Chapter 10

KESTER.

If only she knew. Poor Kasmine. She just sold her soul to the devil by telling me she'd do whatever I wanted her to do.

Now, I was looking for the perfect 'favor' to ask of her.

Under the guise of handling paperwork, I stayed rooted to my spot, my eyes fixed on her. She didn't know I was watching, and I liked it that way. The glass panel between us offered a perfect view of her, yet it wasn't enough to bridge the space I ached to close.

Kasmine sat at her desk, her attention absorbed by the monitor. She brushed a strand of hair away from her face, the gesture so small and unassuming, yet it sent an ache through me. That hair, dark and soft, had once rested against my shoulder when she fell asleep in the car as kids. How could something so simple haunt me like this now?

Her lips moved as she murmured something under her breath, likely annoyed at whatever task she was handling. The sight made my chest tighten.

Gods, she was exquisite. A picture of innocence wrapped in temptation. She was mine. She just didn't know it yet. The thought sent a dark thrill through me.

I pictured her in my bed, beneath me, her legs spread wide as I slid into her, feeling her warmth, her tightness.

She's perfect in every way, and I want to make her feel things she's never felt before. I want to take her to the edge and show her how good we can be together... But it's wrong.

It's all wrong.

I gripped the edge of the desk in front of me, my nails biting into the wood. She was too tempting, too pure, too mine to be sitting there as if she didn't consume my every thought.

Her phone buzzed on the table, and she answered it in a tone so soft that it made me rage. Whoever was on the other end didn't deserve her voice or her attention.

A sharp pang of jealousy flared in me, tightening my throat. She laughed quietly at something they said, and it only fueled my anger.

I hated hearing that laugh directed at anyone else.

I picked up my phone and opened up the app which I had been using to track all her calls and text messages for a while now.

My heart beat rapidly as I prayed to the moon goddess that she wasn't talking to another man.

I heaved a sigh when I saw who she was talking to.

Dad.

I forced myself to exhale slowly, fighting the surge of possessiveness that threatened to take over. My gaze stayed locked on her, my mind wandering back to the other night—to the sight of her on her knees, begging me.

And wasn't that the sweetest irony? My little Kasmine, offering herself up to the devil to save a man who didn't deserve her.

She had no idea how much power she held in that moment, how she'd handed me the key to her every move.

The memory stirred something darker within me. Kasmine thought she was saving Jake, but all she'd done was seal his fate. The boy was already a ghost walking. Her pleas had spared him for a moment, but no one could protect him from me.

She shifted in her chair, her posture stiffening as if sensing eyes on her. I stepped back instinctively, my jaw clenching. I couldn't let her see me like this—watching her with a hunger I couldn't suppress, a hunger that would terrify her if she ever understood it.

Kasmine wasn't ready to know what she meant to me. She wasn't ready to see how far I would go to keep her. But she would, eventually. And when that day came, she would have no choice but to stay exactly where she belonged—by my side.

The very thought sent a sharp pang of need through my veins, pooling low and hot in my core.

My trousers felt too tight, my arousal straining painfully against the fabric, demanding release, as my mind wandered to all the things I could do to her, should do to her. And for a brief, wicked moment, I imagined storming into her office and locking the door behind me.

I leaned forward, gripping the edge of the desk to steady myself. I could practically feel the silkiness of her hair in my fists, shear the breathy gasp she'd make when I finally kissed her.

Fuck. Kasmine.

A sound broke through my haze—the faint creak of the door opening beside me.

My jaw clenched, and my chest tightened in fury. The interruption was a slap to the perfect moment I was savoring.

I turned sharply, already prepared to lash out, when i saw who it was.

Claire.

My mood darkened instantly. I didn't even bother masking the scowl that overtook my face.

Claire was everything I despised—loud, intrusive, and far too bold for my liking. She didn't belong near Kasmine. No one did.

"What the fuck? How dare you barge into my office unannounced?" I asked coldly, feeling my arousal relaxing.

Fuck it. She just ruined a very pleasant morning for me.

She flinched, "I am sorry, Alpha. I knocked severally but didn't get a response," She explained, her hands tightening around the files she held.

"The next time you don't get a response, I suggest you leave and try again. Is that too much for an adult's brain to process? You mustn't be told everything, must you?" I snapped at her lame excuse.

"I... I am sorry, Alpha," She apologized, as if it would do anything to calm the storm raging inside me. "I brought the files you asked me to bring," she managed and I glared at her, gesturing for her to drop them on the table and leave.

She did without hesitation and scurried away immediately.

By the time I turned my attention to my obsession, she was staring at me with disappointment written all over her. She always disliked the way I spoke to her friend. But who cares?