Chapter 5: Rules Are Meant To Be Broken
I wake up the next morning determined to put last night’s mysterious ‘dream’ behind me. I work for Alaric now, and I need to maintain my professionalism. I get dressed quickly but I take one last guilty sniff of the t-shirt he left me. I begrudgingly admit to myself that I’m becoming addicted to his smell. As I turn the corner of my room I hear two staff members talking.
“The Alpha is a good man, but what was he thinking bringing a witch into the pack?” one of them says.
“I know. It’s bound to end badly. You can never trust a witch,” the other one replies. Their voices get farther away as I wait until the coast is clear. I hate to admit it, but their comments sting. I was correct in assuming they would never accept me. I straighten my spine and walk with as much confidence as I can muster. I won’t let their hurtful words affect me.
I make my way downstairs and head to the office Alaric showed me last night. I knock briskly on the door and he gruffly answers for me to come in.
“You’re late,” he says. I look up at the clock and it's 9:02. I roll my eyes but I don’t respond. He gets up from his desk and stalks towards me.
“Did you just roll your eyes at me?” he demands in a growl. I give him a hard stare, refusing to back down. He’s so tall I have to lean my head back to do it, but I square my shoulders and look him right in the eye.
“I would never dream of making such a grave mistake as insulting the all powerful Alpha,” I reply with a bitterly sweet tone. His eyes nearly bug out of his head at my words and I see a vein bulging on his forehead. You’ve done it now, I thought.
“Do we need to go over the rules again, Raven?” he asks me in a low, dangerous voice.
“You never did tell me the third one. And I believe we agreed to disagree on the second,” I say smartly. The corner of his mouth twitches ever so slightly that I almost don’t notice. A fleeting thought crosses my mind that maybe his arrogance and dominance are just a facade after all. He narrows his eyes on me and I have to force myself not to tremble under his gaze.
“The third one is: when in doubt, refer to the second rule,” he tells me flatly. He’s so close I can feel his breath on my lips and my heart starts to race. The memory of last night makes my mouth dry for a moment but I quickly recover.
“You are used to getting your way, aren’t you?” I ask curiously.
“Yes,” he replies. His curt tone leaves no room for further inquiry, but I press on.
“So are you going to get angry every time I question you?” I ask.
“Do you always ask so many questions?” he replies irritably.
“Yes,” I reply and I have to force myself not to smile. It’s giving me great pleasure getting under his skin; to feel like I’ve gotten back a small amount of power in this situation. But my satisfaction is short lived when he grabs my arms in a tight grip.
“You were right about one thing. I am the Alpha. So you will show me the respect I deserve and watch that smart mouth of yours,” he growls. As he is saying the words his eyes stare at my mouth hungrily. The beast inside him frightens and excites me all at once. I know he is keeping a tight leash on his anger, even though his desires are evident in his expression.
I say nothing, but stare at him with defiant eyes. He stares back for a moment and then releases me without warning. My equilibrium is thrown off and I quickly try to balance myself. He walks towards his desk and looks out the window, lost in thought. Then he abruptly turns to face me again with a stoic look.
“I was going to show you around the community today and get you acquainted with the pack. But since you are in such a contrary mood, I think it’s best to wait on that,” he regards me coldly.
“So you’re punishing me for asking questions?” I ask haughtily.
“No. I am not punishing you. You may explore the house, but stay inside. You’re dismissed,” he says and turns away.
I am fuming. He’s full of it. He is punishing me, not to mention keeping me prisoner here. I should have taken my chances with Lavinia. The moments tick by as I stand there thinking about how to respond, outraged by his callousness. Then he looks up at me and waves his hand in my direction as if he is shooing me away.
I’ve had just about enough of this.
“You can’t keep me locked up like some...criminal!” I protest. He raises a sardonic eyebrow at me, sporting an aloof demeanor.
“You murdered a man in cold blood,” he states calmly. His matter of fact tone doesn’t soften the sting of his accusation.
“I did what I had to do! I defended myself!” I exclaim. He doesn’t look at all affected by my outburst.
“The fact remains, you are in a much better place than you would have been had I not stepped in. You would think you would be happy with the way things turned out, or at the very least grateful,” he replies.
“Grateful?! For what? Losing my free will? Being bossed around by an arrogant...animal!” I shout. I’ve lost the ability to maintain any semblance of professionalism and regret my words almost immediately. No matter how well deserved they may be.
He’s on me before I can blink, pressing me against bookshelves. I can feel the hard wood digging into my back and something even harder on the front of me. I let out a little gasp at the feeling of his body against mine. I was so angry a second ago but all thoughts have leapt out of my mind except one.
I want him.
“Let me be clear. My patience has limits and testing those limits is not a good idea. You work for me. I will not explain myself to you or anyone else. My decisions are absolute so you better get used to being ‘bossed around’,” he says and then adds, “Call me an animal again and you won’t like the consequences.”
He says all of this in a low voice, slowly and deliberately. My eyes flash and he looks caught off guard for a moment. I’ve seen my eyes when I feel the magic building inside me. They change to a bright purple and glow brighter as my emotions amplify my power. I can’t explain these feelings he arouses in me and my frustration with myself mounts.
“What kind of consequences?” I whisper. He runs a hand down my arm, then my waist and just barely brushes my backside.
“I might be inclined to put you over my knee,” he replies and heat pools between my legs. I’m offended and aroused at the same time.
“Do I look like a child?” I ask sharply.
“No, Raven. You may act like one, but you certainly don’t look like one,” he tells me. He licks his lips as if he’s contemplating kissing me.
“That’s the last time I will allow you to insult me,” I retort firmly. He brings his hand up to my neck and wraps his fingers around it lightly. He’s not hurting me in the slightest, but his threat is clear.
“This is the last time I will tolerate your insolence,” he replies with a growl.
The moment my eyes lock into his, I feel a wave of dizziness. Then I see a flash memory of him at a younger age screaming in terror and crying with regret. He has gone through something terrible in his earlier years and I can’t help but feel a brief moment of sympathy for him.
I search his face for any sign that he realized I was poking around in his brain and feel relief when I don’t see it. His thumb lifts to caress my jaw and I get a tingling feeling down to my toes at his touch. He leans his head down, his mouth moving towards mine.
Before his lips have a chance to meet mine, there’s a knock at the door.