Chapter 5: I Have a Boyfriend

Alexander's POV

I was on a business trip—just another routine branch office meeting.

Something I’d done a hundred times.

Nothing was supposed to be special about today.

But everything changed the moment I walked into the hotel lobby.

At first, it was the scent—light, fresh, utterly intoxicating.

Then, I caught a glimpse of her.

That silhouette. That hair. That graceful, familiar movement...

My heart slammed against my ribs.

No. It couldn’t be.

After all these years... it couldn’t be her.

But the feeling was undeniable.

Deep inside me, my wolf, Carter, stirred violently.

"It’s her!" he howled.

"I know that scent—she’s the one!"

“Calm down, Carter,” I muttered inwardly, struggling to maintain composure. “It might just be someone who looks like her.”

"No! It’s HER! I’d recognize her scent anywhere!"

I drew a sharp breath, grounding myself.

“Mark,” I said to my assistant.

“Yes, sir?”

“There was a woman… in a blue suit. Long hair. She just walked toward the elevators. Find out who she is.”

Mark nodded without hesitation. “Right away.”

What followed was the longest hour of my life. I couldn’t focus, couldn’t sit still.

I kept pacing my room, mind racing with possibilities.

Could it really be her? Emily... after all this time?

Mark returned before I completely lost it.

“Sir,” he said, “there’s a woman registered under the name Emily Jones. She works at one of our branch offices.”

I froze.

Emily.

It really was her.

My hands trembled.

"I told you!" Carter roared. "It’s her—it’s really her! We finally found her!"

She was here.

In the same hotel.

Under the same roof.

I wanted to see her right then. Just walk in and talk to her.

But part of me hesitated.

What if she didn’t remember me?

What if, to her, I was just a faded memory from middle school?

I didn’t want to scare her off with a sudden appearance. I needed to approach this the right way.

That night, I sat alone in my suite, downing glass after glass of whiskey—trying to summon the courage I shouldn’t even need.

"When did you become such a coward?" Carter growled. "You’re Alexander Blackwood. Just go to her!"

“But what if she doesn’t remember me?”

The liquor numbed my hesitation, dulled the fear.

Then, something unexpected happened.

She messaged me.

“Send some videos to watch.”

I stared at the screen, confused.

Then another text followed:

“Stop playing around. Videos or a man, either works. I’m in 101. Hurry.”

Videos? A man?

What…?

It didn’t matter.

She reached out.

Maybe she wanted to see me.

Fueled by adrenaline and whiskey, I stumbled out of my room and made my way to 101.

My pulse roared in my ears.

“Stay calm, Alexander,” I whispered to myself. “She contacted you. This is good.”

I knocked.

The few seconds of silence felt like torture.

Then, the door opened.

And there she was.

The moment I saw her face, ten years of longing exploded inside me.

I didn’t think.

I just kissed her.

Her lips—God, her lips—were everything I’d imagined in my dreams.

And the way she kissed me back…

She wanted me too.

I knew it.

"Her scent," Carter rumbled in bliss, "It’s perfect. She’s our mate."

That night, we were consumed by each other.

Body. Soul. Wolf.

For the first time in a decade, I felt whole.

But when I woke up—

She was gone.

The bed was cold.

The room, empty.

Only her scent remained on the sheets, confirming it hadn’t been a dream.

I reached for my phone to call her—only to find I’d been blocked.

My chest tightened.

"How dare she!" Carter snarled. "After what we shared? She just disappears?!"

I was stunned. And furious.

Later, in the elevator, I saw her again.

She stood with another woman, eyes down, avoiding me like I was a stranger.

I wanted her to acknowledge me.

To say something—anything.

I turned to Mark. “Find out who stayed in room 101 last night.”

I wanted her to come forward. To admit it. To look at me.

Her friend blurted out the truth: “Emily was in 101!”

I waited.

But Emily panicked and covered her friend’s mouth.

“You remembered wrong,” she lied.

She was denying it.

She was denying me.

I walked away, heart heavy.

"She’s avoiding us," Carter growled. "She’s pretending last night didn’t happen."

I tried to rationalize it.

Maybe she was scared.

Maybe she had her reasons.

That night, we met again—this time at a formal dinner.

She came in with her supervisor, looking beautiful in a green dress… and refusing to look at me.

She kept her head down, lips sealed.

As if I disgusted her.

I barely paid attention to business. My mind was spinning with questions.

Why was she acting like this?

After the dinner, I returned to my suite and called her—once, twice, five times.

No answer.

So I sent one last message:

“Come find me when you wake up. I’m Alexander.”

Her reply came a while later:

“I’ve already forgotten about last night. Don’t worry, I won’t talk.”

I stared at the screen.

My chest ignited with rage.

Forgotten?

I hurled my phone across the room. It shattered against the wall.

"She’s playing with us!" Carter roared. "How could she say that?! After everything!"

I was drowning in disappointment—until the knock came.

Emily.

For a moment, I thought she came to talk things through.

But she was only here for the contract.

A damn folder.

“Which time?” I asked, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Her face flushed red. “Just… yesterday evening…”

That blush, that stammer—she hadn’t forgotten.

I felt a flicker of hope.

"Let’s mark her," Carter said urgently. "Make her ours. She is ours."

I wanted that too. More than anything.

But I wouldn’t force her.

I’d learned she’d been struggling all these years. Carrying her mother’s medical bills. Fighting everything on her own.

She was proud. Stubborn.

Wouldn’t accept pity.

Wouldn’t beg.

So I did the only thing I could.

“Emily… marry me.”

Her eyes widened in disbelief. “What did you say?”

“You heard me. Marry me.”

“You’re the Alpha heir,” she whispered. “I’m a nobody. I don’t even have a wolf. Why would you choose me?”

“Because you’re the one I want,” I said.

“The one I’ve waited for.”

“You’re meant to be my Luna.”

She looked stunned. Silent.

Then… she backed away.

“I have a boyfriend,” she said.