lobby. People look at us, surprised. We reach the door but men block our way. I recognize some of Etienne's bodyguards. They shout in chorus:

- "Sir, we are coming with you!"

Étienne smiled and said to them:

- "No. I'll finally go alone... with her." He nods at me and continues:

"Don't worry, I'll take my precautions, I'll go unnoticed."

The bodyguards dispute:

- "But sir, these are the orders!"

- "Yes, but the orders also come from me.", he laughs.

Reluctantly, the bodyguards let us through and we finally get out.

We walk and he says to me:

- "When we are on my territory, I will tell the world that you are my soul mate. But believe me, you would have preferred that they never knew it."

I ask, not sure I heard correctly:

-"We?"

I want to continue my studies! I want to live with my parents and go to school with Elsa!

He quickly understands the situation but changes the subject.

-"What's your best friend's name?"

- "MY best friends are called", I clear my throat, "Elsa, Emilie and Gabriel."

I keep going and ask him:

"How tall are you?"

He responds tit for tat:

-"1 meter 98"

Oh yeah, the cow!

-"Where do you live?"

-"Near London, in the forest."

He lives in London. I can't help but be sad. I live in a lost hole in the South of France, that means we won't be able to see each other often.

-"Do you like being Alpha?", this is a real question that I have often asked myself. He looks at me, squinting, we are soon to arrive at our destination.

- "I didn't really choose so I don't know. But I like what I do. I can't tell you anything else."

- "No big deal. Do you like to do the Meetings?"

He bursts out laughing.

- "What are all these questions?!"

-"Well... I'm curious.", I raise an eyebrow. I just want to know him better.

- "Okay, I'll answer. I like doing the Meetings even if it's long, even if it's always the same thing."

I have a question that crosses my mind.

-"How old are you?"

-"20 years."

He became Alpha three years ago, so he was 17. He is 3 years older than me.

"What are you thinking?" he asks.

- "You're 3 years older than me!", I laugh and he smiles crookedly.

It's 5 o'clock. In front of the hotel, I turn to Etienne.

"See you tomorrow?" I said in a small voice.

He takes me in his arms and whispers in my ear:

-"Until tomorrow."

He lets go of me and walks away without looking back. He leaves, once again, far from me.