Oliver's POV
I caught the curious, confused look on her face as she waited for me to state my condition. I leaned back on the seat and stared right at her. For a brief moment, she met my gaze, her eyes wide, unsure, brimming with fear she was trying—and failing—to hide.
"I am a very secretive person, and I intend to keep it that way. Whatever you see here or hear here is private. It must not leave the walls of this packhouse. If you do…" I paused and held her gaze, making sure she saw that I wasn't joking with what I was about to say. "I'll cut off your tongue."
She gasped, her eyes widening in fear. I leaned back in my seat, composed—as if I hadn't just threatened her. I noticed how she became scared and darted her eyes away. Nervous, she tucked a stray strand of her vibrant red hair behind her ear. The movement exposed the long, pale curve of her neck.
Damn it.
Seeing her skin like that—unprotected and soft—sent a jolt through my system. I felt a sudden, violent craving to run my lips along her throat, to sink my teeth in and leave dark, possessive hickeys all over her.
"Get a grip on yourself," I whispered to myself, the words barely a breath.
I was already getting a boner just at the thought of marking her. What was I, a teenager? I was the Alpha King, yet this girl—this waitress from a smutty club—was dismantling my control with a single gesture.
"I believe you must have heard a lot of terrible things about me…" I paused, holding her gaze. "Believe them. They are all true."
I saw her eyes widen more. She wanted to refuse; I could see the protest forming on her lips. But she needed the money. She needed this job.
"Do you accept?" I asked, my blue eyes boring into hers. "Or should I move on to the next candidate?"
She licked her lower lip—not the calculated, practiced pout of the women who usually tried to seduce their way into my bed, but an innocent, unconscious gesture of pure nerves. The sight of it sent a fresh surge of heat straight to my groin. I gripped the armrests of my chair until the leather groaned under the pressure. Fuck. What was it about this girl? I had never craved anyone like this. Every small, panicked movement she made was a match to the gasoline in my veins.
"I—I accept," she whispered, her voice barely audible. I nodded curtly, fighting the urge to stand up just to see if she would flinch if I got closer.
"Good. My assistant will provide the contract. You start immediately."
I watched her rise, her legs looking slightly shaky as she bowed once more and hurried toward the door. I didn't look away until the heavy oak doors clicked shut behind her, leaving me alone in the sudden, suffocating silence of my office.
I slumped back, letting out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. My body was tight, aching with a desire I couldn't explain. I'd had countless submissives, women who would do anything for a glance from the Alpha King, but none of them had ever made my pulse race by simply breathing the same air as me.
I knew what was wrong. It was the thrill of the chase. She was the only woman who had ever looked at me with disgust instead of desire. The only woman who wasn't making any attempt to seduce me. I just have to fuck her. That's all this is. Once I've had her, once I've broken that defiance and seen those sea-blue eyes clouded with pleasure instead of hate, this obsession will fade. I'll get her out of my system, and she'll be just another one of my fuck buddies.
But as I stared at the door she'd just walked through, I knew I was lying to myself.
I reached for the bottle of whisky on my desk, pouring a glass with a hand that wasn't as steady as I liked. I took a long, burning swallow, but the liquid fire down my throat was nothing compared to the heat burning below my belt.
I couldn't stop thinking about her. The way her red hair caught the light. The way her pulse had jumped in her neck when I leaned in close. My wolf was pacing in my mind, claws out, demanding I go after her, drag her back, and claim her right there on the mahogany desk.
"Fuck," I hissed, the word a ragged groan.
The pressure was unbearable. I set the glass down with a heavy thud and sat back, my hand moving to the buckle of my belt. I unbuttoned my trousers with fumbled, hurried movements, my breath hitching as I finally freed my aching cock.
I closed my eyes, and she was right there in the darkness. I didn't see past submissives or the women who usually threw themselves at me. I saw her. I imagined her sea-blue eyes wide and hazy, her lips parted in a silent moan as I took her. I thought of those wildflowers, that scent of hers filling my lungs as I buried myself deep inside her.
I started to stroke myself, my rhythm fast and rough. Every slide of my palm made me think of her skin—soft, pale, and untainted. I could almost feel her hands on my shoulders, her red hair spilling over my chest like liquid fire. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped beast.
"Aurora," I growled out her name, the sound guttural and raw in the silent office.
With one final, violent surge of mental imagery—her body arching under mine—I hit my limit. I came hard, my back stiffening against the leather chair as I shuddered with a release that felt more like an explosion.
When I finally opened my eyes, I stayed still for a long time, my chest heaving as I stared at the ceiling. Reality came crashing back in like a bucket of ice water.
I had just masturbated to the thought of a woman.
Me. The Alpha King. I, who could have any woman in the pack with a single snap of my fingers, had just pleasured myself like a desperate boy because of a girl. I had never done that before. Never.
I cleaned myself up with a trembling hand, my jaw set tight. This wasn't just a "thrill of the chase" anymore. This was a problem. I was in deep shit. The obsession hadn't faded with the orgasm; if anything, it had only sharpened the hunger.
I stood up, buckling my belt and smoothing my shirt, my eyes fixed on the door she had disappeared through.
Now I didn't just want to break her defiance. I needed to own her. Every inch of her. I needed to fuck her until she forgot her own name, until the only thing she could see was me.
And I wasn't going to wait long.