Stolen Fate: Bound to Seven Alphas

WILLA

My body flushed hot as she kept stroking my hand. It wasn’t just the touch. It was her words and the fact that she saw absolutely nothing wrong with saying them.

Maybe this was normal for her. Just not for me.

"What?" She frowned, brows pulling together. "I’m fifty-two and more than old enough to be a grandmother. Probably too old, honestly." She sighed dramatically. "A lot of my friends already have three to four grandchildren..."

"Request that from Becca," Kol cut her off, still glaring. His cheeks were stained red—whether from anger or embarrassment, I couldn’t tell.

He turned his back to her, facing the wardrobe, but kept talking. "Or better yet, go meet those friends of yours and ask to borrow one of their sons or daughters so you can feel what it’s like to be a granny."

She tutted, shaking her head in disapproval. "Your life doesn’t revolve around this academy alone. That’s why I keep reminding you how important it is to find a woman before—"

"I don’t need to be reminded anymore," he grunted.

Kol yanked a plain white hoodie from the wardrobe and pulled it on, then reached for a pair of black joggers.

"I’m glad you’re finally agreeing with me," his mother said brightly. "The beautiful girl I want for you is standing right next to me."

She cupped my face with both hands, forcing me to meet her eyes. I groaned inwardly. This kind of open affection was completely new to me, even different from Whitney’s.

"I can’t wait to be your second mom," she beamed. "Then that bitch Cersei will finally back off."

Cersei. Verah’s mother. The woman Elyse considered her second mom, and whose family had practically become Elyse’s second family.

"It’s not a competition," Kol said.

He was already in the black joggers. He walked over and stood beside me, extending his hand, but his mother still wouldn’t let me go.

"Of course it’s a competition," she snorted, rolling her eyes. "Just wait until the Luna selection. You’ll understand why you need to act fast and claim her before anyone else does."

"Thank you for the advice," Kol said dryly.

He gripped my hand while his mother still refused to let go, then tugged me gently.

I stumbled out of her hold and straight into his arms. Kol’s arm wrapped protectively around my waist. A knowing smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

"Elyse and I need to take a walk," he said.

"Of course," she nodded. "There are some beautiful spots in the academy where you two can unwind. I can recommend the one your father and I used to—"

"God, please no!" Kol interrupted her quickly. "I don’t want to hear any of those details."

"Fine," she said, amused.

Kol led me to the door, pausing just before we stepped out. He glanced over his shoulder at his mother.

"Thanks for stopping by," he said, real affection bleeding into his voice.

Even after yelling at her and claiming he wanted her gone, it was obvious he loved her.

Unlike the way he’d sent his sister away. He didn’t treat his mother the same. This was another side of Kol I wanted to see more of—maybe all the time.

He opened the door. Before we could escape, his mother called after us.

"No condom, please! And make sure there won’t be any interrup—"

Kol slammed the door shut, cutting her off. We still heard her muffled laughter as we hurried away from the door. I couldn’t help giggling at how shameless she was. Kol only grumbled in annoyance.

"I’m sorry about my sister and my mother," he said a few minutes into our walk.

"No need to apologize," I replied.

"They keep embarrassing me everywhere I go," he muttered.

I smiled, noticing the red still staining his cheeks. It was definitely embarrassment this time.

"Is being with me that embarrassing?" I teased, nudging his shoulder.

Kol stopped walking. So did I. He turned to face me, expression serious.

"Why would I be embarrassed about you?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Maybe because your sister called me a whore for my choice of outfit, and your mother walked in on us in a very compromising position while you were trying to set the record straight like I am not worth it—"

"I wasn’t trying to set any record straight," he said.

"No, you weren’t," I agreed, lighter this time.

He had ignored me.

We kept walking, letting a comfortable silence settle between us as the sounds of nature took over.

"Do you want a baby with me?" Kol asked suddenly, stopping me in my tracks.

"Why?" I laughed, startled.

Something fluttered wildly in my stomach as his gaze dragged slowly down my body.

"This outfit," he said in a low tone. "And you didn’t stop me earlier. It could’ve gotten a lot worse if my mother hadn’t interrupted."

The raw sincerity in his voice sent another burst of butterflies through my belly. That shouldn’t sound so hot.

A guy openly telling you he wants to do filthy things to you shouldn’t feel this good... but it was Kol Archer saying it.

And the way he was looking at me right now made me want to beg him to do whatever he wanted—right here in the middle of the damn road.

"It’s Verah’s," I finally answered, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear and biting my lower lip.

I mixed a little truth with the lie. "I had nothing to wear, so I borrowed something from her wardrobe."

It was too humiliating to admit he was right. That my real intention had been to seduce him until he agreed to whatever I wanted.

Kol nodded, accepting my explanation without question.

"So why were you so desperate to see me?" he asked.

I winced, glancing up at him. "About what happened at the hospital yesterday... I didn’t mean to yell at you. I was wrong for that."

"I forgive you," he said.

"Really?" I murmured, frowning.

It was easier than I expected. Now, wearing this outfit suddenly felt even stupider.

"But on one condition," he added.