The Alpha's Price
1070 Words
Sloane;
I was stuck. I couldn't move. My face was inches away from the leather of the man's jacket. The smell of him—wood, rain, and power—filled my head. I looked up, and my heart stopped.
It was Killian Thorne.
He was the man every person in Onyx Harbor feared. He didn't just run Vanguard Holdings; he owned the streets. He was the Alpha of the Iron Wraiths, and I had just slammed into him like a runaway truck.
"You're bleeding," he said. His voice was a low growl that made my skin tingle.
I looked down. My hand was red. I had cut my palm on my tool bag. But that wasn't the worst part. When I hit him, I had grabbed his arm to stay up. My old, thin t-shirt had caught on the sharp metal of his watch.
Rip.
The sound was loud in the quiet hall. I gasped and stepped back. My shirt was ruined. It was torn from the neck all the way down. I had to use both hands to pull the cloth together to hide my body.
I felt like I was on fire. I was standing in front of the most powerful man in the city, crying, bleeding, and half-naked.
"I... I am so sorry," I whispered. I tried to walk past him, but he was too big. He was like a wall.
Killian didn't move. He didn't look away. His blue eyes stayed on mine. He wasn't laughing. He wasn't mean. He looked at me like he was trying to read a secret on my face.
"Sloane Vance," he said.
My breath caught. "How do you know my name?"
He didn't answer. He just looked at me. It felt like he could see right through my skin. Caleb always looked at me like I was a tool he used. Killian looked at me like I was a person. It was heavy. It made my knees feel weak.
"You are making a mess at my sister's wedding," he said. His voice was deep and steady.
"I'm making a mess?" I felt a spark of anger. It burned through my fear. "Your new brother-in-law just tried to buy me for s*x. He told me he'd pay my grandmother's medical bills if I went to the bathroom with him. And you think I am the problem?"
Killian’s eyes went dark. For a second, the air felt cold. He didn't look surprised that Caleb was a pig. He looked like he expected it.
"Caleb is a dog," Killian said. "But this is still my family's house."
He snapped his fingers. Two large guards appeared from the shadows.
"Take Miss Vance outside," Killian ordered.
Then, he reached into his jacket. He pulled out a checkbook. He wrote something fast and ripped the paper out. He held it out to me with two fingers.
"Take it," he said. "For the shirt. And for the trouble. Then go away, Sloane."
I looked at the check. My pride told me to rip it up. But I saw the image of my grandmother in her hospital bed. I saw the "Past Due" bills on my table. I couldn't afford to be proud.
I snatched the check with a shaking hand. I didn't look at the number. I shoved it into my pocket.
"Go to hell," I whispered.
"I’m already there," he murmured. He turned around and walked away as if I didn't exist.
The guards walked next to me. They didn't touch me, but they made sure I moved toward the exit. I gripped my torn shirt tight, keeping my head down. I felt like everyone was watching me.
We had to walk past the big party room. The doors were wide open. Inside, people were drinking and laughing.
The room went quiet when they saw me. The whispers started. Then, I heard a mean, high-pitched laugh.
I looked up. Three girls from my old job were standing by a gold table. Chloe, Sarah, and Bec. The "Mean Girls" of the office. They wore silk dresses that cost thousands. They looked at my messy hair and my torn clothes with big smiles.
"Oh my god," Chloe said. She said it loud so everyone could hear. "Is that Sloane? Did she really try to crash the wedding looking like a beggar?"
Sarah laughed into her drink. "Look at her. She looks like she lives in a trash can. Did she think Caleb would leave a Thorne for... that?"
Bec joined in. "He fired you, Sloane. Get the hint. You were just a placeholder. You never belonged here."
The guards tried to push me forward, but I stopped. The sadness in my chest turned into a white-hot rage. I was done being quiet.
I shook the guard's hand off and turned to the girls.
"You know what, Chloe?" I yelled. The music seemed to stop. "At least I didn't have to sleep with the HR manager to get my desk. And Sarah? Maybe if you did your job instead of flirting, you wouldn't be a junior assistant at thirty."
Their faces turned bright red. People in the lobby gasped.
I looked at Bec. "And you? You're wearing a dress you can't afford. You're all just fakes. Caleb is perfect for this place. He’s a thief and a liar, just like the rest of you."
I didn't wait for them to say anything. I turned around and walked out the front doors.
The cold rain hit my face. I walked down the long driveway, shivering in my torn shirt. I felt alone. I felt broken.
But then, the sound of a heavy engine roared behind me.
A matte-black motorcycle slowed down next to me. The rider kicked the kickstand down and jumped off. He pulled off his helmet, and the rain soaked his dark hair.
It was Killian.
"Get on," he said.
"Why?" I asked, my voice breaking. "You told me to vanish."
He stepped toward me, his blue eyes glowing in the dark night. He reached out and grabbed my waist, pulling me against his leather jacket.
"I changed my mind," he growled.
- Writer
