Page 24 of Alfie

She let out a soft snort at the thought.

No, something else was going on. And she was going to talk to him about it when he picked her up.

As the night wore on, she was looking forward to seeing Alfie, but also worried about what was behind him not staying all night with her.

It consumed her thoughts so much that after the theater was closed and she gathered her things and said goodnight to her bosses, she wasn’t paying attention to anything as she walked out of the theater. Alfie had texted that he was just a couple minutes away, and she wanted to take a few deep breaths of cold night air before she got in his SUV.

The crunch of ice in the parking lot pulled her from her thoughts. She opened her eyes and lowered her head, certain Alfie had arrived.

But it wasn’t Alfie at all.

“You bitch!” Eddie yelled.

Chapter Eleven

Behind his SUV, Joss and Nathan were escorting Alfie while he went to pick up Myla after her shift at the theater. Something was going on with her, but he wasn’t sure what. She’d definitely been quieter than usual, and when he’d asked if she was okay, she’d deflected the question and gotten overly chatty.

He’d mentioned to Joss at lunch that afternoon in the market cafeteria about her behavior, and Joss had suggested she might be feeling like he’s keeping something from her. Which of course he was—the truth of shifters. He couldn’t help that she was human and couldn’t know the secret until he’d won her heart, but he also wondered how the hell he was going to fully win her heart without telling her everything.

It'll happen, Joss had told him confidently.

And he was choosing to believe it. Because he sure as hell loved Myla. It was more than the instant love he’d felt when he’d met her. He’d fallen for every inch of her. There was no other female on the planet more perfect for him than her, and he just wanted to be that male for her.

Tonight.

He hoped.

As he pulled into the parking lot, he saw Myla walk out of the dark theater and pull up the hood of her coat. He smiled, thinking she looked like a snow fairy, dusted already with the fat fluffy flakes that were falling quickly.

And then something caught his eye.

A male, moving quickly through the cars and heading right for Myla.

Alfie hit the gas, surging toward the curb, then stomped on the brake and threw the SUV into park. In a heartbeat, he was out of the car and between the male and Myla.

Eddie.

That asshole!

Alfie’s wolf rolled under his skin, furious at Eddie.

He knew his voice was different, edged with the growl of his wolf, when he spoke. “You need to leave.”

Eddie stopped short a few yards away, looking wild and unhinged.

“Hey, fuck you, man! That bitch made me lose my job!”

“I didn’t make you act like an asshole, you dick,” she said, her hand gripping the back of Alfie’s coat. “Get out of here, or I’ll call the cops.”

“For what? Calling you out for being a bitch?”

“For stalking,” she said.

“I haven’t laid a hand on you,” Eddie sneered. He eyed Alfie and took a menacing step to the side like he was coming for Myla.

Alfie subtly oriented himself to keep Myla at his back and block Eddie’s line of sight of her.

“Leave now, or I’ll make you leave,” Alfie said evenly.