Run Away from My alpha a thousand times

The scent of roasted lamb, garlic, and freshly baked bread filled the Cross mansion's grand dining hall like a seductive melody meant to tempt hunger. The table was set in elegant formality—glistening silverware, shining crystal goblets, cloth napkins folded with precision. At the far end, a seat was left open, and across from it sat Lucia, eyes dull, stomach empty but mind far too heavy for food.

She stared at the untouched plate in front of her. The food looked perfect. But she couldn't bring herself to eat.

Not with the way she was being treated here, she hated the fact that was her and she just wanted a peaceful life.

"Luna," a soft voice called.

Lucia turned to see a young servant, probably no older than twenty, standing quietly nearby. She looked nervous, like even speaking might be considered treason.

"Would you like something else?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Lucia shook her head. "I'm not hungry."

The servant hesitated. "Perhaps I could"

"I said I'm not hungry," Lucia repeated, more firmly this time.

"I'm sorry so sorry but it's really not good for your health". The servant said bowing her head

Lucia could understand where the servant was coming from but they should also understand where she was also coming from. She rose slowly from the table, the chair legs scraping gently against the marble floor. The servant bowed slightly but didn't speak again.

Lucia walked out of the dining hall, her steps slow but steady. As she moved through the mansion's dimly lit hallways, the opulence felt like a cage. Velvet curtains. Crystal chandeliers. Rich mahogany doors. Every inch screamed wealth and powerbut none of it felt like hers. None of it felt like home.

She reached her room and closed the door behind her quietly.

Inside, she kicked off the flats Kaiden had picked out for her and sat on the edge of the massive bed. The silence wrapped around her like a thick blanket. It was heavy. Suffocating.

She curled up under the sheets, facing the window where the moonlight leaked through. Her body ached, but it was her soul that felt more fragile than ever.

Everything about this life was foreign. Dangerous.

Kaiden's rules.

Kaiden's world.

Kaiden's anger.

And still… there were moments, quiet ones when he did something confusing like when he was making his confession. Soft. Something that didn't fit the monster she thought he was or he is.

But those moments never lasted.

And she didn't trust them.

Sleep came slowly, like a fog settling over her bones.

Sometime in the middle of the night, Lucia stirred.

She wasn't fully awake. Not yet. But something pulled her gently out of sleep.

Warmth.

Not on the blankets.

On her forehead.

A kiss.

It was fleeting, but unmistakable.

She opened her eyes just slightly, enough to catch the silhouette leaning over her. His frame was familiar. His scent even more so deep, like cedarwood and something faintly smoky.

Kaiden.

He lingered for a second longer, brushing a strand of her hair from her face. His touch was so careful, so uncharacteristically tender that she barely recognized it.

Then he stood.

Lucia closed her eyes quickly, pretending to still sleep. Her heart thundered in her chest.

A few seconds passed. Then she heard the door click softly behind him.

She lay frozen in place.

What was that?

Why would he do that?

She raised a hand slowly to her forehead. She could still feel the kiss. It wasn't possessive. It wasn't cold. It had been… gentle.

And it confused her more than anything else he'd done.

Morning came, but her thoughts were still spinning.

Kaiden said nothing about the kiss as they left the mansion. He behaved like nothing had happened his usual stoic self.

The drive to the company headquarters was quiet. Lucia stared out the window, wondering if she'd imagined everything. Maybe she was losing her mind. Maybe she wanted to believe he had a softer side.

Maybe she was just tired of fighting.

At the office, things were tense.

Lucia stepped out of the car, smoothing her jacket and keeping her head down. Employees scattered like mice at Kaiden's presence. It was eerie how little sound the bustling corporate lobby made once he entered. His presence silenced rooms. Controlled the air itself.

Lucia followed a few steps behind him, still unsure of her place in all this.

Then Kaiden turned sharply and entered a large common area filled with his employees hundreds of them. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned toward him.

"Line up," he said, voice cutting clean through the room.

Everyone obeyed without hesitation.

Lucia stood off to the side, arms crossed, heart pounding.

Kaiden's voice rang through the air, loud and chillingly clear. "Let me make something very clear for everyone in this company. There will be no gossip. No rumors. No discussion of my private affairs. That includes what you think you know, what you think you saw, or what you imagine."

People avoided each other's eyes. The silence was almost unnatural.

"Anyone found whispering, watching, or stepping out of line will be dealt with," he continued. "And that doesn't mean a warning. It means termination. Immediately."

Lucia's heart stuttered.

She could feel it. The weight of his protection. But also the prison of it.

Kaiden's gaze swept the room like a weapon. "Respect is not optional. Discretion is not a request. And those who test me will regret it."

No one said a word.

Kaiden nodded once and turned. As he walked away, his employees quietly returned to their work. The air didn't relax. It just grew quieter.

Lucia felt dozens of eyes drift toward her.

Some were cautious.

Some were judgmental.

Some were laced with jealousy.

She didn't wait for Kaiden to look at her. She slipped away.

She headed toward the break room to get some air, but stopped just outside the women's bathroom.

Voices floated through the crack in the door.

"…I still don't get what he sees in her."

"She looks like she just rolled out of bed."

"I mean, she's not even pretty. Maybe she's pregnant."

Lucia froze.

"She probably blackmailed him."

"Or slept with him to get close. You know how these types are."

Lucia's stomach twisted. Her hands clenched into fists.

"She walks around here like a ghost, like she's better than us."

The blood rushed in her ears.

She turned on her heel, pushing through the hallway. Her pace quickened with every step. She couldn't breathe.

She didn't even stop at her desk.

Didn't look back.

She walked out of the office, through the lobby, and out the main doors.

The sun stung her eyes, but the breeze cooled her skin.

She walked down the street, not knowing where she was going. Not caring.

She just needed to get away.

From the whispers.

From the eyes.

From Kaiden.