Chapter 14: Chapter 14: Not your Alpha anymore

Alina’s POV

"Ma’am... Alpha Aiden is here." The nanny’s voice was small, her eyes darting toward the door with visible unease. I gave a stiff nod and smoothed my dress, bracing myself before heading down to face him.

Aiden was standing in the center of the foyer. He didn’t look like he had just come from a pack meeting; he looked like a man vibrating with a low, dangerous frequency.

"Why did you let that man into your bakery?" His voice was a low growl that seemed to vibrate in the floorboards. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

I blinked, genuinely caught off guard. "I don’t understand. What are you talking about?"

"Don’t play dumb with me, Alina." He took a predatory step forward, his jaw tight enough to snap. "Lucian came to your shop, didn’t he?"

Lucian. So that was his name. It felt strange hearing it for the first time from Aiden’s mouth rather than his own.

"Yes, he came in," I said, keeping my voice level and calm. "It’s a bakery, Aiden. It’s a public space."

"I don’t want him anywhere near you," he commanded. The Alpha tone was there—the heavy, suffocating pressure that used to make me bow my head.

But I wasn’t that girl anymore.

"Wait, hold on. Why?" I felt the heat of annoyance rising in my chest. "You’re forgetting something. We aren’t married. We’re divorced. I don’t answer to you, and I certainly don’t need your permission to run my business."

"I am still your Alpha!" he roared, the sound echoing off the high ceilings. "Do you have any idea what kind of man he is? He’s a monster, Alina. I won’t have him near you, and I won’t have you near him."

"A monster?" I let out a sharp, dry scoff that made his eyes flash. "That ’monster’ is the only reason I’m standing here talking to you right now. He saved my life while you were... where were you again, Aiden? Oh, right. Not there."

Aiden’s face contorted, but it wasn’t guilt—it was pure, stubborn paranoia. "He’s a Rogue. You know their nature. He didn’t save you out of the goodness of his heart; he’s playing a long game so he can eventually finish the job."

He began pacing, his hands clenched into white-knuckled fists. "He’s doing this to get to me. He wants to use you to destroy me."

"Why would he go to such lengths?" I asked, my confusion sharpening into suspicion. "What is he to you?"

Aiden stopped mid-stride. He looked like he was about to spill a secret that had been burning his throat, his lips parted, his eyes wild. Then, just as quickly, he slammed the door shut.

"Just... stay away from him," he muttered, his voice thick with unspoken history.

"Aiden, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. You don’t need to worry—"

Before I could finish, he lunged across the gap between us. I tried to scramble back, but his hand shot out, catching me by the waist and yanking me hard against his chest. The sudden impact knocked the air from my lungs. I looked up at him, my heart hammering against my ribs, wondering what on earth he thought he was doing.

"What? You allowed him this close to you? I can smell another man’s scent all over you," Aiden growled, his voice thick with a possessive rage that made the air in the foyer feel heavy.

"It isn’t—"

Before I could finish, his mouth crashed onto mine. My eyes flew wide in shock, my hands coming up to push against his chest, but he was like a wall of solid granite. It was a rough, desperate kiss—punishing and demanding all at once. My mind screamed at me to stop, to fight him off, but then he broke my mouth open, and a traitorous heat flared deep in my belly.

I stopped fighting. My eyes fluttered shut, and I found myself kissing him back, losing myself in the familiar taste of mint and the overwhelming power of his presence. Just his touch was enough to make my body react, a dull ache of wanting pulsing through me.

But then, the reality of the situation hit me like a bucket of ice water. This isn’t right. My lungs burned, gasping for the air he just stole.

I tore myself away, gasping for air. Aiden’s eyes were dark with longing, his chest heaving as he reached for me again, desperate to reclaim my lips. I stepped back, putting a safe distance between us, my legs trembling as the heavy silence of the room swallowed the remnants of the heat that had just consumed us.

"We shouldn’t be doing this," I whispered, my voice shaking. "You’re engaged, Aiden. This is wrong. You’re betraying Emily every second you stand here looking at me like that."

The fire in his eyes died down, replaced by a flicker of guilt. He shifted his gaze to the floor, his jaw tight.

"I suppose... you’re right," he muttered, the sudden coldness in his tone cutting deeper than his anger. "I’ll get going. I know it’s late and Leo is already asleep. But Alina, listen to me—please. Don’t let that man anywhere near you again."

I gave a small, hesitant nod just to get him to leave. A ghost of a smile touched his lips before he turned and walked out into the night.

I leaned against the closed door, the wood cool against my back, and pressed my fingertips to my swollen lips. My first kiss. I couldn’t believe it had finally happened, and that it had come from Aiden. For a split second, a smile started to form, but it faded as quickly as it appeared.

I shouldn’t be happy. I refused to be a secret or a mistress to a man who belonged to someone else. I wouldn’t let him get that close to me ever again. His lingering scent was a ghost, haunting my skin and mocking my fragile, broken heart.