Controlled 2: Loving An Alpha Male Read online

  Once Melody was done with her makeup and hair, she smiled down at Nyla.

  “I’m so good!” She patted herself on the back.

  Nyla stood and turned to face the mirror above her sink. She took in her reflection and her eyes grew in astonishment. For the little time and product Melody had to work with, the woman worked her magic. Nyla looked amazing. She had to take in her reflection for at least a few minutes before she recognized herself.

  “What do you think?” Melody asked her, a bit nervous from Nyla’s silence.

  Nyla remained quiet a little while longer. Then a warm smile creased her face. She turned and gave Melody a tight squeeze.

  “Girl, this is fabulous. You are a miracle worker. Thank you!” Nyla told her, hugging her tighter.

  Melody laughed and hugged her back just as tight. “Oh, girl, please. You are gorgeous. All that makeup did was bring out the beast mode in you, that’s all. Now,” Melody said, pulling back. She slapped Nyla’s ass. “Finish getting dress so we can go.”

  Melody disappeared from the bathroom and Nyla studied herself again. She wished Andrew would’ve seen her tonight so he could eat his heart out. But, maybe this was the night where things looked up for her. She felt as if she had already hit rock bottom, the only place to go from here was up.

  “Come on, Princess. I got Leonard to drop us off at the club. He’s waiting outside,” Latricia called from the living room.

  There was a full-length mirror tacked to the back of Nyla’s bathroom door. Nyla closed the bathroom door, carefully removed her T-shirt and gave herself a final once over. When she looked at the final package, she smiled.

  Damn, girl, guys will be eating their hearts out tonight!

  Nyla fussed around her bathroom, unplugging her straighter before shutting off the lights and exiting her bathroom. She popped back into her bedroom to grab a red clutch purse before stepping into the living room where Latricia and Melody sat waiting.

  Melody saw her first and whistled. “Damn girl, that dress is fire! And that body? Where you been hiding those curves?”

  Latricia turned around and was just as surprised as Melody. “Holy shit, woman! I didn’t know you had it in you. You look hot as hell.” Latricia stood and grinned broadly. “Girl, you’ll be beating dudes away with a stick or telling them to take a number.”

  Nyla smiled warmly at the compliments from her friends. Their approval was confirmation that she indeed looked good. She felt good too; for the first time in a long time. She was ready to start a new chapter in her life. It was about time.

  “Well, thank you, ladies,” she replied, bowing her head slightly. “I don’t know about beating dudes away or even giving out numbers, but it’ll feel good to get that kind of attention. The only type of attention I get these days is from men that want to place their food orders.”

  “Well, honey, if you think you’re going to be ignored tonight in that dress, you have another thing coming. Now, let’s go.” Latricia walked around the couch and snapped her fingers. “I put our names on the VIP list, but we still have to wait in line, and these heels have to last me all night.”

  Nyla shook her head and smiled. “Okay, I just need to grab my phone.”

  The women headed toward her door while Nyla retrieved her cell phone. She swiped the screen and froze; her heart seemed to sink straight to her toes. She had hoped to see a few missed calls waiting for her from Andrew, but there wasn’t any. Then she remembered his threat. Shit! She looked at the time. She wasn’t sure how far away he lived. She assumed it was either in the city or the suburbs to the west of her apartment. Either way, it should take about forty-five minutes to get here. How much time had she wasted getting dressed and putting on makeup? Fuck, she couldn’t remember. Since her door was still intact, that meant Andrew hadn’t arrived yet. But he could be pulling up right now. Her breathing started to pick up.

  “Come on, heffa!” yelled Latricia from the doorway of the apartment.

  “All right! Dang, I’m coming.”

  Nyla unzipped her clutch and dropped her phone into her purse. She grabbed her keys from the kitchen counter and followed her friends out of the apartment; locking the door behind her. The three women then carefully took the stairs, one after the other, holding on to the banister as they stepped. Nyla lived on the third-floor so they had to slowly and carefully tackle six flights of stairs before plummeting into darkness at the bottom landing.

