The Alpha's Filthy Secret.

- CHAPTER SEVEN -

Sloane.

"I'm not Sloane." The lie left my mouth before I could stop it.

Raul's mouth twitched. A short, quiet sound escaped from him, a low laugh that made the hairs on my arms stand up. He didn't argue. He didn't raise his voice or make a scene. He simply pulled out the empty chair directly across from me and sat down, smoothing the front of his dark suit jacket.

Julian, completely oblivious to the air turning to ice, pulled his own chair closer to the table, practically glowing. "Mr. Blackridge, we're thrilled you could make time for this. Eva has been looking forward to discussing the agency expansion."

"Has she?" Raul leaned back, his broad frame taking up half the table' space. He rested his hands on the polished wood, his forest green eyes locked onto mine. "I got the impression she'd rather be anywhere else."

"Nonsense," Julian chimed in, waving a hand dismissively. "She's just focused. That's why she's our top talent."

A server stepped up to the table, his tablet ready, but Raul didn't even look at the menu resting beside his glass. He kept his gaze pinned straight to my face.

"Chilled white wine for the lady," Raul told the server, his tone smooth. "And the sea bass."

My fingers tightened into my cloth napkin until my knuckles turned white. He remembered. Five years, and he ordered for me without missing a beat, establishing control before the food even hit the table. I opened my mouth to change it, to demand a steak or a salad, anything else, but the cold warning in his eyes held me in place.

More importantly, I couldn't afford to make a scene.

I clamped my jaw shut and forced myself to look down at my plate.

Julian ordered his own meal, alongside the other associates. Immediately they all launched into business, Julian pulled out a tablet to show agency rosters, European campaign routes, and projected media placement for the upcoming season. Raul listened with practiced, terrifying patience. He nodded once or twice when Julian mentioned numbers, but he never actually looked at the screen. He was watching me.

Every second felt like a physical weight on my chest. Beneath the table, my knees were shaking. The small scar on the side of my neck was throbbing with an intense stinging heat.

Humans in the restaurant couldn't feel the shift in the air, but my skin was burning. The scent masking herbs Neda brewed for me were struggling under the sheer pressure of his proximity. My scent was bleeding through, carrying the sharp edge of panic, and every few seconds, Raul's eyes flickered to the pulse beating at my collarbone.

He knew. He could smell it, even if he couldn't speak it aloud in front of human witnesses.

My mind kept racing back to my apartment three miles away. To Zane. My four year old son was sitting at home with Sarah right now, eating dinner, completely unaware that his biological father was sitting across from me in Bel-Air. If Raul found out about Zane - if he realized I had carried his bloodline into the human realm, he would tear LA apart to take him.

"The capital injection from your group would allow us to secure the Paris contracts exclusively for Eva," Julian said, tapping the tablet screen. "She's the face of the brand now. If we lock this down, we control the entire spring season."

"Exclusive," Raul repeated. The word rolled off his tongue like a threat disguised as business talk. "I like explicitly. But I don't just want to fund the campaign, Julian. I want a permanent seat on your board. Fifth one percent controlling interest in the agency."

I stiffened. My head snapped up, my eyes wide as I stared at him.

Fifty one percent. That wasn't an investment. That was a takeover.

Julian, blinked, caught off guard for a fraction of a second before a greedy smile spread across his face. "That's... significant commitment, Mr. Blackridge. We'd have to restructure the equity."

"The paperwork is already drafted," Raul said in a flat yet terrifyingly confident tone. He slowly turned his gaze toward me, his green eyes cutting right through my defenses. "What do you think, Eva?"

Hearing my fake name come out of his mouth felt like a slap. I flinched, my hands instinctively gripping the edge of the table so hard the wood bit into my palms.

"I think you're moving too fast, Mr. Blackridge," I said, my voice tight and strained.

Raul titled his head, a dark glint in his eyes. "I don't waste time when I see something I intend to keep."

"I need a moment." I blurred out, pushing my chair back. The legs scraped loudly against the floorboards, drawing glances from a nearby couple.

I didn't wait for Julian to speak or for Raul to answer. I stood up and walked away from the table, my heels clicking sharply against the floor as I headed down the narrow hallway toward the restrooms.

The corridor was quiet, dimly lit and smelled of lemon polish. I pressed my back against the wall near the lounge entrance, shutting my eyes tightly. I pressed my cold hands against my face, taking deep, ragged breaths to stop the frantic trembling in my hands.

Five years. Five years of peace, building a safe quiet life for me and Zane and in less than thirty minutes, Raul had walked into my city and brought controlling interest in the company that paid my bills. He was trapping me, closing off every exit before I even realized I was in a cage.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed down the hallway.

I opened my eyes to see Julian rounding the corner, looking around nervously before spotting me against the wall. He hurried over, his face tight with irritation.

"Eva, what the hell are you doing?" Julian pissed, dropping his voice as he stepped closer. "He's offering to buy fifty one percent of the agency! Do you have any idea what that means for you? You're going to be the most sought after model on the west coast!"

"Julian, listen to me," I said, reaching out and grabbing his forearm, my fingers digging into his jacket sleeve. "We can't take his money. We can't sign anything with him."

Julian stared at me like I had lost my mind. "Are you insane? Blackridge Capital is a multi billion dollar firm. He's offering us a blank check!"

"I don't like him," I said, my voice cracking slightly despite my best efforts. "Something is wrong with him, Julian. I don't trust him. Please, just tell him we aren't interested in selling controlling shares. Tell him we are looking for minority investors."

"You don't like him?" Julian threw his hands up in disbelief, taking a step back. "What does that have to do with everything?"

"Everything,"

"Eva, he's a corporate investor, not a blind date! You don't have to like him. You just have to walk down the runaway and let his money pay your contract!"

"You don't understand-"

"No, you don't understand," Julian interrupted, leaning in close, his voice sharp with desperation. "The agency is drowning. If we don't take their deal, we are out of money by winter. He wants to be our primary partner, Eva. He's making us a priority. I am not turning down fifty one percent because he makes you nervous."

"Julian, please-"

"I'm going back out there," Julian said firmly, turning toward the back of the table. "Get yourself together, fix your makeup, and come back to the table. We are signing this partnership."

He walked away, his dress shoes clicking against the floor until he disappeared around the corner.

I leaned my head back against the cold wall, my chest heaving. I was completely alone in the corridor. Raul wasn't just visiting Los Angeles. He was buying my entire career, positioning himself as my boss, and ensuring I couldn't step out of his line without losing everything I had built for my son.

And the worst part was, I couldn't tell Julian the truth without exposing the fact that the man sitting at our table was a creature from a nightmare I fled five years ago.