Chapter 7: My Territory
Chapter 7: My Territory
(Scarlett’s POV)
Alexander raised his hands hallway, palms forward. The gesture was stiff, unnatural coming from him. It wasn’t an actual apology, not a real attempt to make amends. No, it only screamed of someone trying to control the narrative.
“Scarlett,” his deep voice rumbled, filled with forced calm, 1 didn’t come to fight. Let’s talk this through”
1 crossed my arms, unimpressed, and leaned against the doorframe of my living room. My house wasn’t his packhouse, and I wasn’t one of his groveling subordinates. But I was curious to see how this would go, so I stepped aside and let him in.
“You want to talk now?” I said flatly, gesturing for him to come inside. “That’s rich.”
It was impossible to miss the way Alexander’s amber eyes flicked around the space, taking in my home like he was cataloging everything. He hadn’t been here before but acted as if the air around him shifted to suit his presence.
His broad shoulders cut a commanding silhouette as he moved past me. The faint scent accompanying him filled the room almost immediately. That heavy, cloying musk–the signature of an alpha throwing his weight around. My stomach tightened in protest at the pheromones. My wolf, Cora growled in the back of my mind, bristling ferociously. She hated the manipulation.
Then he did something I dreaded. Alexander moved to my sofa like he owned it, sinking into it as though it were his throne.
The air changed. Suffocating tension cloaked the room like a storm about to break.
From his pocket, a silver cigar appeared. And for a heartbeat, the only sound in the room was his fingernails tapping against the smooth surface of
the metal casing. Tap Tap.
He didn’t even make it to lighting it.
I moved faster than I’d consciously decided, grabbing the cigar from his hand before the box of matches even came into view. My palm tingled angrily from the silver as I crushed the thing in my grip, letting the remnants fall to the floor. The tiny ash pieces sparkled faintly before clinking to the
ground with finality
“This is my territory,” I said icily, the defiance in my voice sharp as steel. “I’m in charge here. Rule one: no smoking in my house.”
Alexander’s jaw tightened, the faintest muscle twitching visibly along his cheekbone. He wasn’t used to being opposed this way–it showed in the
locked tension in his frame. Grace’s years of meek submission had molded him to expect obedience.
He sat stiffly, his hands now resting on his knees, fingers curling into light fists, 1 don’t recall you being so… bold. You were far more agreeable the
pust three years.”
The laugh that escaped me was cold and humorless. It echoed sharply, bouncing off the quiet walls of the room.
“Three years, I repeated mockingly, my lips twisting into a cruel smile. I took a single step forward, closing the space between us slightly. “You
thought that was real?”
His amber eyes narrowed slightly, his posture shifting as he tracked my every move.
“It wasn’t anything but an act,” I said bluntly, leaning back slightly against the armrest of a chair. “You thought I was accommodating? Please. I didn’t care enough to bother challenging you. That politeness you loved so much wasn’t patience–it was apathy.”
A flicker of something crossed his features. Surprise? Irritation? Maybe both.
Before he could respond, I pushed further, letting my tone drip with disdain. That gentle persona wasn’t for you. That was survival. I’ve been playing the role of the future Luna you wanted. You just didn’t bother to notice what it cost me–or what I truly thought of you”
Alexander’s shift was subtle but undeniable. His jaw ticked, his shoulders straightened, and his fingers curled tighter until the faint c*** of his joints
broke the quiet.
“You and your friend Emma have caused quite the stir,” he said finally, his voice calm, too calm. “Rejecting a mating bond publicly? Spreading
malicious rumors about Grace?”
The way he spoke grated on my nerves. Calm, collected, but with that underlying accusation. He leaned forward slightly, amber eyes glinting faintly
like a predator comering Haony
7/2
Chapter 7 My Territory
nalicious rumors about Grace?”
The way he spoke grated on my nerves. Calm, collected, but with that underlying accusation. He leaned forward slightly, amber eyes glinting faintly like a predator cornering its prey
“You brought this on yourself,” I said plainly, my sharp tone cutting right through his calm attempt. Rumors? Really? What you mean is facts, Alexander. Truth isn’t a rumor just because it doesn’t fit your narrative.”
“If you’re implying Grace’s condition is-”
T’m not implying anything.” I interrupted him sharply, stepping closer now until I stood over him where he sat. “You wanted to keep her hidden? Run two stories side by side? Mark me while shielding her?”
His lips pressed into a thin line, the tic in his jaw betraying that unraveling controll
I titted
my
pregnancy
head. Then you should’ve done a better job covering your tracks because Emma only repeated something everyone else saw. Or did you think no one else would mention Grace’s trips to the den? Obstetrics isn’t for silver poisoning, Alexander.”
He let out a low, warning growl. The sound reverberated through the air like a rumble of impending thunder. Deep, menacing, meant to signal that i had overstepped
e room itself seemed to shift as his Alpha power surged,
Alexander surged to his feet in one swift motion, towering over me with his full stature. The i
creating an almost physical weight in the air. Wolves in his pack would have crumbled under this presence.
“You will not speak of Grace like that,” he snarled, every word vibrating with restrained rage. His amber eyes burned with warning.
If his display was meant to intimidate me, it failed miserably. My wolf gave an amused growl, urging me to push back.
I stepped even closer, so close that I could see the slight hitch in his breath as my emerald eyes blazed up at him.
“I will speak truth whether you like it or not, I hissed, my voice laced with venom. “Your so–called perfect Grace sent rogues after me three years ago.
I nearly died because of her manipulative games while you turned a blind eye.
He flinched. Just a little. But I caught it. I caught the way my words hit their mark, chipping away at his practiced composure.
“You think protecting her changes what she did to me? You think forcing me into this political band serves the pack? Save your sanctimonious
excuses, Alexander, I spat, “because I stopped caring years ago. You don’t scare me. You don’t control me.”
The tension was suffocating. The air between us crackled with raw, unresolved energy, each of us refusing to yield. His amber eyes flared with
frustrating disbelief, while my wolf radiated icy power, daring him to make the next move.
1 think we’re done here,” I said finally, my voice low but firm. I gestured sharply toward the door. “Get out of my house.”
For a moment, he didn’t move. He stood there, his piercing gaze locked onto mine, his breaths coming short and fast. I knew that everything inside him screamed for control–control he couldn’t regain. Not now.
Without another word, he turned sharply on his heel, heading for the door. His heavy steps echoed through the hallway before the front door slammed shut behind him.
And just like that, the silence returned. A heavy, loaded silence that filled the now–empty space.
Cora purred in satisfaction in the back of my mind. “That went well,” she said dryly, radiating smug approval.
