Alpha's Dark Desires

Chapter 37: Mates Meets Sub

Elena POV:

After a bit of exploration around Kane’s ridiculously pristine mansion. I decided I couldn’t sit around waiting for him to return. Staying put wasn’t exactly in my nature, especially with so many questions swirling around in my mind. I hated Kane... obviously. But that kiss, the way he looked at me—I needed some air, some space. Maybe even a distraction.

So, when I found myself wandering outside, I wasn’t exactly shocked. This place was huge, more like a small city than a pack territory.

As I stepped outside, I took in the sheer size of the area. It looked more like a luxurious neighborhood than the rugged pack grounds I was used to. His house was one of several scattered along a well-manicured stretch, almost like an upscale estate. And down the road, there was an actual highway bustling with cars. On the other side of the road, a dense forest rose up, lending a bit of nature to this strange, hybrid world of modernity and wilderness.

I’d only wandered a few steps before I noticed someone walking toward me, her heels clicking sharply against the pavement. She was stunningly beautiful, with sharp features, blonde hair, and an air of confidence that felt almost... intimidating. She looked me up and down, raising one perfectly groomed eyebrow, as if I’d somehow offended her by merely existing.

"You must be new," she said, her voice dripping with condescension. "I’m Ashley. And you are...?"

I crossed my arms, giving her a flat look. "Elena. Not that it’s any of your business."

She laughed, a quick, sharp sound. "Oh, trust me, it is my business. See, I’m very... close to Kane." She studied my face as if expecting some kind of reaction. "He didn’t mention me?"

I shrugged, not wanting to give her the satisfaction. "I don’t know who he mentioned or didn’t mention. Why would he talk about you to me?"

"Oh, sweetheart," she said, her voice syrupy and dripping with fake pity. "I don’t know what Kane told you, but I think you should know he has... specific tastes. Dark tastes. You really think someone like you—" She waved a manicured hand up and down, looking me over as if I were some kind of charity case. "—could satisfy him?"

I felt a surge of irritation spike through me. I didn’t understand what she was implying exactly, but her smugness was getting on my last nerve. "Excuse me?" I replied, unable to keep the edge out of my voice.

She gave me a small, pitying smile. "Let’s just say Kane likes things a certain way. I doubt you could handle it. You’re a bit... innocent for him, don’t you think?"

"Innocent?" I scoffed, feeling a spark of anger flaring in my chest. "And what’s that supposed to mean?"

She shrugged, an infuriatingly superior expression plastered on her face. "Nothing, really. Just that you’re playing with fire, sweetheart. He’s not the type for... gentle little things."

She laughed, a little too loud, as if she was enjoying my discomfort. "Oh honey, you really don’t, do you? You’re so... innocent." Her eyes sparkled with a kind of pity that made me want to claw that look off her face. "I mean, you probably think you can satisfy Kane, but trust me, sweetheart, he has needs that someone as..." She gestured at me with a wave of her manicured hand. "...sweet and inexperienced as you could never handle."

"What’s that supposed to mean?" I snapped, feeling my cheeks heat with a mixture of confusion and anger. I didn’t know exactly what she was implying, but every cell in my body was screaming that I didn’t like it.

She leaned in closer, her smirk widening. "Oh, didn’t he tell you?" she purred. "Kane has... a taste for darker things. Things that would break a little innocent mate like you. Face it, Elena—you don’t have what it takes to keep him satisfied. I do."

I blinked, feeling a hot wave of jealousy spike through me. I hated Kane, obviously, and I had no intention of "keeping him satisfied," whatever that meant. But something about the way she looked at me, so smug and superior, lit a fire I couldn’t control. I didn’t even understand half of what she was implying, but I knew one thing: I did *not* like her.

"Well," I replied, crossing my arms, "maybe Kane’s into something different now. Maybe he’s tired of shallow, overconfident—"

She laughed, cutting me off, her voice dripping with condescension. "Oh please, sweetheart. This isn’t about love or mate bonds. You’re just another shiny new toy to him, one he’ll eventually grow bored with. And when he does, he’ll come back to me. Because I’m the one who knows what he really wants."

Something in me snapped. I don’t know if it was the smugness on her face, the way she looked at me like I was some clueless kid, or the way she talked about Kane like she owned him. Before I knew what I was doing, my fist was already swinging.

The moment my fist connected with her face, there was a satisfying crunch, and Ashley stumbled back, clutching her nose with a look of pure horror. Blood dripped down her face, ruining that perfect icy exterior she had going. For a second, I almost felt bad... but nah, that satisfaction was too sweet. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

"You... you broke my nose!" she screeched, staring at me like I’d grown a second head.

I shrugged, feeling a smirk tug at the corners of my mouth. "Oops. Guess you were wrong about me being too innocent."

She started to say something, probably something long and shrill and i was ready to swing my fist again, but before she could, I felt a strong arm wrap around my waist and haul me off the ground. "Hey! Put me down!" I shouted, twisting to see Kane’s infuriatingly smug face staring down at me. He’d thrown me over his shoulder like a sack of flour.

