Chapter 131
Raymond kept shooting concerned glances in the rearview mirror, but neither of us spoke. Beside me, Dominic typed furiously on his phone, his profile rigid with unspoken anger. Every few minutes, his jaw would clench and release, the only indication of the storm brewing beneath his composed exterior.
As the car pulled through the elegant gates of the villa, I found myself dreading what should have been a relief- coming home. But was it really home? Or just another place where I didn’t truly belong?
The massive front doors opened as we approached, revealing Diana, the housekeeper, her face lighting up with a genuine smile.
“Welcome home, Mr. Sterling, Miss Brown,” she said warmly. “Miss Brown, are you feeling better? I’ve prepared chamomile tea and—”
Dominic brushed past her, his hand firmly gripping my wrist as he pulled me toward the main staircase. The contact wasn’t painful, but the possessiveness of the gesture made my skin burn. I threw an apologetic glance back at Diana, whose smile faltered as she registered her employer’s mood.
We reached the master bedroom, and Dominic closed the door firmly behind us, the lock clicking with finality. When he turned to face me, his expression was tightly controlled, but his eyes betrayed his agitation–bright with an intensity that made my breath catch.
“Adrian Lane,” he said without preamble. “What is he to you?”
I set my bag down with deliberate care, buying myself a moment to steady my voice. “He’s my professor, Dominic.
Nothing more.”
“He brings you flowers. Gifts. Visits you in the hospital.” Each statement punctuated by a step closer to me, his voice dropping lower with each word.
“He was being kind,” I repeated, holding my ground despite the urge to step back. “And at least he respects my work and my choices.”
Dominic’s eyebrows rose, his eyes widening slightly in disbelief. “Respects? You think he doesn’t want more? You think he sits in his office thinking about your academic potential when he looks at you?” His laugh was short and harsh. “You’re naive if you believe his interest is purely academic,”
My patience snapped, a hot flash of anger replacing my apprehension. “So what if he’s interested? Why is it acceptable for Elizabeth to throw herself at you, but unthinkable that another man might talk to me?”
“That’s different,” Dominic growled, his hands clenching into fists at his sides.
“How?” I challenged, my voice rising to match the fury building in my chest. “Elizabeth can touch you, smile at you, pursue you openly. But I can’t even have a male professor bring me flowers without you going ballistic? Without you destroying things that matter to me?”
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Chapter 131
“Elizabeth is pack,” he said, as if that explained everything, his expression hardening.
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“And I’m not,” I shot back, the words tasting bitter. “I’m human. But I’m still a person, Dominic. Not property. Not a trophy. If you can’t accept that I have my own friends, my own life, maybe we shouldn’t be doing… whatever this is.”
The words left my mouth before I could consider their impact. Dominic went completely still, something complex and unreadable crossing his features–shock, anger, and beneath it all, a flash of fear so brief I almost missed it.
Then he crossed the distance between us in smooth strides.
Without speaking, he lifted me into his arms, ignoring my startled protest. He carried me to the bed and set me down with surprising gentleness, then leaned over me, his hands bracketing my face. His eyes searched mine, the anger melting into something more intense, more primal.
“Little doe,” he murmured, his voice a dangerous velvet that sent shivers down my spine, “you shouldn’t say such things.
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Mated by Contract to the Alpha
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