The Alpha's Chubby Obsession. novel Chapter 148

Side Story 4

Aria

Owen stepped closer, his presence heavy enough to quiet the air between the three of us. For once, I didn’t feel like teasing him. I just let out a slow sigh.

“This isn’t the first time he and I have been this close, Owen,” I said gently.

He blinked… then looked away so fast it made my brows knit together.

“I’ll take my leave then,” Benson said suddenly.

My head whipped toward him. “Are you chickening away?”

He wasn’t about to leave me alone with this version of Owen, the one acting like a complete

weirdo.

“What did you say?” Owen asked sharply.

Both Benson and I turned toward him.

“I asked him why he was chickening out,” I said, keeping my voice steady.

He shook his head. “No. The other thing you said.”

Benson and I exchanged a confused look. “Uh… she didn’t say anything else,” Benson offered.

Before Owen could press further, another voice cut in.

“So this is where you ran off to,” someone said.

I turned to see a guy approaching, tall, sharp-featured, unfamiliar. He was speaking to Owen, though Owen wasn’t even looking at him.

Strangely… his eyes were still fixed on me.

“Ah, nice to meet you, miss,” the guy said politely.

“You too… uh?” I asked.

“Hamilton,” he provided with a grin.

Oh. That Hamilton.

The one Benson said gave him the ick.

“Nice to meet you, Hamilton. I’m Aria” I said calmly.

“And nice to meet you too,” he replied awkwardly, smiling even wider.

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Clair

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Side Stoy ^

I completely missed the way Owen’s jaw clenched. His eyes had gone darker, hotter, a quiet rage

simmering.

But Benson didn’t miss it.

“Uh-we should give them some space, Benson said quickly.

He moved toward Hamilton, practically inserting himself between us, distracting him with random small talk that didn’t make any sense.

“But I don’t need space,” I said, baffled.

“I think you do,” Benson insisted.

Even Hamilton looked confused as he let himself be dragged a short distance away.

Once they were out of earshot, Owen finally spoke.

“You like that kind of guy?”

I glanced at him. He looked more normal now, at least compared to the beast-like tension from

earlier, but what kind of question was that?

“Well… he’s not bad looking,” I said honestly, not realizing how naïve that sounded.

The change was immediate.

His posture stiffened. His expression dropped. His whole demeanor shifted like I had slapped him

across the face.

“So that means he’s your type of man?” he asked, voice low and tight.

I just stared at him. “I will choose not to answer that, Owen. And stop asking me stupid questions.”

He looked away again.

Wanting to lift the mood, I smiled a little. “Anyway… congratulations on your birthday. And your first

shift.”

He turned back to me then, the corner of his lips lifting. “Thank you.”

“So what color was it?” I asked, suddenly excited.

His eyes lit up. “Do you want to see it?”

I almost said yes, he caught me off guard. But I swallowed it down. “I… don’t think that’s a good

idea.”

“And why not?” he asked, stepping aside and motioning for me to walk with him.

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< Side Story 4

I joined him, and we started moving in slow, easy steps.

“You should save that reveal for your… special someone,” I said softly.

He didn’t answer right away. The breath he let out sounded almost like a tired sigh.

“Yeah.”

We walked a few more steps before he spoke again.

“You’re not going to ask why I didn’t choose my mate?”

Clair

I swallowed. “You’re probably betrothed,” I murmured. “That’s the only reason I can think of. Even if

no one said it.”

He stopped walking. I did too.

“So

you

think I should listen to my father?” he asked quietly. “If I found my mate, you think I should just reject her?”

I lifted my head and met his eyes. I didn’t know the right answer, not for him, not for any alpha

under pressure like that.

“You have to figure that out yourself, Owen,” I said gently. “No one can do that for you.”

He studied my face for a moment, something unspoken flickering in his eyes. Then he nodded.

“Thank you, Aria,” he said quietly. “You’ve always been… a great help to me.”

I nodded, still unsure what was running through his mind.

“Have you eaten?” he asked. I knew immediately he was asking if I had eaten at the party.

So I shook my head. “Not really… but I ate before coming to the party.”

“Ouch,” he muttered, making me smile. Then his lips curved in that familiar way that always softened his entire face. “You better have space in your belly, Aria. I prepared a little something. I haven’t eaten you see.”

I nodded again, my smile widening as we walked toward the small table set aside for us.

While we ate, we slowly slipped back into being just Owen and Aria again. The weird tension from earlier dissolved like it had never existed. He wasn’t distant. He wasn’t cold. He wasn’t acting strange.

Almost like that beastly version of him only came out when other people were watching.

But Benson wasn’t “other people.” That thought kept tugging at me, even as I tried to push it away.

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< Side Story 4

Still, the night passed, his birthday came and went, and life kept moving the way it always did,except… things began to shift.

Clair

Owen didn’t have as much free time anymore. His father kept him constantly busy, drilling him into the shape of a future alpha. And when he did manage to escape that pressure, he was always around us.

Or… if I’m being honest… around me.

It wasn’t like he didn’t used to spend time with me before, but now it was too obvious. Too intentional. A few wolves started whispering, spreading silly rumors that maybe we were dating

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