Marked By the Pureblood Alpha (Deanna and Luis) novel Chapter 76

nna’s POV:

Luis said it so casually, like it was nothing.

My face, which had been calm a second ago, burned red.

We were in public. People nearby kept sneaking glances, but he didn’t care and continued to flirt with me openly. He never worried other people would overhear his words.

I rolled my eyes and leaned closer to his ear. “Sorry, but it’s that time of the month. I can’t meet your needs today.”

The smile on his face dropped instantly. His brows drew tight, and his lips pressed into a thin line.

He looked resentful. Luis didn’t look like the powerful alpha everyone feared. Instead, he looked like a little boy who’d been told he couldn’t have candy.

I couldn’t help it. I let out a laugh.

Luis suddenly wrapped an arm around my waist, his fingers pinching the soft flesh there.

“If you won’t let me touch you, then don’t flirt with me.”

froze. My earlier boldness vanished in an instant. I sat up straight, quiet as could be.

Clearing my throat, I forced myself back into business mode.

“Thank you for giving me this contract. I really need it. But since this is business, I can’t just take advantage of you. My suggestion is this–both of our packs should partner. We can offer double-”

“Deanna.” He cut me off, his voice suddenly serious. “If I ever needed help, would you help me?”

Dumbfounded, I nodded. “Of course.”

After all, he had already helped me so many times.

Even though, honestly, I couldn’t imagine what kind of trouble he would ever need me for.

“That’s all that matters.” He shrugged, his tone slipping back into that easy, careless drawl.

“For me, this is no big deal. If you want something, anything, just ask.”

Anything I wanted…

Simple words, yet my heart skipped.

Immediately after, he added, “This is a little something I give you to make sure you’ll enjoy dinner instead of frowning the whole time. You’ll ruin my appetite.”

That snapped me back to reality.

Ugh. Me? Frowning?

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I could hide my emotions just fine!

He gave me another blow. “Honestly, you look pretty awful when you frown.”

His words shut me up. I stabbed a piece of dessert with my fork and shoved it into my mouth, too mad to reply.

The sugary taste, mixed with the starlight outside the window, slowly washed away the sting of his comment.

I turned to the view instead. This spot really was something.

Looking up, I could see the whole night sky, glittering with stars like someone had tossed a handful of diamonds onto black velvet.

“Have you been here before?” I asked without thinking.

“Yeah.”

a

“With a woman?”

Luis set down his fork and gave me a half–smile. “Jealous?”

“I’m just a little curious,” I muttered.

He leaned back, speaking with that lazy drawl of his. “Come on. You think I’ve got that kind of time? It was with a client.”

I didn’t get to say another word when my phone lit up on the table. An unknown number flashed across the screen.

A bad feeling hit me, but the phone kept ringing.

After a moment of hesitation, I picked it up.

A furious voice burst through the speaker.

“Deanna, what scumbag are you with right now?”

Luis was sitting right beside me. The second he heard someone cursing him as a scumbag, his brows lifted.

shot him a glance, then raised my voice on purpose and admitted openly, “I’m with the man I like. What’s it to you?”

Then I turned my head to look at Luis again.

The anger had already vanished from his face, replaced by the faintest trace of a smile tugging at his lips.

On the other end, Jake gave a cold laugh.

“The man you like? That’s me, isn’t it?”

I almost laughed out of anger. “You really think too highly of yourself. He’s an Alpha who’s better than you.”

Luis heard that. He lifted his glass and took a slow sip. The smile in his eyes deepened.

Jake’s furious voice roared through the phone. “You’re trying to make me jealous, aren’t you? An Alpha better than me? Such a werewolf doesn’t exist in Lycanland!”

His arrogant tone made me frown.

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I was about to snap back when I felt a nudge at my arm. I looked up and saw Luis, hand outstretched, asking for the phone.

I hesitated, then handed it over.

Luis took the phone, leaned back lazily, and smirked as he spoke into the receiver.

“Jake, I’m the Alpha who’s better than you.”

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