ALEXANDER
His body trembled with pent-up rage. He had the urge to punch a hole through the wall, to snap the pole in the center of the room in half with his bare hands.
She believed he was in the wrong.
She had turned her back on him.
It felt like he was back at square one.
She had ended the life of that monster. He hadnât had the chance to make him suffer, to inflict the pain he had planned.
He had wanted to tear him apart piece by piece, to crush his eyeballs under his thumb, to wrench his jaw open. He had wanted him to experience ~pain~.
He had ~needed~ him to endure the same torment Olivia had.
His inner wolf craved revenge for the havoc wreaked on his pack, for the danger posed to his mate and their unborn child.
The man was dead. That was the crucial part.
But it did nothing to quell the thunderous demand for blood echoing in his chest. His heart yearned for vengeance, for retribution. Did she really think they could trust this other pack?
He couldnât let them go. They might join another pack, they might repeat their actions.
Didnât she understand the implications of her actions? She was mated now, even expecting. It shouldnât be as severe but⦠To have traitors, violators among them?
How could he pretend everything was normal with them around?
He didnât trust them. It wasnât as if they had merely tried to steal from them.
It wasnât even about them trying to claim their territory⦠They had tried to take ~her~. They had allowed an outsider to manipulate them. They were weak. They could be easily swayed. They lacked loyalty.
Why would he want such filth in his pack?
He didnât want to constantly look over his shoulder, to worry about the safety of his mate, his child, his pack. He wanted peace of mind. He was sick of the relentless stress, the anxiety. This was their sanctuary.
It had to remain a safe haven.
He had made a mistake once. He had allowed others to deal with Will. That guilt gnawed at him every day. There wasnât a moment when he didnât think about it. He had put her in harmâs way.
He should have handled it himself, ensured he was gone for good.
Maybe then things would have been different.
Couldnât she see that he was determined not to repeat his past mistake?
He was adamant about not letting anyone slip through his grasp again. The price was too steep.
To make matters worse, she had challenged him. In front of everyone.
And now?
She was holed up in their room. ~Furious~. He could sense it.
Her anger permeated the walls, reminiscent of the resentment she held for him when they first met. ~He didnât like it~.
He had tried to open the door, to reason with her again, but quickly realized it was locked. He could have forced it open, but chose to walk away. It took all his strength to do so.
That was his ~mate~. His wounded mate. He should be comforting her, keeping her safe in his embrace.
He shouldnât be apart from her.
But Maya had stepped in, warning him that pushing the issue would only make things worse.
He had wanted to tell her off, but a part of him knew she was right.
He didnât know how to explain to her that this was how things worked. He wasnât being heartless. He understood these were lives at stake.
He didnât ~kill~ out of desire. He had avoided it as much as possible throughout his life.
But he saw no other solution to this predicament.
And yet, there they were. In his basement, potentially a threat.
And they were alive. ~Because of her~.
He was the alpha. His word was law. No one challenged him. No one defied him.
But she did. Right from the start.
Olivia never followed the expected path.
She didnât behave like a typical wolf, an omega.
Alexander slumped onto the leather couch, throwing his head back against the cushion. This was uncharted territory for him.
Someone ~not~ obeying his orders? Someone defying his decision? Sure, there were a few troublemakers like Maya who liked to tease him, but they always fell in line eventually.
This was different.
She wasnât backing down. She seldom did.
At times, she made him feel like a young cub trying to assert its dominance. It shouldnât be this way. He ran a hand down his face, a sense of exasperation filling his chest.
He pressed his lips together, his foot tapping the floor in a loud rhythm.
~Damn it~. He thrust his hand into his pocket, yanking out his phone. She was pushing him into behaving like a petulant teenager.
Alexander
Are you really gonna lock me out of my own bedroom?
Olivia
You can always bulldozer in and disregard me.
Olivia
Youâre pretty good at that.
Alexander
Livy, Iâm doing this for you.
Olivia
I didnât ask for this.
She hadnât asked for any of this!
She wasnât even ~aware~ she needed it. How could she remain so obstinate? How could this not affect her? All he yearned for was to envelop her in his arms, touch her bare skin, and explore every part of her.
She could have been snatched away from him. His entire existence, his whole universe nearly crumbled. He didnât want to waste time arguing about the fucking jerks who attempted to murder and abduct her.
~Damn it~.
Alexander
Livy, donât push this.
Olivia
Or what?
His self-restraint kicked in just in time to prevent him from smashing his phone. ~Alright~. She wanted to be obstinate? He would handle this the only way he knew. ~He was going to bulldoze his way through~.
His steps were quick and determined as he stormed towards their bedroom. She wanted him to be impulsive? He would be impulsive. He shouldnât. He knew better butâ¦she refused to comprehend.
Perhaps it was different for her, maybe humans could afford to be more lenient.
He couldnât.
It was about ~her~ safety, the safety of the pack.
How could he jeopardize that?
No alpha safeguards their own by being gentle.
If another alpha detected a hint of vulnerability, it was game over. She seemed to have grown up in a more forgiving world. He had always perceived humans as ruthless, but her experiences were different.
Otherwise, she wouldnât be so quick to forgive.
She had to dirty her hands because of that scoundrel, because of someone she trusted implicitly, and yet, she was still willing to give these strangers a chance?
It didnât make sense.
âOlivia. Open this door or Iâm gonna fucking smash it down.â
His demand was met with deafening silence.
~Alright~.
She wanted a confrontation, they would have one.
He had tried to be patient, but the alpha in him was seething, demanding a certain level of submission from his omega mate. This was the complete opposite. She wasnât even ~communicating~ with him. She wasnât being reasonable.
âAre you ~certain~ this is a wise move?â
Alexander didnât need to turn around to identify Mayaâs voice. He ran his tongue over his teeth, his grip on the doorknob intensifying.
He could feel the metal yielding to the pressure he was exerting. It was the only ~plan~ he had.
âSheâs not being reasonable.â
âAnd smashing the door will make her reasonable?â
âSheâs not listening.â
âSheâs not listening, or youâre not listening?â
Her words made him relax his grip. âYou know theyâre dangerous.â
âI know. ~You know~. But sheâs trying to tell you something. Maybe, instead of charging in like you always do, you should listen to her. Do you think you can force her into this?
âLike you easily convinced her you were a good guy when you first met her? Use your brain, idiot.â
He was accustomed to her casual language with himâthe nicknamesâbut he didnât have the patience for it right now. She was his mate, she was pregnant. He almost lost them both. This whole staying away?
He was fucking terrible at it. He was terrible at it ~before~ they were mated and he was even worse now.
Alex let out a loud sigh, his nostrils flaring while the pulse in his neck felt like it was about to explode. ~Alright.~
His nose twitched and his jaw clenched so tight that his teeth were grinding against each other. ~Heâd give her space.~ For now. While he cooled down.
This wasnât a permanent situation and he wasnât going to let her throw a fit to get her way.
This was about her safety and nothing was more important to him. Heâd make her understand thatâno matter what.