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045: Horrible Past
Last Updated:
2024-06-30 21:31:13
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Tempted by the Rogue Alpha 046: Happy
Lara I wake up in the morning feeling a little bit better than I did when I fell asleep. I’ve been thinking all night. It seems there’s nothing left for me to do but think. I guess being close to Dexter isn’t that bad. I can try to find out where this money is and use that against him. Naturally, if he loses that money, it’ll be the end of him. What would he do without it?I don’t have to go to the club until later tonight, so I take the duffel bag out from under my bed. I haven’t looked at the money since that day, and I haven’t counted it either. I asked him for a hundred thousand, and when I looked at the bag, it seemed like enough money. I won’t count every single more. The bundles are ten thousand each, so I believe that. I start counting the bundles and feel shocked when I surpass ten. I look at the small bundle on my bed and then look back inside the duffel bag.What? Am I mistaken? I count the bundles again. The number keeps growing and growing and when the number of bund
Last Updated : 2024-06-30Tempted by the Rogue Alpha 047: Realization
DexterI meet up with Damson for a late breakfast at a nearby diner that I think serves really great food. Naturally, he comes with all the guys from what he calls his ‘squad’. There are five of them, and the leader is pretty clearly identifiable. He’s the big guy with even more eyeliner around his eyes, and I have to admit that I don’t like him. I’ve worked alongside the authorities for a very long time, and so, it’s easy for me to identify a crook. And this guy—this Jules—is a fucking crook. He also likes to intimidate people. We sit in a booth, all six of us. Damson is the one talking the most. The rest of us are just sizing each other up. My cousin is clearly the youngest of the group. The rest seem to be around my age. It’s incredible how I’ve known Damson only for a few hours and yet I already feel overprotective of him. I hope he’s respected in this group and that nobody takes advantage of him. Because I don’t like Jules. Not one bit. By the looks of it, he doesn’t like me
Last Updated : 2024-06-30Tempted by the Rogue Alpha 048: Competitive
LaraOnce Dexter leaves, I realize that I really don’t want to see the apartment anymore. I wish I could say that he was following me or that he’s even stalking me, but I could tell that our meeting in that apartment was coincidental. And imagine my embarrassment. I’m home-hunting with his money and he caught me red-handed. That’s how I felt. But now he’s gone and even tried to make me feel more comfortable about the fact that he gave me a million fucking dollars. And the worst part? I am reassured. I am calmer about it now. It’s so messed up. I apologize to Nina and decide to go home and stop hunting for apartments. I don’t want to have to run into him again. I just feel so mortified. It’ll take a few more hours for Ander to be free, and so I decide to just drive around. I even go to car dealerships and look for new cars. There are so many that I like. I think I’ll ask Ander what he thinks. He’ll undoubtedly choose something big, shiny, and red, but that’s okay. Why can’t I have
Last Updated : 2024-06-30Tempted by the Rogue Alpha 049: Crazy Confessions
LaraI walk into the private room, way ahead of Dexter, and he closes the door.Tingles spread all the way to the tips of my fingers at the thought of us being alone in the same room. To think that we'll be alone in this room for two hours is...I just have to find a way to see this through and not lose my cool. I have to remind myself that I'm doing this to survive. Nothing more, nothing less. I take a deep breath and try to remember to stick to my professionalism. Although I hate him, I have to treat him the same way I treat all my other clients. On top of that, he has his additional requests. He wants me to be more verbal."So, are you ready to have a mind-blowing evening?" I ask him, trying not to cringe. I hear him let out a short, humorless chuckle. "Vanessa, come on."I close my eyes and force myself to calm down. He's not looking at my face so it's easy for me to make these little facial expressions of annoyance. I tell him, "I'd appreciate it if you would let me do my job,
Last Updated : 2024-07-03Tempted by the Rogue Alpha 050: Intrusion
LaraI take a sip of water and try not to think about how heavy my cheek feels. The woman was gone by the time we went outside to look for her. Goddess, I have no idea who she was or why she did that to me. Who would just walk into a strip club to attack someone?Is she crazy, perhaps?Jensen’s eyes are on my face as he says, “We’ll talk to Ambrose about this. I think we need to really keep an eye on who comes in here. This is dangerous.”“Yeah,” Angela agrees. She’s seated right beside me. She saw the whole thing and is as equally horrified by what happened as I am. “If she had a gun, she would have shot you dead.”I shudder and take another sip of water. The whole thing was so random and honestly, I don’t know what to think about it. My cheek really hurts from that punch. I’m pretty sure it’ll be bruised tomorrow. “You’re sure you don’t know who she is?”“No,” I insist. “No, I have no idea who she was. I’ve never seen her before in all my life!”“Hm,” Angela says, deep in thought.
