Pheromonal: One Night With the Alpha novel Chapter 119

Chapter 119: Or Else

I slide my hands from Vale’s grip, careful to keep the movement casual despite every cell in my body screaming to run. "You’re being awfully kind all of a sudden."

"Am I not allowed moments of compassion?" His lips curve, but the expression doesn’t reach his eyes. "After all, we share similar goals."

"And what goals would those be?" ƒrēewebnovel.com

"Your safety. Your education. Your... evolution." He leans back, crossing one leg over the other with fluid grace. "The Moons were likely crude in their methods, I’ll grant you that. But their basic premise isn’t entirely wrong."

My stomach lurches. "Kidnapping and torture seem pretty wrong to me." It’s also strange that he knows exactly who had me. Maybe it isn’t strange; maybe they knew all along. But it just makes everything even weirder and hard to stomach.

I take a deep breath and fold my hands in my lap to stop their trembling. It feels like the purple lines are writhing beneath my skin, even though I can’t see them.

But I need to know.

"Are you a dragon, too?"

"Yes." Vale’s voice carries no inflection, as if commenting on the weather. "Does that frighten you?"

"No." My hands betray me with a slight shake. "I’m not that easy to scare."

His lips quirk up at my obvious lie, and his nostrils flare. The gesture reminds me of Xavier’s predatory assessment, how he could smell my fear. Dragons and their heightened senses—I wonder what other tells I’m giving away.

Then he sighs and settles back in his chair, the leather creaking under his weight. "Let me be clear, Ms. d’Armand. I care very little about your well-being."

The blunt admission catches me off guard. I narrow my eyes, studying his face for any hint of deception. "Really?"

"Does that hurt your feelings?"

"No." A laugh bubbles up, surprising even me. "Actually, I’m relieved you’re finally being a little honest."

His deep laugh fills the room, rich and genuine—nothing like the calculated expressions from before. "I find myself appreciating your candor, Ms. d’Armand."

"Thank you."

His gaze rakes over me before he finally nods. "You will be enrolled at Thornheights Academy. This is non-negotiable."

Thornheights? "Don’t you mean Thornhaven?"

His lips tighten, and his words turn cold. "Does it matter?"

"I was just—I mean, it could be a different academy entirely." How do you forget the name of your own magical academy?

A frown creases his forehead before smoothing away, apparently deciding there’s no point in continuing that thread of conversation. "What matters is that I have no interest in your mental or physical well-being. My only concern is your magic."

The temperature in the room drops several degrees in an instant. Knowing he doesn’t care about me is one thing; hearing it from his own mouth is another.

"Let me be perfectly clear—if you cannot control yourself, you will be disposed of. You’re nothing but a liability if you continue killing people around you."

My hands shake in my lap. I don’t want to hurt anyone else either. Five people are more than enough. No one should ever have to die because of me.

"However, due to your connection with one of my best soldiers, I’m willing to put forth the effort to train you."

"What’s the catch?" There’s obviously a big one.

"You’ll need to voluntarily enter a contract. One that protects both us and you."

Ah. The mysterious contract. I’m guessing it’s the same kind Logan’s constrained by.

But part of his claim doesn’t ring true. "Does it really protect me?"

His lips twitch upward. "Well, you don’t seem fond of the alternative."

Oh.

Oh.

Both brows wing up now, and he barks out another laugh. "I underestimated your spunk, Ms. d’Armand. Very well. Let me kindly request your cooperation with enrollment at Thornhaven," and he stresses the name with utmost politeness. "As for the contract, am I correct to assume that your lawyer would be Marcus Ashby?"

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify