CHAPTER 128: JUICY ANTELOPE.

"These pancakes are so creamy. How did you do it?" He asked, folding two round pieces into four and shoving all of them into his mouth, at once.

Bethany couldn’t help but shake her head at his actions, completely at loss for words. "I don’t know, Baby Alpha Tristan." She teased, taking a bite of her own food.

"You’re so mean." He whined.

"And you are so.. different." She couldn’t help but say, earning a confused look from her mate whose mouth was filled with pancakes.

"How d you mean, different?" He asked as soon as he had successfully swallowed the food in his mouth.

"The Tristan I used to see in passing and heard of, and the Tristan I’m looking at right now, are two different people. The distinctions are uncanny." She explained.

"Oh." Was all he said, his gaze going down to the plate before him. He folded another two pancakes, scarfing them as soon as he brought them up to his lips.

"Tristan." She called softly, peering into his solemn face. When he didn’t look at her, she wrapped her hand around his that lay on the table. "Look at me, Trist." She cooed.

He shifted his gaze to her hesitantly, looking distant. "If you don’t want to talk about anything of that sort, I’m down. I’m just trying to know you, not judging you. I swear." She said softly. He looked so vulnerable, she couldn’t help but feel like the twenty-three year old in their midst.

"I know you’re not. I’m just.." He sighed, straightening in his seat, shoulders slouched. "I don’t know why I’m so sensitive today."

"Sensitive, or unguarded?" She asked, giving him a knowing look.

"Yeah. Unguarded." He admitted, nodding. "First, it was the voice, then the childish tendencies I didn’t even know still existed. It might have something to do with you being around." He said, smiling when he saw her cheeks crimson.

"Well, do you think it’s a good or bad thing?" She asked, smirking, as she rubbed the back of his hand softly.

"Definitely good." He admitted without wasting a breath. "Just foreign. But I’d be fine." He brought his other hand to the table, cradling her hand.

"As for your earlier question," He said as his gaze dropped to their hands. "I am very different from the person you’ve heard of, because that’s the only kind of person I am allowed to portray as an Alpha-to-be. I can’t use this voice on the adults in the park. I only use it for the children. Some people have heard it before, but I’m pretty sure get waved it away because they probably thought I was faking it. And I can’t be like this to them either."

"I know, Trist." She assured, with a soft voice. "I wasn’t asking for an explanation. I already understand why you act the way you do, it’s just that you’re so good at it. A little too good." She cooed, laughter in her eyes.

"Well, you can’t blame me." He shrugged, smiling softly as relief flooded his chest. "I’ve been doing it for years. Would’ve been weird if I hadn’t perfected it by now." He chimed.

"Well, technically, you haven’t." She said, her other hand on her chin as she looked at him with squinted eyes.

"How?" He asked, giving her a confused look.

"Your guard slipped today without you knowing." She quipped, wiggling her eyebrows.

"That wasn’t my fault! It’s the bond." He defended. "Asides that, I’m completely perfect at holding it up." He added with confidence.

"Mmm, okay. Whatever helps you sleep at night." She quipped, slipping her hand out of his cradle, winking at him.

"Tsk. I should spank you right now." He said suggestively, tapping the end of his fork lightly on the glass table.

"For what?" She asked with furrowed eyebrows, shoving a piece of bacon over pancake in her mouth.

"For taunting me." He said, layering his pancakes again.

"Taunting you?" She scoffed. "Aren’t you supposed to be an Alpha one day? How is it that a lowly Omega like me is able to taunt ’Mr Big bad soon-to-be Alpha’, or are you just weak?" She asked, mischief in her eyes as she looked at him from over the glass she held in her hand.

"Weak?" He asked with a very deep voice that should’ve scared her.

"Mmhm." She responded, as she swallowed the liquid in her mouth, her eyes leaving his briefly to the rim of the glass she caressed.

Swallowing, he dropped his fork, leaning back into his seat, folding his arms acros his chest. "You really are something, Bethany Sage." He said, his gaze laying heavily on her.

Surprisingly, his pointed gaze did many things except making her feel uncomfortable. His heavy yet soft gaze caused her to feel very self conscious, but in a good way.

It made her feel like a gem worth admiring, only now she wasn’t sure if he was admiring her or observing her like a prey every fibre of his being itched to feast on due to how dark his eyes were turning.

The silence between them was thickening faster than ever with every passing second, practically sucking up all the oxygen that surrounded them.

She cleared her throat, deciding it as high time she pulled him out of the hole he was practically digging for them with every shade his eyes darkened into. "Stop staring at me like I’m some fat antelope you can’t wait to feast on." She said, throwing a glare his way for a second before turning her gaze back to her meal.

He laughed heartily at her words, shaking his head. "Antelope? I admit I wanted and still want to feast on you, but I’m very sure I didn’t look at you like you were an antelope." He chimed.

She scoffed, picking the piece she had cut with her fork. "You should have seen your face."

He chuckled again, not knowing what else to respond to his mate who was convinced he saw her as a juicy antelope.

"I do find you juicy, though."