The Alpha’s Dangerous Protection

Raphael moved like a storm across the courtyard. 

Students parted instinctively before his commanding stride. The stranger’s hand on my arm ignited something feral in him. In two heartbeats, Raphael was there. He yanked the other Alpha back with bruising force.

“Touch my brother again,” Raphael snarled, voice low and lethal, “and I’ll bury your future so deep you’ll wish you’d never heard the name Voss. Walk away. Now.”

The student stammered. His scent spiked with terror. He fled without a backward glance. Raphael released him only after he was far away. His attention snapped immediately to me. Those storm-gray eyes burned with barely leashed intensity.

I jerked away, heart pounding. “I didn’t need your damn intervention. I’m not helpless.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Raphael shot back. He gripped my elbow with unyielding strength. “You’re still flushed from last night. Looking like easy prey. Get in the car.”

The drive back to the penthouse crackled with unspoken fury. I stared out the window, jaw clenched. Raphael’s cedar-smoke scent filled the confined space. It made the lingering heat in my veins simmer dangerously. Every shift in my seat reminded me how attuned my body was to the Alpha beside me. It infuriated me.

“You orchestrated that,” I accused as we pulled into the garage. “The text. The sudden ‘stray.’ You make sure no one gets close, then act like my savior.”

Raphael killed the engine with more force than necessary. “I protect this family’s reputation. You’re in no condition to be throwing yourself at the first Alpha who smiles your way. Show some restraint, Arlo. You’re better than that.”

We rode the elevator in heavy silence, the air felt thick enough to choke on. the moment the penthouse door closed, I rounded on him.

“I’m not a whore looking for a quick fix,” I hissed. I shoved at his chest. The push barely moved him, but our bodies ended up close. Too close. Heat radiated between us. “You drop everything to play warden, then lecture me like I’m some disgrace to the bloodline. Why the hell do you care so much if you hate me?”

Raphael’s jaw ticked. His eyes darkened as he backed me against the wall without touching me. His hands braced on either side of my head, caging me in. The position sent unwanted sparks racing across my skin.

“You think this is hate?” he said. “You have no idea what I deal with every time you call. Every damn heat. Watching you struggle and knowing—”

He cut himself off and pushed away abruptly. Raphael dragged a hand through his hair and paced a tight line across the living room. His suit jacket came off in a fast movement and landed on the couch. “Change your clothes, you reek of that idiot’s scent now. It’s disgusting.”

I laughed bitterly then stormed to my room and slammed the door hard. But the heat followed me. It grew stronger because of Raphael’s nearness and the adrenaline from the confrontation. I stripped down, pulled on loose sweats and a soft tee, and tried to ignore how my body ached for relief only his presence seemed to provide. The word stepbrother felt more complicated every day.

When I emerged, Raphael had dimmed the lights. He set a glass of water with fresh suppressants on the island. No words. I took them grudgingly. The cool liquid soothed my throat even as tension coiled tighter in my gut.

“You didn’t have to stay last night,” I muttered, leaning against the counter. “Or pick me up today. Parents are gone. I could’ve managed.”

Raphael snorted and poured himself a drink from the bar cart. “And risk you dragging the family name through another scandal? Don’t flatter yourself. This is duty.” But his eyes lingered as he spoke. They traced the flush on my neck and the way my chest rose and fell. His knuckles whitened around his glass.

I stepped closer despite myself, drawn like a moth. “Duty. Right. That’s why your scent spikes every time I’m near you during my cycles. That’s why you growl at anyone who looks at me twice.” I reached out and poked his chest. “Admit it. You get off on controlling me.”

Raphael caught my wrist. His grip was firm but not painful. For a heartbeat, we stood frozen. My pulse hammered under his fingers. Our breaths mingled. The pull was magnetic. His thumb brushed once, almost tenderly, over my racing pulse before he released me as if burned.

“Enough.” Raphael’s voice was rough. “Go rest. I have calls to make. The empire doesn’t run itself while I play chauffeur.”

I retreated to the couch. My body felt exhausted but my mind stayed wide awake. I watched from the corner of my eye as Raphael set up his laptop at the dining table. His posture was rigid. He worked with the efficiency that made him feared in boardrooms. Every few minutes, his gaze flicked over, checking. Protecting. Then he acted like it meant nothing.

Hours slipped by. The suppressants helped. I dozed off with dreams tangled in strong hands and conflicting emotions. When I woke, the penthouse was quiet except for the low murmur of Raphael on a business call in the next room. His voice was cold. Every bit the merciless Alpha heir.

“…handle it. No loose ends. If anyone approaches him again, make them disappear.”

My stomach twisted. Ruthless. Always ruthless. Yet here he sat, having dropped every meeting to drag me home.

Night fell. Raphael finally ended his calls and approached the couch. He draped a light blanket over me without a word. Our eyes met in the dim light. No smirk. Just raw, unspoken tension that made my breath catch.

“Sleep,” he ordered gruffly, turning away. “I’m not going anywhere.”

As I drifted off again, one hand unconsciously pressed to my lower abdomen where a strange, new warmth seemed to settle. Unease prickled at the edges of my mind.