After One Night with the Alpha (Brad and Elle) novel Chapter 175

Chapter 175

Sophia’s POV

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I was almost at the end of the corridor when I felt Lester’s hand grab my arm. Every instinct I had as a

werewolf Beta screamed at the presumptuous contact, and I whirled around, shaking him off with enough

force that his arm actually jolted back. The look of surprise on his face would have been satisfying if I

wasn’t so fucking angry.

“Lester, don’t be ridiculous, okay?” I kept my voice perfectly level. “You’re twenty-eight years old. Having

women around you is perfectly normal, isn’t it? As an Alpha, you should be thinking about continuing the

bloodline for the pack.”

The words tasted like ash in my mouth, but I forced them out anyway. Better to sound indifferent than to

let him see how much seeing him with Mira had actually hurt.

“That’s not what this is about,” he said, stepping closer despite the warning in my posture. “You know

damn well-”

“I know what?” I tilted my head with a smile.

For just a second, I let my guard down. The hurt I’d been carrying since last night flashed through me like

lightning, and I saw Lester’s amber eyes catch it before could lock it away again. Shit. He knew me too

well, could read my tells like we were still teenagers running patrol together.

I turned on my heel, my silver hair whipping around like a curtain I could hide behind.

“Sophia.”

I felt Lester’s fingers wrap around my wrist before I could pull away, his Alpha strength keeping me from

shaking him off this time. When I turned to face him, I could see something desperate brewing in his

amber eyes.

“We need to talk.”

“What exactly do you want to say, Lester?” I kept my voice cool, professional.

“I want to say that what you saw wasn’t what you think it was.”

“Really?” The laugh that came out of me was sharp enough to cut glass. “Because what I saw was you being the perfect gentleman, taking care of everyone’s feeling, making sure poor Mira didn’t feel abandoned. Just

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Chapter 175

like you always do.”

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Something shifted in his expression, and I realized I’d said more than I meant to. My voice had revealed the deeper hurt underneath the anger-the knowledge that Lester Harrison was constitutionally incapable

of choosing one person over the needs of everyone else

“Are you jealous?” The words slipped out of him like he couldn’t help himself.

And there it was. The question I’d been dreading because I couldn’t answer it honestly without revealing

just how pathetic I’d become.

“Jealous? Of what? Your ability to be everyone’s knight in shining armor? Your talent for making sure every

female wolf in a fifty-mile radius feels protected and cherished?”

“That’s not-”

“Just like you defend Mira, you’ll defend me next week when some other situation comes up. You’re like an

emotional central air conditioning system, Lester. You keep everyone at the perfect temperature so no one

ever feels uncomfortable.”

The accusation hung between us, and I watched him flinch like I’d physically struck him. Good. Maybe it

was time someone called him out on his people-pleasing bullshit.

I started to walk away, but apparently Lester wasn’t done making terrible decisions today. His Alpha speed

let him catch up with me easily, and suddenly I was backed against the wall with his hands braced on

either side of my head.

The sudden press of his body against mine made my breath catch.

“What are you doing?” I demanded, hating how breathless I sounded. “Lester, remember our positions-”

“Fuck our positions,” he growled, and the raw hunger in his voice made something clench low in my belly.

“And fuck pack politics. Do you want to know why I was relieved when you got angry back there?”

I pressed myself harder against the wall, trying to creat distance that didn’t exist. “Lester, don’t-”

“Because it meant you cared.” His hand came up to cup my cheek, thumb brushing across my skin with

devastating gentleness. “It meant this mattered to you. hat / mattered to you.”

“Of course it matters,” I whispered before I could stop myself. The admission slipped out like blood from a

wound, and I immediately wanted to take it back.

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Chapter 175

“Last night, what you saw…” His voice was soft now, hypnotic. “Mira isn’t my type. She never was.”

Against every instinct screaming at me to shut up and walk away, I heard myself ask, “Then what is your

type?”

His eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that made my knees weak. “You. Exactly you.”

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The words hit me like a physical blow, stealing the air from my lungs. I stared up at him, searching his face

for any sign that he was just playing with me, but all I saw was raw honesty.

“I finally understand why you’re so protective of Elle,” he continued, his thumb still tracing gentle patterns

on my cheek.

“Because you see something in her that reminds you of yourself. The same pure heart, the same loyalty.”

His smile was soft, almost fond. “You’re both idiots”

“Did you just call me an idiot?” I sputtered, my temper flaring again despite the butterflies in my stomach.

“The most beautiful idiot I’ve ever known,” he confirmed, and the affection in his voice made me want to

hit him and kiss him in equal measure.

I felt my walls starting to crumble, felt hope blooming in my chest like a dangerous flower. But then reality

crashed back in, and I shook my head, pushing against his chest with hands that trembled slightly.

“Don’t,” I said, but there was no real force behind it. “Don’t say things like that when you don’t mean

them.”

“When have I ever lied to you?”

“What about Elle?” I demanded. “You think humans are beneath us, remember? You’ve made that clear

enough.”

“Elle is…” He paused, and I could see him trying to find the diplomatic answer. “Elle is an exception. She’s

proven herself. But that doesn’t change the fact that she’s still just human, Sophia. She can’t understand

our world the way you do.”

And there it was. The fundamental difference between us that would always exist.

“Just human,” I repeated, my voice deadly quiet. “And what happens when I disagree with that, Lester?”

“That’s not what I meant-”

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Chapter 175

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“It’s exactly what you meant.” I ducked under his arm, putting distance between us with movements that

were sharp and efficient. “You want someone who’ll support you when it’s easy, who’ll challenge you when

it’s safe, who’ll submit when it matters. You want a partner who knows her place.”

“Sophia, please-”

“Stop talking!” I shoved him hard. “Don’t say another word to me about this, Lester! And don’t make a

move against Elle, don’t try to sabotage her relationship with Brad!”

I saw something shift in his eyes.

I turned and walked away, leaving him standing there in the corridor, hopefully finally understanding that

some bridges, once burned, couldn’t be rebuilt.

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After One Night with the Alpha