Run Away from My alpha a thousand times

Kaiden's grip on her wrist was firm, not hard, but unyielding. It felt like being shackled in plain sight. His hand completely swallowed hers, and there was no use trying to pull away. He was dragging her through the office building like she was some personal belonging.

Lucia kept her head down as they passed clusters of employees. She could feel the way people stared, the way they tilted their heads slightly, their conversations dropping into quiet whispers the second they caught sight of Kaiden. Every person they passed bowed slightly not out of professionalism but out of something else. Reverence? Fear?

It unsettled her deeply.

Kaiden didn't say a word until they reached a large open office space. Dozens of workers sat at sleek desks, typing or sorting files. His sudden halt made Lucia stumble a little before he stopped in front of a young woman standing by the corner, sorting documents.

She looked up with a faint smile, unaware that anything was wrong.

Kaiden's voice rang out, low and thunderous. "Do you not know the rules?"

The woman blinked in confusion. "Sir?"

"Do you not know the rules of my building?" he snapped, voice sharper now.

The woman's hands trembled slightly. "I… I just resumed today. I didn't…"

Kaiden's eyes darkened as he looked her up and down. "Did no one tell you," he said, slowly now, dangerously quiet, "that no one wears yellow in my office?"

Lucia's brows furrowed in disbelief.

The woman's eyes widened in horror. Her blouse was a soft mustard color. That was it? She was being confronted over the color of her clothes?

Lucia could see the woman's chest rising and falling rapidly, tears welling in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, sir. I wasn't informed," she stammered, her voice cracking.

Kaiden turned to one of his assistants standing nearby. "Fire her."

The assistant hesitated only a second before nodding. "Yes, Alpha."

Alpha?

Lucia felt her blood run cold. She looked up at Kaiden. Was that a nickname? A title?

Kaiden turned to drag her away, but Lucia stood her ground.

"This isn't right," she said softly, almost inaudibly.

Kaiden stopped mid-step and turned, eyes narrowing at her.

"Don't fire her," Lucia said again, louder this time. Her voice echoed through the silent room like a slap. "She didn't know."

Every single person in the room froze.

Who was this girl to speak back to their boss? Their Alpha?

Lucia didn't care. She couldn't stand by and let someone lose their job over something so stupid.

Kaiden's jaw clenched. "What did you say?" he asked slowly.

"I said don't"

Before she could finish, the sound of flesh hitting plaster split the air.

PAAA.

Lucia gasped as Kaiden's fist slammed into the wall next to her, cracking it wide open. Dust and bits of plaster crumbled to the floor. The entire room held its breath.

Lucia's heart stopped. If his aim had been even an inch off… she might not be standing now.

"You dare to correct me?" Kaiden's voice was a guttural growl, his green eyes blazing with fury.

Lucia's lips trembled as she nodded quickly. "I—I'm sorry."

She'd never seen him like this , not even when she slapped him. This version of him wasn't just controlling. He was terrifying.

Kaiden grabbed her wrist again, tighter this time, and pulled her away. Lucia cast one last look at the crumbling wall, her stomach churning.

He brought her to a sleek office at the end of the corridor and pushed open the door.

Inside, a pristine glass desk sat near floor-to-ceiling windows, a smaller table set with office supplies waiting for her. Without speaking, he guided her to the chair and motioned for her to sit.

Lucia sat obediently, her hands shaking slightly in her lap. Kaiden walked to his desk and began flipping through files, completely composed again.

There was nothing to do. No assignments. No instructions. It was like she had been placed there just to watch him. Or to be watched.

Lucia lowered her head onto the table, exhaustion crashing over her like a wave. Before she knew it, sleep took her.

The ride home was quiet.

Kaiden didn't return to the car with her. Instead, he'd sent one of his men, the same stern-faced man she remembered as his driver, Denis.

Lucia stared out the window in silence. Her wrist still ached from how Kaiden had grabbed her earlier, but it wasn't just the pain that haunted her. It was the look in his eyes. The unfiltered rage.

"Miss Lucia," Denis said as they stepped into the house.

She turned to him.

"I heard what happened at the office today."

Lucia didn't reply.

He led her down the hallway, stopping near her room. But before she could step inside, he spoke again, his voice colder.

"I don't know why the Alpha chose you to be his wife."

Lucia stiffened. She wasn't in the mood for cryptic lectures.

"I know you don't want this marriage," Denis continued, still not looking at her. "But Kaiden has chosen. That makes you his whether you agree or not."

Lucia clenched her fists. "So I don't get a choice? Is that what you're saying?"

Denis's voice lowered, his tone firm. "You're lucky. Do you understand? Any other woman in this pack would give their life to be in your shoes. Respect the Alpha. Serve him. You'll live comfortably. That's more than most outsiders get."

Lucia's pulse pounded in her ears. "And what if I don't want to? What if I say no?"

There was a long pause.

Then Denis turned his head slightly, eyes sharp. "Do you know how the Cross family handles those who say no?"

His words weren't loud, but they sent a chill down her spine. It was a threat, veiled, but unmistakable.

Lucia took a shaky step back, her mouth dry.

"You're scaring me," she whispered.

"Good," Denis replied without blinking. "Then you'll survive."

He walked away, leaving her alone in the hallway, her knees threatening to buckle.

Lucia sat on her bed for what felt like hours, the silence pressing in like a weight. She couldn't focus. Couldn't think. Denis's words repeated in her mind over and over.

"You're his. Whether you agree or not."

"Do you know how the Cross family handles people who say no?"

She pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them tightly. This wasn't just being trapped anymore. This was being owned. And the scariest part? No one around her seemed to think anything was wrong.

Even the servants looked at her with pity. Like they'd already accepted her fate for her.

A knock on her door startled her.

A young servant entered, eyes downcast. "Dinner is ready, Luna. The Alpha is waiting."

Lucia stood reluctantly and followed. She told herself she was only doing this so she could stay strong so she could keep her baby safe. Starving wouldn't help anyone.

They were almost at the dining room when a loud crash echoed through the house.

BANG!

Lucia jumped, fear tightening in her chest. She turned to the sound, eyes wide.

There he was.

Kaiden.

Standing in the hallway, his shirt unbuttoned at the collar, fury written across every line of his face.

"Lucia," he called, voice dangerously low.

The servant beside her bowed and quickly vanished.

Lucia's feet froze in place.

Kaiden strode toward her like a storm, stopping only inches away.

"Did I embarrass you today?" he asked, voice deathly quiet.

Lucia didn't speak.

He leaned closer, the heat from his body overwhelming. "Did you think correcting me in front of my staff would go unpunished?"

Her lips parted, but no words came out.

"Say it," he growled. "Say you were wrong."

"I—I was just trying to be fair," she stammered. "She didn't know the rule."

Kaiden's eyes burned into hers. "There are no excuses. Not in my world."

Lucia felt something break inside her.

"This isn't your world," she said softly. "It's mine too now. And I won't stop standing up for what's right."

The tension between them thickened. For a moment, Kaiden just stared at her, almost in disbelief.

Then he laughed low and bitter.

"You have no idea what you're standing in."

Lucia's breath caught.

Kaiden stepped back and gestured toward the dining room. "Eat. You'll need your strength."

She watched him walk away, his shoulders tense.

Lucia stood frozen for a moment before finally forcing herself to follow.