The Bride Widow
Chapter 13: Ch 13: Running into Familia Faces - Part 2

Chapter 13: Ch 13: Running into Familia Faces - Part 2

Anabella looked stunned as she looked down at James.

The alpha pup clutched her skirt as he growled at the alpha pair in front of Anabella with a suspicious look.

James’s distrust sparked clearly on his face as he hid more than half of his body behind Anabella. But he also refused to accept other unknown alphas in his territory.

Anabella felt her face flush as she looked down at James. She wanted to speak, but her mouth felt dry, and her brain stopped computing what was happening.

In theory, she knew what she was experiencing, but her brain refused to accept it as reality.

"James, it’s alright. These two are not strangers. They are my friends from school, whom I have not seen for some time. They will not hurt us, so there is no need to be so on guard."

Anabella’s instincts told her to kneel and calm James down.

Despite being an alpha, he was still a pup, and Anabella’s omega wanted her to help the pup settle down.

She had to physically hold herself back to prevent this because Anabella knew the kid would not like it.

James had repeatedly disliked Anabella’s touch, and she did not want to force her instincts on the kid and let him deal with it.

*Grrr*

Despite her assurance that it was fine, James did not seem to think so and continued clearly showing his displeasure.

There was a tense silence in the air before Clair let out an amused chuckle and backed off.

"Fine, I get it! Your step-mother is all yours-"

"She is not my step-anything. I have a mother whom my father is in love with. Anabella is just someone who lives with us and has the same name as us...."

James denied it, more out of reflexes than anything at this point.

His face quickly colored when he realized what he had done, but he refused to take his words back.

*Sigh*

’These two were the last people I wanted to air my dirty laundry in front of. I don’t even have the heart to look at their expressions to check their feelings about me.’

Since this was the case, Anabella kept her eyes down and looked anywhere her two childhood friends were not visible...which was difficult when one was draped across her shoulder.

"I see. Seems like a complicated story. You can tell us all about it over tea one day, Anabella. But for now, did you say you needed a ride back home? How about we give you one? We are heading the way direction anyway."

The alpha draped across Anabella’s back and asked her this as he finally pulled himself away.

James looked ready to bite the older alpha if he did not back down right away, and that expression made Noah let out a small laugh.

"NO! We won’t be heading home with you. Anabella, hand me the phone. I will call Father if the drivers don’t come for us. I am sure father will send a driver for us."

James held his hand out for the phone, and Anabella was about to tell him there was no point in doing this.

Daniel had her number blocked even before marriage. There was no way he would unblock her so soon and without any reason.

But talking to James at the moment seemed impossible, so Anabella just gave the kid her phone.

The call did not even connect before it got cut off. James looked stunned to see this, but he did not give up.

He called again, but the result was the same.

By the third time he tried, it was clear there was no point in continuing with this.

"So, about that offer..."

Claris asked, and James was very clear about his refusal.

"Still no! Anabella, you said we would call a taxi, so we would head back in a taxi. Let’s take a cab back home. I want to go back and talk with my father today."

James seemed hell-bent on keeping Anabella away from this pair of alphas.

Somehow, he did not feel good about them and wanted to keep Anabella as far away and protected as possible.

It was a weird feeling that James had never felt for his mother, so it confused him. At the same time, he did not want to question these feelings and confuse himself even more.

He needed to talk to his father and figure out his feelings. He felt this father would know what was happening and advise him well.

’Let’s get out of here first. I might not like Anabella, but that does not mean I want her to head home with these suspicious people, either. I don’t like how they tried to influence the atmosphere with their pheromones and to cover Anabella in them.’

James made a face as he smelled the heavy pheromone blanket the male alpha had showered Anabella in when he had warped his arm around her shoulder.

It clung to her clothes and skin, but she seemed to be ignoring it (no, nor ignoring it, but used to it).

James did not like the fact that this had happened. But it had happened, and he could not do anything about it. Instead, he sat down and did his best not to let this happen again.

As soon as they reached the home, James dragged Anabella through the door and pushed her toward the shower.

"Take a bath! You stink badly, and I do not want to see you until you scrub that offending scent off your body. Just...head in and scrub yourself over. That is all I want you to do."

James slammed the bathroom door behind him and locked it from the outside.... Then, as soon as he met the housekeeper and began to talk to her, he forgot all about it.

He did not remember Anabella and what he had done until his father asked him how his day went and what all he did.

James bolted out of his seat two hours later as soon as he remembered what happened.

Daniel followed James as he watched him run around in panic, but a half-naked Anabella was the last thing he expected to see when he followed his son to his destination.

James looked guilty and pleased simultaneously, but the blank look on Anabella’s face made Daniel uneasy. He felt he needed to save James, making him lash out at Anabella without a solid reason.