The Code Of The Alpha

I woke at the break of dawn the next morning feeling more rested than l’d felt in a long time. Getting out of bed quietly so as not to wake Luca, who was still

sleeping soundly on the floor, I left the bedroom and went into the kitchen to make a cup of tea.

I sat out on the back deck drinking it, watching the purple sky slowly fade to pink and then orange. I tried not to spend those solitary, peaceful moments thinking solely of Luca.

But I failed.

He was all I could think of.

His perfect tan skin.

Obsidian-black hair that curled just so.

Gorgeous green eyes that almost glowed in their intensity. Supple pink lips that were always plastered in a sexy half-smile. Not to mention a body that would have inspired Bernini himself.

And that damned pet name.

Every time the word ‘amore’ slipped off his tongue I felt a year added to my life. I only snapped out of my perverse thoughts when I absentmindedly took a sip from my mug and singed my tongue on the tea that was still too hot to drink.

In truth, I had never been as intimidated by someone as I was by Luca. Here was this physically optimal man that Fate had handed me on a platter and I couldn’t stop drooling over him enough to formulate proper sentences, much less develop a meaningful

relationship.

In addition to my insecurities, Luca’s aggressive reputation stood between the two of us. Although Luca swore that he would never do anything to cause

me harm, I couldn’t help but think of all the people who had died to get him where he was.

He was the leader of the largest pack I knew of, he wasn’t used to being told ‘no’.

What would happen when he heard it from me?

Once the sun had risen above the trees on the other side of the lake, I finished my tea and went back inside. My stomach growled as I rinsed the mug out in the sink. Turning around, I eyed the stove and decided to make myself breakfast.

After finding a frying pan, I went to the fridge to pull out the eggs and bacon. I also decided at the last minute that I would cut up a few pieces of fruit as well.

As the bacon was frying, I turned to the countertop to cut the strawberries and apples. Soon, the kitchen was filled with the aroma of breakfast.

As I finished frying my egg, I looked up to see Luca walking out of his bedroom into the living room. Still shirtless, he had been gracious enough to put on a pair of sweatpants.

Luca ran a hand through his messy hair and our gazes met. I dropped my attention back down to the spatula in my hand. I could feel him walking closer, my heart rate spiking as he did.

“Good morning, amore,” he said.

I gave him a tightlipped smile, still keeping my focus on the eggs.

“What would one of those cost me?” he asked, looking over my shoulder.

I said nothing as I reached over and grabbed him an egg from the carton that sat on the countertop next to the stove.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

Could you keep the drool from your mouth long enough to speak to him?! Say something! I scolded myself.

“How do you want it?”

I could think of another context that I would have liked to repeat that question.

“I’ll take it however you make it.”

Luca’s presence behind me lingered for a moment before he walked over to the coffee maker. I felt myself let out a breath, the first one I’d taken since laying eyes on him a few moments earlier.

I watched from my peripheral vision as Luca opened a drawer to pull out a single-use coffee pod, the muscles in his back flexing with the simple movement. Look away, I could hear the rational voice in me pleading.

“Coffee?” he asked, turning to me and catching my stare.

“No, thank you.”

I searched the cabinets and found two plates. I placed the eggs and a few pieces of bacon on each plate, telling myself that it was just a coincidence I had made enough bacon for two people.

As Luca’s coffee was being poured, I grabbed a glass of water and sat down at the countertop with Luca joining me shortly after.

“Thank you,” he said, pulling the plate of eggs towards him.

I nodded, taking my fork in my hand.

Except for the sound of our forks touching the ceramic plates and glasses being picked up and placed back down, we ate in silence.

Luca took a long sip from his coffee mug before leaning back in his chair, slinging an arm around my chair as he did so.

I pretended not to notice the soft tugging I felt from my head as Luca took a lock of hair and twirled it between two of his fingers.

“I’ve got to head over to the other side of the pack this morning to meet with someone. Want to ride along?” Luca asked, watching the hand that played with my hair.

I nodded. “Sure.”

Luca stood from his chair, taking a fistful of my hair in his hand as he did so, and gently tugged my head back and to the side. He leaned down and kissed my neck, just below my ear.

“Thank you for breakfast,” he whispered, his hot breath blowing against the skin he’d just kissed.

Luca let go of my hair and reached around me to grab both of our plates. “I’Il clean this up,” he said, walking around me casually like nothing had just happened.

“You can go do whatever until we leave in an hour.”

With my heart still pounding in my chest, I nodded, unable to find words to speak. I got up from my chair as quickly as I could and left the kitchen, walking towards his bedroom.

Once there, I grabbed my clothes and toiletries before locking myself in the bathroom. I turned on the shower and stood there, staring at myself in the

mirror for several minutes, trying to recover my breath. My heart was still racing as if Luca were standing right there. I ran a hand through my hair and let out a long, deep breath.

That self control issue I had wouldn’t be resolving itself anytime soon.