The Alpha Behind The Mask-Chapter 10: First Kiss

​Oliver’s POV

"Let go of me!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, but I ignored her. I shoved the door to my private room open, dragged her inside, and slammed it shut behind us.

​I saw the terrified look in her eyes as she darted them around the room, her gaze landing on the BDSM tools hanging on the wall and the others laid out on the bed.

​"What do you think you’re doing?" she demanded, her voice trembling and her lips shaking. "It’s against the rules to touch a lady without her consent in this club."

​Her gaze kept moving—until it landed on something solid nearby.

"Don’t come any closer!" she cried, grabbing a heavy silver candle snuffer from the side table and lifting it with trembling hands.

​I stopped. My wolf paced behind my ribs, snarling at the distance between us. "I am many things, Aurora, but I am not a rapist," I growled, the sound vibrating deep in my chest. "I’m not going to touch you without you begging me to. Put that down."

​I didn’t wait for her to obey. I took a slow, measured step into her personal space, the scent of her fear and wildflowers hitting me like a physical blow. "I hate sharing what I want," I leaned in, my voice dropping to a dangerous, possessive whisper. "And I want you. Name your price. Five hundred thousand? A million? I have never wanted anything as badly as I want you in my bed."

​She didn’t look tempted. She didn’t look impressed. She stared at me with pure, cold, unadulterated hate. It was so intense it actually made me pause. Why? Does she look at every man in this club this way? Or is there something about me that triggers this hate?

​"Over my dead body," she spat with hate.

​That was it. My patience snapped. In one swift move, I lunged forward, ignoring the silver tool in her hand. I grabbed her wrists and pinned them against the wall above her head, slamming my body against hers so she could feel exactly how much she was affecting me.

​"I know you’re playing hard to get, Aurora," I growled into her ear, my lips brushing the shell of it. "But I am a very impatient man. You’re starving for money, and I’m starving for you. It’s a simple transaction." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

​"I will never be your sub," she hissed, her face inches from mine, her sea-blue eyes burning with a fire that made me want to devour her. "I will never be anything to a monster like you."

​Her defiance was like gasoline on a fire. I wanted to rip this mask off and show her the face of the king she had bowed to this morning. I wanted to see if she’d still call me a monster when she realized who I was.

​"If I want something, Aurora, I get it. No matter the cost, and no matter how many walls you build," I rumbled, my chest vibrating against hers.

​She let out a harsh, dry laugh, her eyes flashing with a desperate kind of triumph. "You’re threatening me. You think you’re untouchable in this club? You’re wrong. I’ll report you to the Alpha King."

​I went still, a dark amusement curling in my gut. "The Alpha King?" I repeated, my voice dropping into a deceptive silkiness. "Do you even know him, little wolf?"

​"Yes," she spat, lifting her chin high despite her wrists being pinned. "I work for him. I’m his personal assistant. And the first thing I’m doing tomorrow morning at ten sharp is telling him exactly what kind of beast you are. I’ll report you for assault. He’ll have your head for this."

​The irony was almost too much to bear. She was going to report me... to me. I wanted to laugh, but the fire she was breathing was doing something much more dangerous to my self-control.

​"Since you’re planning on reporting me anyway," I murmured, leaning in until our noses brushed, "then I might as well give you something worth mentioning. Better report me for this, too."

​I didn’t give her a chance to react. I crashed my lips onto hers, a brutal, hungry kiss that was meant to reclaim every inch of her.

​She froze, her entire body locking up in shock. I tasted the wildflowers and the salt of her tears, but beneath it all was that spark—the raw, electric heat that told me she wasn’t just afraid; she was overwhelmed. I let go of her wrists, my hands sliding down to cup her face, my thumbs grazing her cheekbones as I deepened the kiss, molding her mouth to mine.

​I wanted to mark her. I wanted her to go to sleep tonight with the taste of me on her tongue.

​When I finally pulled away, just an inch, our breaths were coming in shared, ragged gasps. Her sea-blue eyes were blown wide, hazy with a mix of fury and a confusion she couldn’t hide—then she slapped me.

​I stood frozen, stunned by what she had just done.

​"That was my first kiss!" she choked out, her voice breaking with a sob that sliced right through my composure. "How dare you... how dare you just take it!"

​Before I could even process the words, she turned and bolted out of the room. I didn’t chase her immediately. I couldn’t. My mind was reeling. Her first kiss? At her age, working in a place like this? It seemed impossible, yet the raw agony in her voice told me she wasn’t lying. I felt a sudden, sickening jolt of guilt—something I hadn’t felt in years. I was the Alpha King; I took what I wanted. But taking a woman’s first kiss in a cold, masked power play felt... wrong. Even for a monster like me.

​I should have been furious that she had slapped me. No one touches the King. But the only thing I felt was a desperate need to find her.

​I adjusted my mask and stepped out of the room, my footsteps quick. I scanned the crowded, neon-drenched floor until I spotted her at the bar, leaning into her friend. Aurora looked pale, her hands shaking as she grabbed her things. The moment her eyes met mine through the crowd, panic flared in them, and she vanished through the back exit.

​I didn’t follow her out. Instead, I walked straight up to the bar.

The waitress glared at me, her protective instincts flaring even as she trembled under the weight of my presence.

​"What did you do to her?" she demanded, her voice high and tight.

​I leaned over the counter. "Where is she going?" I asked, my voice sounding like a command. "And don’t lie to me."

​The young lady swallowed hard, looking toward the back door where Aurora had disappeared. "She’s going home... please just let her be... she has a lot going on in her life right now."

​I raised a brow, feeling the urge to know more. "A lot... like what?"

​The waitress frowned. "Not my place to tell, but please, just find someone else."

​With that, the waitress turned and left, leaving me more eager to know this girl than I ever thought I could be.

​Pulling my cell phone from my pocket, I dialed a number and placed it to my ear. It rang a few times before it was picked up.

​"Greetings, sir," the male voice spoke over the phone.

​"I have a job for you."

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