Bride of the Cursed Alpha (Auren and Lucien) novel Chapter 190

Chapter 190

Tamara POV

My body weighed down with exhaustion. Hours of relentless practice had drained me. Coach Dana ensured that every practice was heavier than the last. At the end of the game, every time I attempted to jump or stretch, my muscles screamed in protest. Sweat clung to my skin, and my head throbbed with the fatigue of it all.

I didn’t have the strength to protest when Matt swept me off my feet, literally. His strong arms cradled me effortlessly, securely, and I couldn’t fight the urge to sink into his chest.

“Matt!” I protested weakly, but it didn’t have the fire I usually intended. It felt almost impossible to form words–my body had given up before my mind could keep up. Instead, I just snuggled against him, letting his warmth and scent envelop me. The familiar, comforting smell of him wrapped around me like a protective shield. Angel also purred inside me as she felt the presence of Torben near her. She wagged her tail lazily.

“Shut up!” he said and I became quiet. He kissed the crown of my head and I think I moaned.

Why was it that him holding me like this that made me feel so safe, so at home? Even in the chaos of the day, even when I was beyond exhausted, Matt felt like my anchor.

His body was solid against mine and his heartbeat was steady beneath my cheek, and I just let myself relax into it.

I was too tired to care about the disapproving looks from Sarah and Lexi as they shot us scornful glances. Matt didn’t care either. He didn’t even look at them, his focus solely on me. And I’d be a fool to say that I didn’t feel smug about it. They would never know why Matt loved me the way he wouldn’t anyone else. We were mates. What did the humans know about mates?

As he walked, I closed my eyes, and before I knew it, the world around me blurred. The rhythm of Matt’s footsteps, or my exhaustion, lulled me to sleep. I curled myself into him, into his warm chest, which was layered with solid muscles.

The jolt of waking up was sudden, and I blinked rapidly, trying to clear the fog

mind.

I realized he had carried me all the way to my dorm, and I must have dozed off. “Oh, my God!” I said in a weak voice. “You carried me all the way?” I tried to get down, but he grabbed me tightly, not allowing me to get down until we reached my room.

The way he held me, gently cradling me, felt like he was treating me like a baby, like a treasure. I was leaning against him, my head resting on his chest, his warmth comforting and real.

As he lowered me carefully onto my bed, I blinked up at him, feeling disoriented. “I’m sorry,” I mumbled, still half out of it.

“Don’t apologize,” he said, his voice soothing. “You needed rest.” His hand brushed over my hair, a gentle touch that made my heart flutter. “How about you take a bath and I’ll get you some food?”

A faint smile tugged my lips. “Will you be staying in my room tonight as welk?”

“Do you want me to?” he teased me.

A blush heated my cheeks. “No,” I blurted.

He chuckled. “Liar,”

“Go!” I said weakly. Why was it that my resolve was crumbling so fast? Why was it that near him, I felt better, but away from him, depression set in faster than a speeding bullet.

He lowered his head and kissed my temple. “Take a bath, princess. I’ll go to fetch food for us.” He didn’t wait for me to respond, as he turned to leave me in the room. Emptiness returned with full force. Angel whined inside me.

The door clicked shut, and I stretched, feeling the ache in my body, but also a lingering warmth from Matt. I groaned softly and decided to take a

much–needed bath.

As the warm water soothed my sore muscles, I couldn’t help thinking how Coach Dana barked at me all the time. I didn’t want to go for beachball. I remembered that I had filled for basketball. Then I was tossed into volleyball team by the admin. However, I found myself back in the beachball team. Everything was confusing. I had asked Brad to look into it. It’s not that I was going to blame the college for it, but it did seem like someone was messing with my application. Nothing made sense.

When I finally stepped out, wrapped in a towel, I was met with the smell of food. I raised my eyebrows, surprised. Matt was already here, standing by my desk with a tray in his hands. He’d brought dinner for me–again. My stomach rumbled in response, and I couldn’t help but smile at him.

His eyes went down to my chest, and a flush crept up over there. I pulled the towel tighter around me, trying to maintain some semblance of modesty. My heart raced. His gaze lingered a moment too long, and I could feel a warmth spread through me that had nothing to do with the bath. The air between us seemed to thicken, the world narrowing down to just him and me. He took a slow step forward. His presence overwhelmed me. I moyed a step back, my throat going dry. He stopped right in front of me. His lips parted slightly, and for a brief moment, I thought he might lean in again, and kiss me, and the thought made my breath hitch.

1/2

I stopped only because of the wall behind me. Matt leaned in, caging me with both his hands on both sides of my face. Then he leaned his face further. I closed my eyes, waiting for the kiss, but it never came. With my heart hammering inside my chest, I opened my eyes only to find that he rested his face against the e wall, his eyes on me. I turned to look at him, and saw him gazing at me intensely.

“You’ll be the death of me,” he murmured. “How will I survive without having you by my side always, Tammy?”

Goddess. His words affected Like I was the guitar he was longing to strum. And me–I was dying to be strummed by him in any way he wanted

1. it.

“Give me a chance, Tammy,” he muttered with pain in his eyes. “I’ll make up for this life and the rest of them.”

His words brought back memories of how he snubbed me in the past. I lowered my head, closing my eyes. It was the mate bond speaking. When I opened them, I looked at the food on the table. “You’re spoiling me,” I teased.

The moment shattered. He backed away immediately. And I felt cool air between us. I hated it so much that I wanted to pull him to me, clenched my hands into fists.

but I

Matt smiled back, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “I’m just making sure you don’t starve.” He walked to the table, and started taking out the food.