Chapter Twenty-Four

Raya stands by the bed, her eyes burning

holes through me. She's got her hand on her stomach, gentle, almost protective. I don't look for too long, I just keep my voice sharp and cold.

“I can't let you have my child.”

The words feel heavy to say, but I force them out. It’s better to be cruel than to allow her to be close to me.

“What?” She raises her eyebrows, like she don't understand what I say.

“You heard me.” I slowly walk closer to her.

“You can not mother my child.”

Confusion twists her face. Maybe she thinks I will take back my words. She waits but I don't.

“Why?” she finally asks.

I let out a short breath, shake my head. “You don’t have the right to question me, Raya. You just do what I say.”

Her chin lifts a little. There’s fire in her eyes now. “No. I won’t. We both did this, Rex. You and I. And now you want to throw it all on me?”

Her voice cracks slightly near the end, but she doesn’t back down.

“We’ll share this responsibility,” she says louder.

The way she says we, makes something inside me twist, but I ignore it.

“Responsibility?” I echo, laughing hysterically.

“You really think this…” I gesture at her stomach, at the invisible thing growing inside her “...is going to tie me to you? Make me stay? You’re mistaken.”

Her shoulders drops. “Then why did you do it? Why did you touch me that night?”

I meet her eyes. “Because you wanted it.”

Her face goes pale. “You know that’s a big lie.”

“You kept begging for it,” I persist, my tone fixed, almost uninterested. “You were desperate. I did what you wanted. Don’t pretend you are a saint now.”

Her fist clench. She's breathing loudly now. “You know I wasn’t myself that night. I was drunk.”

I shrug. “Alcohol just makes people stop pretending, it doesn't give them a character they don't want.”

Her eyes flash. “Then why did you go through with it if you knew I was drunk?”

The question hits too close. I don't want to go into details, so I say the first thing that comes to my mind.

“Because you forced me,” I snap. “You couldn’t stop touching me. You wanted it, Raya. You wanted me.”

She blinks hard, trying to stop the tears that gather in her eyes from spilling. “Rex, you’re evil.”

“And you’re naive,” I say quietly. “You think that night meant something? You were just a moment. A mistake. A night I should’ve walked away from.” I smirk

She stands, eyes burning. “You think I want to carry your child? You think I want anything from you?”

“Then why are you here?” I ask, stepping closer until I can see her pupils shake. “Why are you still staying in my house?”

“You think so highly of yourself,” she snaps. “Who do you even think you are?”

“Your Alpha” I say. “I’m your Alpha. The most powerful this pack has ever had. I am a man you can't resist his touch, the man you are willing to pull down your panties for, the one you can die for, that is who I think I am.”

Her breath weaken, just for a minute. I notice it, the shivering . The way her lips part like she wants to speak but can’t, makes me hate her and want her all at once.

“Me? Die for you?,” she laughs. “You really are delusional.”

“I know you won’t die for me, because you have other people to please.You still have to sell yourself to whoever looks your way. You are just a whore.”

She raises her hand to hit me again, I hold it midair. My voice comes out low but commanding.

“You wouldn't dare.”

Her pulse races under my fingers. I feel it.

“I let you get away with it once,” I say, moving closer. “Do make the mistake of doing it again, and I’ll break your hand into different pieces.”

I push her hand away, and it goes back to her side.

“You’ll break my hand?” Her voice trembles but not from fear. “I want to see you try, Rex. It would give me the pleasure to return the favour in twofolds, I would break every body in your body and stand here watching you scream.” She declares, glaring at me.

Something about the way she says it make my blood run cold. It is funny but I can't laugh, I just blink.

“I love the boldness,” I praise her. “You sure know how to make threats.”

“Won’t you like to know if I can see the threat through?” she spits back.

“Do you want me to tell you why you are still here?” I tell her. “Even after I rejected you once. You’re still trying to convince me to want you.”

Raya’s eyes harden. Slowly, she unbuttons the top of her blouse and pulls the collar aside, revealing the mark on her neck.

“This,” she says, voice shaking, “This is why I’m here. Because of this bond. Because the High Council forced it on me. They made me stay. Not because I want to.”

I look at the mark, the bond mating. The one I refused to complete the mating process.

“It’s an excuse,” I say, though my voice doesn’t sound as stable as before. “You want to use it as leverage to stay next to me.”

“Excuse?” she repeats. “You think I want this? You think I wanted you?”

Her words sting more than I expect. I turn away for a moment, trying to swallow it down.

She walks to the window, the morning sun falling over her hair. When she speaks again, her voice is quiet.

“I don’t ever want to have anything to do with you again.”

The room feels too small. I step closer, not even sure why I’m doing it. My hand moves before my mind catches up. I trace a line from her neck down to her shoulder, then lower, pressing her nipple tightly between my fingers. I feel her skin twitch under my fingers.

She doesn’t pull away.

When I lift her chin, her lips part slightly. Her breath is uneven. She looks at me like she hates herself for not moving.And then she gives in. Her eyes close, her body leaning toward mine, just enough for me to feel the warmth of her breath on my lips.

And I stop.I pull back, let my hand fall away.

“You see?” I say softly. “You can’t control yourself.”

Her eyes open fast. Her face flushes red, humiliation burning through her voice.

“What are you doing? Why are you playing with me?”

I step back. “I’m reminding you of what we are. And what we’re not.”

She takes a shaky breath. “You hate me that much?”

I look at her for a long moment. There’s a thousand things I could say. None of them will make this better.

“I would never accept you,” I say instead. “I rejected you once, and I’ll do it again.”

Her voice breaks. “But why? Am I not good enough for you?”

I hold her gaze until she can’t look at me anymore. Then I speak, low and final.

“I, Alpha Rex, reject you, Raya, as my mate. And I will never have anything to do with you.”

I turn and walk out. The door closes behind me, but her scent still clings to the air, soft and maddening. My chest feels tight as I walk down the hall. Every step away from her feels heavier than the last.

I tell myself it’s better this way.

That she’s safer hating me. But as I reach the end of the corridor, something inside me cracks. I stop, just for a second, my hand pressed to the wall, my throat burning with words I’ll never say.