The Alphas Purest Innocent

Chapter 10

Kevin’s POV

There’s a lot I still don’t know about my little mate.

But there are three things I’ve figured out already:

One—her wolf, Lia, is hiding something.

Two—Deo knows what it is.

Three—someone’s been hurting her for a long time.

Not just bruises. Not just fear. Lia all but told me when she screamed, “I’ve spent too much time letting my Lelia be beaten and destroyed.”

That should’ve made me sick.

It didn’t.

It made me furious—because I wasn’t the one who did it. Because someone else had touched what belonged to me. Someone else had broken her before I even got the chance to decide if she deserved to be whole.

But what really snapped my patience was how easily she let me in. She mindlinked me during her little show in the shower this morning—rubbed herself raw thinking of me. Of me. The same girl who cowered in front of me days ago was now opening a full, raw mindlink during her orgasm and pouring every piece of it into me like a gift.

I don’t know if she even realizes she did it.

And that’s what pissed me off most.

That she handed that power over freely. That she gave something sacred without understanding the cost.

Or maybe she did understand.

Maybe she wanted me to see.

Either way, Lia was behind that moment. It had her scent. Her hunger. Her precision. And when I confronted Lelia about it—when I grabbed her and choked her into the wall until her wolf came forward—Deo snapped.

He clawed forward, uninvited, snarling for her.

I’d never lost control of him before. I’d never seen my wolf choose someone over me.

That’s when I knew.

This woman—this omega—was going to ruin us.

And still… part of me didn’t care.

When her stomach growled and I saw the flush crawl up her throat, I forced myself into calmness. I offered her a job. A real one. Wages, duties, rules. Anything to pin her back in place—tame her. She lit up when I mentioned money. That told me enough.

She had nothing. Had probably always had nothing. No coin. No control. No real identity.

And now she had me.

Or so she thought.

I offered her food next. An olive branch. A leash. Call it what you want.

Because a good Alpha doesn’t just punish. He commands. He reins in.

Even when his own wolf is pacing in his head, demanding more.

We reached the main level of the pack house. The halls were humming with the usual morning activity. I walked fast, not checking behind me—just following the soft thread of her scent like a drug I couldn’t admit I was chasing.

Lemons and sugar and something faintly floral. It clung to the air like heat.

I barely had time to block a mindlink before it slammed into me.

“Where’d you disappear to?” Noctis. Voice smug. “Little mate wearing you out already?”

I curled my fist, holding back the snarl.

“No one wears me out. Especially not a f*****g omega. Watch your tone.”

There was a pause, then Noctis muttered, “Sorry, Alpha.”

Good. I don’t need friends teasing me about my mate when I don’t even know what I’m doing with her yet.

We entered the kitchen.

The moment I stepped inside, the entire staff fell silent. They didn’t look up. No one dared to move until I gave permission.

That’s how it should be.

But my control cracked the second I felt my c**k twitch—again. All it took was the memory of her moan. The curve of her mouth. The pulse in our bond when she came with my voice echoing in her mind.

She did that.

She made me hard in front of my staff.

I hate her.

“Get back to work,” I snapped.

People scrambled. Pans clattered. Chatter resumed in careful, hushed tones.

I turned to her.

“This is the kitchen,” I said coldly. “Three meals a day for residents, guests, and workers. You are staff now. Your meals are included, but don’t take advantage. Snacks are available—serve yourself.”

She blinked. “Okay. Thank you.”

So polite. So meek.

It was like the last hour hadn’t even happened. As if I hadn’t slammed her into a wall and told her she’d ruined me.

“Eat something,” I ordered. “Jessi will find you in half an hour for orientation.”

I turned to leave.

But I hesitated.

Her pants—plain black, basic—hugged her hips perfectly. Her waist was too thin. Her ass was full. That contrast made my chest tighten.

I didn’t look back when I said, “We’ll discuss more personal responsibilities tonight.”

Then I walked out.

Mark and Noctis were waiting in my office when I arrived. Both lounging like they owned the place.

“Someone looks tense,” Mark smirked. “Rough night with the little mate?”

I didn’t answer.

Then Noctis added, “You bring her back to bed yet or still pretending you’ve got restraint?”

That’s when I snapped.

I slammed my hand into the oak desk, splitting it down the center.

“DO NOT FORGET YOUR PLACE.”

Both wolves jolted, heads down, shoulders hunched.

“She is not here as my mate,” I said, stalking around the desk. “She is not a Luna. She is not a gift. She’s an omega. A tool. One I’ll use until I decide she’s no longer useful.”

I leaned forward, letting the weight of my Alpha aura crush the air.

“No one outside this room knows who she is. She’s a stray. A worker. If either of you so much as imply otherwise again, I’ll rip your tongues out and feed them to my guards.”

They both nodded, barely breathing.

Good.

But I didn’t miss the way they glanced at each other.

Doubt.

I’ve seen that look before—from warriors questioning their Alpha. From boys wondering if I’m losing control.

They’re not wrong.

I sat behind the broken desk and pulled open a stack of reports. Territory disputes in the south. Rumors of unrest in the eastern pacts. Nothing critical—but enough to distract me.

Except it didn’t.

My mind kept circling back.

Lelia.

Lia.

Her body pressed into mine. Her pulse fluttering when she cried. Her scent on my skin. Her lips, parted and waiting. That moment in the shower when she trusted me—completely, recklessly.

That was power.

And it wasn’t mine.

It was hers.

It was Lia’s.

And Deo… Deo was still silent. Still brooding. Still aching for her like a pup left in the rain.

I’ve lost my grip on him.

That alone should terrify me.

But what terrifies me more is that I don’t know if I want it back.

My father warned me about this.

I remember being eight years old, covered in someone else’s blood, asking him why I didn’t have a mom like the other boys.

He crouched beside me, stone-faced.

“Your mother is weak,” he said. “The Moon Goddess cursed me with a true mate. They aren’t blessings, son. They’re weapons. They turn you soft. They get you killed.”

Then he took me to the basement. Showed me how to chain a wolf to the floor. Showed me how to break her down so she could never rise again.

He told me, “You don’t reject your mate. You tame her.”

That’s what I’m doing.

Taming Lelia.

Or at least—I was.

Now I’m not so sure who’s got the leash.

I stared down at the unfinished paperwork, my fingers drumming the desk.

If Lelia’s really half-human like they implied, that’s a problem. Her bloodline is weak. Her powers unpredictable. She’ll never bear a proper heir—not one the pack would accept.

I’ll need to test her. Push her.

If she can’t hold her own… I’ll find a way to break the bond. Quietly. Permanently.

But until then?

She’s mine to command.

Mine to control.

And if Deo keeps rising up for her…

Well.

I’ll deal with him too.