Last Updated : 2024-07-04Tempted by the Rogue Alpha 051: Black Out
Dexter Leaving the strip club never fails to make me feel a certain way. I don't want to say that it's sadness because that would be me grossly exaggerating it. But if I had to be honest, then I'd say that I really don't want to leave even when I'm supposed to. I want to be around Vanessa all the time. It's kind of hilarious, really. I've never been in love, not once. I suppose this is what love must feel like. She's on my mind all the time and as I'm leaving, I'm thinking about the next time when I'll be able to see her again. I start the car and drive out of the parking lot. I don't see the kid anywhere near the staircase, so that's a good thing. At least he listened to me. I'm on my way to the hotel because what else is there to do? I'm finalizing the paperwork for the new apartment I bought and things seem to be coming along smoothly. After that, I'll have it furnished and I'll throw my very first dinner, one in which I'm planning on inviting the people who will help me acco
Last Updated : 2024-07-06Tempted by the Rogue Alpha 052: Compromise
Lara I stare at Dexter’s body, feeling frozen and rooted to the spot. I don’t know if he’s dead and that’s the part that scares me the most. When I slid out from under him a minute ago, I didn’t think he was dead. Looking at him now, I’m not so sure anymore. He’s immobile and doesn’t look like he’s breathing. This is insane. I cover my face with my hands and then quickly think about what I’m going to do. I can’t leave him here, that’s for sure, and I have to find out whether he’s dead or not. There’s only one way I can do that.I push him further into my apartment so I can close the door behind him and then hurry downstairs. Ambrose is the only person I can think about right now. He’ll help me resolve this matter because I’m genuinely lost and don’t know what to do. I push the door open and hurry inside. It’s one of those days when everything is silent and nobody is around during the morning period. The other girls are only here when there’s a new dance routine that needs to be
Last Updated : 2024-07-08Tempted by the Rogue Alpha 053: Hope
Dexter I peel my eyes open slowly. My vision is pretty blurry, so I have to blink a few times to clear it. Afterward, I look around with a crinkled brow, trying to make sense of where I am. I try to move. My back is sore. I try to figure out why and then it hits me as quickly as a bullet would. The attack. The fucking knife. I try to reach behind me to feel my back and I realize there’s nothing there. Rather, I can’t feel it. I sit up quickly and look around. I’m in a room that I don’t recognize, and for some reason, the knife isn’t in me anymore and I feel better. The door of the bedroom is closed. I look around and spot women’s clothes. Where am I?I stand up and walk toward the door. I press my ear close to it and don’t hear a thing. There’s only silence. I then turn the handle and open the door. This floor…l recognize it. I hear footsteps heading toward me and then I see Vanessa staring at me. Her eyes are wide, and I instantly notice that she’s wearing a red top and jeans t
Last Updated : 2024-07-09
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Tempted by the Rogue Alpha Epilogue 4
DexterA month has passed since Finch’s untimely death, and Lara hasn’t quite been the same. She’s been suffering quite a lot, and honestly, I understand why. Nothing he said made sense to me. Yesterday, she told me that she started to understand a little, but this is all a mystery to me. Maybe she gets it because she knew him better than I did. She grew up with him even though he was my biological brother and not hers. That gives her a pretty fair advantage over me. I’m haunted by the brief conversation we had over the phone. I hadn’t guessed at the time that it would be our first and last one. To sum it up, he told me that he wanted me to be Beta, and that he wanted me to promise that I’d take care of Lara and never hurt her again. But before that, he told me that he wasn’t as forgiving as she was and that he was glad I lose a hand. It was a crazy damn day, and it ended so tragically. But slowly, she’s been crawling out of her shell. Of course, her grief is only noticeable to t
Tempted by the Rogue Alpha Epilogue 3
Lara“Is it done?” Finch asks me over the phone. I find myself nodding, and then say, “Yes. It is.”Putting my father down was a decision we all made. It was ultimately what was best for everyone. We’ve all been hurt by him, and I think now, we can have that closure. With him being alive, there’s always that fear that he might run away from prison and target us. He’s always been vindictive. We had an incident with Jensen’s father, who had been Ambrose’s employer. When he heard of his son’s death, he orchestrated a prison break and came after us. Well, that’s what we gathered from the Gammas and Deltas who protect us. He never got close, but that didn’t mean the worst couldn’t have happened. He’s dead now, but he was a reminder that Lycans are very vindictive and will stop at nothing to get revenge. We’re all part-Lycan, so we understand this better than anyone else. We’re also vengeful in our own ways. All of us. Finch heaves a sigh. “Well, that’s the end of it.”For some reason,
Tempted by the Rogue Alpha Epilogue 2
