CONFRONTATION

 “Is he why you rejected me?”

Those words cut deep through the night, his tone might have been calm, but there was something beneath it that sent my nerves on edge, something darker.

I did not need to turn around to know who it was. Still, I did.

Alpha Adrian stood just a few steps behind me, his expression was seemingly carved from stone, and his eyes were locked into mine with a ferocity so wild and burning that it made the air around us grow thicker.

The silence stretched between us as I stared blankly at him. Finally, after a deep exhale, I shook my head and answered him,

“No, Adrian,” I replied with a shrug, “He isn’t.”

His jaw tightened, and he took a threatening step towards me, “Then explain to me,” he demanded in a low voice with barely restrained anger, “Explain while you rejected me.”

I tilted my head and studied him. He was confused, pissed and a little bit hurt. In my past life, his approval was everything to me. Now, it seemed like he needed mine. Adrian had never been rejected in his life, and the fact that I had turned down his proposal was weighing so much on him.

“There’s nothing to explain,” I finally replied,

His eyes darkened as he took another threatening step forward, “I was being lenient earlier, Nyssa. Do not test me!”

A faint smile tugged at the corner of my lips as I did something that made his brows raise in surprise. I stepped towards him.

“I am not testing you,” I shook my head, “No, all I am doing is setting a boundary.”

That made him pause, and for just a second, understanding flashed through his gaze. Good.

“Let me make this clear,” I continued, “Whatever you think we had, or were even going to have, it’s never going to happen.”

His expression hardened, “You don’t get to decide that.”

I almost chuckled, “Oh?” I said, taking another step closer, “Tell me Adrian, who does?”

He didn’t hesitate, “I do.”

There it was again, the same arrogant tone and the belief that the world was going to bend its knees for him.

“You belong to me, Nyssa.” Adrian's voice dropped lower, “That has never and will never change.”

Something cold flickered within me and my voice turned icy, “I don’t belong to anyone.”

I didn’t speak loudly, but my words were harder than anything he had expected me to say.

“You’ll regret this.” he hissed,

“No, I won’t,”

And with those words, I was done with this. With a frown now on my face, I turned around and began to walk back to my car. I reached for my car door when his hand tightened around my wrist.

His grip was so tight, I almost squirmed in pain. My body grew still and for a moment, I thought about my past life where he had killed me. The instinct to freeze and beg rushed through me, but I quickly snapped out of it.

I looked down at his hand on my wrist, then back up at him.

“You should not have done that,” I hissed,

His grip tightened, “You are not walking away from this conversation,”

Something within me snapped at the certainty behind his words. With a grunt, I twisted my wrist and ripped it free from his grip with a force that made him take a step back in shock.

His eyes widened,

“Don’t touch me, not now, not ever.” I hissed in a cold voice,

He froze, as he watched me stare up into his eyes.

“And don’t ever come near me again,” I continued, before turning around and sliding into my car.

Behind me, Alpha Adrian was still standing still. For the first time in both of my lives, I watched Adrian be too stunned to speak or even move.

I rolled down my window and held his gaze for one more second before starting my engine and driving away. Not once did I look back.

***

The drive was faster and sharper this time.

My grip on the steering wheel tightened as the memory of his hand on my wrist kept on replaying in my mind. A surge of anger burned through me the more I thought about it.

For a moment, I let the anger rise and let it exist, before letting out a slow exhale. I was not going to let this affect me. By the time I drove into the restaurant, my emotions were already in place, I had locked them back, and they were under control.

The restaurant building stood tall against the night sky and its glass exterior reflected the city lights in long, shimmering streaks. Even from the parking lot, it was obvious that this place was not just expensive, it was elite.

I pulled into a spot near the entrance and stepped out of my car.

Before I could lock my car doors, two valet attendants approached me quickly, both dressed in crisp uniforms.

“Good evening ma’am,” One of them spoke up with a wide smile on his face, “May we please have your name?”

“Nyssa Vale,” I answered with furrowed brows,

Their reaction was immediate. They both briefly glanced at each other before turning to face me.

“You are expected, Ms. Vale,” the other said quickly and with much more respect, “Please follow me.”

I handed over my keys to the other valet and followed. I was led straight inside the restaurant, but we didn’t stop where I had expected us to. Not on the main floor, not the second floor, not even on the third. I was led past all the public floors before being led straight towards a private elevator.

I raised a brow but kept silent. The elevator doors slid open and we stepped inside. And with a quiet hum, we began to ascend. We kept on ascending until we reached the top floor.

The space beyond the elevator was different than I had expected. It was devoid of people but luxuriously decorated. It was a wide, open dining area being bathed in soft golden light, with floor-to-floor ceiling windows overlooking the entire city.

And at the center of it all was Damien.

He stood near the table, one hand rested casually against the back of a chair, his posture was relaxed, but his gaze was commanding.

He was dressed in a perfectly tailored dark suit and his presence filled the room effortlessly, and when his eyes found mine, they held and pulled me deeper into him.

A slow smile spread across his lips as he stepped forward,

“Nyssa,” he whispered,

It was just my name and yet, it lingered in my heart.

I walked towards him, my heels clicking softly against the entire floor, my posture straight, but my mind was racing fast.

I might have looked composed, but I was anything but.

I stopped just as I was standing inches away from him, close enough to see the faint curve of his lips, the quiet confidence in his posture and the certainty in his eyes.

This man was nothing like Adrian, yet, that made him far more dangerous.

I took my seat without breaking eye contact and for the first time since my rebirth, I was nervous.