Alpha's Dark Desires
Chapter 60: Cornered

Chapter 60: Cornered

Elena POV:

Okay. Call me a bitch. I deserve it. After all, I was the one running away from him, trying to put as much distance between us as possible. And yet, here I was, crouched on the stairs, watching him. Stalking him, almost. Why? Why did I care? Why was I watching him, knowing full well I planned to leave?

And worse, why did I want to march down there and murder that stupid floozy sprawled across his couch?

I know I shouldn’t care. I don’t even want to admit it to myself, but the jealousy? It was eating me alive. I blame Zena—my wolf. She couldn’t keep her emotions in check, always pushing me to stay with him, to claim him. Her feelings were overriding mine, and I hated it. Ohh Goddess help me, I peeked again.

Kane stood at the door, looking exhausted and worn down, like he hadn’t slept in days. My chest twinged. Almost—I repeat, almost—I felt sorry for him.

And then, his eyes opened.

I saw the shift immediately. His entire demeanor changed as anger rolled off him in waves, his Alpha aura pressing down on the room. I could practically feel it even from where I crouched. He wasn’t just mad—he was furious. And it didn’t take a genius to figure out why. He’d noticed her. The stupid bitch.

A small, dark part of me felt happy about his anger. Why? Because it meant he wasn’t aroused. He wasn’t pleased to see her, and that mattered more than I wanted to admit.

Ashley scrambled off the couch in a panic, falling into what I could only describe as a submissive kneeling position. What the hell was she doing?

"Master," she whimpered, her voice sugary and low, her eyes cast downward.

Master? Seriously? Master? My wolf snarled at the word, and I couldn’t help but wrinkle my nose. Why the hell did all his women call him that? Was it some kind of weird fetish? A power play? Or was this just another way to show what a control freak he was?

Don’t get me wrong, I was a virgin—pure as snow—but even I knew that love and intimacy weren’t supposed to look like this. And the position she was in? Kneeling, head down, her voice dripping with fake submission? It was downright weirding me out.

Kane, to his credit, looked disgusted. He growled, his voice sharp and biting. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

The stupid bitch actually tried to answer him, but his growl cut her off before she could finish. His command to leave was firm, laced with anger. If it were me, I’d have run out the door without looking back. But Ashley? She stayed.

Stupid, stupid bitch.

Instead of leaving, she held something up to him—a piece of paper. A document.

"You forgot Chapter 3, Clause 5 of the contract, sir," she said sweetly, as if that justified her being there.

I frowned. What contract?

Kane’s entire body tensed as he snatched the paper from her hands, scanning it quickly before cursing under his breath. He was livid—his rage so palpable I could almost taste it.

He reached for the glass of wine she had poured and downed it in one gulp, slamming the glass back onto the table. His fury radiated off him in waves, but Ashley still wasn’t moving.

"Get out," he growled again, but she stayed put, her smirk barely hidden.

Kane’s restraint finally snapped.

In an instant, his hand was around her neck, lifting her clean off the ground. Her hands clawed at his, her face a mask of panic as he snarled, "I fucking told you to leave. You should have done that when you had the chance."

His voice wasn’t fully his anymore—it was deeper, darker. His wolf was taking over, and for once, I agreed with him. Rip her throat out.

Okay, that wasn’t me. That was Zena. But still, the bitch had it coming.

Zena was practically vibrating with excitement, pacing in my mind, begging me to let her out. She was thrilled at the display of dominance, while I was...conflicted.

Kane’s wolf deserved a treat for this one.

One moment, Kane was choking the life out of Ashley; the next, he was doubling over, clutching his stomach in obvious pain.

"What the fuck did you put in my drink?" he growled, his voice raw.

Ashley didn’t answer. Instead, she started stripping.

The audacity.

My stomach churned as Zena growled in my mind, her chant of "mate, mate" growing louder. Kane’s scent shifted—anger mixed with something else. Lust. Arousal.

What. The. Fuck.

How could someone radiate fury one moment and lust the next? The waves of desire rolling off him were driving Zena insane, and I was losing my grip on her.

Ashley started crawling toward him, her movements slow and deliberate. "Let me take care of you, sir," she purred, her voice like nails on a chalkboard.

Take care of him my foot! Stupid, stupid bitch.

She reached for his pants, her hand brushing against him, and I lost it.

Before I knew what I was doing, I was moving—running down the stairs and crossing the room in seconds. Kane managed to push her off, but the stubborn bitch came at him again, her filthy hands reaching for what wasn’t hers.

And then, it happened.

I grabbed her by the shoulder and threw her aside with more force than necessary. She skidded across the floor like a ragdoll, her wide eyes filled with shock as she looked up at me.

I stood there, trembling with rage, my chest heaving as I glared down at her.

Mine.

The word echoed in my mind, a claim, a promise.

Kane’s gaze snapped to me, and for a moment, everything else faded away. His eyes were locked on me, filled with something I couldn’t quite name. Relief? Anger?

But all I could think was one thing.

No one touches my mate.

