Chapter 72 72
Roman's Pov
The door closed with a quiet snick behind me. In the hush of the dungeon, it sounded like a gunshot.
The woman seated inside jumped, her knee banging against my desk as she swiveled to face me.
“Where the fuck is your coward Alpha?! I’ve been waiting for him for half an hour.” She stated the fucking obvious like I couldn’t tell time.
“Have you?” I gave negative shits about how long she’d had to wait. She would wait two hours if I wanted her to. “Apologies.”
I walked to my desk and took the seat opposite her.
Silence descended again as I studied her. My dispassionate gaze swept from her bleached out blonde hair to her tacky green dress. A film of perspiration dotted her upper lip and there were dark circles under her eyes. If miserable had a physical form, it was her.
“Do you know why you got locked up in here?” I asked conversationally.
“No!” She hissed. “I was dragged in here for nothing!”
“Oh really?” I arched my brow. “You were dragged here because you hurt a certain someone?”
She deflated. “Yes. I…I didn't even… she was in my way.”
This time, I did laugh, though the sound lacked humor.
“W - who are you?” she stuttered. “And where is Xavier?! I have to speak to him! He owes me!”
“He owes you nothing.” I said, shocked at the calmness in my own voice.
“But he killed my husband…” she begins to sob.
“And you hurt an innocent person instead of him.” I pulled open my desk drawer.
Surprise flitted across her face, followed by confusion. “That woman…”
“...is my mate.” I completed the sentence for her.
Judging by Hannah's sharp inhale, she recognized me immediately.
“You're the new Beta who replaced my husband!” she screamed.
“The name's Jason, ma'am.” I confirmed with a sadistic smile.
“You —”
“I do have one question,” I cut her off. “When you slashed Chloe this morning, which hand did you use?”
She froze. All the color blanched from her skin. “What—I—”
“Chloe Thompson? The woman who tried to talk to you this morning?” I leaned back. “Tall, curly brown hair in a shirt and khaki shorts. The most beautiful woman in the entire pack.”
“I—I didn’t know…I didn’t know she was you.” Hannah's stuttered excuse was almost as pathetic as her etiquette. “I’m sor—”
“I’m not interested in your apology. I’m interested in an answer.” The finely honed edge of my rage sliced through my cordial mask. The thought of her even breathing in Maisie’s presence, much less fucking touching her, made acid burn in my blood. “Which. Hand?”
Sweat stains bloomed on Hannah's blouse. “R-right.”
“I see.” My smile returned. “Put out your right hand.”
Her eyes glistened. “I swear, I didn’t mean to! All I wanted was justice for my husband. He didn't do anything wrong! I — ”
I waited until Hannah’s palm hit the wooden surface before I pulled the blade from my drawer and drove it through her hand. Flesh and bone yielded like butter to the cold, razor-sharp steel.
An inhuman howl ripped through the room while I frowned at the blood pooling on the table.
I returned my attention to Hannah. Her eyes bulged with pain, and wheezing gasps left her throat as sweat trickled down the sides of her face.
“You made a mistake, Hannah.” I kept my grip on the handle of the blade as I leaned forward. “You touched what was mine. And if there’s one thing I hate…” I pushed the knife deeper, letting the serrated edge tear through her flesh with agonizing slowness until her cries reached an inhuman pitch. “It’s people touching what’s mine.”
“Please. I’m sorry. I—oh Goddess.” She let out a pained sob.
The sharp smell of urine filled the air. Oh, for fuck’s sake.
My back teeth clenched, but a glance at the clock told me I needed to wrap this up.
“I’m in a good mood, so I’ll leave your hand intact.” I could’ve stretched our session out for another hour, but Maisie said she'd come find me and I did want to keep her waiting.
“But if you ever touch, look at, or so much as think about coming here again…” I shoved the blade in all the way until the only remaining visible part was the handle. Hannah had lost her voice from screaming and could only choke out a pained sob. “Your hand won’t be the only thing I’ll chop off.”
I made it halfway to the door before I stopped. A mental image of Maisie clutching her arm and wincing flashed through my mind, and the rage resurfaced, churning like icy black waves beneath my skin.
“I changed my mind.” I turned. “I’m not in a good mood after all.”
The gunshot ripped through the air. Hannah slumped onto the desk with a hole in the back of her head and open, lifeless eyes.
I tucked the gun back into my jacket and exited into the hall, where Rayes lounged against the wall.
“Don’t tell me you actually killed her.” he said when he saw me. The office was soundproofed, but he correctly assessed my expression.
“Xavier gave me the order so I had no choice but to carry it out.” I said.
“Damn it, man.” Rayes sighed. “She shouldn't have come here. I told her not to.”
“She brought this on herself.” I said.
Rayes sighed again and gestured to a guard.
“Clean that up for me, will you?” he said dryly.
“Yes, Gamma.” The guard nodded and started towards the room.
I washed my hands in the bathroom on my way out and inspected my clothes for any specks of blood before I exited the dungeon with Rayes.