Alpha Draven

Chapter Four

Lilah.

I hate him.

I hate him.

I hate him!

I would have voiced that thought if it didn’t suck out the last energy I had left in my body to beat the crap out of him. And damn it, did it feel good.

I wasn’t sure if I had given him brain damage as I swung the pan and struck him on the side of his head, which might be the fifth time—I assumed I did, as he just stared stupidly at me as I beat him up.

By the sixth swing, his hand shot out, and he grabbed the pan, tearing it from my grip and tossing it aside. The pan struck a glass table, shattering it to pieces.

“So much for being subtle,” he muttered under his breath. His eyes locked with mine. It was the same beautiful golden brown color that captivated you. Sucked you in and ruined your soul. Those eyes made panties drop and broke hearts.

I f*****g hate them.

It didn’t make it any better that he seemed to have packed more muscle in the two years I hadn’t seen him and gained a lot of tattoos, too. His black shirt clung to his chest in all the unholy ways I wish it didn’t, showing off exactly what was hidden beneath that shirt. Sweet moon goddess, I wanted to touch him.

I also wanted to hit him again, simply for being this sinfully beautiful.

I lifted my hand, about to slap him, when he grabbed my wrist and pulled me against him.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he snarled in my ear, his breath hot against my cheek. By the moon, why did it feel good as he held me here, his arms wrapped around mine to prevent me from hitting him? His body was warm and familiar, and—I shook my head to clear any thought of how my body was reacting to him. My body was a traitorous b***h, and she didn’t know what was good for her.

“None. Of. Your. Business.” I bit out, trying to wriggle free from his grasp, but the jackass had the hold of steel.

“You made it my business as this is my father’s house and then assaulted me for no reason.”

“No reason?” I snorted. “Did I hit you so hard you now have memory loss?”

He remained still for a moment, then, “Why are you here?”

“Nothing that is a concern to you.”

“Are you…” his voice trailed. “Are you f*****g my father?”

I spat out a wild laugh. “Yeah, it seems I hit you harder than I thought.”

He spun me around to face him. I swallowed, fighting hard not to turn my head away. Looking at him was cutting my heart to shreds all over again. I thought I was over him after I found Carter, but now, standing close to him reminded me how fresh those wounds were. That I was a fool to think I didn’t want him anymore.

I was an even bigger fool to feel this damned attracted to him after what he did to me.

But I was no coward, regardless of how I felt and didn’t feel about him. I would not show him that he had an ounce of effect on me. “What do you want, Draven?” I snarled.

His brows furrowed. “What are you doing here?”

My gaze narrowed, noting the gun holstered on his hip and the dagger tied to his belt. “You’re planning to rob someone? And why is Nial shooting the guards with tranquilizer darts?”

Last I was in the picture, Draven had issues with his father and had moved out into his own place. I wondered if he still lived there, then shook that thought from my mind.

I didn’t want to remember the place he got me pregnant and then screwed another woman in it after.

His gaze raked over me. “What happened to you? You’re covered in mud and bruises—”

“Thanks for stating the obvious.”

“You don’t live here, do you?” he moved closer.

I tried to pull away, but damn him for not letting me. “Bingo. So, it looks like neither of us is supposed to be here.”

“Why aren’t you out. Celebrating?”

It was my turn to frown. “I don’t follow.”

“It’s your birthday.”

Oh. He remembered. I swallowed, telling myself I wouldn’t cry, not now, not in front of him. I wasn’t going to let him know how, just hours prior, my boyfriend tried to kill me or how much it hurt to see him standing before me. “Great. You want a cookie for being able to tell the date?”

His response came by staring at me. A few times, I came close to breaking eye contact, refusing him the opportunity to search my eyes for whatever he was looking for.

But I’d be damned if I would crumble in front of him. “So, what? You’re just going to keep staring at me like an i***t and have us both get caught?”

He raised a hand, gently trailing his knuckles against my injured jaw. “Who did this to you?” he whispered.

I flinched, more from how good it felt as to the slight sling of pain. “Me. I jumped from a window,” I lied.

He gave me a look that told me he didn’t believe me. “If I let you go, you’ll promise not to hit me again?”

Not a chance in hell, buddy. “Pinky swear.”

“You’re not going to run?” he tested.

“Nope. I still have something to take care of.”

“What?”

“Why are you here?” I asked.

His lips thinned. He knew I had him. If he wasn’t going to tell me, I sure as s**t wouldn’t tell him anything. Not that I planned to tell him the truth to begin with, but he didn’t need to know that.

“Fine. But we didn’t see each other here tonight, did we?”

I shook my head. “I saw nothing if you didn’t see anything.”

“And leave my men be, okay?”

I nodded. “If they won’t try to shoot me with a tranquilizer gun again.”

He released me. It was the biggest mistake he made in his life. I bolted the second I was free, running downstairs straight for the backdoor where the main security keypad was.

The moment I slipped outside, as he shouted after me, I slammed my hand on the emergency lock and ran for my life.

“That’s for hurting me, you piece of s**t!” I shouted at him through the noise of the blaring alarms. “Enjoy prison!”