Chapter 2: The Alpha's Penthouse

POV: Lucian Thorne (First-Person)

I woke up to the smell of sandalwood and something sharp. My head was pounding, and my mouth felt like I had swallowed cotton.

I tried to sit up, but a heavy weight pressed down on my chest. To my greatest surprise, I was in bed.The sheets were black silk, and the room was decorated in dark wood and gray. It looked like a billionaire's hotel suite. Floor-to-ceiling windows showed a city skyline I didn't recognize. The lights were dim. The air was cool.

Then the memories hit me. The lounge. The heat. The medical report. Damien Cross.

I shot up, ignoring the dizziness. My shirt was gone. I was wearing a loose black t-shirt that smelled like him. Panic clawed at my throat.

"Good. You're awake."

I spun around. Damien was leaning against the doorway, his arms crossed. He had changed into a casual gray sweater and dark jeans. He looked less like a predator and more like a model. It made me angrier.

"Where are my clothes?" I demanded, my voice hoarse.

"Ruined," Damien said simply. "You sweat through them. I had them burned."

"Burned?" I snapped. "Those were a three-thousand-dollar suit."

"I'll buy you ten more." He walked into the room, holding a glass of water. He handed it to me. "Drink."

"I don't take orders from you," I said, but my throat was so dry it hurt. I snatched the glass and drank it greedily.

Damien watched me with those gray eyes. They were unnerving. He looked at me like I was something precious. Something he owned.

"The baby," I said, setting the glass down. "That report was fake. You forged it."

"I don't forge medical documents, Lucian."

"I'm an Alpha," I insisted, my voice rising. "I went through my first differentiation at sixteen. I have the strength. I have the instincts. I can't be an Omega."

Damien sat on the edge of the bed. He didn't touch me, but he was close. Too close.

"You had a second differentiation," he said calmly. "It happens. Rare, but it happens. Your body is changing. Your hormones are shifting. You are an Omega now. And you are pregnant."

"I've never had sex with you!" I yelled. "I would remember."

Damien's jaw tightened. He looked away for a moment, and when he looked back, there was something dark in his eyes. Guilt? Anger?

"You don't remember," he said quietly. "Because you were drugged."

The room went silent. My heart stopped.

"What?" I whispered.

"Three months ago. The Cross Industries annual gala. You were there. You were wearing a black mask. Someone spiked your drink."

I tried to remember. The gala. The lights. The music. I remembered feeling dizzy. I remembered being led to a room. I remembered a voice. A deep voice. You're safe. I've got you.

"That was you," I breathed.

Damien nodded. "I found you in the hallway. You were burning up. You were begging me to help you. I tried to get you to a hospital, but the heat was too strong. You wouldn't let go of me. I couldn't leave you."

"You took advantage of me," I spat, my hands shaking.

"No," Damien said, his voice hard. "I saved you. Someone else drugged you. Someone else wanted to hurt you. I stayed with you all night. I held you. And when you woke up the next morning, you were gone before I could explain."

I stared at him. My mind was reeling. I remembered waking up in a hotel room alone. I remembered the soreness. I had assumed it was a random hookup. I had been ashamed. I had buried the memory.

"Why didn't you find me?" I asked.

"I did," Damien said. "I've been watching you for three months. Waiting for the right time to tell you. Then I saw you at the hotel today. I smelled you. I knew the heat was coming. I knew you needed me."

"You're a stalker," I said.

"I'm your Alpha," he corrected.

"You're not my anything."

Damien reached out and gently touched my stomach. I flinched, but I didn't pull away. His hand was warm. Steady.

"This baby is mine, Lucian," he said softly. "And I will protect you both. Even if you hate me."

"I don't hate you," I said, and the words surprised me. "I just... I don't trust you."

"Then let me earn your trust."

I looked away, my mind racing. I needed to get out of here. I needed to think. I needed to find out who had drugged me at that gala. I needed to confront my father. I needed to figure out how to be an Omega in a world that would eat me alive.

"I need to leave," I said, throwing the blanket off. "I have a company to run. A family to deal with."

"You're not going anywhere," Damien said, his voice firm.

"You can't keep me here."

"I can," he said. "And I will. Your heat is still active. If you walk out that door, you'll collapse in the hallway. And I won't let that happen."

"You don't control me," I snarled.

"I'm not trying to control you," Damien said, his voice softening. "I'm trying to protect you. There's a difference."

Before I could argue, a loud knock echoed through the penthouse. Damien's expression shifted. He stood up, his body instantly tense.

"Stay here," he commanded.

He walked to the door and opened it. I heard a woman's voice. High-pitched. Angry.

"Where is he, Damien? I know he's here. The whole city knows you picked up the fallen Thorne heir."

I crept to the doorway and peeked out. A beautiful woman with long red hair and a designer dress was standing in the living room. She was glaring at Damien.

"I don't have time for this, Seraphina," Damien said coldly.

"You don't have time for your own fiancée?" she snapped.

My blood ran cold. Fiancée?

Damien turned his head and saw me standing in the doorway. His eyes widened.

Seraphina followed his gaze. She looked me up and down, her lip curling in disgust.

"So this is him," she sneered. "The Alpha who turned into a whore Omega."

My hands clenched into fists. I stepped forward, my voice steady despite the fire in my chest.

"Say that again," I said. "I dare you."

Damien stepped between us, his voice low and dangerous.

"Seraphina, leave. Now."

She laughed. "Fine. But don't forget, Damien. We have a contract. And if you think you can replace me with a used-up Omega, you're wrong."

She turned and walked out, slamming the door behind her.

The silence was deafening. I looked at Damien, my heart racing.

"You're engaged?" I asked.

Damien ran a hand through his hair. "It's complicated."

"Complicated?" I laughed bitterly. "You knocked me up, stalked me, and now you're telling me you have a fiancée? What else are you hiding?"

Damien met my eyes. His expression was unreadable.

"Nothing," he said. "Nothing that matters."

I shook my head. "You're a liar, Damien Cross."

He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"I'm a lot of things, Lucian. But a liar isn't one of them. And I will prove it to you."

End of Chapter 2.