Alpha King's Runaway Plaything

Chapter 6: Dangerous Games

Chapter 6: Dangerous Games

(Elina's POV)

“A feisty little wolf like you must have many potential mates lined up," Damon's voice reached me, smooth yet soaked in venom. His taunt lingered between us, dangerously playful but with an edge that felt far from harmless.

I kept my expression frozen, neutral, even as my wolf bristled at the insult. “I don’t see how that’s any of your business, Alpha Blackwood,” I replied sharply, forcing my voice to remain calm.

His sharp blue eyes narrowed, his smirk twisting wider. “Just my observation, little wolf. You seem... popular these days.”

From the corner of my eye, I caught Asher’s face tightening. He was silent, but I could feel his wolf stirring beneath his skin, uneasy at Damon’s words.

“You crossed the line,” Asher interjected, his voice calm but firm, his beta aura pressing into the tension like a warning arrow shot between two alphas.

But Damon, undeterred, tilted his head slightly toward me. His gaze was too keen, too dismissive of Asher's presence. “Maybe it's not my business... but then again, your mother certainly enjoys singing praises of your boss here,” he teased, gesturing toward Asher without sparing him a glance. “Perhaps she's hoping for a new, brighter future for her daughter—an ‘alliance,’ let's call it?”

That was it. My mask cracked. My wolf snarled inwardly, my hands stiffening at my sides. “You can mock me all you want, Damon,” I snapped, my tone drenched in venom. “But leave my mother out of this."

For a moment, I thought I saw something soften in Damon’s face, a fleeting expression that looked almost... regretful. But then it was gone, replaced by that infuriating smirk once more.

“Touchy, aren’t we?” he muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets as if bored by the exchange. “Relax, Elina. It’s just talk.”

“Tension in this conversation isn’t productive,” Asher said, his voice cutting through the charged air. “Let’s stay professional. Focus on the ceremonial marking gown.”

“Ah, yes,” Damon said smoothly, his smirk curving cruelly once again. “Professionalism. I’ll leave you two—after all, you seem like such a perfect team.” With that, he turned on his heel, his dominance retreating as he strode away.

Even as I pretended calm, his words clung to me like thorns.

---

Later that evening, as footsteps echoed through the underground parking garage, I clenched my fists. My heart was pounding with unresolved anger—anger I couldn’t let fester any longer.

“Damon,” I called, my voice cutting through the still air.

He turned, his gaze sharp, brows raised as though he hadn’t expected me to follow. “Something you need, little wolf?”

I marched forward, stopping just a few feet from him and his hulking car—a sleek black Land Rover that probably cost more than I’d ever make in a lifetime. “Why did you do that?” I asked, my voice trembling with restrained rage.

“Do what exactly?” he asked, leaning lazily against the car door as he pulled a cigarette from his pocket.

“You know what!” I snapped. “Humiliate me in front of Asher! In front of my boss! What was the point of that?”

His eyes gleamed as he lit the cigarette, the first drag slow and deliberate. He exhaled, gray smoke curling between us. “Humiliate?” His lips curved into another maddening smirk. “You’re exaggerating, Elina. If anything, I showed how utterly fond I am of you.”

"Really?" I barked, refusing to back down this time. “Was it fondness when you hinted at me w*****g myself out to him?” My voice cracked slightly, but I didn’t let it falter completely.

That got his attention. His smirk faltered, his jaw tightening just slightly—just enough for me to detect it. And yet, as always, he recovered too quickly.

“Ah, we’re back to this,” he said darkly, his tone dangerous now. “You can’t help but bring everything back to money and generosity, can you? This outrage of yours... you’re making it about guilt.”

“Guilt?” I repeated in disbelief. “What guilt?”

He straightened, taking a deliberate step toward me. His towering frame made me instinctively retreat a half-step, but I held firm.

“The forty thousand,” he said softly, but his words were edged like glass. “Is that what this is about?”

“No!” I practically shouted. “It’s not about the money! It’s about your constant need to control me! You show up whenever you want. You meddle. You humiliate me—again and again—and as soon as someone challenges you, you twist it back on me!"

For the briefest moment, his expression darkened, almost wounded. But the mask returned quickly—as always. “Control, huh?” he said, his voice colder now. He took another long drag from his cigarette, tossing the butt onto the ground as he exhaled.

Then, running a hand through his dark hair, he said, “Maybe if you were a little less of a mess, I wouldn’t feel the need to step in."

I bit back the sharp retort clawing at my throat. Instead, I took a deep breath. “If you think I’m such a mess,” I said slowly, deliberately, “then why don’t you just let me go?”

His wolf rippled beneath his skin, his control slipping just enough for a tense silence to expand between us. “Let you go?” he asked lowly, tilting his head. “I’ve done nothing but that, little wolf.”

"Then stop showing up," I hissed. “Stop acting like you care when you clearly don’t!”

