Chapter 30: Confrontation

ALEXANDER

~That damn jerk.~

The moment Alexander’s foot hit the floor off the elevator, he was aware. He didn’t even need to sniff him out; he could just ~sense~ it. Will was in Olivia’s apartment. He was probably making his daily rounds since their last encounter.

There was no question that he was trying to wipe his scent off her stuff. And that ~would~ take several tries. He was a beta—he couldn’t easily overpower an alpha’s mark.

But it was all in vain.

The moment he’d step into that apartment, his pathetic weak scent would already start to fade.

He made no effort to conceal his arrival as he strode towards her door, which he found ~open~. Careless.

With a single push of his finger, he swung the door wide open, peering inside to spot Will.

Unlike him, he shut the door. He’d need some privacy for this. His footsteps echoed as he navigated through, guided by his nose.

~He was in her bedroom~. A switch flipped, and his blood was boiling.

He had no business being there.

There was no way he hadn’t sensed his presence by now. He was deliberately choosing to hide, waiting for him to find him.

What, did he think he’d have the upper hand? Did he think he could win this? Alexander would peel back every layer until he revealed him for what he truly was.

Most betas would have shown themselves by now. Made themselves known.

He might not be ~his~ alpha, but he was an alpha nonetheless. Someone needed to put him in his place.

He needed a reminder of the hierarchy.

Alexander grazed his knuckles against the door, waiting as it swung open from the gentle push.

There, at the foot of the bed, stood Will.

His arms were folded across his chest, his gaze fixed on him.

“Why do you keep coming back here?”

This jerk had the audacity to question ~him~? Alex raised his hand, displaying the key in his grip. “Because I can.”

He watched his eyes narrow and caught the slightest hint of a snarl.

Would he maintain the same deceitful facade with him or would he let the mask slip? “Liv wouldn’t give you a key. She despises alphas.”

So she hadn’t told him. He had anticipated as much.

He would have become a bigger pest earlier if she had shared any of their encounters with him. It did inflate his ego a bit. It shouldn’t. He was a secret.

But he was a secret she chose to keep so she could continue seeing him.

“How would you know what ~Livy~ wants? Last I heard she ran away from you…and came to me.”

That should let him know that they had spoken.

How else would he know about their argument? He needed Will to know that he hadn’t completely brainwashed her; she didn’t believe every single damn lie he told anymore.

“She—”

“She what? Wouldn’t see through your nonsense?”

“It’s not—”

“You lied to her.”

“I didn’t—”

Alexander’s upper lip curled, revealing his teeth. “You did. You’ve damn well isolated her, lied to her…”

“Alphas are monsters. You’re a monster.”

He took a step forward. The beta stayed put, but it was clear he had started to shake. ~Good~. He might not have been part of a pack for a long time, but his instincts were still sharp; he knew to fear alphas.

“If anyone here is a monster, it’s you.”

“Where is she?”

“She doesn’t want you to know.”

“You took her.”

“She came willingly.”

“She despises alphas, she wouldn’t—” He inhaled.

His brown eyes widened, his chest sinking as he exhaled. ~He knew~. It was hard for Alexander to suppress a smirk. “You’re the alpha. The one from her heat.”

~Intriguing~. “So, she did tell you about me.”

It was clear from the confusion and the hurt flashing in his eyes that he hadn’t been told the whole story. Good. Maybe he could be the one to feel betrayed for once. After what he did to Olivia, he deserved a lot more.

He deserved to have his damn face punched in.

“What did you do to her?”

“Me? Nothing. You on the other hand…”

“Why are you here?”

His hands were clenched at his sides, shaking as if he was using all his self-control to ~not~ hit Alex.

“You’re gonna leave her alone.”

“Really?” He retorted. “I believe Olivia can make her own choices.”

“If you hadn’t filled her mind with your lies, she could.” His fists were itching for a fight; he wanted to knock that smug look off his face. Will had been living in his own bubble for too long; he’d forgotten his place.

He’d forgotten how to show respect to an alpha. Hell, it seemed like ~he~ considered himself an alpha.

“I’m not buying it.”

He could thrash him. Beat him until every bone in his body ached. Beat him until each breath he took was a struggle. Beat him until he was unrecognizable.

It would quench his thirst for violence, it would calm the alpha beast roaring within him. But would it be the most devastating thing? No.

There was something else.

~Olivia~. Losing Olivia was the real nightmare. He’d spent years ensnaring her, entrapping her… But those days were over. The illusion was shattering.

Alexander raised a hand and clamped it over Will’s mouth.

He leaned in, using his body weight to pin him against the nearby wall. He felt Will squirm and resist but he wasn’t strong enough. Alexander drove his elbow into his chest, watching with satisfaction as Will grimaced.

~This was going to be fun~. He retrieved his phone from his back pocket and found Maya’s contact. They were probably together. He knew Olivia hadn’t been carrying her phone. It rang a few times before Maya answered.

“Alex~?”~

“Maya, let Olivia talk.”

