All Chapters of Running Wild : The Cruel Alpha Kings: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

With a resigned sigh, I left my room and made my way downstairs to the kitchen. I needed something to take the edge off before dealing with Charles Cartwright. The thought of enduring one of his lectures, complete with his condescending tone and soul-crushing critique, made my brain go numb.I opened the liquor cabinet and reached for the strongest bottle I could find. It was an aged whiskey that looked older than me. Harris wouldn’t approve, of course, but he wasn’t here to stop me. Pouring a generous amount into a tumbler, I knocked it back in one go, the burn spreading warmth down my throat and into my chest.I poured myself a second glass but froze mid-sip when I heard muffled voices coming from the hall. The low, tense tones told me it wasn’t just a casual conversation. Setting my glass down, I tiptoed toward the door and peeked out.Hunter and Darius were standing face-to-face, practically nose-to-nose, locked in what could only be described as an alpha-style stare-down. They did

“Oh, nothing,” I replied innocently, climbing out of the car. “Just unloading.”Bag by bag, I grabbed the massive, oversized purchases from the trunk and began tossing them at him. One landed squarely against his chest, forcing him to fumble with the phone to keep it from falling.“Are you kidding me, Elise?” he snapped, scowling as another bag smacked his thigh. “Do I look like your personal servant? Or are you just delusional enough to think I’m your bitch?”“Oh, don’t be dramatic,” I snorted, grinning as I threw another bag his way. “Think of it as character building.”Jace was opening his mouth to retort when a new voice cut in. “Need some help?”Hunter appeared like a ghost, his sudden presence making both Jace and me jump. His grin was infuriatingly smug as he reached for one of the bags, ignoring Jace’s glare entirely.“Where do you want these, little monster?” he asked, hoisting the bag onto his shoulder effortlessly.“My room,” I instructed, happy to accept the help. “Please,”

I was the first to look away.Hunter exhaled, the sound somewhere between boredom and amusement, before reaching for his own supplies. He pulled a chair closer, the legs making a muffled scraping noise against the plush carpet, and plopped down beside me. Without a word, he dipped a clean brush into a streak of his own hair, right beside the crimson one already there.I arched a brow, watching him. “What are you doing?”He shrugged, entirely unbothered. “Might as well touch up while I’m at it.”I snorted, shifting in my chair as I gave him a once-over. “Do you just keep boxes of dye lying around, or is this your way of telling me you ran out and need to raid my stash?”“Nah, besides my stock of bleach, I’m fresh out,” he admitted, his lips twitching like he was holding back a smirk. “And I have a nice color in mind.”I propped my elbow on the vanity, resting my chin in my palm as I watched him work. “So, what color are you gonna slap on next to the red?”He paused, then tilted his head

Hunter. There was no greater glory—no sweeter fucking satisfaction—than watching the look on Darius’s face the moment I strolled into the dining room. His jaw went rigid, his entire body locking up the exact second his eyes landed on my head. The single pink strand slicing through my dark hair looked like it had personally sucked whatever was left of his already-decrepit soul.His temple ticked. Fucker. I knew he hated the color. Hated it with an unnatural, almost visceral intensity.But let’s be entirely clear; we both knew it had absolutely nothing to do with the color itself. It was the meaning behind it.I slipped into my seat with all the lazy ease in the world, fully aware that Darius was likely shitting out his own skeleton right about now. Jace clocked me the second my ass hit the cushion. His lips twitched in pure amusement, his eyes gleaming with that knowing, punchable look that made me want to break his nose on principle.I chose to ignore the bastard instead, reaching for

Until Madame Boobs staged an intervention.“Oh, Charles,” she cooed, sliding her hands up his chest before locking her manicured claws into the tense muscles of his neck. “You’re all knots, darling.”Charles went rigid as stone at first, but then the pathetic bastard actually melted right under her touch, letting out a groan that sounded a little too scandalous for an old man with his daughter present.Oh, divine dickery at its finest.Madame Boobs proceeded to knead his shoulders like he was an overworked executive, her lips curving into a sickly-sweet pout as she pressed a wet kiss to his jaw.“She looks stunning,” she purred, cutting her eyes toward Elise. “Doesn’t she?”Elise stared at the woman like she’d just sprouted a second head.Charles let out a sharp, defeated hiss through his nose, his white-knuckled grip on the knife easing just a fraction. “It’s—” He shook his head, struggling to compute the defiance. “It’s unbefitting.”“Oh, nonsense.” She waved him off, her fingers si