8. A CLEAN FREAK?

ZEUS

“AAAAAA!” Raw frustration tore from my throat, ricocheting off the cracked walls of the shack and spilling out into the crisp morning air. My chest heaved as I sat there, glaring at the wooden floor, my face flushed, eyes red from a sleepless night. Shame burned in me like an unrelenting fire, spreading from the tips of my ears to the pit of my stomach. I’d never, not in my entire life, felt so humiliated as I had yesterday.

That moment. That damned moment. It replayed in my mind like a cursed loop, and no matter how much I tried to shove it aside, the memory surged back with unrelenting clarity. The Alpha’s voice was calm, sexy yet taunting when he had offered me a "shortcut," the nature of which was so degrading, so infuriating, that even now my fists clenched at the thought.

The worst part wasn’t just the suggestion itself, it was the audacity of it. The ease with which he reduced me to nothing more than… a manwhore…. No. I wouldn’t even let the word form in my mind. But what truly ate at me was how I’d stood there, stunned, too blindsided to do anything but choke on the bitter weight of the moment.

“That pervert!” I growled through clenched teeth, the words seething out of me like steam. My hands shook as I pushed myself off the ground, pacing the cramped space. Who the hell does he think he is? Offering something like that, as if I’d ever stoop so low. As if I’d ever…

My hands raked through my hair as my mind spiraled, tangled in outraged disbelief. The bitterness of his insult lingered on my tongue, impossible to spit out, impossible to swallow. He’d degraded me, mocked me, treated me like nothing more than a plaything he could toy with.

It had taken every ounce of my self-control not to lash out right then and there. One punch, just one, would have wiped that smug look off his face. But instead, I swallowed my rage, turned on my heel, and walked away, without taking the mouthwatering fish.

By the time the first rays of sunlight pierced through the wooden slats, I had managed to leash the worst of my anger, but the bitterness was still there, clinging to me like a shadow. The fiery rage from the previous night had cooled into something colder, sharper—a simmering determination. I wouldn’t forget this. Not a single word. Not a single look. I’d make him regret it!

When the sun had fully risen, casting warm light over the dismal shack, I stepped outside, squinting at the world beyond the doorway. The fresh air was a welcome reprieve, and for the first time since I’d opened my eyes in this godforsaken place, I felt a sliver of calm.

The Alpha was nowhere to be seen. His absence was like a balm to my raw nerves, easing the tension that had coiled in me all night. I exhaled slowly, relishing the momentary peace, even as my fists remained clenched.

But one thing was clear. I really had to escape from here. From him. 

He had kidnapped me using the false charge of the murder of her sister. Even though I was not the real Damon, I had known him for years. I knew everything about him and every person he had been in contact with, even his ex-girlfriends and the random woman he had slept with because there had been a couple of times that some of them had shown up at the company and in order to not to be exposed I always had knowledge of all of them to handle the situation. However, there was no woman named Lynn among them. And Damon was a man who had a clean record and upright character with no history of abuse let alone murdering someone like this Alpha claimed.   

He clearly misunderstood or he was actually a psychopath. Yes, he really was a psychopath!

The sight of the fish stopped me in my tracks. It sat there on the broad leaf where it had been left the night before, cold and untouched, but still looked... edible. My stomach growled at the thought. It had been hours since I’d eaten, and the smell of the grilled skin, even in its faded state, tugged at my resolve. 

I swallowed hard and cautiously approached it, glancing around to make sure no one was watching. Just a small piece, I thought. No one has to know. My hand reached out, hesitating just above the fish before I plucked off a small, flaky bit.

“Regretting your decision now?” 

A low, gravelly voice full of mocking amusement cut through the air like a whip. I flinched, jerking my hand back as if the fish had burned me. Turning sharply, I found the Alpha emerging from the dense line of trees to my right, a massive stack of wood balanced effortlessly on his shoulder. 

“I… I was just getting rid of it!” I snapped, trying to recover some dignity. “It smells bad. I don’t like having filthy things lying around my place. I’m a clean freak.” The words tumbled out faster than I could think, and I immediately regretted them. Really, Zeus? I scolded myself. A clean freak? That’s the best you could come up with?

The Alpha didn’t miss a beat, his sharp eyes narrowing in amusement. “That’s good. You’re learning to live here.”

My lips twitched in irritation, the bitterness of his words cutting deep. “In your dreams,” I shot back, my voice laced with venom.

But he didn’t seem fazed. In fact, he smirked, his expression infuriatingly smug. “Follow me,” he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Alarms blared in my mind, a warning against trusting this man any more than was absolutely necessary. “Where?” I demanded, my voice rising just enough to betray the panic tightening in my chest.

The Alpha stopped and turned slightly, his eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. It was as if he could feel my every hesitation, my every doubt. “You want to stay like this forever?” he asked, looking me up and down, “I hate dirty things. You have to stay clean when you are here,” he ordered. 

I blinked, my gaze dropping to myself. My once-pristine designer clothes were now wrinkled, caked with dirt, and dotted with dried blood. Sweat had left them stiff and reeking, and though there wasn’t a mirror to be found, I was certain I looked like hell. A beggar at best, a complete mess at worst. 

But wait, what did he call me? “I am not a thing,” I argued. 

“Yeah, a thing has value while you…” he shot an insulting look my way before chuckling then turning to leave. 

I gritted my teeth, “What do you mean?!”