Alpha's Dark Desires

Chapter 32: His Fault

Elena’s POV:

Ouch. I groaned as I stirred, every inch of my body throbbing with pain.

Why the hell do I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck?

Oh, right. I was.

And, of course, all because of that stupid, insufferable alpha. The one with an ego so massive he probably thought the universe revolved around him. If he hadn’t tried to control every breath I took, if he’d just listened for once instead of acting like he owned me—

"Nope, that was all you," Zena, my wolf, piped up smugly in my head. "Remember? You were the one who locked him out and floored it."

I groaned internally. Oh, shut up, I grumbled at her. I huffed internally. Sure, maybe I’d been the one to hijack the car, but still—everything that happened to me could somehow be traced back to him. If he weren’t such a control freak, if he hadn’t dragged me out here against my will, if he hadn’t been so annoyingly... him, then maybe none of this would’ve happened. Maybe.

She had been begging for some action since the moment we laid eyes on Kane, and I knew she was still miffed that I hadn’t thrown myself into his arms. Not that she seemed to care that my little stunt had almost gotten us killed.

"Hey, don’t act like I haven’t been warning you,"

Yeah, he was my mate—the last person I ever wanted to be tied to for the rest of my life. Of all the people in the world, why did fate have to choose him? The control-freak alpha I had despised practically my entire life. And now here I was, bruised and battered, with every aching bone reminding me that I might’ve overplayed my hand this time.

My eyes cracked open, the blurry world slowly coming into focus. As my vision adjusted, I started to take in my surroundings. The room was dark, shadowed by heavy curtains drawn tightly against the windows. It wasn’t my room, that was for sure. This place smelled... earthy, musky, and overwhelmingly masculine. The scent was unmistakable, and it wrapped around me like a cocoon. It was him—Kane. Even the air felt thick with his presence, as though he’d left his mark on everything in sight.

Great, I thought. Just great.

I tried to push myself up, but a sharp ache shot through my arm, forcing me to lie back down. My body was battered, my muscles heavy and stiff. I could barely move without feeling like my bones might snap.

"So, I guess we made it to his precious pack, then," I muttered under my breath. The realization stirred up a fresh wave of irritation. After all my efforts to escape, I was finally right where he’d wanted me. In his pack. In his world.

No way, I thought. There was no way I was just going to lie here and play along with whatever plan he had for me. I wasn’t some passive prize he could just drag home. I was Elena, and no one—not even an infuriating, stupidly handsome alpha—was going to break my spirit.

Speak of the devil. Nope its thinking..

Before I could even gather my strength to sit up, the door swung open, and in he walked, striding in without so much as a knock. He moved with that effortless, arrogant confidence, as if he owned the place.

Oh. Right. He did own the place. This was his room, after all.

He stopped a few steps away from the bed, his intense gaze sweeping over me, assessing every bruise and scratch, his jaw clenched tight. His usual cocky smirk was gone; instead, there was something darker in his eyes—anger, worry, maybe a bit of guilt, though he’d probably die before admitting that.

"Finally awake?" His voice was low, but I could hear the tension in it, the anger barely contained. I felt the urge to roll my eyes, but everything hurt too much to bother.

"Unfortunately," I muttered, grimacing at the pain that shot through my chest.

He sighed, and I could see that he was fighting to keep his expression neutral. But I knew him well enough to see past the mask. He was relieved, his shoulders just slightly less tense, his gaze flickering over me as if to reassure himself I was really here, alive.

"You could at least pretend to have some manners," I muttered, scowling up at him. "Ever heard of knocking?"

"Funny, coming from someone who stole my car," he shot back, his voice low and gravelly. "Not to mention the whole jumping-out-of-it stunt. What were you thinking?"

I glared at him, refusing to let him see any weakness. "I was thinking I wanted to get away from you, genius."

He sighed, and for a split second, I thought I saw something soften in his expression before his face hardened again. "You could have gotten yourself killed, Elena."

"Maybe," I scoffed. "But at least I wouldn’t have to deal with you anymore."

