The Alpha's Shatter Zone ✔️

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I love glitter bobby pins ^ ☺️
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"How dare you."

"Huh?"

"How dare you do that to me!"

"Chesca? What's going on, what are you talking about?" Kaiden stood in his doorway, looking like he was ready for bed but clearly confused.

"Don't pretend like you don't know." She was fuming, and it took all her willpower not to reach out and strangle the man in front of her. "The way you played me like that...Never again!" Her jaw clenched so hard it hurt, but not as hurt as the small piece of her heart she'd opened up only to have it twisted and abused.

"Chesca, calm down and stop shouting. I don't know what you're talking about," he frowned and repeated, shaking his head as he stepped aside from his open doorway. Motioning her into his room, he threw on a shirt, which she was silently grateful for, before standing opposite her. "What happened? Last I saw you, you were going to your office after--"

"My office. Exactly. You know precisely what happened next," she crossed her arms over her chest and pinned her darkest gaze on him.

"I don't—" he shuffled his feet, bewildered.

"Please, Kaiden," she interrupted with a roll of her eyes. "Don't lie to me. It's bad enough getting your brother to pull off such a stunt while distracting me with a lovely romantic picnic. And you wonder why I don't trust you? Don't ever think I'll—"

"My brother? What did he do? Are you ok? Did he touch you?" Kaiden took a step forward with a look of concern suddenly etching his face. She matched his step back.

"You don't get to care about me. You forfeited that ages ago. In fact, you never had that right. So don't act all innocent when I know what game you're playing." She was infuriated at him. But more than that, she was mad at herself for actually enjoying the picnic with him. For actually beginning to open up and trying to see him in a different light like Lexi had been persuading her too. For giving him the benefit of the doubt. Well, there was no doubt about him now.

"Chesca, will you please just tell me what happened? If Elah did something to you, I need to know...." his eyes bored into hers deeply, unlike someone who would be trying to hide something from her or cover for a deception they'd just pulled on her. Their gaze would be shifty and wandering, avoiding her scrutiny. His open expression made her pause.

"My office. Someone went through it while we were out. Obviously Elah set you up to distract me—"

"Obviously?" Now his demeanor changed to surprise, with a hint of anger. "Is that what you think I would do?" he frowned, and a curl of hair fell across his face as he stepped forward again. "Chesca, if someone went through your office, we need to find out who. But you need to believe I had nothing to do with it."

"Honestly? After everything, you expect me to believe that?" her fingers twitched by her side as the anger still coursed through her veins, but now it was doubting it's directive.

"Honestly, after everything, I expect you would believe me," his voice was gentle and soft, his eyes hinting at the bond they both felt, but also holding an underlying hurt that she had just accused him so easily.

"You show up here, planning to take everything of mine, and then your brother comes and you both act like you own the place and are entitled to every privilege. So no, I don't see why you wouldn't want to snoop in my office. You have everything to gain, and nothing to lose."

He just stared at her for a few heavy moments, the muscles in his jaw ticking. "I have you," he said eventually, so quietly and deep with meaning she wasn't sure she could assume what it was. "I would never want to lose you. Whoever went into your office, I had nothing to do with it, and no knowledge of it."