15: Losing Control

ATTICUS

As soon as Hera started dancing, something shifted in me, something primal. I hated the way she moved—

No, that’s a lie.

I hated how much I wanted her as she moved.

Every slow, deliberate sway of her hips, every roll of her body ignited a fire inside me that I couldn’t smother. My eyes were locked on her, even though I could feel the gazes of the other alphas crawling over her.

I growled, fighting the urge to tear every single one of their eyes out for looking at her like that, but I couldn’t react. I had to sit there, stone-faced, feigning nonchalance, acting like she didn’t affect me.

Like my member wasn’t rock hard for her.

It disgusted me, this twisted attraction I had for her. She was supposed to be my enemy, the one responsible for Rachel’s death, and yet here I was, gritting my teeth and fighting back the desire to drag her out of that room and slam my hard cock into her tight pussy.

The worst part? She knew exactly what she was doing. She locked eyes with me all through that sinful dance, and I knew she saw through every ounce of control I was trying to muster.

The heat in her stare was unmistakable, and it made my blood boil.

I wanted her, and I hated myself for it.

Soon, she was done and joined the rest of the maids to serve the food. Logan’s voice cut through the noise in the room, grating on my nerves.

“Hey, pour me some more of that soup, would you, Hera?”

I watched her move to him, graceful even under the humiliation of serving these bastards I suddenly regret summoning. She poured the soup without meeting his eyes, but I could feel the tension radiating off her.

Like she was waiting for him to just push her over the edge.

Then Logan, always the insufferable prick, had to push it.

“You know, Atticus,” he began, his voice smug and sleazy, “since you’re just keeping Hera around to secure your throne, why not let us take turns with her? I hear there’s no better way to tame a bitch than that. And from what I’ve been told, she’s quite submissive in bed.”

Every word out of his mouth lit my veins on fire, and my fingers itched to rip him apart. My blood boiled. I could already feel the muscles in my jaw tighten, my restraint thinning by the second.

And then he sealed his fate by slapping her on the ass.

Something inside me snapped.

I saw red, ready to rip out his damn tongue and shove it down his throat. But before I could even react, Hera beat me to it.

“Fuck you!” she snapped.

In a heartbeat, she grabbed the pot and poured the scalding hot soup right over his head.

Logan’s scream ripped through the room, and it was music to my ears. For a moment, just a fleeting moment, I felt a surge of satisfaction that I couldn’t control. My lips twitched, the smallest hint of a smile forming before I could rein it in.

I was proud. Damn proud.

Pandemonium broke out the second Logan’s agonized scream tore through the air. The other alphas leaped from their seats, chairs screeching against the floor as chaos erupted. Some rushed to Logan’s side, their voices a tangled mess of shock and outrage.

“She’s lost her mind!”

“This is a direct insult to us all! Atticus, you need to control your damn mate!”

“She needs to be punished!”

“Atticus, this is a disgrace!”

“Is this how you let your mate behave? In front of all of us?”

They were all speaking at the same time.

Logan was still on the floor, cursing and groaning through the pain.

“She burned me! That bitch—she’s gonna pay for this!”

But Hera glared at him, turned on her heel and walked away as if she hadn’t just set the whole room on fire.

The room buzzed with disbelief, and in that moment, I couldn’t help but feel a bit of pride at her defiance.

“She can’t get away with this! I demand she be publicly whipped!” Logan was still screaming, struggling as one of the alphas poured cold water over his head to cool the burns. “Atticus, if you don’t—”

I silenced him with a look, the simmering rage just beneath my surface threatening to spill over. I would never give anyone permission to lay hands on her, and the fact that Logan thought he had the right infuriated me even more.

I stood up, my voice cold, cutting through the din.

“The next time you sexualize my mate, Logan,” I said, each word deliberate, “you won’t have a tongue left to tell the tale.”

The room fell into stunned silence, Logan’s protests fading into nothing. The other alphas froze, their eyes darting between me and him, at the threat I’d just laid out.

Logan’s face twisted with rage, but he held his tongue, cowed for the moment. He knew better than to push me any further.

I turned my back on him, looking at the rest of the alphas.

“Dinner’s over,” I said coolly, dismissing them with a wave. “Get out.”

No one argued. One by one, the alphas left the room, casting glances between Logan and me, and whispering among themselves as they filed out.

I didn’t care.

Let them talk.