Defiance in her eyes

Talon

I tried to focus, but my thoughts keep pulling back, refusing to let me settle. I attempted to bury myself in the stash of work before me, to let the letters and numbers blur out her image, yet her presence lingered like a splinter beneath my skin. Relaxation was a lot cause; every time I even neared a semblance of calmness, her face—her defiant stare—flashed before me, igniting a storm inside me.

The woman was an interruption and an unwanted variable I could neither ignore nor manage. I'd expected her to quit after I had her remake the coffee for the sixth time, each cup meticulously brewed to perfection, but I don’t even drink coffee.

She hadn't even flinched; she hadn't shown the smallest sign of frustration or weakness. Instead, her eyes grew sharper, more determined, as if she were matching my game move for move and trouble for trouble.

My wolf snarled inside, bitter and restless from my mistreatments towards his mate, his desires to close the distance between us clawing at my own control. But I refused to yield, shutting him down with every ounce of my strength. I wanted her gone, and my wolf would just have to agree with me that I didn't need her or want her complicating my life.

Determined to break her spirit, I purposely scattered the files across my study in disarray, ordering her to stay and reorganise everything before she left for the day.

"Sort out those files before going home." I commanded in a cold and yielding tone.

She blinked, taken aback. "what? Her voice quivered, revealing a hint of anxiety.

Good, I thought. She should feel the weight of my authority. Let her learn not to push back. I'm Alpha Talon of lunar strike, after all. She might not belong to my pack, but she should still be afraid of my authority.

I glanced up at her, my lips curling up in a smirk. "Is there a problem, woman?" My voice oozed feigned innocence, layered with all the venom I knew she could sense.

"Well.." she hesitated, her voice softer now. "I could do it tomorrow. It's almost the end of the workday."

The smirk vanished as I levelled her with an unyielding stare. "No, woman. If you can't handle it today, then maybe you're not fit for this job." My tone was sharp, definitive, leaving no room for argument.

The silence that followed was thick and tense. She glared at me, her eyes like daggers, and for a moment, I felt the intensity washing over me, threatening to crack my facade. She stormed out, and I clenched my fists in victory, allowing myself a triumphant grin. Yes, I did it; I'd gotten rid of her.

Or so I thought.

Minutes later the door creaked open, and I glanced up, expecting my Beta or Gamma. Instead, she strode in, her posture straight, her expression hardened, and a renewed confidence. I felt a strange prickle of disbelief. She hadn't left. What was she doing here?

A smile tugged at her lips, returning the same look I'd worn earlier, and she met my stare with unflinching calm. "Just grabbing lunch," she said casually, picking up a stack of files. "I'll need the energy if I'm going to finish these tonight.”

My throat tightened. My mouth opened, but no words came. My blood was simmering with anger. She'd shattered every expectation I had. Even my wolf made it worse, mocking me internally, excitement simmering in his gaze as he watched my failed attempts at control.

I yanked off my tie in frustration, suddenly suffocating, and shoved my laptop into the briefcase. Without another glance, I walked out of the office, my footsteps echoing sharply down the hall. Her taunting "Goodnight, sir" drifted after me, a final twist of the knife.

In the car, as the chauffeur weaved us through the winding roads, memories rose unbidden, clawing their way to the surface. Images from years ago from a life I'd struggled to forget filled my mind, crowding my thoughts as I sat rigid in the back seat.

The night Beta Sam had left me to die in the forest—young, bleeding, broken—I remembered staring up at the dark canopy of trees, every breath ragged with pain. My Mama's face swam in my vision as I lay there, willing myself to survive for her sake, to honour her last wish. I'd prayed to the moon Goddess, desperate, terrified.

And just when I had wanted to give in to the darkness, two voices reached me through the haze.

"He looks like he's barely alive," one woman murmured, her fingers pressing to my wrist. "Should we... leave him?"

"We can't just abandon him," the other replied, her voice thick with pity. "Who would do this to a child?"

They lifted me gently, carrying me from the forest, and I allowed myself to slip into unconsciousness, comforted by the warmth of their arms.

When I awoke days later in a small but, my wounds bound and tended, the two women introduced themselves as Lizzy and Jasmine. They were both herb collectors; they explained how they'd almost given up on me; my condition was so bad they'd agreed to leave me in the forest. But I'd recovered against all odds— a miraculous feat they couldn't explain, though I knew it was all thanks to my werewolf blood.

When they asked about my ordeal, I fed them a lie, saying that bandits had murdered my parents during a journey. They never suspected my true nature and in fact sympathised with me. For a time, I lived with Jasmine, blending into the quiet rhythm of their small village.

But just as I began to get comfortable, life unravelled again.

One night, as I lay shivering on the thin cot, I felt a hand on me, a soft touch trailing over my body. I opened my eyes to see Jasmine and Lizzy standing over me completely unclad, their eyes hungry, faces twisted with something dark and unsettling.

A chill crept over me. "Hey, boy. You should come suck my nipple," Jasmine said, cupping her fallen breasts with her hands. It made my stomach churn.

I shrank back, horror buzzing through me as Lizzy leaned closer. "It's okay," she cooed. "You'll enjoy this." Suck their nipples? These women were over fifty, way older than my mother.

Fear ignited in me, stronger than anything I'd ever felt. I pushed Jasmine with all the strength within me, and she stumbled back, her head striking the wall. Her body went still; she gave up the ghost. I stood frozen, heart pounding, breath ragged.

At only eleven, I'd committed my first kill.

I never wanted to harm her; I only wanted to escape. But Lizzy's cries shattered the silence, and the villagers swarmed the hut. Lizzy spun a web of lies, her words painting me as a murderer. No one believed my protests or my pleas.

Branded a wizard, I was cast out, caged like a beast, and marked dangerous and untouchable.

A voice snapped me back to the present. "Alpha, we're home."

The chauffeur held the door open, bowing, and I stepped out, nodding absently, though my mind remained heavy with the past. I couldn't shake off the growing unease, the suspicion that lingered like smoke, intangible but all-consuming. The woman - my mate - she was dangerous, too determined, too defiant.

I pulled out my phone, dialling Lucian's number. When he answered, I kept my voice low and controlled.

"Find everything you can on the new PA," I commanded. "I don't want any surprises."

My enemies were still out there, waiting. And if she was part of their game, I'd uncover it before they made their move.

No one fucks with Alpha Talon Rashford. No one.