The hall outside Alpha Damien’s office was quiet—eerily so. Ryleigh had only meant to pass through on her way to Margaret's room, a stack of freshly folded towels in her arms. She wasn’t prepared for the door to swing open suddenly, or for Alpha Damien to step into her path with that maddening, confident smirk painted across his face.
"Well, well," he said smoothly, eyes flicking down to the towels and then back up to her face. "What are you doing lurking outside my office?"
Ryleigh stiffened. "Just passing through," she replied, not meeting his eyes. Being this close to him made her uneasy—not just because he was the Alpha, but because he was... too much. Too intense. Too magnetic. Too dangerous.
He took a step closer, close enough that she had to tilt her chin up to look at him. His p