~“... Alright.”~

He moved the phone away from his ear and hit the speaker button.

~“Alexander?”~

He watched with satisfaction as Will’s eyes widened, his pupils quivering.

Just to be safe, he pressed his hand a little harder against his mouth; now wasn’t the time for him to start making noise.

Alex had to choose his words carefully.

He couldn’t afford to raise her suspicions. “Livy, what does a pulled stitch feel like?”

There was a long silence; she was clearly annoyed.

~“You ~just ~got injured! How did you manage to pull a stitch? You should have let me check you out before you left.”~

“Sorry, it was…” He paused, pressing his tongue against the back of his teeth.

A smirk spread across his lips and he struggled to keep the amusement out of his voice.

If anything, this brief conversation was ~proving~ that there was a familiarity between them and that he hadn’t forced her to come with him. “An emergency.”

It was better for Will to bear the brunt of his pent-up alpha fury.

He didn’t want to mess up with Olivia. However, this little incident would likely have repercussions.

He had reason to suspect that Will ~would~ tell Olivia about this.

His best bet would be to discredit him as much as possible. Or to infuriate him so much that he’d lose control and make a mistake.

Or at this point? ~Screw it~.

If Olivia couldn’t see through all the lies, she never would.

He was running out of time for her to see through the web of deceit. Will was getting desperate, and he didn’t know what he’d do next.

“~It’ll feel warm, it’ll be painful, it’ll start to swell…~”

Yep, she was pissed at him.

“I guess I did then. Thanks.”

Will began to mumble, his voice muffled by his hand. That wouldn’t do. Even though he could hear Olivia starting to speak, he hit the end call button. He wasn’t finished yet.

“See, she’s okay.”

Alexander puffed out his chest, a spark in his eyes as he smirked. It felt like a small victory.

He released his hand, freeing Will’s mouth, but he kept his arm pressed against his throat, pinning him between the wall and his body.

Will gasped for breath, fury blazing in his eyes. “What the ~hell~ did you tell her?”

“The truth. Thought she deserved to know it for once.”

His fingers tingled, his head pounded, and all he could think about was ~draining him dry~. If it weren’t for that jerk, he’d have already claimed Olivia as his own.

She wouldn’t be suspicious of him, and he wouldn’t have to ~deal~ with constant rejection. His mate despised him, feared him, was angry with him… The good times were few and far between.

They were all he clung to in a futile attempt to keep his composure.

Will just couldn’t grasp it. He had everything. Olivia, the life, the freedom...the ~girl~.

“Unlike your mate.”

Will was frozen in place.

“That’s who she is. The girl who looks like Olivia. She’s your mate.”

A human mate and an omega. Why did he need both?

From the moment he’d seen Olivia, he couldn’t get her out of his mind. How could ~he~ have his mate, have her love, and still stray?

He was repulsed by his own actions.

His anger building, he pushed his arm further into his throat, watching the beta gasp for air.

“~What the fuck is wrong with you~? You’re a disgrace. Your parents were a disgrace.”

That set him off.

Alex felt him fight against his hold, and then his hands were on him. Will grabbed at his shirt, pulling it, using all his strength to knock Alexander over.

The force of the blow was unexpected, causing him to lose his balance, his left foot wobbling. It was enough. Will lunged at him, sending him flying backward, making him hit the ground head first.

~Piece of shit~.

He was seeing red as he jumped back to his feet. He grabbed his shirt, lifting him from the ground with ease.

“You think you can hit me?” he bellowed before slamming him into the mirror on the dresser. And again, ~and again~.

At some point, he heard the mirror shatter, but it didn’t register until pieces were falling onto the floor.

Will punched him square in the jaw and pain radiated down his neck.

The only reason he managed to land a blow was because Alex was still injured, and he was a bit slower than he’d like to be.

He used his head to bang him on the forehead, forcing him back into the broken mirror.

He watched him wince in pain, blood soaking through his shirt quickly.

~Fuck~.

He wanted to kill him. He should kill him.

But how would she ever forgive him if he did?

“~Learn your place~.”

Alex seized the moment of his daze to bolt from the apartment. If he stayed, he’d end his pathetic life. And then, there would be no turning back. His wolf demanded revenge.

His entire body demanded that he break Will’s body in half. He needed to pay for what he did. But… But ~Olivia~. He was supposed to go back. He was supposed to see her. It was her last day with the pack.

He had planned on persuading her to stay longer.

But it wouldn’t work right now. He was too worked up. He couldn’t go back like this. Olivia couldn’t go back to Will. She couldn’t. He—he wasn’t in control.

He wanted to keep her away—even if it was against her will. It wasn’t right. He couldn’t face her looking like a beast. He’d do something he would regret. Already Will would twist this story to his advantage.

There had to be a way to explain it to her.

He’d calm down. Then he’d come back. Clean up the place. Then he’d talk to her. He hadn’t meant to lose control. He hadn’t meant to hit him.

He was supposed to confront him, put him in his place.

He’d lost it.

~He had to fix this~.