I wasn’t done with that bitch. Not by a long shot.

How dare she? How fucking dare she?

She drugged my mate—my mate—and tried to take advantage of him while I was right here. The audacity! My blood boiled, Zena snarling in my head, pushing me to shift, to rip her apart, to make her suffer.

Ashley scrambled back, trying to crawl away from me, her eyes wide with fear. Good. She should be afraid.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I hissed, my voice trembling with rage. "You drugged him? Drugged him?! You vile, disgusting little—"

"Elena," Kane’s voice broke through my anger, deep and strained, but I barely registered it.

She didn’t get to walk away from this. Not unscathed. Not after what she’d done.

Ashley’s lips trembled as she stammered, "I-I was just—"

"Shut up!" I roared, my voice laced with fury and Alpha dominance, something I wasn’t even aware I was capable of. "Do you think I don’t know what you were doing? Do you think I didn’t see you? Smell your lies, your desperation? You thought you could replace me?"

Her gaze flickered to Kane, as if she thought he would save her. But he didn’t move. He just stood there, watching me with a strange expression on his face.

"You will never be me," I snarled, stepping closer, my claws itching to come out. "You’re nothing but a desperate, pathetic little bitch, clinging to scraps that don’t belong to you."

"Elena." This time Kane’s voice was firmer, but I ignored him.

My wolf was pacing furiously, demanding blood, and I was barely holding her back. The line between me and Zena was blurring, my rage feeding hers, and I wanted nothing more than to make Ashley bleed.

"I should rip you apart for what you’ve done," I growled, my voice dropping lower. "For daring to touch what’s mine."

Ashley whimpered, her face pale as she tried to push herself further away. "I—I didn’t—"

"You didn’t what?" I snapped, cutting her off. "Didn’t drug him? Didn’t try to seduce him while he was clearly resisting you? Didn’t strip like some cheap, desperate—"

"Elena!" Kane’s voice snapped like a whip, his Alpha command slamming into me like a brick wall.

I froze, my breathing heavy, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. My wolf growled in protest, furious at being stopped, but I forced myself to take a step back, even though every fiber of my being screamed at me to finish what I’d started.

"She’s not worth it," Kane said, his voice rough, his breathing uneven.

Not worth it? I glanced at him.

He was sweating, his chest rising and falling heavily, and he looked like he was about to devour me. His eyes—pitch black, swirling with lust—were locked on mine. The air in the room was suffocating, charged with something primal and dangerous, and I suddenly felt like prey.

"Scam," Kane growled, his voice low and guttural, filled with the promise of destruction.

Ashley bolted like a scared pup, whimpering as she fled, her pathetic cries echoing faintly as the door slammed shut behind her. And just like that, I was alone with him.

Shit.

Zena, whose fury had been an inferno mere moments ago, was now giddy and utterly useless, her anger replaced by a needy, insistent chant of mate, mate, mate in my head.

Stupid, horny wolf.

I took a step back instinctively, but Kane didn’t move. He just stood there, towering over me, his dark eyes pinning me in place, his chest still heaving. He looked wild, untamed, like he was barely holding himself together. And worse, I could feel it—the heat rolling off him in waves, his desire hitting me like a physical force.

How the hell did I get into this situation?

"Kane," I started, my voice shaky, unsure of what I was even going to say. Back off? Calm down? Don’t eat me alive? None of those seemed like great options, given the current circumstances.

"Elena." My name came out in a growl, dark and dangerous, and my knees nearly buckled at the sound of it.

This was bad. This was very, very bad.

I forced myself to stand tall, to meet his gaze despite the way it made my heart race and my wolf practically wag her imaginary tail. I couldn’t afford to show weakness, not now, not when he was looking at me like I was the only thing keeping him sane.

"You should sit down," I blurted, my voice more panicked than commanding. "You’re—uh—you’re still under the influence of whatever that—that bitch gave you."

He took a step toward me.

Nope. Nope, nope, nope.

I took a step back, and his eyes darkened even more, if that was even possible.

"Running again?" he rasped, his voice low, guttural, and thick with suppressed emotion. "You’re always running, Elena."

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding in my chest. "I’m not running," I lied, even as I edged further away.

His lips curled into a dark, humorless smirk. "Liar."

Another step. Another retreat.

I was almost at the stairs, but it didn’t feel like an escape. Not when he was looking at me like that. Not when his presence felt so overwhelming, so consuming.

"You came down to protect me," he said, his tone softening just a fraction, though his eyes were still wild. "I felt it."

I froze, my back brushing against the bannister. "I—"

"You’re mine, Elena," he said, his voice dropping even lower, his words a raw, possessive growl that sent a shiver down my spine. "And you can run, you can hide, but you’ll never change that."

My breath hitched. Goddess, help me.

Zena, completely useless now, was practically purring in my head, chanting mate, mate, mate like she’d forgotten all the reasons we were trying to leave him in the first place.

"Kane," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, "you need to back off."

His eyes softened, just for a moment, and then he stepped closer. Too close.

I was trapped.