Semua Bab THE ALPHA’S RELUCTANT BRIDE: Bab 11 - Bab 20

Darius' POVCan you just stop it!" I snapped, my voice louder than I intended.Kellan opened his mouth in shock and spread out his hand. "I wasn't even doing anything."“Yes, you were. Don’t give me that crap. You were doing that again.”“What thing?” he asked, knowing damn well what I meant.I glared at him. “The foot tapping. The side glances. That look that says, ‘you shouldn't havedone that’ without you actually saying a word.”He gave a low chuckle and leaned against the desk like he owned the place. “You’re beingparanoid.”“No, I’m surrounded by judgmental idiots who think they’re subtle,” I muttered, dragging a handthrough my hair. My temple was throbbing, and I could already feel Venus stirring inside me.‘You’re just pissed because he’s right,’ Venus taunted.I sighed. ‘Not now, Venus.’‘You’re the one avoiding the truth. You kissed her, and now you don't know what to term it. It’spathetic,’ he growled, pacing inside my head.I rolled my eyes at that. 'Would

A black SUV trailed the small Ford car as it entered the Park, unbeknownst to the participants inthe car. Driving the black SUV was a man wearing black clothing. Even the glasses he had onwere black."Targets approaching stand still." His partner, sitting right beside him, also wearing all black, saidas he put down his binoculars.The driver hissed and shook his head. "I can clearly see that, you moron. Now, get rid of thosebinoculars before I shove it down your ass." He snapped."Hey! Just because the boss made you the leader of this mission doesn't give you the right tospeak to me like that or command me to do anything. I can do whatever I want. You hear me?"His partner scowled in defiance but still dropped the binoculars.The driver parked the car a little far from where the Ford car was parked as they watched thetwo women alight from the car."Are we getting down too?" His partner asked as he tried to open the door.The driver pulled him back so hard. "You know

EMBER'S POVI let out a sigh as soon as I shut my room's door and sagged against it. Darius's touch, the pressure of his fingers beneath my jaw, the authoritative authority in his voice, and the heat in his eyes still made my skin tingle. I detested the way my body responded to him. Perhaps I didn't dislike it. Perhaps I didn't hate how it responded to him, and I hated that. I wanted to scream because I was so angry. What are you doing to me, anyway? I tried to steady myself by pulling my hair and taking a trembling breath, but the throb between my legs persisted.There was something dangerous, needy, desperate, and hungry in me that was sparked by everything about him. I was still in shock from the altercation in the corridor. The large jerk was well aware of what he was doing to me. He knew what to say and where to touch. And now that he had made the monster, I doubted I could control it. I went to bed and collapsed, clutching the warm sheets and muttering in frustration. The heat,

Ember’s POV"So you're rejecting me?" The words left my lips.I hated that I was begging him. I hated that he had found a way to put me under his mercy.Nothing hurt me more than his silence, than the slam of the door as he walked out of the room. He might not have said the words but it was still rejection.My heart didn’t just break—it shattered.You are not my mate.That one sentence? It hit harder than a whole crowd yelling in my face. Didn’t matter how many times I tried to play it cool—telling myself I didn’t give a damn, that I didn’t need him. Total crap. I wasn’t fooling anybody, least of all myself..I didn’t notice when Tessa came back in. I didn’t even hear her speak. Maybe she did. Maybe she tried. I couldn’t look at her. Couldn’t stand to meet anyone’s eyes.I just wanted to be left alone. The one who fathered me had rejected me, of course, my mate would find me pointless too.I simply stood up, ignoring the ache in my legs, the dizziness from having barely moved in day

Darius' POVI woke up with my heart pounding so loud it felt like my ribs might crack open. Did I just run a marathon in dreamland or what? What the hell just happened? For a second, my brain was just static. Wait—where am I? Oh, right. This disaster. The sun wasn’t even awake yet, just sort of smudging the edge of the sky. Probably not even seven-thirty. The pack? Dead to the world. No one stirring, not even a snore. Meanwhile, I’m already drowning in a ridiculous pile of paperwork. Typical.A fresh shipment of provisions for the pack needed to be approved. Pack budgets reviewed. A rogue sighting near the western ridge was documented and responded to.Fun work.I signed another form, the quill scratching faintly against the parchment. My head pounded. I hadn't slept well, not really. Not since that night.Not since I had been with her.Heard a loud bang—someone hammered on the door, totally snapping me out of my mental vacation. Right before I said anything, it swung open.Kellan