YOU DON'T OWE ME When Kai returned, he handed her a shirt, took off his jacket and without thinking twice, draped it over Aria's trembling shoulders."Change out so you don't catch a cold. I'll wait here for you and drop you home," the music had long died down, the Alpha's aura suffocating everyone in the room—he was angry. Ryan was worse—Aria reminded him of his mother too much, moreso, she was being maltreated like his mother had been for a crime they never committed. "Where are you going young lady?" Kai caught Cassie by the wrist before she completely walked past him. They had turned the music back on and a lot of people had started playing games and dancing but Aria was yet to return with Karen."It's my house and—""My territory." He completed her statement in a low whisper.Cassie felt her wolf shrink, she couldn't challenge the Alpha, even if she could, not in front of all the people present.Also, he had been acting strange the whole night, she couldn't predict his next l
One of the Beta girls stepped forward near the edge of the crowd, her lip curled just enough to call it confidence, voice loud enough to be heard but not enough to draw real attention, not yet.“Seducing an Alpha and lacing his drink is disgusting,” she said, head tilted like she wanted Aria to break under it, “bold move though.”Aria stopped.So did Karen.The room didn’t fall silent but it shifted, heads turning in that ripple way, half of them pretending not to listen while standing completely still.Aria’s brows pulled in.Her mouth parted but nothing came out.Her hand moved a little, just enough to reach for something that wasn’t there.Karen stepped forward fast, “What did you say?”The girl laughed, short and sharp, then turned to her friend with a smirk, like she’d already won.Aria didn’t move.She didn’t understand.She scanned the faces closest to her, the smirks, the tilted heads, the way none of them looked confused.They already knew.They’d heard it.She looked toward
One of the Beta girls stepped forward near the edge of the crowd, her lip curled just enough to call it confidence, voice loud enough to be heard but not enough to draw real attention, not yet.“Seducing an Alpha and lacing his drink is disgusting,” she said, head tilted like she wanted Aria to break under it, “bold move though.”Aria stopped.So did Karen.The room didn’t fall silent but it shifted, heads turning in that ripple way, half of them pretending not to listen while standing completely still.Aria’s brows pulled in.Her mouth parted but nothing came out.Her hand moved a little, just enough to reach for something that wasn’t there.Karen stepped forward fast, “What did you say?”The girl laughed, short and sharp, then turned to her friend with a smirk, like she’d already won.Aria didn’t move.She didn’t understand.She scanned the faces closest to her, the smirks, the tilted heads, the way none of them looked confused.They already knew.They’d heard it.She looked toward
LET THEM TALKOne of the Beta girls stepped forward near the edge of the crowd, her lip curled just enough to call it confidence, voice loud enough to be heard but not enough to draw real attention, not yet.“Seducing an Alpha and lacing his drink is disgusting,” she said, head tilted like she wanted Aria to break under it, “bold move though.”Aria stopped.So did Karen.The room didn’t fall silent but it shifted, heads turning in that ripple way, half of them pretending not to listen while standing completely still.Aria’s brows pulled in.Her mouth parted but nothing came out.Her hand moved a little, just enough to reach for something that wasn’t there.Karen stepped forward fast, “What did you say?”The girl laughed, short and sharp, then turned to her friend with a smirk, like she’d already won.Aria didn’t move.She didn’t understand.She scanned the faces closest to her, the smirks, the tilted heads, the way none of them looked confused.They already knew.They’d heard it.She
CHAPTER — THE STAINThe music had changed again, slower now, less frantic, the bass shallow like someone had turned it down to hear themselves thinkCassie hadn’t slowed downShe was standing near the hallway by the guest bathroom, one heel hooked behind the other, leaning into the wall like she wasn’t hunting somethingA girl leaned in, the one with the pink mini dress and a braid that looked too tight for her face, she was new, unsure, easyCassie didn’t smileShe didn’t need to“Did you hear what happened earlier,” she said it low but not secret, her voice made for control, the kind that dripped into ears and didn’t ask questionsThe girl blinked“No?”Cassie leaned closer, eyes flicking once toward the living room then back, like she was scared of being caught but not really“She laced his drink,” she whispered, then paused, like she wasn’t sure she should go on, “Kai’s, I mean”The girl frowned“What?”Cassie nodded once, serious now, voice smaller like that made it real“Swear i
HIS OMEGA ERAThe private sitting room upstairs was louder now, too crowded, too warm. Sweaty breath and pulsing lights made the air thick, sharp with cheap alcohol and scent marks bleeding together.Kai didn’t sit. He stood off-center near the kitchen counter, one hand flexing against the edge of it, knuckles tight, jaw tighter. His eyes didn’t move from the doorway. Like if he blinked, she’d vanish again. Like Aria stepping outside would turn into her disappearing for good.No one said his name at first.But he could feel them watching. The shift of eyes, the change in tone, the weight behind words that weren’t loud enough to be direct but not quiet enough to be ignored.Someone laughed behind him, short and sharp, not real.“Damn,” a voice said near the corner couch, one of the newer Betas, the ones that hadn’t been around long enough to learn silence, “I didn’t know Kai was on his Omega phase already.”The group barked. Not real laughter, not honest. Just noise.Kai didn’t turn.H