Rejected, Abused, I Fall for the Forbidden Alpha (by Riley Scott) novel Chapter 212

Chapter 212

Damien POV

The first thing I noticed was the sheer exhaustion on her face. There were dark rings beneath her eyes, and she moved slowly, as though each movement was costing her what little precious energy she had left. I shifted uncomfortably on my chair, fighting the guilt that was sweeping over me.

I ate mechanically, unable to take my eyes off of her and hating myself for it. One look at her, and it was like an arrow to the heart. Like I was lost in her spell.

I was an Alpha for heaven’s sake. I was the most powerful member of the pack, and she was almost bringing me to my knees.

What kind of leader did that make me? What kind of man allows a woman to get under his skin like that?

I was doing this to remind her of her place, to remind her that she was only here because of my good graces, but right now it didn’t feel that way. Not when she drew her shoulders in and made herself look small, rather than the confident woman I know she was capable of being. Not when there was almost no fire left in her. She looked broken.

I had done that to her.

A hand touched my arm, and I blinked, slowly turning my head to see Alice smiling widely at me.

She was beautiful. Long red hair, big green eyes, and a silhouette that once would have left me reeling. Now I only felt repulsed as she blatantly touched me in front of my mate.

The mate I refused to acknowledge as mine.

I gently pulled Alice’s hand off of me, and she frowned before leaning forward and batting her eyelashes at me.

“Damien,” she purred, “you’ve been so busy lately. You really should take some time to breathe and recuperate.”

I knew what she was implying. Alice hadn’t exactly been discreet in her pursuit of me. I would have been flattered if I hadn’t found my mate. Might have even taken her up on her offer. But I knew better. That was one complication I didn’t exactly need right now.

“Pack business comes first,” I said flatly, aware of Marissa’s eyes on me and the way she was glancing between Alice and me.

Alice followed my line of sight and then scoffed at the sight of Marissa in her omega’s uniform, already deigning Marissa to be below her.

“I see we have a new omega,” she drawled mockingly, “and she’s already staring at our alpha as though somebody like her is ever going to catch his eyes. Pathetic,” she added with a laugh.

I could have defended Marissa. Could have told Alice to keep her damn mouth shut, but that would have only raised suspicion.

Besides, Alice didn’t mean any harm.

She’d always viewed omegas as beneath her. No amount of scolding had changed her views. She’d grown up privileged with a wealthy family. She knew her worth, and she showed it.

It was cold, brutal, and a turn-off. Not that she noticed.

I had always treated my omegas kindly. I knew their quarters weren’t the most comfortable but they were given a

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P212

+15 Banys

fair wage, I treated them respectfully,, and no abuse towards them was tolerated. The last time one of my pack members had attempted to sexually assault one, I had executed them in front of the entire pack as a warning not to touch them.

The pack members had taken that lesson to heart.

We weren’t like other packs. I cared about my omegas and their safety. Just because their wolves were weaker and they couldn’t contribute to defending the pack didn’t mean they didn’t contribute in other ways.

No pack ran smoothly without omegas. We relied on them too much.

“She’s doing her job, Alice, leave her alone,” I muttered half heartedly.

Alice widened her eyes.

“You’re defending her,” she said incredulously, “Damien, anybody can see that she’s already thinking of ways to seduce you. She hasn’t taken her eyes off of you since she entered the room. Somebody like that,” she lowered her voice, “is only looking to climb the ladder. You need to be careful of her,” she warned.

I almost laughed at the thought of my mate trying to seduce me.

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