The words hung in the air, sharp as a blade. I expected him to get angry, to snap back with one of his usual arrogant remarks, but instead, he just... stared at me. That unreadable look in his eyes made my chest tighten, but I shoved the feeling down. I wasn’t going to let him get under my skin.

After a tense silence, he took a step closer, and I instinctively bristled, shifting back as much as my sore body would allow.

"Don’t you dare," he growled, his voice a low warning.

I blinked up at him, feigning innocence. "Don’t what?"

"Don’t even think about trying to blame this on me," he said, folding his arms over his chest, his jaw tight. "You’re the one who decided to steal the car. You’re the one who thought it’d be a great idea to try and outrun me. And now look where that got you."

I scowled. "If you weren’t such a controlling jerk, maybe I wouldn’t have had to."

His eyes darkened, a muscle in his jaw twitching. For a moment, I thought he was going to snap at me. But instead, he took a deep breath, clearly forcing himself to calm down. "Elena," he said, his tone soft but dangerous, "I came this close to losing you." He held up two fingers, barely an inch apart. "Do you have any idea what that did to me?"

He clenched his jaw, and for once, he looked almost... vulnerable? No, that couldn’t be right. Not him.

"Elena," he said, his voice softer this time, with an edge of frustration. "You don’t understand what it did to me, seeing you like that... seeing you in that wreck. You think I don’t care, but..."

"But what?" I cut in, unable to stop myself. "You think dragging me here against my will and treating me like some disobedient child is caring?"

He clenched his jaw, and for once, he looked almost... vulnerable? No, that couldn’t be right. Not him.

"I’ve waited for you," he finally said, the words slipping out almost as if he hadn’t planned to say them. "For years, I’ve waited for my mate. For you. And the thought of losing you—"

"Oh, so this is about you?" I interrupted, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "How nice to know you’re more concerned about your ’mate’ than, you know, me as an actual person with feelings and choices."

His eyes flashed, but he didn’t lash out. Instead, he took a breath, clearly trying to keep his composure. "I know I can be... controlling," he admitted, though I could tell it pained him to say it. "But I’m an alpha, Elena. I’m used to leading, to protecting. And with you, it’s... it’s harder to control that instinct. I can’t stand the thought of you getting hurt."

"Told you so," Zena whispered smugly in my head, and I could almost imagine her wagging her tail in satisfaction.

Ignoring her, I managed a weak scoff. "I was fine."

"You crashed into a truck."

"Barely," I mumbled, though my aching body argued otherwise. noveldrama

His eyes narrowed, and for a moment, I thought he might actually strangle me, frustration radiating off him in waves. But instead, he leaned closer, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Next time, Elena, if you want to punish me, find a way that doesn’t involve nearly getting yourself killed."

I swallowed, feeling my heartbeat pick up, not from fear, but from the sheer intensity of his gaze. He was so close that I could feel his breath on my skin, the heat of his body overwhelming even in my bruised, battered state. Damn him. Even now, a part of me was still drawn to him, like a moth to a flame I knew would burn me alive.

"Fine," I muttered, though my voice was more breathless than I wanted to admit. "Next time I’ll just... I don’t know... lock you in a closet or something."

A flicker of amusement flashed in his eyes, quickly replaced by something darker. "Good. Because I don’t ever want to go through that again," he said quietly. And for the first time, I felt a pang of guilt. I hadn’t realized how much I’d scared him. Not that I’d ever admit that out loud.

He moved to sit down beside me, running a hand over his face as he took a deep breath. I watched him, feeling a strange mix of emotions. Part of me still wanted to punch him, to rail at him for being so overbearing and insufferable. But another part—a traitorous, annoying part—was starting to wonder if there was more to him than the controlling alpha I’d always seen.

Just when I thought we were getting somewhere....boom he change the atmosphere.

"But I still gotta punish you... for the way you made me worry," he said, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous tone. His eyes darkened, that familiar intensity creeping back, and I felt a shiver run down my spine.