Chosen by the Beast Alpha

Chapter 143: Chapter 143

Alya’s POV

Her hands were clenched tight under the table.

Last night, she’d called him Sam because the moment had kind of demanded it. But now that her head was clear again, the name felt way too familiar for someone she barely knew.

"Maybe I should just call you Samuel? Sam sounds too casual."

He smiled.

"If you call me Samuel, I’ll sound like some old-school grandpa. I’m really not that much older than you."

Heat rushed straight to her cheeks. His laugh hit her like a glitch in her system, and for a second her mind just blanked out. He seemed to catch that she was this close to losing her composure, so he didn’t push anymore.

"You can call me whatever you want."

She pulled out her phone and texted Lena, asking if she wanted to go shopping together. Lena replied almost instantly.

Alya finally let out a long breath and looked up at Samuel. "She said yes."

"Nice." He gave a small nod. "Where are you meeting? I can drive you both."

"No need."

"You called me Sam. The bare minimum I can do is drive you home." He packed up his laptop and stood.

After that, she really couldn’t find a way to turn him down, so she followed him out to the car.

Once they were on the road, he asked, "Are you planning to stay over there for good?"

"I haven’t decided yet."

"What about your boyfriend over there?"

"Yeah." She lowered her gaze to her hands.

He glanced at her. "Things with your family seem good lately. Everything’s moving fast."

She nodded. "My mom said she wants to come back and visit too."

"Then why hasn’t she come back?"

A heavy weight pressed against her chest, but Aliya still forced out a smile. "She’s sick. She can’t handle a long trip."

Samuel went quiet for a second. "When she gets better, bring her back."

"Okay."

They pulled up at the place they’d agreed on. Lena was already there, waiting.

Aliya said goodbye to Samuel and got out of the car.

Lena’s POV

Lena watched Aliya hop out of Samuel’s car and hurry toward her in quick little steps. She also caught Samuel still sitting behind the wheel, eyes following Aliya the whole way.

She raised a brow.

So he really was doing this. And this girl clearly had a boyfriend.

"Lena!" Aliya waved, slightly out of breath.

Lena smiled at her.

They fell into step side by side without even thinking about it. Lena genuinely liked her. Aliya was warm, bright, easy to be around. Being with her felt natural, no pressure, no weirdness, just chill.

They wandered through the shops and drifted around the business district. Aliya looked engaged, like she was paying attention, but Lena could tell something was brewing inside her. She was wrestling with it.

"Lena, there’s something I need to tell you."

Lena nodded. "Go ahead."

"I know this is sudden, and if this isn’t the right time, I’m sorry." Aliya gripped the strap of her bag so tightly her knuckles almost stiffened. "My cousin Garrett is the Alpha of the Shiqiang Wolf Pack. The pack’s in trouble right now, and he needs Alpha Dominic’s help to save this project. I was hoping maybe you could put in a good word for him."

Lena already knew all of that.

"Of course, if the Shiqiang Wolf Pack isn’t worth investing in, I totally understand." Once she said it, Aliya’s shoulders loosened a little. She’d done everything she could.

All that anxiety, all that tension, it was because she wanted to help her cousin. That was it. Nothing more.

Lena placed a hand on her shoulder. "You don’t need to stress. Didn’t Samuel tell you? His team has been doing the final round of evaluation this whole time. They already finished one round. If this last one passes, then it’s basically a done deal."

Aliya stared at her. "Really?"

"Yeah." Lena smiled and gave her shoulder a light pat. "Samuel’s been personally pushing those numbers the whole time. He wants everything on Garrett’s side to go smoothly. So hey, relax. Stonewall Pack will be fine."

Alya let out a long breath, like all the tension had finally drained out of her body. Her shoulders loosened, and at last she smiled. "Thank you, Lena."

"Don’t thank me. I didn’t do anything." Lena waved it off. "Guys like them don’t move unless there’s profit in it. If the numbers work, they invest. Simple as that."

Alya stared at her, clearly caught off guard.

