I can almost understand why he wouldn't want to be the Alpha but that's just my own opinion, if we were going to be taking baby steps, it would help if we were more open.
"But I'm worried now, tell me what's going on." I prod softly.
He looks conflicted for a moment but acquiesces. "The only reason my dad arranged for me to come back from the city was because he found out I was an Alpha." He starts quietly and I dig my hands in his hair gently, offering comfort. "Five year old me was excited to go back home but he acted like I didn't exist which was even was than the rejection" He trails off, taking a deep breath.
"I'm not mad at him I guess, it has long evolved to something more like not just caring about him. Sure, he lost his wife and mate but I lost my mom too, he never saw that I'm going off track here." He cuts himself off closing his eyes, I wrap my arms around him for comfort.
I just listen quietly, it was nice to see Virgil open up, he bottled up a lot of things, shouldering his pains and aches all by himself.
"Now he wants me to be the future Alpha of the pack." He chuckles dryly without a hint of amusement. "Someone who has never held a conversation with me all my life."
"You sound mad though." I point out, leaning up to brush my lips on his cheek.
His hand wraps behind my nape to keep me close. "Yeah? Well that's because he's been conniving with the twins and Jaxon to feed me lies."
My eyes go wide at this piece of information. "W-What?" I splutter, stunned.
He flips me over so that I'm on my back and he hovers over me, another one of those ugly chuckles leaving his lips, nothing like the hearty laughter I had previously heard.
"Yes, love." He murmurs, placing light kisses on my neck that makes my breath hitch. "For some crazy reason, they thought that if they'd separated us, I'd agree to becoming the Alpha."
I go quiet, stunned, no wonder he had become watchful and tense, like he was expecting something or searching for something.
"I can't believe they would go that far." I say, angry, which is quickly fading with how hot Virgil's kisses are getting.
"I do." He shrugs, sliding his hands up my sweater, hands brushing over bare skin, warming and causing goosebumps to trail. "What I don't believe is how long it took me to get you."
I look down at him, a smug smile on my face. "So we're just going to ignore the fact that I was the first to profess my love, you know, come to think about it, you never said it back." I taunt, a little huffy.
His blue eyes go vulnerable as he stares down at me with his heart in his eyes.
As scary as this is for me, I can imagine it being a whole lot worse for Virgil, it makes me want to stomp up to the fourth floor with my mom's future metal bat and bash Alpha Everett in his sleep.
"I love you, Hay." He says in a whisper.
My eyes go wide, the words digging deep in my skin and settling deep in my heart, etched there for an eternity.
A sound halfway between a laugh and a sob spills out of my mouth and I throw my arms around him. "Love you too, V!" I squeal happily then frown, my glassy eyes going blurry.
Virgil looks confused. "You're so happy and sad?"
I wipe my eyes with the edge of my sleeve, mentally scolding myself. "Y-Yes." I whisper painfully.
He doesn't question it anymore, getting us comfortable on the bed. "It's alright to be sad." He murmurs into my hair, a hand rubbing my back and hair simultaneously. "Guess who told me that?"
I sniffle, tears still spilling over my eyes, I was beyond happy that my feelings had finally been reciprocated but I was heartbroken over Dale - it felt weird.
"A fortune cookie?" I mumble without much thought still sniffling.
He snorts. "No, baby, you did then you showed me a crayon drawing of the both of us, I still have it." He adds proudly.
I make a sound of embarrassment, hiding my red and teary face behind my hands. "It was hideous, why do you still have it?" I whine.
"Because you made it?" He replies rhetorically like I was supposed to know that.
My eyes get heavy, my bare legs tangled up in Virgil's sweatpant clad and longer legs under the blankets.
"Kiss me goodnight?" I ask sleepily, lifting my face to his.
I'm mostly asleep when he does but the goofy smile on my face registers when his lips make contact with mine.
"Night, love." His familiar voice whispers into my hair.
This better not be a dream
It definitely wasn't... I wake up first to Virgil pushing his hands so high up my sweater that it was almost off, thank all that was for his body heat and the blankets or I'd have come down with a cold.
His face is buried in the crook of my neck and I wonder how that is even comfortable for him, he's careful to not crush me even in his sleep which is disappointing because I didn't mind the comforting weight.
Virgil is eager to try out everything and for how reticent and reserved he usually is, it's a really hard whiplash, the tips of my ears reddening each time he nonchalantly calls me by a pet name.
Even if Dale had tried to break me out of the habit I was still really self-conscious about kissing without brushing when I woke up so that was my current plan.
Managing to extricate myself from Virgil's possessive hold and make my way to the bathroom without waking him up.
It shouldn't be so hard