Fire blazed in his eyes. He leaned closer, his dominance biting against my senses. “If I didn’t care,” he growled, “you’d already be dead on the streets of some rogue-infested alley.”

His words landed like a slap. I opened my mouth to retort, but nothing came out. I hated him. Hated how he always twisted the truth into something I couldn’t refute.

“And speaking of rogues...” Damon’s voice turned thoughtful, mocking. “Perhaps it’s better for you to strengthen your pathetic beta status. You’d fit better into Grey’s life if you were less...” He gestured toward me dismissively. “Vulnerable.”

I saw red. Without a second thought, I swung my foot forward, slamming it into the side of his Land Rover with a satisfying thud.

He froze for half a second, then laughed—a deep, low chuckle that made my blood boil.

“Careful, little wolf,” he said, his voice laced with dark amusement. “My car doesn’t forgive temper tantrums.”

“Good thing it doesn’t match your ego,” I shot back before storming toward the exit.

I didn’t stop walking until I was sure I was out of his line of sight. But long after I left the garage, I could still hear his damn laughter echoing in my ears.

---

I buried myself in work after that. Sleepless nights were filled with fabric and needlework, the ceremonial marking gown taking shape faster than ever.

My mother’s health had improved, though, which eased some of the burdens weighing on me. Thanks to Asher’s efforts, her medical expenses were no longer immediate daggers aimed at my wallet.

“To Asher Grey,” I said one evening as we clinked glasses over dinner. “Thank you for everything.”

He tilted his head and smiled, his gaze warm. "Don't thank me yet. Just become the designer you're meant to be, and we'll call it even."

But that comfort, that normalcy, didn’t last.

One late night while returning home, I froze the second I saw my apartment lights on. My wolf stirred uneasily. Something was wrong.

Heart racing, I pushed the door open carefully. The air inside was different—musty, overpowered by an unwashed scent that made my stomach churn.

"Smells better now, doesn’t it?" Cain Maddox’s rough voice rumbled from my kitchen as he stepped into view.

I nearly dropped my bag. My wolf bristled, growling quietly in the back of my mind. Cain’s scarred face twisted into what I assumed was supposed to be a friendly grin.

“Fixed your leak,” he gestured toward the sink. “Service like this? Don’t get it in packs as fancy as yours.”

“I don’t recall asking for repairs,” I said coldly, clutching the strap of my purse tightly.

“Well, consider it neighborly love,” he said, his grin widening—or maybe baring his teeth. “You can pay me back some other way.” His voice dipped lower, a dangerous edge in his tone.

“Here,” I said, pulling out cash quickly. “Now leave.”

Instead of taking the money, his hand shot out, grabbing my dress. His fingers tightened as his face leaned closer. “Why so cold, little omega? You could use protection. Better protection than that territorial alpha of yours or Grey pretending he cares.”

My hand darted to my silver-lined knife, and before he could react, I drove it into his shoulder.

Cain howled, his eyes blazing with rage as he stumbled backward, clutching the wound.

Panting, I stepped back, keeping my knife pointed toward him. He snarled, stepping toward the door. “You’ll pay for this,” he spat before disappearing into the night.

The pack enforcers weren’t as helpful as I’d hoped.

“I acted in self-defense,” I explained, trembling in front of Officer Jones. “He was going to mark me!”

Jones barely looked at me, instead eyeing his clipboard. “And yet, Cain Maddox sustained several injuries during this ‘self-defense.’"

“He attacked me!” I snapped. “I wasn’t going to—”

Jones cut me off. “Rogue or not, you’re required to pay compensation for the injuries caused.”

I gaped at him, disbelief choking me. “So, that’s it? He attacks me, and now I owe him?”

Jones shrugged, not meeting my eyes. “Deal’s done. Pay the fine and move on.”

When I left the station, the weight of injustice was unbearable. My wolf curled into itself, whining softly.

Outside, a familiar black Land Rover approached at a slow, deliberate pace. Damon’s silhouette was unmistakable as he rolled the window down, a cigarette glowing faintly between his fingers.

My phone buzzed.

“Little wolf,” Damon’s voice said smoothly on the other end. “Rough night? You smell... off.”

“I’m fine,” I lied, staring at him from across the deserted street.

“Really?” His tone was sharper now. “Because your wolf...” He let the sentence hang, as if demanding an answer.

Before I could respond, another car screeched to a halt beside me. My stomach sank as Cain stepped out, followed by Lila.

“You’ll regret this,” Lila screamed, her voice shrill as she pointed at me. “You think you can get away with stabbing Cain? You’re lucky we don’t—”

Cain interrupted, his voice dripping with venom. “You’re nothing. An omega trying to pretend she’s better than the rest of us.”

I stood frozen, humiliated and terrified as Damon watched from inside his car. His wolf’s agitation was palpable even from this distance.