Ruin Me, Alpha-Chapter 16: Suspects and Sin

"Pass the salt before I die of boredom," Brielle said, kicking my shin under the rickety table in the Omega mess hut.

Jasper snorted, sliding the shaker across. "You’re dramatic. Irene’s the one who spent last night screaming the Alpha’s name."

I threw a bread roll at his head. "I will end you."

He caught it mid-air and took a bite. "Please. The walls are thin. We all heard the headboard symphony."

Brielle cackled. "Twice. She screamed twice."

I opened my mouth to threaten murder when the air changed.

Cedar. Storm. Raw Alpha power so thick it crawled over my skin like fingers. I knew he had to be near.

I shot to my feet so fast the bench screeched. "I’ll be right back."

Brielle’s smile vanished. "Irene—"

I was already moving.

I shoved the door open and stepped into the dusk.

He was there.

Alpha Devon Warner leaned against the hood of a matte-black Jeep, arms folded, black coat open, looking like sin poured into combat boots. The Omega quarters were deserted (no one lingered outside when the Alpha decided to visit the slums). Curtains twitched in every hut window. Dozens of eyes watched from behind the curtains.

He didn’t speak. Just extended one hand, palm up.

An order wrapped in silence.

I walked to him because my legs decided they belonged to him more than me. My fingers slid into his without permission. His hand closed (warm, rough, possessive).

"Walk with me," he said.

His voice rolled through me like thunder.

We moved toward the tree line. His thumb kept stroking the inside of my wrist, slowly and deliberately circles that made my pulse stutter.

"You visited the families," I said, because silence with him felt dangerous.

He nodded once. "Left each of them enough money to never work again. Promised the heads of whoever did it on a silver platter."

"And?"

"One father spat in my face. Said I ordered it. Said only a monster kills pups to send a message." His jaw flexed. "Rumors are already crawling. By tomorrow half the pack will swear I slaughtered those kids to keep Ironfang in line."

I stopped walking. He stopped with me, still holding my hand like letting go wasn’t an option.

"Who do you think did it?" I asked.

His eyes locked on mine (grey, cold, lethal). "That’s why I’m here. I want your guess."

I laughed, sharp and bitter. "What makes you think I know?"

"Because you’re the smartest person in any room you walk into," he said, no hesitation. "And because you hate me enough to see the angles I might miss."

My heart did something stupid. It warmed, fluttered, whatever you call it when your enemy hands you the prettiest compliment you’ve ever heard.

I looked away. "I don’t work for you."

"Be my assistant," he said.

I blinked. "Why? So I can poison your coffee easier?"

His lips curved, it is not quite a smile, more like a predator showing fang. "I think you’d be useful. Extremely useful." His free hand lifted, knuckles brushing my cheek. "And I want you close."

The atmosphere crackled.

I swallowed. "Define close."

His thumb traced my lower lip. "Close enough that I can still taste you when I close my eyes."

Heat flooded me, low and traitorous.

I stepped back. His hand dropped, but his eyes stayed on me like chains.

"I’ll think about it," I lied.

He tilted his head. "Take tonight. Tomorrow you start."

He walked away before I could argue.

Bastard.

The next morning a courier knocked on my hut door at dawn.

Black envelope. My name in bold, aggressive handwriting.

Inside: a sleek black credit card and a single note.

Wear something distracting.

—D

I stared at it for five full seconds.

Then I took the note outside, flicked my lighter, and watched it burn.

Two hours later I strode into the private elevator of his penthouse wearing the shortest, tightest black dress I owned (leather, backless, hem barely covering my ass). No bra. Thong so tiny it was basically optimism.

The doors slid open straight into the penthouse.

Devon stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows, coffee in hand, city sprawling behind him. He turned.

His eyes went black in half a heartbeat.

He didn’t say a word about the dress. Just looked at it slow and deliberate, like he was already peeling it off with his teeth.

I lifted my chin. "You said distracting. I delivered."

He set the mug down very carefully.

"Sit," he said, voice rough.

I walked past him, making sure my hip brushed his thigh. Dropped into the leather chair opposite his desk like I owned it.

He rounded the desk, opened a drawer, and slid a tablet and a thick folder toward me.

"Suspects," he said. "Everyone with motive, access, and the stomach to gut children."

I flipped the folder open. Photos. Names. Pack affiliations. Alibis. Bloody crime-scene stills that made my stomach lurch.

I forced myself to read every page.

He watched me the entire time.

"You missed something," I said finally.

His eyebrow arched. "Tell me."

"Harlan." I tapped the Gamma’s photo. "He might not make sense but anybody that wants you weak is who did that. Dead pups make you look weak. Harlan was on border patrol rotation the night it happened, conveniently reassigned last minute by someone with override authority. Guess whose signature is on the reassignment form?"

Devon’s eyes narrowed. "Andrea."

"Bingo." I leaned back, crossing my legs so the dress rode higher. His gaze tracked the movement like a sniper scope. "Also, Jasper said Gideon’s been locking around the Omega’s quarters since yesterday. That’s new. Especially when you told him to back off."

Devon’s fingers drummed once on the desk. "You think your father’s old Beta is involved?"

"I think someone’s playing both sides, and Gideon’s terrified I’m about to find out which side he picked."

Silence stretched.

He leaned forward, elbows on the desk. "Anything else, assistant?"

I smiled, slow and sharp. "Yeah. I’m still going to kill you."

His grin was all wolf. "Bring it on, baby."

I stood, walked around the desk, and stopped between his spread thighs. He didn’t move, but every muscle in his body locked tight.

I bent until my lips brushed his ear. "Careful, Alpha. One day I’ll say yes to that challenge. And when I do, I won’t stop until one of us is bleeding out on this very expensive floor." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

I felt his sharp, hungry inhale.

His hand snapped up, fingers circling my throat (not squeezing, just holding). Claiming.

"I’ll make sure I’m on my back when it happens," he murmured. "Better view while you ride me into the afterlife."

My entire body ignited.

I stepped back before I did something stupid, like straddle him right there on the desk.

He let me go, but his eyes promised he’d collect later.

I grabbed the tablet. "I’ll cross-reference patrol logs with the families’ statements. Someone lied about where they were that night."

He nodded once. "You have full access. Everything. My systems, my accounts, my schedule." His voice dropped. "Me."

I rolled my eyes to hide the way my pulse spiked. "Don’t flatter yourself."

I turned to leave.

"Irene."

I glanced back.

He was staring at my legs again. "Next time, wear red.

I flipped him off and walked out.

But the second the elevator doors closed, I let my head fall back against the wall and exhaled a shaky breath.

I was in so much trouble.

And the worst part?

I couldn’t wait for tomorrow.