The Alpha Behind The Mask-Chapter 19: Nothing More

Oliver’s POV

​"Cassey, enough!" I yelled in annoyance as I entered my office.

​The sound echoed off the high ceilings, but she didn’t flinch. She was pacing like a caged lynx, her eyes red-rimmed and flashing with anger.

​"Where did you sleep, Oliver?" she demanded, her voice rising to a shrill pitch. "The whole pack is whispering. You left the gala with her. You stayed the night outside the packhouse. Are you fucking her? Is that it?"

​I ignored her, walking behind my desk and opening my laptop with a snap. My silence only added fuel to her fire.

​"Am I not enough for you anymore?" She stepped closer, slamming her hands onto the mahogany surface. "I do everything you ask! I learn every style, every position; I play every game just to satisfy you. I’ve been the perfect submissive for you for years, and you toss me aside for a broken wolf who can’t even shift?"

​"You are overstepping, Cassey," I said, my anger rising to its peak. "My whereabouts are not your concern. Your role in my bed does not give you a say in my life, nor does it give you the right to interrogate me."

​Just then, a sharp knock sounded at the door.

​"GET OUT!" Cassey screamed toward the hallway, her face contorting.

​But the door didn’t stay closed. It pushed open with a steady, confident force, and Knox walked in.

​Knox was the Alpha of the Iron Ridge Pack, my oldest friend and the only man who didn’t look at me with either fear or hidden agendas. He took one look at the scene—Cassey’s disheveled rage and my cold, mounting fury—and let out a low whistle.

​"Bad time?" Knox asked, though he didn’t look like he intended to leave. He leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his broad chest. "What is going on?"

​Cassey turned her glare on him. "Shut up, Knox! This is between me and my Man."

​Knox’s eyes sharpened, the playfulness vanishing. "Careful, Cassey. I’m an Alpha, too. And last I checked, Oliver hasn’t claimed you as anything more than a submissive."

​Pain, anger, and rage flashed in Cassey’s eyes. She knew Knox was right. I never defined our relationship; she was only my submissive, and that was all.

​Cassey looked at me, pleading for me to contradict him, to say she was more—but I stayed silent. The truth was cold, and she had finally hit the wall of it. With a final, hateful glance at me, she grabbed her designer bag and stormed out, nearly knocking over a vase on her way.

​The door slammed shut, leaving me alone with Knox.

​"You really know how to pick ’em, Oliver," Knox chuckled, dropping into the leather chair across from me and kicking his boots up on the corner of my mahogany desk. "So, what’s really going on? You look like you haven’t slept, and your scent is... complicated."

​"Nothing is going on," I snapped, rubbing the bridge of my nose. "I have a pack to run and a Rogue King to find. I don’t have time for Cassey’s theatrics."

​Knox’s eyes drifted toward the frosted glass of my office door, where a slim silhouette was visible at the assistant’s desk. "Right. And who is that beautiful damsel I saw outside your office? The one with the hair like a wildfire?"

​I stiffened. "My assistant. Aurora."

​Knox smirked, a slow, knowing pull of his lips that made me want to punch him.

​"What?" I growled.

​"Nothing," he said, holding up his hands. "Just... she is fucking stunning, and I know you, man..."

​"Shut up, Knox," I muttered, turning my attention back to the files. "She is just my assistant..." I lied. Aurora wasn’t just my assistant; she was more than that to me, but I didn’t want to tell Knox yet. He would laugh at me and even mistake it as me falling in love.

​"Sure she is," Knox teased. He stood up, stretching his body. "Anyway, are we still on for the club tonight? I need a drink and a distraction."

​I was about to say no. My head was pounding, and the last thing I wanted was to go back to that den of sweat and sex. But then I remembered Aurora would be there.

​"Yes," I said. "We’re going. But the usual rules apply. We wear the masks. I’m not going there as the King."

​Knox grinned. "See you at eight."

​He sauntered out, the heavy doors swinging shut behind him. But I didn’t return to my files. My wolf was on edge, pacing behind my ribs, his ears pricked. I leaned back and focused, my supernatural hearing picking up the soft chime of the door opening to the executive lobby.

​"Hello there," Knox’s voice boomed, smooth and dripping with that effortless Alpha charm. "You must be the new assistant I’ve been hearing about. I’m Alpha Knox."

​"I... hello, Alpha Knox," Aurora’s voice replied, sounding small and hesitant. "I’m Aurora. Do you need anything?"

​"No, Aurora," Knox interrupted. I could practically hear the wink in his voice. "Has anyone told you that you have the most incredible eyes, Aurora? They remind me of—"

​A growl built in my throat, vibrating against my teeth. I felt a surge of white-hot possessiveness that made my vision blur. He was doing it on purpose. He was testing me.

​I didn’t move from my chair, but I reached out with my mind, slamming into Knox’s.

​Leave her alone, Knox, I snarled through the mind link, my mental voice echoing with the authority of the Alpha King. Get out of my lobby before I find a reason to make your pack look for a new Alpha.

I heard Knox let out a startled, silent laugh through the link. Touchy, touchy, Oliver. Just being friendly. I’ll see you tonight. I watched through the frosted glass as Knox gave her a final, lingering nod and disappeared into the elevator. Aurora stood there for a moment, looking confused.

​I slammed my fist onto the desk. Dammit. She wasn’t even mine—not officially—and yet the thought of any man, even Knox, breathing her air made me want to burn the world down. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

​I pressed the intercom button on my desk, my voice tight and full of annoyance.

​"Aurora. In my office. Now."

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