She's Human but Alpha Wants Her Back.

Chapter Thirteen.

Rea's POV

His words struck through my skull like a spear, sharp and impossible to escape, piercing through every shred of pride in me, leaving me numb with shame.

I felt my face burn hotter than a furnace.

Not again.

What was he aiming at?

Would this make him change his mind?

Ordering me around in the most sinful ways.

Who would have thought that being watched like this could feel completely humiliating?

He surely had the act of humiliation embedded in his brain, that he knew the smallest things could get a person.

"Oh f**k," I mumbled, an inaudible cuss under my breath, as I tossed the towel away slowly.

His eyes lit up like a flash of sunlight in a stormy sky. That dark, infuriated gaze disappeared for a fraction of a second, then, almost like it hadn't happened, he locked onto me with a predatory stare again, expression unimpressed.

Who would have thought that being watched like this could feel completely humiliating?

The dryer was next.

I steered onto the next available switch in the room anyway, sweeping my gaze across the room in a quick scan, my legs moving faster than my mind, on my way to nowhere literally. Oh, there it was—a wall-mounted socket about 4 to 5 feet from the floor, located just beside the dresser.

Perfect.

I dragged my feet toward it, unable to walk normally, realizing how my body swayed with each stride.

The fact that I had to dry my hair with the dryer had afforded me some time to think of the next move.

Which way, Rea?

What do I do next?

Even though I had the opportunity this minute, I would never be certain about what happens the next minute, so I needed to be quick. I plugged in my dryer, standing in front of the mirror in the dress, but that wasn't good—it only gave me a clearer view of the man seated behind me, with the scrutiny yet ruthless stare.

Awareness struck again, and I simply forgot how to use a goddamn dryer.

The room held its stillness; no one spoke a word, except for the soft buzz of the hair dryer. I wondered how today was going to go. Whichever way it played out, I wasn't planning on missing a chance with the wolfsbane.

My hair was completely dry, and for some reason, I wished it hadn't been so fast, because I still needed some time to think about what came next. It would kill me if my *ss were thrown back into that cell, making one more day useless. That was something I definitely wouldn't bear.

Then came Alpha Damien, on his feet, as though he had been patiently waiting for me to finish, and now I was finally done—there's no reason to hesitate.

What now? My heart raced.

My stomach knotted really hard; anxiety and uncertainty were fighting their way in and pushing for a space to settle permanently inside me.

Then I thought—either seducing him or getting him drunk could get him to release me freely with the stem, because that was the only way that seemed possible. If it weren’t so, then I’d be needing a miracle to get things done faster. He had to be out of his senses, not sane.

From the mirror view, he was approaching faster, confidence in every stride.

I spun around too quickly, my grip tightening around the…

I turned slowly after turning the switch off and setting the blower down, gripping the dresser top a little tighter to steady my quivering self.

"You took the whole day doing that," he said, stopping a few inches away from me—not close enough that his breath could reach my skin, yet his heat still radiated through the space between us, even though the weather was freezing outside.

I froze. My eyes went huge, and my lips struggled for what to say—not for any other reason than the fact that I was trying to be careful not to utter a word that could ruin everything and send me back to the cell.

"I…" I swallowed, eyes to the floor. What word was appropriate? What reason would make up for why I had taken long with the dryer, when I hadn't even realized that?

He tilted his head with that unsettling calmness, and I could feel his gaze dragging over me.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you," he uttered, a command at the same measured volume, yet a ripple, a shudder, crawled down my spine.

"Yeah," I blurted out, staring nervously at those terrifyingly cute, weathered-dark eyes.

My heart quickened as my gaze snapped upward to meet his, and he held them with cruel intensity. I, on the other hand, was teetering on the edge of vanishing into the air, unable to stand those smouldering eyes but had no other option.

Such a color of eyes shouldn't be so beautiful, you know, but with him, it looked the most captivating color I had ever seen—impossibly alluring. Deep cloud blue with the most enchanting hue. I found myself drowning in it, even though he was watching with a scowl like we were having a face-off.

"Come," he said, voice sharp and clipped, steering immediately and handing me the bag he had gotten from the men from earlier. "Put these on and wait by the door." He turned to the dresser at once.

"Sure," I mumbled, retrieving it immediately.

But it was, however, unsettling to find such luxurious sets of lingerie and sleep sets in the bag.

What was the Alpha planning to do this time? He hadn't gotten any other clothes but lingerie and sleep sets. Not even a match for the weather or for sleeping in the cell—or else I'd have my ass frozen, maybe to death. Much worse—does this mean he wasn't thinking of letting me go anytime soon?

A troubled look crossed my features as my thoughts scrambled for a gentler way to speak without setting him off. A much larger number of lingeries than that showed he wasn’t planning on having me leave the Darkclaw, but good news was I'd probably have the chance to see him regularly, and so my chances of getting what I had come for were definitely large.

"You think you have the whole time in the world, Rea," he looked at me with disinterest. "Put them on, Rea."

His eyes flickered to the watch on his wrist, jaw tightening, his gaze drained of warmth, locked on me—colder than I'd ever seen.

I dipped my hands in the bag hurriedly, grabbing a beige-colored cotton two-piece set. I hadn't chosen on purpose, but due to urgency. He certainly had a good taste in color. His choice of colors was deliberate, just like his actions. Perfect for every lady—each set had a beautiful girly color that suited every girl's taste perfectly. Something I hadn't expected from a man who didn't look like he had any business with love or tenderness.

But why had he asked me to wear these, and why was he waiting urgently? If this was anything other than getting a cure for Dad, then I didn't want it. I couldn't afford to do silly things that only waste time and bring no solutions. But I tugged the clothes on anyway. He had picked a set that was daring—a short top paired with mini shorts that barely stopped at my bum. Either way, it was still a punishment, wearing such clothes in winter, although the warmth inside was tangible compared to the biting snow outside.

I had barely snatched my arm and pulled myself out of the door.

"Playing around is over, Rea," he growled in my ear, but what was more startling were the eyes that watched me like I was some abomination that needed to be eradicated—his men in the hallway.