  The women lived in a worn-down apartment complex that housed about twenty apartment buildings. The buildings were scattered throughout the complex with parking lots surrounding them. Each building had twelve apartments and a laundry room with a breezeway and outside stairs splitting up the apartments; six on each side and four on each floor. Nyla’s building actually faced the entrance to the complex, which was a good thing. She would see Andrew coming if he wasn’t here already.

  “When is the damn super going to replace the lights down here?” Melody observed angrily. “It’s dangerous as hell coming out here at night. Someone could be hiding in the shadows and you wouldn’t see them until it was too late.”

  Nyla heard Latricia reply, but she didn’t make out the words. Spooked from Melody’s revelation, she looked around the darkened landing making sure Andrew wasn’t standing in the shadows just waiting to make his move.

  “Where the fuck is Leonard?” Latricia asked bitterly as they stepped away from the building. She looked around the parking lot facing their building and scanned the lots surrounding them.

  “I don’t know,” Nyla added, looking in the direction of where Leonard lived, which was a few buildings down from where they stood. Leonard was a creature of habit. Anytime you wanted to find him or needed him for something, he was always posted in the same place every day, all day; on the bottom stairway of his apartment building.

  “Maybe you should call him,” Melody began, but then immediately saw headlights coming their way. “Oh, never mind. There he is,” Melody added and relief flooded Nyla’s body. However, it only lasted a split second. She actually felt his presence before she heard a familiar deep voice that literally made her heart stop and sent chills down her spine.

  “Nyla!”

  Nyla closed her eyes as the hard, penetrating voice rocked her to her core. She didn’t move. She couldn’t move. But her friends did.

  “Good gotdamn,” whispered Latricia and at the same time Nyla heard Melody mumble, “Holy Shit.”

  Nyla didn’t want to turn around. She knew who had called her. His presence was overwhelming. His voice caressed her spine, giving it a hard shake. He said her name again, his voice dropped even deeper in tone and deeper into her soul. Breathing was becoming a chore.

  She swallowed hard and took a few deep breaths. Come on girl! He’s just a man.

  When she finally turned to face him, her breath caught in her throat.

  “Holy Mary, mother of Joseph…”

  Andrew…

  The moment after Cedric left his apartment, Andrew had jumped into the shower to wash away the dirt and grime of the forest and to clear his mind. Once out of the shower, he had thrown on a pair of sweatpants and made his way into his living room for a much-needed drink. He clinked a few ice cubes into his glass, poured the 1738, and headed for his couch.

  Andrew sunk deep into the soft cushions underneath him and tried to relax. He took a healthy sip of his drink, leaned his head back and closed his eyes. The apartment was silent. The lights were off. He contemplated playing some music, deepening his relaxed state. However, he didn’t want to move. In the silence, his mind trudged up the conversation he’d had with his brother as well as Rinic, who had called him shortly after he emerged from the shower. The conversation with Rinic didn’t go very well, however, he was glad he had spoken to the old man as well as Cedric. With Ced, it was a long time coming and it revealed a lot of unanswered questions that he had hoped Rinic would be able to answer. One of which was the true identity of Nyla Montgomery.

  Could Nyl
a really be like him and not know it? He just wasn’t sure.

  Andrew was capable of sensing his own kind, every wolf had that ability. He was also capable of sensing moods and of speaking and connecting through telepathy with the wolves of his pack. However, what Cedric had brought to light and into question, were Andrew’s mindset and his abilities. He knew he was very strong with skills that very few possessed. Any wolf was able to sense emotions from a human as long as they were in their presence. A wolf could tell if a human was frightened or angry based off of the scent their bodies produced. But having the ability to read a human as if he or she was a wolf wasn’t something possible by anyone, which brought him to Nyla. He didn’t sense the genetics of a wolf in her and yet he could not only sense her emotions when he was around her, but he could also read her and feel every part of her with just his mind when she wasn’t. If Nyla wasn’t human and she wasn’t a wolf, then what was she? He needed to get answers and soon. Something about her was pulling him closer and closer to her. He wasn’t going to be able to hold out from claiming her much longer. And keeping his distance wasn’t something he wanted to do, which was the very thing he had been asked to do.

