Alpha’s Badass Mate novel

---- Cruel love Ashly's mind is drifting in and out of thoughts and memories, and all of a sudden their conversation from before triggers something again in Ashly's alertness, and for a few minutes she's just silently thinking, lots of memories and discoveries she made during their time apart about herself and Alex coming back to the surface. Once she's ready to share, she turns the music off and speaks up, eyes trained on Alex.

"You know, when you were gone, I thought about everything a lot, and I realized all the things I was blind to before. Like, your brother made comments about us when we were at the school, and even when you told me you liked me at the ghost other event, even though you took it back, I should have known the truth long before I did, right? But, honestly, I think I wasn't ready to even consider it.

I wouldn't have believed you could like me like that, especially since we'd been rivals for so long." Alex has been watching her quietly, his phone forgotten next to him, his hands holding gently onto Ashly's feet. "It must have been a real shock to you." Ashly hums in agreement. "But I also realized that I wouldn't have put up with any of it if it had been anyone else but you.

Even back then, there was ---- something about you, but I still don't really understand it." "T was simply irresistible from the start; just admit it. " Alex says this and looks smug, his mouth wide in complaint as Ashly's foot pokes his stomach. "But, really, Alex, do you think our relationship has ever been normal?" Ashly looks openly curious , and Alex frowns. "What's normal ?

Sure, it's been more unique than others, I guess, and I did some things I'm not proud of, and I realize that if you weren't this kind and forgiving, we wouldn't be here now." Ashly frowns in turn. "I wasn't always kind to you; quite the opposite, actually." "Well, you hated me, right?" Alex shrugs as if it's obvious and justified. Ashly takes a moment to think. "Hate is a cruel word, but I did dislike you more than anyone else I know.

I thought my friends were all lunatics because they often mentioned that you and I were friends, too, which I never saw or could have accepted . But even then, isn't it weird how we were? And I can't think of atime now where you weren't there, and I promise you, if anyone else had given me such a hard time, I would have dealt with them differently, but somehow, something in me accepted you even then, though I never knew why.

But even when my father ---- gave me trouble over and over again, you distracted me and helped me get over it. Isn't that odd?" Alex smiles a little and nods. "I guess I'm glad it worked out that way. I never wanted you to really hate me or give me grief. I know my mind is quite twisted sometimes, and I somehow fell into this role...

because you didn't recognize me, and I didn't know how to be your friend, and once I got a better person for you, you suddenly looked at me all the time, and even though you seemed angry at me all the time, too, it felt better than being invisible to you, so I kept this role, though I know it was quite ridiculous and a little pathetic." Alex shakes her head at herself, thinking back. "When. I understood that I was in love with you, I couldn't figure out how to stop.

I always looked for a chance to get close to you in another way, but it never worked out until you were lovesick about me, and as I told you before, I did use that opportunity for myself, for a last chance, and I became really good at justifying and rationalizing things I did that I knew weren't right, but I still felt like I had to do them, and those were always about you." Ashly nods, having listened closely and learned something new but nothing that surprises or disappoints him.

"I'm glad it happened like this, if there was no other chance for us. I know others see our relationship as harmful and weird and don't