Mated by Contract to the Alpha
<b>Chapter </b><b>39 </b>
Reba’s POV
The woman stopped abruptly as she entered the dining area and saw me. She was tall and slender, with perfectly styled blonde hair. I know her. Just a few days ago, I saw her talking to Dominic in Oak Park. Her eyes widened, then narrowed as they took me in.
“Who is this?” she demanded, her gaze flicking between me and Dominic.
Dominic set down his tablet with deliberate calm, though I noticed his jaw tighten slightly. “Elizabeth,‘ he acknowledged. “I wasn’t expecting you this morning.”
“Clearly, she replied, her voice brittle. She set down a basket on the counter with unnecessary force. “Your mother sent these from Sterling Estate.”
Her eyes never left me, dissecting every detail of my appearance. I felt self–conscious in the simple clothes, aware that my hair was probably still messy from sleep.
“You haven’t answered my question,” Elizabeth pressed. “Who is she, and why is there a human sitting at your breakfast table?”
The contempt in her voice when she said “human” made my cheeks burn with embarrassment and anger. I straightened my spine, refusing
to be cowed.
Dominic took a sip of his coffee before answering, his calmness clearly irritating Elizabeth further. “This is Reba. She’s staying here.”
Elizabeth’s perfectly groomed eyebrows shot up. “Staying here? A lowly human in your private residence? Dominic, this is most irregr.” She turned to me directly. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”
Before I could answer, Elizabeth’s nostrils red slightly–a subtle movement I might have missed if I hadn’t spent years around William. She was scenting me, I realized. And whatever she smelled made her face turn an rming shade of red.
“How dare you,” she hissed, her voice dropping to a dangerous octave. “A human whore in Dominic Sterling’s home? This is an outrage!”
I flinched at the slur, my hands curling into fists beneath the table. But before I could defend myself, Dominic’s chair scraped back as he stood, his movement so sudden that both Elizabeth and I startled.
“Elizabeth,” he said, his voice deceptively quiet but carrying a current of danger that made the hair on my arms stand up. “You dare question my decisions in my own home?”
The atmosphere in the room changed instantly, bing charged with an invisible energy that seemed to press against my skin. Dominic hadn’t raised his voice<i>, </i>but something in his tone–in his very presence–had shifted. I’d never felt anything like it before, not even when William <i>was </i>at his most intimidating.
Elizabeth took an instinctive step back, her eyes widening. ‘Dominic, I didn’t mean-
“Know your ce,” he interrupted, each word precise and cutting. His eyes shed with something inhuman, a reminder of the predator beneath the civilized exterior. “Youe into my home uninvited and insult my guest? Perhaps you’ve forgotten who I am.”
Elizabeth’s face paled. ‘Of course not, I just-
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<b>64 </b>
“Leave the preserves and go,” Dominic said, his posture straightening as he seemed to grow evenrger, dominating the space with his presence. “And if you ever speak to or about Reba that way again, I will personally exin to your father why his daughter’s behavior is uneptable.”
The threat, implied but clear, hung in the air between them. Elizabeth swallowed visibly, her previous confidence evaporated. She ced the basket on the counter with trembling hands.
“I’ll leave now,” she said stiffly, her voice barely above a whisper. As she turned to leave, she shot me a look of pure hatred that promised
this wasn’t over.
After the front door closed with a decisive click, the oppressive energy in the room gradually dissipated. Dominic returned to his seat, picking up his tablet as if nothing had happened.
“Diana,” he said, his voice back to its normal register, “make sure Elizabeth’s ess code to the gate is deactivated.”
“Yes, sir,” Diana replied from where she stood by the kitchen ind, her expression revealing nothing of what she thought about the scene that had just unfolded.
I sat frozen, my breakfast forgotten. What I had just witnessed was a disy of power unlike anything I’d experienced. William had been domineering, yes, but this was different–this was the raw authority of an Alpha, barely contained within human form.
“Finish your breakfast,” Dominic said to me, not looking up from his screen. “It’s getting cold.”
Mechanically, I picked up my fork, though my appetite had vanished. “Who was that?” I finally asked, unable to contain my curiosity.
Dominic’s eyes flicked to mine, then back to his tablet. “No one important.”
Diana, who had returned to the kitchen, made a small noise that might have been a suppressedugh.
Dominic reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a cream–colored envelope, cing it on the table between us. These are for you, I’ll be back at eight tonight. I expect you to be dressed appropriately.”
Without waiting for my response, he stood, gathering his tablet and a leather portfolio that had been sitting on the chair beside him. He moved around the table, pausing beside me.
“Don’t try to leave the estate grounds,‘ he said, his voice low enough that only I could hear. “For your own safety.”
Then he was gone, his footsteps fading as he left the house. I stared at the envelope he’d left, wondering what newplication it contained.
“Miss Brown, Diana’s voice broke through my thoughts. “Would you like more coffee?”
I looked up to find her watching me with an expression I couldn’t quite decipher. “Yes, please,” I said. “And… could you tell me who that woman was<b>? </b>Elizabeth?”
Diana’s lips pursed slightly as she refilled my mug. ‘Miss Elizabeth Collins is the daughter of Ronald Collins, the Alpha of the Broond pack. She believes she should be Mr. Sterling’s Luna.”
“Luna<b>?</b>” I echoed, unfamiliar with the term.
“The Alpha’s mate, Diana exined. “Miss Collins and Mr. Sterling’s mother are quite close. Mrs. Sterling often invites her to the main
estate.
There was something in Diana’s tone–a careful neutrality that suggested there was more to the story.
“She seemed… angry to see me here,” I ventured.
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Diana met my eyes directly for the first time. “Be careful around that one, Miss Brown. She’s not ustomed to having her position threatened, and between her own high status and Mrs. Sterling’s favor, she’s used to getting her way.”
The warning sent a chill down my spine. As if I didn’t have enough to worry about with Dominic himself, now I had to contend with a jealous werewolf socialite who clearly saw me as an interloper.
I picked up the envelope Dominic had left, turning it over in my hands. Whatever was inside felt substantial, adding to my apprehension as I broke the seal and looked inside. My eyes widened, and I couldn’t stop the sharp gasp that escaped my lips.
“Oh my God,” I whispered, my fingers trembling.
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Mated by Contract to the Alpha
<b>Chapter </b><b>40 </b>