Sentenced to The Ruthless Alpha

Chapter 22: Wearing The Wrong Scent

Thora POV

Her shaky hands flew to her moist lips. It throbbed under her touch with memories she would not soon forget. The knocking at the door startled her again. She raked a hand through her short hair, then hastily brushed at her shabby omega uniform.

Her eyes flicked to Roman whose face was crumpled with annoyance at the interruption. She wanted to be angry at him for kissing her out of nowhere. Instead, she was disgusted more at herself. She shouldn’t feel so flustered over a man that had just announced to his entire pack, moments ago, that she was nothing to him but a sentence.

Roman tried to reach for her shoulders. Embarrassed, she shrugged him off and tried to step back, but he hooked an arm around her waist and pinned her against him.

"Let go." She murmured, eyes blazing with contempt. Though the venom she wanted to spit stayed lodged in her throat, her hormones were in open rebellion. Her n*****s hardened at the feel of his big arm wound around her like a seatbelt.

“Leave, Devlin!” Roman thundered without getting the door. Thora’s eyes widened in pure shock when a reply sailed in and the person behind the door affirmed the same identity the alpha had said.

“I just wanted to apologize for earlier, alpha Roman. I honestly didn’t mean any disrespect. I’m sorry if the time and the place wasn’t ideal to bring that to your notice.”

Thora marveled at the accuracy. Her brain wheels started spinning. Was it the scent thing? It must have been the scent thing. Roman had actually caught Devlin’s scent behind the door. Did that mean Devlin could catch her human scent and know she was with the alpha?

Mortified, she kept struggling to free herself from Roman’s grip. To her dismay, it only seemed to excite him more. She stopped when each twist and turn made his grip tighter and dangerously closer to places she didn’t want his hands.

Roman shut his eyes and heaved deeply. “And yet, here you are Devlin, still choosing the wrong time and place to tender an apology.” He let his eyes linger on Thora’s face and smirked when her cheeks colored. “Since you deemed it fit to address things in public, I’ll only consider your apology after it’s delivered before the entire pack.”

A small pause followed. “That’s fair. I’ll do as you say, alpha.”

“

Now, leave.” Roman ordered coldly. Heavy footsteps slowly receded and while they both listened, Roman’s eyes never left Thora. Alone again, he spun her to face him.

“Where were we?”

She shoved hard at his chest yet neither him nor the smirk on his face budged.

“What? Don’t act like you weren’t hoping for that much when you chose to return to my room. It’s the least you could do to thank me for saving your hide.”

Anger flared under her skin, burning off whatever tingles had lingered. “No, I certainly wasn’t hoping for a lip-lock. I came here because I had nowhere else to go. I also figured I’d thank you for saving me from Rhea’s lies but that doesn’t mean I want anything to do with you. It’s just like you said; you and I share nothing but a sentence. Never forget that.”

He scrubbed a hand over his forehead. “So, that’s it? You’re still pissed at me for my choice of words back there? They might have been unflattering but they’re the truth.”

“Exactly.” She kept her tone even, careful not to sound hurt. "This," she said, gesturing between them, "isn't a normal marriage. It's a punishment. A sentence. Don't get carried away, alpha. I doubt your pack would appreciate that."

The grin dropped off his face fast. It was almost satisfying, finding the exact words to deflate him, until she saw his eyes narrow beneath lowered brows. Something dark passed through them, and she had to fight off a shiver.

He pulled his coat tighter. "Trust me, I don't need any reminders of what this is. Waking up to a human wandering my territory is reminder enough."

She caught his arm before he could walk off, then let go just as fast, as if the touch had been a reflex she regretted.

“Look, we’ve both had a really rough night. I think it’s messing with our words…and actions.” She cleared her throat. “Thank you for tonight. You kept your word and protected me like you promised. I’m truly grateful.” She peeked at his face as she continued.

“With that said, I truly need a place to sleep. I came here because I knew you barely use the room anyway. You’re never here when I clean and I figured I’ll pass the night and be out of your hair first thing in the morning.”

His frown deepened but he nodded at last. “It’s late. Get some sleep. We’ll figure out the rest by tomorrow.” He swiveled and left the room.

The door shut with a low click before Thora released the breath she had been holding and sunk on the bed. Her joints ached. Her heart still stuttered when she remembered Cecily’s crazy eyes seconds before she jumped off the window.

Staring at her hands, Thora realized dirt tracked all over her palm and even smeared into her dress from all the kneeling she had done in the last hour. Her heart skidded when she eyed the bathroom door. She'd only ever been in there to clean. So, the idea of showering in the alpha's space unsettled her more than she wanted to admit.

It took fifteen minutes to talk herself into it. While scrubbing her skin, she tried not to picture him having s*x with any of his night wolves right in there. His soap smelt like something wild and untamed, exactly the kind of vibe he reeked off especially behind those glacial eyes. She tried not to dwell too much on the scent.

Naked and dripping with water, she realized too late that she didn’t have anything else to change into. Cold air slid through the open window. Eager for warmth, she dashed into his closet and threw on the first shirt she could find. It was very much a button down, human style. She allowed a cheeky smile at the alpha’s indulgence in human fashion before climbing into bed.

***

She was supposed to be up before sunrise, but she clearly hadn’t realized how exhausted she had been the previous night. Harsh sunlight suddenly poured in through the window, hurting her eyes till she stirred awake. Just in time, she heard the buzz of footsteps and chatter outside.

“Oh, crap!” Cussing, she leapt off the bed. How had she overslept? One look at the comfy bed she hadn’t been privileged to sleep on for weeks answered her question well enough.

She tried bolting into the bathroom to get her dress but the door swung open just then. Shock riddled Penny’s face at the sight before her; Thora in the alpha’s room, donning his shirt and looking disheveled in the morning. The omegas behind her gasped and traded glances that made Thora’s stomach drop.

“You! W-What are you doing in the alpha’s room?” Penny's finger jabbed toward her, disgust thick in her voice. She eyed the rumpled bedsheet then stared back to Thora. "Why are you wearing his shirt?"

“I only borrowed it.” She inched back as Penny stepped further inside the room, murder in her eyes.

“You even reek of him.”

“That’s probably because I used his soap last night…” She regretted the words when Penny’s eyes dilated in shock.

"You what?" Penny's fingers closed around Thora's throat. "You w***e. I told you to stay away from him." Tears welled in her eyes even as she glared, and she didn't loosen her grip as Thora choked and clawed at her hand.

“P-Please, s-stop…”

Her vision was already starting to spot when one of the omegas leaned in and whispered in Penny’s ear about the alpha’s warning during the last pack meeting. Penny released her and Thora crumpled to the floor, coughing. But it was far from over.

“He turned me down because you were already waiting to offer him your pathetic self, huh?” Penny's laugh came out ragged, manic. "You clearly don't know your place, human. Don't worry. I'll teach you."

She gave a subtle nod to one of the omegas and immediately, the girl dug out a small poultice from her thick sleeve. Penny took it and let it dangle in the air, then, smiling, sprinkled the white dust all over Thora.

“Penny, what the hell was that?” Thora asked, coughing and dusting herself off.

“It’s going to be a full moon tonight. Let’s see if he’ll still want you anywhere close when you smell like his worst nightmare.”