Lena laughed. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You mean Alpha Dominic?"

"I mean everybody who’s breathing. Dominic included." She shrugged, totally unbothered. "They’re all the same."

That got a laugh out of Alya. Since the day they’d met, it was the first time she looked this relaxed, this genuinely at ease.

Once that weight was off her chest, shopping got way more fun too.

They chatted about her life in another territory—the food there, the weather, and how different the wolf pack culture was from theirs. Everything sounded familiar enough to picture, but still weirdly far away, like a place running on a totally different vibe.

"So," Lena asked at last, grinning a little, "do you have a boyfriend?" Girl talk always found its way back to men sooner or later.

Alya pressed her lips together, but a smile slipped through anyway, one she couldn’t hide even if she tried. "I do."

"For how long?"

"Three years." The second she mentioned him, her eyes lit up.

Lena thought of Samuel and basically started drafting his obituary in her head. Three years. And just saying the word "boyfriend" made Alya glow.

Samuel had absolutely no shot.

Not to mention Alya would be leaving soon. Even if Samuel wanted to fight for a chance, time was not on his side. Not even close.

The more time Lena spent with Alya, the more she liked her. There was something refreshing about her—so open, so sincere, with this unpolished innocence that didn’t feel fake or forced.

Later, while they were sitting in a café with drinks in front of them, Alya’s phone rang. It was her boyfriend. Lena gestured for her to answer it.

He wanted to video call. Alya agreed. When he asked who she was with, she checked with Lena first before turning the camera toward her. "I’m out with a super cool girl I met here."

I waved at the screen. He smiled and said, "Hi."

She stepped off to a quieter corner. I stayed where I was, sipping my coffee and scrolling on my phone.

Ten minutes later, she came back, her face glowing with that soft, dreamy happiness people only get when they’re really, seriously in love.

I grinned. "You two are seriously adorable."

"Thanks." She lowered her head a little, looking shy. "He was my classmate at the academy. After graduation, he’s been crazy busy, but he still makes time for me. While I’ve been here, he’s gone to see my mom every single day."

Just hearing that made something in my chest go warm.

"Lena, I’ll probably head back in a few days."

Alya’s smile faded a bit. We hadn’t known each other long, but I could tell she didn’t really want to leave.

I got it. "Your life is over there. You should go back."

That was exactly why she liked me. I wasn’t about to guilt-trip her into staying.

"My mom needs me with her. I’ve already been away too long."

"Of course." I nodded. "And don’t stress about Garrett. He’ll handle it. That’s not on you."

She nodded.

By then, I’d already figured out what was really going on. Bringing Alya here, introducing her to me, all of it was Samuel’s setup. The Stonewall Pack issue was going to happen no matter what. Samuel had just used it as an excuse to get Alya back here. That was the whole play.

Samuel would do just about anything if it meant seeing her.

That night, the second I walked through my front door, Dominic came in right behind me, and Samuel was right on his heels.

I looked at Samuel. His agenda was so obvious it might as well have been lit up in neon.

"Hey, sis." Samuel lifted a grocery bag and flashed a wide grin. "I bought lobster and grouper. Mind if I borrow your kitchen?"

Sis? He had never called me that before. He was totally trying to butter me up. I looked at Dominic, and he just gave me a helpless shrug.

I leaned against the kitchen doorway with my arms folded, watching Samuel roll up the sleeves of his white shirt, tie still on, as he pulled a lobster out of the bag. "Samuel, don’t you think we should invite Alya over too?"

His hand froze midair. He turned around, the lenses of his glasses catching the light with a sharp gleam. His gaze was cool, almost cutting. "I don’t mind. Your call."

"Never mind. Better not."

His jaw tightened. Without saying a word, he turned back around and went straight to the kitchen counter.

She smiled and walked into the living room. Dominic Voss was sitting on the sofa. The second he saw her coming over, he opened his arms, and she dropped down beside him.

"Don’t push him," he whispered, keeping his voice low. "If he gets mad, he’ll end up crashing here again."

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