Rhea froze mid-bite, her teeth barely breaking the skin of the apple. Slowly, she turned her head, cheeks still puffed from the mouthful she hadn't swallowed.
The man standing a few steps away looked like he had been carved from authority itself, broad shoulders that filled the space, a jaw cut sharp enough to wound, and eyes so cold she felt they could slice her clean in half.
OMG! He's so gorgeous.
A towel hung lazily over one shoulder, the black fabric of his perfectly fitted singlet hugging his torso in a way that made it impossible to look away. The sleeveless cut left his arms bare, each muscle defined and roped tight as if he'd been sculpted for battle.
Her gaze dipped lower, drinking in the deep lines of his biceps and forearms, the way his skin gleamed faintly from exertion. Heat pooled low in her belly. Those arms… she wouldn't mind them braced on either side of her, caging her in, the scent of sweat and heat wrapping around her like a living trap. She imagined the press of that strength at her back, the weight of him, his voice low and rough in her ear—
She swallowed hard, her throat suddenly desert-dry.
Aiden's brow arched at the way she was staring at him. He hated it when the pack girls looked at him like that, hungry and worshipful, even if they tried to hide it when they thought he wasn't watching. But this Omega… there was something different in her gaze. It wasn't coy. It wasn't rehearsed. And for some reason, it didn't grate on him.
His fingers twitched against the towel on his shoulder, and before he realized it, he was flexing slightly, the thick curve of his biceps tightening.
Am I… actually enjoying her drinking me up? That's strange. Who the hell is this Omega, and why is she eating my apples like she owns the place? And more than that, why does she look like she's just crawled out of a war zone… and is still somehow on her feet?
Her eyes stayed on him, unashamed, tracing the shape of him like she was memorizing every detail.
"Didn't you hear me?" Aiden's voice cut through the moment, startling her. "What do you think you're doing?"
"…Eating," she replied finally, her words muffled around the chunk of apple still in her mouth. She took her time chewing, swallowed with an audible gulp, then added, "Unless in this place apples are just for decoration."
Aiden went still. Nobody in the pack talked to him like that. Nobody. Well — Ellie does, but Ellie was different. This Omega?
His eyes narrowed slightly. "Those are mine."
"Oops," Rhea said, her tone light but edged with something that felt a little too much like mockery. "Sorry…" she added, drawing the word out like taffy.
What in the hell is going on here? Aiden thought, his eyes narrowing.
"What are you even doing here?" he asked, his voice low and clipped.
"I was sent to clean the Alpha's room," Rhea replied, lifting her chin. "Room, not a suite — so you can imagine my shock when I came up here and found out it's actually a suite they're calling a room. Where am I supposed to begin?" She finally sank her teeth into the apple she'd been holding, chewing with deliberate calm.
If Aiden had been surprised before, now he felt… utterly wrong-footed. Was this Omega actually standing here ranting to him like they were equals?
She paused mid-bite, blinking at him as if a realization had just clicked into place. "Wait a moment…" Her chewing slowed. "You're Alpha Aiden?"
One of his brows rose, a silent, You're only figuring that out now?
Her eyes widened slightly, then her voice shot up a notch. "You're that rival-obsessed Alpha who couldn't care less about what your pack has been doing behind your back?"
Aiden's face darkened, shadows cutting across his sharp features. His jaw set, his stare cold enough to still the air between them.
"Do you know what this Omega has to go through?" Rhea pressed on, undeterred. "If you actually set a solid rule and cared for your pack a little more, maybe I wouldn't even be here in the first place!"
Aiden's gaze locked on her, and the room seemed to tighten under the weight of it. The muscles in his forearms flexed against the towel still draped over his shoulder, and his voice came out quiet but edged like a blade.
"Watch your tongue," he said, each word slow and deliberate, "before I decide you've forgotten your place."
"Watch my tongue?" Rhea gasped, the sound sharp but laced with a wince as pain tore through her side. Even that tiny motion hurt. If only she'd come into this body when it wasn't so battered — oh, this stubborn Alpha would have gotten an earful and then some.
"You're the one who should watch your pack," she shot back. "Can't you see the way this body looks? Who do you think was responsible for that? Eeh?"
Aiden's gaze lingered on her, unreadable. He didn't know what to make of this Omega. No one, not even his highest-ranking wolves — spoke to him like this. And here she was, glaring at him, her frame thin and bruised, looking like she'd already been dragged through hell. She wasn't even flinching at the weight of his stare.
Exhaling, he asked, "What's wrong with you?"
"That's not what you should be asking," Rhea said without missing a beat.
His jaw twitched. She was getting bolder by the second. "Fine," he said, his tone clipped, the edges of frustration creeping in. "What do you want me to ask?"
She looked at him like he'd just asked the dumbest question in existence. "You should start by asking, Why do you look like this? Or who told you to clean when you obviously look like the walking dead?"
Aiden almost — almost — let a smirk pull at his mouth, but he forced it down, his expression staying as sharp and cold as ever.
"What do I need to do to make it right?" Rhea finished, her glare fixed on him, as if daring him to think otherwise.