*****CHAPTER 37

MAE'S POV
 
I gave myself one final stare at the mirror, taking in the details of my dark and short mini dress. My hair was arranged and tied in a messy bun, and I swiped only a bit of colorless lip gloss over my lips. I didn't want him to see that I had gone the extra mile to look good for him, even though I badly wanted to. I couldn't wear my uniform either, because I would only risk getting caught outside the castle gates by this time of the night dressed as a servant.
 
So, casual wear was the best camouflage.
 
"You don't have to do too much, you know." Pearl commented from behind me, where she was seated on the bed, watching me with hawk eyes.
 
"I mean, whether you're dripping in dog poop or not, you are fucking attractive." "No man would be able to take his eyes off you."
 
A small smile crossed my lips, and I fought back the warm blush that creeped up my face. I hope she was right. I hope he finds me attractive too.
 
"Who would've ever thought you'd like a boy and go the extra length of sneaking out of your job just to go see him?" Pearl said with a small laugh this time, and I rolled my eyes at her exaggeration.
 
"Come on, Pearl. What am I supposed to like then?" Girls?"
 
"Not really.  It's just…surprising."
 
I sighed and finally turned to face her. She still had her eyes planted on my body, unmoving, as if analyzing my entire body.
 
"I'll see you in an hour." I told her and turned my back to leave the room.
 
"Sure.  Make it three."
 
Another smile crossed my face, and I cursed at her in a small whisper.
 
"Silly girl."
 
 
………….
 
When I arrived at the bridge, he was already there before me, seated by the bridge, admiring the water with his eyes. He wasn't wearing his regalia and was instead wearing casual wear that looked quite unusual on him. The only thing that didn't change about his dressing was his face mask, except this time it had a different, cheaper look to go with his casual fit. His back was turned against me, and so he didn't take notice of my presence.
 
I paused at my feet and didn't move an inch further. My palms had suddenly turned sweaty, and I felt more nervous than I did earlier today, when he had asked Oliver to have me deliver a cup of coffee into his chamber. As I stood there, unmoving and watching his frame behind me, a million thoughts ran through my head.
 
What was I even doing here with him, even though I already knew his true identity? What was a commoner trying to do by betraying the Luna and spending time with the Alpha? The Lycan King?  The heartless, merciless, and most dangerous lycan king in the history of Wolfville?
 
A small voice in my head warned me to turn back and walk away from all of this, but my heart screamed even louder, insisting that I go for what it wanted. And like a fool, I ignored the logical part of my head and listened instead to the most delicate and stupid part of my being: my heart. I then moved my feet again in his direction.
 
This time, Alcot heard my footsteps, and he turned his head to look at me. I made to bow immediately, and we locked our gazes, but his words stopped me from taking action.
 
"Don't." He whispered to me. "Please don't do that."
 
I hesitated for a moment, debating whether I should obey him or not, and then I finally nodded at him, straightening my posture and carefully taking my place on the concrete of the bridge, close to where he was seated. I made sure to give him some distance, not just because I respected him as the Alpha. But because I was afraid of what I could do.
 
What if I pulled him close, smacked my lips against him in a kiss, and ran off?
 
"Hey." He whispered to me.
 
"Hey." I whispered back, planting a small smile on my face. With the mask on his face, I couldn't tell if he was smiling at me too or not. But his eyes looked warm, and I liked to believe that there was a beautiful smile behind that mask.
 
For what seemed like a minute, he did not say another word to me, and I remained silent too, all the while trying to rack my brain for a great conversation starter. A million ideas crossed my head, but they all sounded stupid to me.
 
"Uh… " "So, we finally meet."
 
Ah. Too formal!
 
"I feel like I'm dreaming." Is this really you? "Who would've thought my stranger friend was actually the Alpha of our pack?"
 
Too fan-girly!
 
"It's good to see you, Alcot."
 
Uh, that's not good enough!
 
"The bracelet looks good on you." Alcot's voice finally came, cutting off my brain-draining thoughts. He has his eyes on my wrist now, and I subconsciously felt the bracelet with my other hand.
 
"Yes, it does." I replied with a small smile again. "Thank you for the gift."
 
"Thank you for the gift too." He raised his wrist into view, and the bracelet I gifted him clung to his wrist as well. It looked cheap and was nothing compared to the bracelet he had given me. If anything, I felt embarrassed and stupid.
 
I let out a small laugh this time. "It can't be compared to yours, my Lord."
 
"Stop calling me that." He said with a sigh and looked ahead. His mask was still firmly hugging his face, and like always, I wondered why he was hiding behind that mask. Did he also have scars on his face just like the ones he had on his body?
 
"I'm sorry I hid the truth about my identity from you." He began to speak again. "And I'm sorry we had to meet this way."
 
I bit my lips as he spoke. True, I had wished we met in a better circumstance, but to me, this was enough. And the fact that I had to meet the one person who always listened to my bullsh*t and wrote back was priceless. It surprised me too, that my friend, who wanted to escape the world just like I did, was the Alpha.
 
The cruel, heartless Alpha who actually had a heart. A heartbroken one.
 
"We can't keep writing each other letters." "And we can't keep seeing, Mae." He turned his head to face me again, just at the same time that my heart snapped bitterly at his words. "I am the Alpha and you are…"
 
"A commoner." I finished off his sentence for him, feeling a sudden tightness in my gut. Why was I so foolish to not expect this too? "An alpha and a commoner are not created to be friends."
 
He paused as if deliberating on my words, and then he finally nodded his head in agreement. "Yes."
 
I nodded my head again, feeling my eyes water with tears. But I didn't let him see them. I hung my head downcast and my heart hurt, realizing that truly, this was the end of us. There would be no more letters. No more gifts.
 
No more friendship at the bridge. This was the end of the road for us. I wasn't mad. It rather felt unfair that life could sometimes be so cruel.
 
"Yes, my Lord." I sniffed back tears that threatened to spill from my eyes. "I shall take my leave now."
 
I tried to get my butt off the bridge and run away like the coward that I was, but his strong, masculine hand shot out and stopped me from moving an inch.
 
"No." He whispered to me. "Not yet, Mae."
 
"What more, my Lord?" I dared to ask and finally raised my watery eyes to meet him.
 
"I don't break my promises, Mae." His eyes locked into mine, and I watched as they landed on my lips, lingering there for a moment.
 
And that was when I remembered the promise. The kiss on the first day we would meet
 
Gently, he drew himself closer to me, and his hand reached for my face, bringing it closer to his. As our faces touched and my lashes fluttered shut, I swore that I could hear his heart beat in the quiet darkness, in a beautiful, rhythmic way. My heart was beating even faster, and I wondered if he could hear mine too.
 
Slowly, his lips met mine and sealed the deal with a kiss.