Alle Kapitel von The Alpha's Filthy Secret : Kapitel 11 – Kapitel 18

Sloane.Bright studio lights flashed every two seconds.Photographers shouted directions from behind three camera setups. Stylists pulled at the hem of my costume, adjusting my hair, dusting powder across my face. People filled every corner of the room, taking over each other, managing schedules, holding light reflectors.It was supposed to be a standard campaign shoot.Yet I felt like I was suffocating.Something is wrong with me. I thought to myself.This wasn't normal.My skin was burning under the fabric of my dress, my heart was beating too fast, it was rapid, frantic, thudding against my ribs that had nothing to do with the heat of the lamps.Then I heard it.Deep inside my head, my wolf spoke.'Let me out.'What the fuck? I thought as I sucked in a deep breath.What's she saying?Why here?I stepped away from the backdrop, my hand shooting out to grip the edge of the glass vanity table. My knuckles were turning white against the polished surface as I gripped tighter.No, Ivara,

Sloane.The news hit the industry feeds at eight in the morning.'ROAN RHYS PARTNER'S WITH EVA WEST'S AGENCY''WHAT A SURPRISE LAUNCH.'Every phone on the fourth floor rang at the same time. Assistants rushed past the glass partitions with a stack of revised schedules, and Julian spent two hours on the phone with our European distributors, locking in the fall runaway slots.Roan's fifteen million dollars is in the escrow account. The contracts are signed and filed with the state board. For the first time since I left Blackridge, I have legal protection against a corporate takeover.I stood near the water cooler in the break room, holding a paper cup of hot chocolate. I should feel relieved, and also call Sarah, tell her to buy something nice for Zane.Instead, I watched the glass doors of the lobby.I knew how Raul operates. A man like him does not lose fifteen million dollars and walk away. He waits for an opening, and when he finds one, he takes everything.At noon, I head out to th

Sloane."Drive faster, Hector!"I press my hand against the leather interior of the door, my pulse beating fast. Hector steps on the accelerator, cutting through the LA traffic. Ten minutes later, the sedan pulls up to my building.I don't wait for Hector to open my door. I jump out, sprinting up the lobby stairs, and throw my front door open."Sarah!" I yelled, dropping my bag on the floorboards.I race down the hallway into Zane's bedroom. He lay flat on his back in bed, a damp cloth resting on his forehead. He turns his head slowly, his lower lip sticking out."Mommy!" He says, his voice small and pathetic. "I'm dying."I sit on the mattress beside him, placing my palm against his skin. His forehead is warm, but he isn't burning. It seems like a mild, ordinary fever."You're absolutely not dying," I say, letting out a long breath of relief.'He deserves to be punished.' Ivara growls in my head, making me roll my eyes.'He's a kid.''The adrenaline rush he caused was enough to kill

Sloane.I walk down Fourth Street holding Zane's hand. The afternoon heat reflecting off the glass storefronts, buy tucked between a dry cleaner and a boutique sits an old fashioned bakery. It looks out of place, it's wooden sign painted in faded lettering.Zane tugs my wrist, pointing his shoe toward the display window."Mommy,""No,""You don't even know what I'm going to ask,""Yes, I do,""Cake.""Exactly."A low chuckle comes from behind the counter as I push the glass door open. The shop smells of yeast, cinnamon, tea and sugar.An elderly man stands behind the display case, wiping his hands on a white apron. He has dark hair streaked with grey, soft grey eyes and a gentle smile that reaches his eyes."For the young man who's the first customer of the day," The baker says, reaching into a glass jar and slides a small cinnamon across the counter toward Zane.I step foward, placing my hand in Zane's shoulder. "He doesn't need sugar."Zane looks up at me with wide eyes, looking com