My Ex's Father Is My Alpha Daddy

Chapter 8: Damn special

Jason POV

I grabbed the heavy glass from my table and hurled it. It hit the floor with a sickening crack, shards spraying across the hardwood. I wasn't finished. I swung my leg, kicking the heavy oak table so hard a dull ache shot straight up my shin.

Right then, a loud, repeated knock rattled the door.

“Jason? You in there?”

It was Alex. Of course, Derek would be right behind him. I couldn't let them see me looking like a total psycho. I scrambled, using my foot to sweep the glass fragments under the edge of my bed and tossing a stray hoodie over the scuff mark on the floor. Then, I stepped out into the hallway.

“What were you doing in there, man?” Alex asked, his eyebrows raising slightly as he tried to peer inside.

I snapped the door shut firmly behind me. “Push-ups,” I lied through my teeth. It was the only excuse that made sense. They could definitely smell my sweat, so claiming I’d been sleeping would immediately give me away. Besides, I didn't want them knowing what had me so agitated—or rather, who.

“Boring.” Alex grinned and turned to walk down the hall. “You missed a ton by skipping training today, man!”

I followed them, or rather, I let them lead. Though I was still vibrating with rage, but I kept my face completely blank. I wasn't about to give Alex the satisfaction of asking what was wrong.

“Whatever,” I muttered, trying to sound bored instead of whatever I'm feeling.

“Oh, it is not whatever,” he said, grabbing my arm and practically hauling me toward the stairs, rambling a mile a minute. “Ray got his face shoved into the dirt today, and guess who did it?”

I didn't bother guessing, and he must have read the annoyance on my face because he rushed right on.

“It was Elara! One second he was just talking to her, and the next, she kicked him right in the crotch and made him eat dirt! I never would've thought she’d not only come back looking that hot after she ditched the glasses, she's also like, insanely strong now. Like, man, even her boobs look bigger.”

Derek, trailing behind us, let out a disinterested shrug. “Come on, Alex, get over it already. All of Redridge has seen her boobs. There's nothing special about them.”

Alex stopped at the top of the stairs and rolled his eyes hard enough to see his own brain. “But she didn't look like this back then. She's filled out. Better. Right, Jason?”

He threw the question at me, and I’d be a fool not to know what he was doing. Why the hell was everyone making such a massive fuss about her anyway? What was so damn special?

When I first heard she returned yesterday, I'd imagined her wearing those same ugly glasses and one of those oversized dresses that looked like they were made from her grandmother’s tablecloth. I couldn't deny my surprise, though. The Elara I knew couldn't even throw a punch, yet she'd taken down Ray without breaking a sweat. Had she really changed that much?

Taking the fierce way she’d talked back to me at the registration hall into consideration, the answer was a definitive yes.

But so what if her dark eyes, which I'd never even noticed before looked brighter now without the frames? So what if she came back looking like some kind of siren? It didn't change the fact that she was still the same Elara who couldn't survive without my protection. The same girl who flinched at the slightest noise, who stupidly believed I could actually love someone like her. Hell, she was still the same Elara I f****d. There was absolutely nothing special about her or her return.

She was only back to humiliate herself. If she had any brains, she would’ve stayed wherever the hell she'd run off to. That way, she wouldn't have to face whatever was coming for her. Just that, she could've crawled back anytime, just not right now.

“None of my business,” I replied coldly, dropping into a chair.

Yet, an unexplainable tightness gripped my chest as I remembered the burning fire in her eyes. She’d looked at me like I was some kind of monster who had stripped away her entire world.

“Jason!” A light slap on the shoulder jolted me out of my thoughts. “What are you spacing out for? Fiona’s here.”

My eyes snapped to the front door instantly, confirming it was her. I stood up immediately, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her straight up the stairs.

I slammed my bedroom door shut behind us, letting go of her hand to face her. “Were you able to convince her? Is she going back?”

She shook her head. “I tried to talk some sense into her, but she was being a total b***h. She completely forgot who she was talking to. I told you I didn't want to do this anyway, but—”

“So you talked back to her?!” My eyes darkened, the simmering heat in my chest exploding into a full-blown roar. “Are you insane? Would it hurt you to set your stupid pride aside for f*****g once?!”

“Maybe you should save that attitude for her,” she hissed, rolling her eyes. “At least I saw exactly how much she listens to 'you' in the hall!”

She bit back sharply, but then she suddenly caught herself. Her expression shifted instantly, replaced by a cautious look. She took a slow, deliberate step toward me, like she was approaching a bomb about to detonate.

“Look, Jason,” she said, her voice dropping to a soft, placating murmur. “I understand you're on edge right now...”

“Glad you know!” I cut her off, reaching out to shove her back. “But you don't even understand what's at stake here, do you?” I snarled, my voice shaking with raw panic. “Everything is over the second Father finds out what we did to Elara!”