  Both Cedric and Rinic wanted him to stay away from Nyla; just for a few days, they had requested. That sounded good, and for all intents and purposes, Andrew had told them that he would keep his distance. Nonetheless, as he had sat there in the darkened quiet space, his eyes closed, his mind had drifted right to her. The reality had been as clear as the night sky outside his balcony door. There was no way he was staying away from his addiction.

  He wanted his woman. He missed her. He missed seeing her beautiful face and seeing the sweetness and innocence of her smile. He missed hearing the sultry sound of her voice. Not immersing himself in his vices had given him many restless nights. During those sleepless nights and endless days, she had been the star of his daydreams; since all he had was his imagination to get him through. He loved the way it felt when her hands glided along his heated skin. It seemed to calm his savage beast, which was something that very few had the power to do. He had been able to feel what she never said with her mouth within her touch and her eyes. It humbled him. The expertly placed walls that he built around himself for protection, was being knocked down brick by brick.

  Nyla also fed his erotic desires. She was beyond sexy and made him delirious with need. His desires for her ran deep. He was going to claim her; that was inevitable. He yearned to hold her, spend every waking day and night pleasing her. And of course, he couldn’t wait for the moment when he could drown himself in her taste and get lost in her essence once again. The feeling of her pussy walls convulsing around his cock was torture. And yet, hearing her scream his name in ecstasy was the most earth-shattering, steamy, and lascivious sound that he’d ever experienced.

  He smiled to himself as a vision of her popped into his mind. She was so beautiful. So amazing and sweet and she was all his. That was the reality of it all, he concluded. She was his and no one was going to take her from him.

  “Fuck this shit,” Andrew bellowed out loud and in his mind mainly, for Cedric and Rinic’s sake. He sat up, placed his drink on the coffee table, and reached for his phone. There was just no way he was keeping his distance. He was actually getting worked up just thinking about not seeing her again. That just wasn’t an option he was willing to accept. Sure, he understood Cedric and Rinic’s fears. He had some trepidations of his own, one being the true identity of Nyla. However, that wasn’t going to stop him from seeing her. He’d deal with whatever Rinic found out about her whenever that time came. Until then, he would be with his woman. There was no denying that fact or stopping him. Would he officially claim her for himself? Not right away, but in due time, yes. He would at least give Rinic the time he required to do whatever he needed in order to get Andrew the answers he desired. Except, he would have to do that knowing that whatever he did find out, it wouldn’t change a thing. Nyla was and will forever be his.

  Andrew dialed her number and the second he heard her voice, the storm brewing within him suddenly ceased. Her voice was music to his soul, and he had missed her deeply. On the other hand, when he heard and felt the edge in her voice, it had made him pause. After that, shit went downhill from there.

  The whole time they were on the phone Andrew felt that storm brewing inside him all over again, but this time, for a different reason. The shit she was saying to him was pissing him off with each fucking syllable that poured out of her mouth. He didn’t have a clue what had happened. Granted, he’d been working like crazy, traveling, and had missed a few of her calls. Still, he didn’t think it a big deal. He had planned, once he had gotten home and was settled, to call her back. He had no clue his actions or lack of actions would result in her insulting his ears with chaotic rhetoric. He needed to get to the bottom of what in the hell had happened and now; not later. He was not about to let Nyla go. No fucking way was that shit going to happen.

