Page 51 of One Nightstand With My Ex's Uncle

LUCAS’ POV.

Emily left the living room, and my eyes followed her. I had also felt that she was a little weird. She didn’t seem to be her usual bustling self. Not that she spoke much, but she wasn’t slow, and always had a sharp look on her face.

Ever since I arrived, I noticed she was a little slow, and looked tame. Did the stress get to her?

“Alpha Lucas, can I say something?” Katie suddenly asked, and I turned to her.

“Yes, go on.” I permitted, and she looked at Emily who was on the mezzanine. Katie waited till she disappeared behind a door, before turning to me.

“I think you should be more careful with Emily.” She said, and I raised my brows.

“What makes you say that?” I asked, and she sighed.

“Everyone still thinks Emily and John are going to get married. If you keep staring at her, and going places with her, people will think something else. Mandy seems to be trying to prove that there’s something going on between the both of you. There isn’t, right?” She asked, looking really worried, and I smiled.

“Let people think whatever they want to. You don’t need to worry about me, Katie, you’ve got too much on your neck.”

“But I keep worrying. I also can’t help it.” She said, quickly.

“You’re scared they’ll kick… Emily out?”

“No. I’m scared you’ll get tangled up in some weird scandal.” She said, and I chuckled.

“It’s fine, Katie.”

“It’s not fine. I… I care about you, okay?” She said, and I just didn’t know why every word of her last sentence seemed wrong.

“Oh, well, thanks.”

“You still don’t get it.”

I actually did, but I didn’t want the conversation to go on. I didn’t want to confirm what I was thinking as the truth.

“It’s fine, Katie.” I said, and we stared at each other for a while. She seemed to be struggling to say something, and whatever it was, I didn’t want her to say it, but couldn’t stop staring at her.

“I… I like you, Alpha Lucas.” She finally said.

“I mean… I’ve watched you from afar for years now. I can’t stop thinking about you whenever you’re around, and it’s been exceptionally hard for me now that you’re here to stay. That’s… that’s why I’ve probably been acting a little weird, and out of it.” Katie’s fingers were trembling, and she looked like she had plunged herself into trouble.

I had never seen her talk that fast in all the days I had known her.

I didn’t know how to respond. Responding to girl’s feelings for me had always been very easy for me, but with Katie…

Katie deserved some respect, and I couldn’t just give her a curt ‘no’.

“I’m sorry. I… I didn’t know.” I said, and she looked down at her laptop.

Like she was bracing herself for what would happen next.

“I never thought… God, I hurt you, didn’t I? I’m sorry I never paid much attention, and… I’m sorry I won’t be able to return your feelings.” I said, and she swallowed hard.

“I… I don’t know why I said that. It’s… gosh, it’s stupid. Now I put you in an awkward position.” She said, with her eyeballs bouncing restlessly from one surface to another, avoiding mine carefully.

“It’s fine, Katie. It’s not awkward.” I assured her, and she finally looked at me.

“It just fell out without planning it.” She said, and I smiled.

“It happens to every one of us.” I said, and she nodded, then went back to typing, although she was really slow.

The next morning, as I prepared for work, I kept on thinking about it.

Katie had never shown it.

I couldn’t tell that she had feelings for me.

Whenever girls liked me, I could always tell straight up.

How had Katie managed to hide it?

She had never been clingy or way too eager to speak to me for once.

She had always been cool, and easy to move with. Did John know all along? They were quite close.

It made me think in ways I hadn’t thought before. I left my room due to that, and made my way to Emily’s.

I knocked, and she opened the door, looking even worse than she did the previous day.

She stepped out, and gave a little bow.

“Good morning, Alpha Lucas.” She said, seeming smart in her white satin shirt, and navy blue skirt.

“Was Katie the woman you saw John in bed with?” I asked, and she looked shocked for a while before blinking it away.

“No, she’s not. Why would you think th…”

“I need an honest answer.”

“She’s not.” She said, looking away.

“You know how you once said you were a bad liar? I can totally see it now.”

“Then if you think I’m lying, why don’t you go ahead, and think she was the one I met in John’s room.”

“I need an answer.” I said, almost in a growl, and she swallowed.

“Why… why would you want to know that? It’s… it’s not important anymore, is it?”

“Answer me.”

“Yes, but…”

“Katie.” I muttered, slowly. I wasn’t at all disappointed in her, as Emily probably thought I would be.

Instead, the new thought that had occurred to me suddenly seemed clear.

John knew Katie liked me, and just exactly like his crazy self would do, he had made her sleep with him, just so he could be amused at her guilt.

Such things were what John saw as fun, and it had been eating away at Katie. Why was John so twisted?

“Don’t bother Katie. Don’t bother confronting her about it.” Emily said quickly, and I looked at her.

“Why? Why are you trying to protect her? Is there a reason?” I asked. Women were naturally hateful of other women who slept with whoever was marked theirs, so I needed to know why she was trying to protect Katie.

“There’s no reason. I just… I already let go of my grudge against her a long time ago. John’s a huge jerk, and… and I’m very sure I know what happened.” She said, looking away.

“What do you think happened?” I asked, and she hesitated a while before speaking.

“Katie likes you, so John slept with her just to mess with her. He knows you probably liked Katie as she was spotless, and different, so he wanted to know what she would do when she was no longer spotless enough to grab your attention. That’s just… that’s the John I’ve come to discover. Thinking about it, maybe I’ve always known. He liked setting people against themselves, and… and I thought it was fun too. That was silly.” She said, looking like she hated to think she’d ever overlooked John’s crazy instincts.

“How did you know Katie liked me?”

“I’ve known for a while. I’m also a woman.” She said,

“Did you perhaps hear us yesterday?” I asked, and she suddenly staggered forward, holding her head. She fell against me, and I tried to hold her to steady her, but she passed out, and I had to hold her against me.

Something was definitely wrong with her.