"Elena, did you just punch Ashley?" he asked, sounding half-amused, half-disapproving.

"Oh, like you didn’t want to punch her too," I shot back, squirming in his grip. "Let me down! I’m not done with her."

Ashley was standing there, dabbing her bloody nose with a tissue she must’ve pulled from somewhere. She looked like she wanted to kill me... or scream... or both.

"Elena, calm down," Kane said in that infuriatingly commanding tone, but I could feel the laughter in his voice. This was a joke to him.

"Calm down? Calm down? Put me down so I can finish what I started!" I yelled, pounding my fists against his back.

He didn’t flinch. Instead, he sighed and tightened his grip, casually strolling back toward his house with me slung over his shoulder like it was the most normal thing in the world. "You’re not going to finish anything," he said, patting my back condescendingly. "And you’re certainly not going to break any more noses today." noveldrama

"I mean it, Kane!" I growled, thrashing in his hold. "I’ll break her nose and whatever else if she ever talks to me like that again! Did you hear the things she was saying?"

"Oh, I heard," he replied, sounding almost bored. "I was right around the corner when you two started your little... chat."

"And you let her talk to me like that?" I demanded, twisting around to glare at him.

He shrugged, smirking. "I wanted to see how you’d handle it. And you handled it... well, let’s just say, not exactly diplomatically."

"Diplomacy is overrated," I shot back, still fuming as we reached the house.

He pushed open the door, carrying me inside as if I weighed nothing, and kicked it shut behind him. I could feel his heartbeat against my shoulder, steady and strong, while mine was still pounding with residual anger. He finally set me down in the middle of his pristine, spotless kitchen, crossing his arms and looking down at me with a glint of amusement in his eyes.

"You done now?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

I crossed my arms, matching his glare. "Maybe. Maybe not. Depends on whether that thing is going to come near me again."

"Thing?" He chuckled, shaking his head. "You know, most mates might get jealous, but punching someone in the face is a bit... extreme, don’t you think?"

I huffed. "She deserved it. Besides, I’m not jealous."

"Right," he said, clearly unconvinced. "Look, if it makes you feel any better, Ashley’s is as good as over. I was already planning on ending it."

I blinked, feeling a strange mixture of relief and... frustration. "Why didn’t you end it sooner?"

He shrugged. "Maybe I was waiting to see if my innocent little mate could handle herself."

"Oh, I handled myself, all right," I replied, crossing my arms. "And if she comes around again, I’ll handle her too."

Kane chuckled, stepping closer, a smirk tugging at his lips. "You’re trouble, you know that?"

I raised my chin, meeting his gaze head-on. "Only if you give me a reason to be."

"Is that a challenge?" His voice dropped, taking on that dark, dangerous edge that made my pulse race despite myself.

I swallowed, feeling my face flush. "Take it however you want, Alpha."

For a moment, we just stood there, locked in a staring match, the tension crackling between us. Then, with an amused shake of his head, Kane took a step back. "Get some rest. Try not to punch anyone else before the day’s over."

I rolled my eyes but felt the hint of a smile tugging at my lips. "No promises. But thanks for the carry. Very... gentlemanly of you."

"Anytime, Elena," he replied with a smirk, his gaze lingering on me for just a beat too long.

I glared at Kane, who still had that infuriatingly smug smirk on his face, like he found the whole situation amusing. My blood was boiling, and I was done letting him get the upper hand. Did he really think he could just watch another woman humiliate me to "see how I’d react"? That was his idea of support?

"I don’t want to talk to you," I snapped, crossing my arms and shooting him the fiercest glare I could muster. "What kind of mate lets his little fluffy waltz over and rattle his mate just so he can see how she’d react?"

He raised an eyebrow, that smirk of his only growing wider. I could practically hear him laughing at me in his head, which only made my irritation flare hotter.

"Elena, it’s not what you think," he began, but I cut him off, too angry to hear his excuses.

"No, you don’t get to explain this away," I shot back. "You just stood there and watched her talk down to me like I was nothing, and you enjoyed it. "

Kane just stood there, arms folded, looking mildly amused—as if my anger was just a passing storm cloud.

Infuriating. Absolutely infuriating.

Without waiting for a response, I turned on my heel and stomped off, ignoring his soft chuckle behind me. He was such a stupid, arrogant, unfeeling mate. How could someone as proud and dominant as him be so blind when it came to this whole mate thing? He stood there letting some other woman try to humiliate me, and he didn’t even care! I didn’t know whether to scream, punch a wall, or march right back and punch him instead.

Kane is going to regret every second he spent smirking and testing me. I was sure going to make him pay. Oh, and he’d better hope that I didn’t run into an unmated wolf while he was around... one who actually knew how to treat a mate.

I smirked a little at the thought, imagining the look on Kane’s face if I were actually surrounded by admiring wolves. He was so used to getting his way, he probably hadn’t even thought that I might have options. But if he was going to act like some unfeeling, heartless Alpha... then I was going to show him exactly how it felt to be taken for granted.