  Andrew ended the call, cutting her off in mid-sentence, letting her know that he was on his way. He opened his coat closet next to the door, put his bare feet into some work boots, and grabbed a sleeveless jacket. Next, he grabbed his keys off of the table beside his door and left his apartment. He ran for the steps, deciding it would be faster to take them to the bottom floor instead of the elevator. As he stepped outside and headed for the car he had parked outside his building, he hoped that his trip to her apartment would be uneventful. It would be tragic if he had to run someone over because they decided to cross the street when he drove through a major intersection.

  Andrew took up a hasty trot to his Mercedes parked in the visitor’s parking lot in the front of his building. He was actually halfway to his car when he first sensed then actually saw, three figures emerge from the dark shadows surrounding the parking lot. Andrew slowed down; his body growing tense with each step he took. The three men were very familiar to him and Andrew snorted contemptuously as they took up positions in front of his car. Brody, Winston, and Edgar, his brothers, stood in front of him stone-faced and ready for anything.

  I don’t have time for this, Andrew griped silently.

  A reply back echoed through his mind, Make time.

  8

  Andrew continued his approach toward his car wariness and aggravation settling in his mind. He knew his brothers were no match for him. Even they knew that, but that didn’t mean that they would back down. Each man before him had the body of an athlete and strength ten times over the above average male. They could and would tear anything apart that came their way. They had no fear and no functioning conscience. They were a force to be reckoned with on any day. However, today wasn’t that day. Even if they combined their strength up against AP, they still wouldn’t have a chance. Consequently, they had a job to do, which was why they didn’t move from their position.

  Brody and Winston stood a few inches shorter than Andrew. They both were brown skin. However, the similarities ended there. Brody had short hair and friendly brown eyes while Winston had long dreads and light hazel eyes. Edgar stood out among the trio with his smooth caramel complexion, compliments of his Latin heritage. He was the same height as Andrew and wore his black hair short and slicked back, revealing his dark brown, almost black eyes to the world.

  “Get out of my way,” Andrew warned, his voice even and calm. His brothers, however, knew that he was far from being calm. It was a smokescreen for the rage that was coursing through his veins.

  “You need to calm down, bro,” said Brody.

  Winston and Edgar remained where they were standing, their legs apart and ready for any sudden movements from their Alpha. Brody bravely walked closer to his enraged leader.

  “AP, if you go to her like this, you'll never get her back.”

  Andrew stood in front of his brothers, men he respected and trusted, as relaxed as his over-fused temper would allow. But, he didn’t want to hear shit they had to say. He knew the risks he was taking. He was also aware that his thoughts and his em
otions would betray him the second that he decided he was going to Nyla. What he should’ve been prepared for and anticipated was resistance. He should have felt his brothers lying in wait for him and he didn’t. It was all bad signs that Cedric had been right about him. He was becoming distracted.

  Nevertheless, he couldn’t think about that now. He had to get to Nyla.

  “Move, Brody. I won’t say it again,” Andrew warned as evenly as he could. The fury stirring within him was making him restless, which always led to recklessness.

  Brody, to his credit, still didn’t back down. He knew his Alpha and understood him almost as well as Cedric and possibly better than any of their other brothers. He believed that he was the next best thing, besides Cedric, to attempt to calm the overcharged beast.

  “Listen to reason for once in your miserable life. You know I understand what you’re going through. I know you remember what happened to me a few months ago.”

  “What does—” Andrew rebutted, his brows drawing together, but Brody spoke up cutting off his leader.

  “Come on, bro, you know what it has to do with. My wife and I got into it over my dumb shit and you sat me down and told me what I was doing wrong after you beat my ass.”

  Andrew frowned. “Are you talking about that time you were tripping because she put up curtains in your living room without consulting with you first?”

  Brody’s expression quickly changed from relaxed to tense. He narrowed his eyes and pointed a finger at Andrew. “Hey, that shit wasn’t right. When I left the house that morning the damn curtains were some tan print. When I got home, she had changed them to some blueprint. I wasn’t ready. I need to be mentally ready for that kind of shit. She can’t just up and change things without talking to me first. I thought I was at the wrong house.”