Chapter 23

**ALEXANDER** 

I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She stood there, defiant, like a storm I couldn’t control, her body shaking but refusing to back down.

Her breath steadied, but her defiance was raw, untamed—like a fire burning just beneath the surface. It was the kind of fire that sparked something inside me. Something dangerous.

She lifted her chin, meeting my gaze head-on, and for a second, I almost saw something other than fear in her eyes. The fire. The fight.

“No,” she said, her voice trembling but resolute. 

“I’m not crying because I want your pity. I’m not going to beg you to show mercy.”

She was standing tall, facing me with that look in her eyes—fierce, unyielding—as if she believed she could hold her ground. As if she thought she could stand against me.

A surge of something—frustration, admiration—broke through me. Most people would have folded by now. They’d have begged for mercy. They’d have crumbled. But not her.

I saw the fear in her eyes, the way her pulse fluttered beneath her skin, the tremor in her voice. But it wasn’t ruling her. It wasn’t breaking her.

For a split second, something inside me cracked. Part of me—some ruthless, twisted part—wanted to kiss her, to shut her up, to take that fire and break it. To make her stop looking at me like she could win this fight.

But then she threw that fucking bomb.

“I won’t let a pathetic excuse for a man like you be the one to claim me...you're nothing but a monster! ” Alina spat, her voice steady but dripping with contempt. 

“I won’t let you take what’s mine, not to feed your sick ego. I’d rather have my virginity ripped out and fed to the dogs than give it to someone as vile as you. You're not worthy of touching me, let alone possessing me. Alexander Dimitri. I’m not some prize for you to win, not a toy for you to break. You may think you can control me, but you’re wrong. I won’t be your plaything, not now, not ever.”

I stood there, frozen.

A virgin?

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. 

She was a fucking virgin? 

The words rattled in my head, and for a moment, I couldn’t process them. Of all the things I expected—this wasn’t one of them.

“I’d rather die, you fucking monster—”

Before she could finish, my hand shot out, gripping her by the waist, pulling her flush against me.

"Let go," she hissed, struggling against me, but I barely registered it. I was still reeling.

What the fuck...

I tightened my hold, my mind racing. A virgin. She was untouched. No man had ever laid a hand on her. That knowledge did something to me, something dark and possessive that I didn’t have time to unpack.

She must have sensed the shift in me because suddenly, she stopped fighting. Her body went rigid, and I felt the exact moment when her fear bled into something else—something burning.

Defiance.

“Get it over with already,” she spat through gritted teeth. “What are you waiting for? Shoot me.”

I didn’t answer. Hell, I hadn’t even decided yet. The war inside me was too loud, too consuming, but before I could say anything, a sudden knock echoed through the bedroom door.

Fuck.

“Xander? A word.”

Nico.

"Why don’t you just call him in too," she hissed, but the venom in her tone was unmistakable. 

"Have both of you take your turn and get it over with, huh? You’ll both have your fun with me, I’m sure."

The words struck something raw in me, a line I didn’t want to cross, but her defiance pushed me to the edge.

I clenched my jaw, wrenching Alina closer. Without a second thought, I shoved my gun away and clamped my hand over her mouth, making sure to press firmly.

"Don't..." I murmured against her ear, my voice low, dangerous.

Her body tensed against mine, but she had no choice. For now, we both had bigger problems.

"Xander...."

"I'm coming!" I snapped, irritation spiking as I turned toward the door.

But before leaving, my eyes found her again.

She was trembling, barely breathing, but not in the way I expected. Not just fear. There was something else lurking beneath the surface—something she was trying desperately to suppress.

I moved closer, bending down until our eyes were level, my presence overwhelming her.

“You’re right,” I growled, my voice darker, more controlled, as if savouring the sting of the words. 

“I am a monster.....But don’t think for a second that I’d touch you without your consent......”

“.......I won’t take your virginity..."

She swallowed hard, her tongue flicking out to wet her lips. A nervous habit.

Bad move, sweetheart.

My gaze followed the movement, and fuck, I wasn’t immune. My blood heated in my veins, and before I could stop myself, I mirrored the action, running my tongue across my lips slowly.

Her breath hitched, her chest brushing against mine with the slightest movement. A delicious little shiver rolled through her body, and for a second, she looked caught—trapped in something she didn’t understand.

But then, she clenched her jaw and lifted her chin ever so slightly, glaring up at me. Defiant little thing.

"Not unless you want me to," I whispered, watching her pupils dilate in shock.

She sucked in a sharp breath, pressing herself back like she could escape whatever was passing between us. But I caught the way her fingers curled into fists like she was fighting herself. Fighting me.

Leaning just a little closer, I let my voice drop to something darker, something more dangerous. 

"I don’t need to force myself on women," I told her, watching as her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to snap back but held herself still. 

"They beg for me to fuck them."

She huffed out a breath, tilting her chin up higher in some silent act of rebellion. That flicker of defiance—she wanted to hold on to it, but I saw the way her pulse betrayed her, fluttering wildly at the base of her throat.

I lifted a hand, barely grazing my fingers over her arm. She tensed, rigid, but she didn’t pull away fast enough. I felt the way her skin prickled beneath my touch.

My smirk deepened.

"Now," I murmured, straightening. "I have a business to take care of."

Her glare burned into my back as I turned and walked out, leaving her there—flushed, shaken, and still fighting a battle she was never going to win.