All Chapters of Taming the Alpha CEO: Mine to Ruin: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

I can hear raised voices coming from the parking lot and I run toward them, my heels clicking on the pavement, and when I round the corner I see them next to a black SUV. Rhys has his back to me and the other man is standing in front of him with his hands on Rhys’s shoulders, talking to him in a low urgent voice that I can’t quite hear. “What’s happening?” I call out. They both turn and Rhys’s eyes flash that gold color for just a second before fading back to gray, and he takes a step toward me but the other man blocks him. “Stay there,” the man says to me. “Don’t come closer.” “Why not?” “Because he needs a minute.” The man looks at Rhys. Rhys is breathing hard, his chest heaving, and he’s staring at me with an intensity that makes me want to take a step back. “I’m fine.” His voice is rough. “Let go of me, Kade.” So this is Kade, the one he called on the phone. Kade steps back slowly, keeping himself positioned between me and Rhys. “You sure about that?” “I’m

I stare at him because surely I misheard, surely he didn’t just tell me to quit after having his tongue in my mouth thirty seconds ago. “What?” “You need to quit.” He’s not looking at me, he’s staring at the wall behind my head like he can’t bear to actually see me. “I’ll give you recommendation letters for anywhere you want to apply, whatever you need—” Reality slams back into focus and I slide off the desk so fast I almost trip. “No.” That makes him look at me. “Excuse me?” “I said no.” I’m trying to fix my skirt with hands that won’t stop shaking but I force myself to meet his eyes. “I’m not quitting.” “Astrid—” “You don’t get to do this.” My voice is steadier than I feel. “You don’t get to kiss me like that then fire mr because you can’t handle it.” “I’m not firing you, I’m asking you to resign—” “By fucking me on your desk and then firing me?!” My voice is getting louder but I don’t care. “I didn’t fuck you—” “You were about to! Your hand was literally in

“Care!” The word breaks on a sob. “You don’t get to care about me one minute then treat me like I’m nothing the next, you don’t get to make me feel things then tell me I’m stupid for feeling them—” “I never said you were stupid—” “You said I was delusional, you said I was living in a fantasy, same thing—” Silence falls between us. He’s staring at me with an expression I can’t read. “Take the rest of the day.” His voice is quiet now. “Go home, clear your head—” “So you can what? Pretend this conversation never happened? Add it to the list of things we’re not allowed to talk about?” “I’m trying to give you space—” “I don’t want space, I want answers!” I’m crying again, angry tears that I can’t stop. “I want to know why you kissed me if you regret it so much, I want to know why you’re pushing me away, I want to know what I did wrong—” “You didn’t do anything wrong.” He runs both hands through his hair, destroying the perfect styling. “This isn’t about you—” “Then what

“Because you’re my mate.” I open my mouth to respond but nothing comes out because what am I supposed to say to that, congratulations, thanks for the info, sorry your supernatural DNA picked the wrong person? “Okay,” I finally manage, and it sounds pathetically inadequate. “And you hate that.” I’m not asking, I’m stating a fact. “You hate that your wolf chose me.” “I never said that—” “You didn’t have to.” I cross my arms over my chest. “I can see it every time you look at me, every time you treat me like I’m a problem you need to solve.” “You’re not a mistake.” He runs both hands through his hair and for the first time since I’ve known him he looks completely rattled. “This situation is a mistake, you being anywhere near me is a mistake, but you’re not—” “Then why did you follow me tonight?” I cut him off. “If I’m such a problem, if you want me gone so badly, why didn’t you just let me leave?” “Because I CAN’T.” The words come out rough and angry. “Do you think I wan

The wolf is the size of a small car and it’s standing between me and Rhys and my brain is trying to process the fact that there’s a fucking wolf in the penthouse that just came through the window like it’s a goddamn action movie except this is real and I can even smell the thing,. Rhys moves and he’s so fast I don’t even see him leave my side, one second he’s there and the next he’s slamming into the gray wolf with enough force that they both go crashing through the coffee table and glass explodes everywhere. Two more wolves are climbing through the shattered window and I’m backing up and my hands hit the floor and there’s glass everywhere, I feel it slice into my palms but the pain is distant because one of the wolves is looking directly at me with eyes that glow yellow and its lips pull back showing teeth that are way too long. I hear fabric ripping and bones cracking and when I look back at Rhys he’s got the first wolf pinned and his hand is around its throat except his han