Rejected by My Alpha Now He Replaced Me with a Copycat Luna novel Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Raven’s POV

“Asher, stand down,” Dexter warned, though he made no move to intervene. “She’s with me.”

The giant-Asher-ignored him, golden eyes burning with suspicion. “Like hell she is.”

I took him in with a fighter’s assessment: towering frame packed with lethal muscle, tribal ink peeking from beneath his shirt, the casual grace of someone who’d spent lifetimes in combat. His hair-that rich chestnut brown with sun-kissed highlights-was pulled into a careless knot that somehow made him look more dangerous.

But it was his hands that told the real story. Relaxed? Please. Those thick fingers twitched with restrained violence, ready to snap bones.

“Move,” I growled.

Amber eyes flashed wolf gold. “Not until I know which of my brothers you’re hunting.”

The implication hit me a second before his hand shifted toward his back. I didn’t wait to find out what weapon he carried-I lunged, twisting his arm behind him with practiced precision. “Looking for something?”

Dexter’s warning came too late. “Raven, I really wouldn’t-”

Asher moved like liquid shadow, breaking my hold with terrifying ease. His testing jab came faster than expected, but I sidestepped, my pulse

roaring in my ears.

“Luv now, is it?” Asher sneered at Dexter between strikes.

Dexter shrugged, leaning against the counter with infuriating calm. “What can I say? She’s got personality.”

The kitchen had become an arena, the scent of grilled cheese and herbs now undercut with something sharper-challenge, intrigue, and beneath

it all, an unexpected thrill of recognition.

Lena’s excitement thrummed through me, equal parts warning and welcome.

The moment Asher’s attention wavered, I struck-my fist connecting with his jaw with enough force to make an ordinary man stagger. But Asher just blinked, shook his head slightly, and countered with a sweeping kick that would’ve taken my legs out if I hadn’t anticipated it.

We moved in a deadly dance across the cramped kitchen, his movements fluid despite his massive frame. When his hook landed against my ribs, the impact stole my breath, but something in his controlled restraint told me he wasn’t fighting to hurt me. Not really.

I retaliated with a palm strike aimed at his nose, but he dodged with unnatural speed, our struggle sending pots clattering. Dexter groaned as

the skillet hit the floor with a metallic clang.

That split-second distraction cost me. Asher lunged, twisting my arm behind my back with effortless strength. His grip was inescapable-the

hold I’d only encountered from professional enforcers.

ance,” he growled, his breath warm against my ear. “Who sent you?”

I pour drinks for tourists,” I spat, struggling against his hold. “Unless you count Joe’s terrible hiring standards as a conspiracy.”

A flicker of uncertainty crossed his face as Dexter interjected, “She’s legit, Ash. We’ve been gone two months-things changed.”

The pressure on my arm eased slightly, but the suspicion in Asher’s golden eyes remained. My pulse spiked as he mentioned background checks. My paper trail might hold up to casual scrutiny, but against real resources?

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Dexter’s intervention came just in time. “Christ, you’re paranoid. Let her go before I tell Kael you’re harassing staff.”

The name ‘Kael’ made Asher’s grip loosen completely. I rubbed my wrist, surprised by the lack of bruising-he’d restrained me without causing real damage.

“Where’d you train?” Asher demanded, studying me with new interest.

I met his gaze without flinching. “Maybe I’d tell you if you hadn’t just assaulted me in a kitchen.”

Dexter’s laughter filled the tense space. “She’s got you there, mate.”

Grabbing the remains of my sandwich, I edged toward the door. The grilled cheese had gone cold, but I’d be damned if I let their posturing ruin Dexter’s surprisingly decent cooking.

“Leaving so soon?” Dexter called after me.

“Some of us actually work for a living,” I shot back, though my bravado faltered as I caught Asher’s intense stare.

Even as I busied myself with opening duties-wiping down tables, stacking glassware-my mind kept circling back to the fight. Asher moved like someone who’d seen centuries of combat, his skills far surpassing anything I’d encountered in underground rings. And that scent… cinnamon and cloves with an undercurrent of something wilder…

Lena stirred restlessly, her interest piqued in a way that had nothing to do with survival instincts.

That was the most dangerous realization of all.

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