The Alpha's Chubby Obsession. novel Chapter 96

Chapter 90

Maurice

Claire

Things seem to be getting better as the days go by. The pack is more stable now, calmer than before, and at least I no longer have to deal with the constant complaints and nagging from both the people and my subordinates.

Investors have started swinging in from left and right again. Here in Waterford Pack, we have everything it takes to rise, if only things were managed properly. Those investors knew that too, but they cut ties with us after Silver Crest Pack did. And anyone who knows this region knows Silver Crest controls the North, a pack known as “The Power of the North”.

I was reviewing some documents when suddenly my nose caught a whiff of something in the air-faint at first, but sharp enough to make me stop mid-step. My brows furrowed. That scent… it was unlike anything I had ever smelled before. Sweet, warm, and dangerously intoxicating.

I arose, my feet moving, instinctively letting my senses guide me as I followed the scent down the hall. My heartbeat picked up without my permission, every step drawing me closer until I reached the corridor where a few maids stood chatting softly among themselves.

The scent was strong here, so strong it was maddening. I stopped and took a slow breath. The moment they saw me, their laughter died instantly. All of them froze and bowed their heads in

unison.

“Alpha,” they greeted.

I said nothing for a few seconds, just watched them quietly. No-it couldn’t be coming from one of them. Could it?

But as my gaze moved across the group, I noticed one of them trembling. Her hands gripped the edge of her apron tightly, her breathing uneven, as though she’d just seen a ghost. My eyes lingered on her longer than I intended.

The air around us grew heavy. I could hear her heartbeat fast, unsteady.

“You,” I said finally, pointing at her. “The chubby one. Stay.”

The others bowed again and hurried off, leaving just the frightened maid standing before me.

Octavia

Oh no. I had perceived his scent even before the others did. My wolf had screamed mate inside me, and when I turned to look, it was him, the Alpha. It couldn’t be.

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Clair

I should be happy, right? I should be glad that I found my mate, but I’m not. Not even a little. I máy belong to the Waterford Pack, but I never wanted anything to do with the Maxwells ever again. The last time I stood before one of them, I was just a young girl-and she almost killed me. She left me to die in Silver Crest Pack, bleeding and broken.

If Alpha Osborne hadn’t seen me and made sure I was brought back to health, I would’ve been long dead and forgotten by now. Since then, I’d sworn in my heart never to cross paths with any of them

again.

But fate clearly doesn’t care about promises.

For someone like me, with no wealth or education, this job was the best I could get. Working here as a maid wasn’t exactly a dream, but it was stable, and it paid enough for me to survive. I’ve been saving and studying whenever I can, hoping that one day I’ll earn the right qualifications to leave this life behind. That was the plan-until now.

And now… here I am, trembling under his stare.

I know why he’s looking at me like that. He must feel it too-the bond. That pull between us. And deep down, I know what will happen next. He’ll reject me. What else could an Alpha do when fate

ties him to a maid?

Imagine that-me, of all people. A maid mated to her Alpha. And not just any maid, but the fat one everyone whispers about. The same reason Mistress Bella almost killed me back then, for being fat. My throat felt tight as the memories flooded back, and I could feel my heart racing faster than it ever had before, part fear, part the unbearable power of that mating bond.

I didn’t want this. I didn’t ask for it. But fate has a cruel way of laughing at people like me.

“You must have felt it too. Is that why you’re shaking?” His voice rolled out smoothly, deep and commanding, and it sent a tremor through me. I hadn’t expected him to ask that, not so directly. My mind screamed the words I didn’t dare say aloud: I’m scared of you… because your sister

almost killed me.

His eyes sharpened. “What did you just say?”

I froze, lips parting but no sound coming out. How could he have-

“Do you realize I can read your thoughts?”

My head snapped toward him instantly. For a moment, everything inside me stilled. He could hear my thoughts? My heart thudded painfully in my chest as I swallowed hard, my voice breaking free before I could stop it.

“I don’t want this,” I said, forcing the words out, my voice trembling but steady enough to be

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understood. “So I’ll reject you.”

The silence that followed was sharp, dangerous.

Clau

Before I could blink, he moved swiftly. His hand closed around my arm, firm enough to make me

those gasp. The warmth of his skin seared through me, sending sparks up my veins. His eyes; golden eyes-flared, glowing like the sun itself. My breath hitched, my mind suddenly blank, completely overtaken by the sheer intensity of his presence.

“And who,” he said, voice low, almost a growl, “are you to reject me?”

The air between us pulsed, heavy and charged. My wolf whimpered inside me, torn between fear and the magnetic pull of our bond.

“I didn’t mean it that way,” I murmured, trying to steady my voice, but it only trembled more. “I just thought it was the best.”

My words did nothing to calm him. If anything, it seemed to make him angrier. His eyes darkened, his jaw clenched tight, and when he spoke, his voice came out low and sharp.

“Why are you shaking like a leaf?” he asked, releasing my arm at last.

I could finally breathe, though the air still felt heavy around us. Now that I looked at him properly, his anger seemed to falter just slightly, beneath the fire in his gaze, there was something else. Maybe worry. Maybe confusion. But I wasn’t sure.

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