Dexter“You’re free to pass through,” the prison guard tells me as he opens the door to the visitor’s room. I never thought that I would find myself here. After I sent Victor to prison for the murder of my mother, I thought I wouldn’t need to speak to him again. I didn’t need him to explain to me why the fuck he killed my mother so brutally. I didn’t want to hear any of it. But since I got together with Lara, I started feeling this sense for closure. My story doesn’t feel complete yet, and that’s because there are loose ends that I haven’t tied up. Well, there’s one, and that’s Victor. He’s sitting alone at the metal table. His hands are out of sight, and he looks older than I remember him. Maybe it’s the orange uniform that’s giving me that impression.When he sees me approaching, his eyes don’t leave my face. There’s not a single thought behind them, and as I sit across from him, I try to convince myself not to lose my cool and end this in a way that won’t land me in prison.“D
Tempted by the Rogue Alpha Epilogue
LaraI stand in the balcony of my room and stare at the moon, which is high in the sky.The sky has never looked more lovely. It’s like a velvety canvas dusted with thousands of glittering stars. Then, there’s the moon, of course. She’s the star of the show. I can’t help but feel gratitude spreading all through my body as I stare up at Her. Things worked out well for me. For us. The air is cool and still, and it’s carrying this fresh scent of pine from the surrounding forest that invades my nostrils every my time the wind blows. It’s so serene at this time of the night. Everything is still and peaceful. Arms encircle my waist from behind, and I feel the coldness of the metal of his prosthetic against my bare belly. I nestle into Dex’s warmth. I know it’s him. His warm scent envelops me like a cloud, and he kisses the arch of my neck sensually. “Awake at this time?” he asks hoarsely. “Couldn’t sleep,” I say. “Today was a good day, wasn’t it?”I think about the trial that happened
Tempted by the Rogue Alpha 114: Generosity
Lara"So," Finch begins when I sit directly across from him. "What happens now?"I've been asking myself this for the past few days and honestly, there's no answer. I don't think that's such a bad thing, though. Sometimes, it's great to not be able to predict anything. I want to see where this goes, too. Why should there always be an answer to everything?I tell him this, and add, "I'm happy with the progress that we've made. Isn't that great? We're taking it a day at a time. All of us."Finch looks right and stares out the window to the spot where Ander is flying a kite with Dex. The two of them are inseparable and it's a joy to see. Ander is a lot more active and they get along. "Hm," Finch says. "What?" I ask, my lips curving into a smile. "Stop being so pessimistic all the time. Why can't you be happy with me for once? I know how you feel about Dex, but he's a part of the family now. You have to put in an effort."Finch scoffs. "When hasn't he not been a part of the family?"I
Tempted by the Rogue Alpha 113: Acceptance
DexterThree days later, I'm as good as new.As soon as I step out of the hospital, Lara is outside. She’s in the driver’s seat of the car, wearing dark sunglasses. The sight of her fills me with a fresh new will to live. When I left her room that night—right before getting jumped by fucking Jensen and his men—I thought there was no hope for us. I left that house with no expectations. But look at where we are now. I climb in the passenger’s seat. I lean toward her and press a kiss to her lips. They’re soft and she smiles against me. For the past three days, she’s barely left my side, and we’ve gotten close in a way that I didn’t think would be possible for us. I’m a brand new man, and suddenly, my life is full of possibilities. “It’s so fucking good to see you,” I tell her as I tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. She smiles, but then it falters. “We’ve got our work cut out for us. You know what today is.”The reminder makes my heart skip a fucking beat. We both agreed that
Tempted by the Rogue Alpha 112: The Alpha
LaraWhen we reach the house, I tell the men to stay outside with Dexter. “I’m sorry,” I tell them, looking at the injured man. “It’s only going to be for a few minutes. I’ll send a signal for you to come back.”Dex grabs my hand before I step out of the car. He stares at me and says, “Promise me that you’re going to take care of yourself. That you won’t get hurt.”“I promise,” I say. We stare intently at each other before he pushes me toward him. Our lips collide and we share a brief but passionate kiss. It’s time to go, though. I head toward the house and the gates open. I step in. I can’t meet them yet, not when I’m in only a coat and have my scrapes and cuts on display. I have to get dressed. There can’t be signs of a fight on me. It only occurs to me as I step inside the house that someone could’ve called Jensen to warn him that we attacked. But they didn’t have the time to do it, not when they were fighting for their lives. A man meets me at the door. I think his name is G
Tempted by the Rogue Alpha 111: Lucky Guess
Lara But wait. Something keeps tugging at me, and when I pay close attention to it, I realize that it’s the background noise that caught my attention. The rattling chains. That almost metallic sound of the door opening. That’s all familiar to me. I chew my bottom lip and think deeply as we head home. It’s been three minutes since I last spoke to Jensen and I haven’t stopped thinking about that tiny detail. Why’s it all so familiar to me?I close my eyes and try to think. Chains. The first thing that comes to mind is Dexter’s ex. She was tied up in them when he took me there so I could decide her fate. And then there was the sound of him opening the door to the warehouse. That’s how I figure out where Dexter is. Jensen took him to the warehouse where the money had initially been stashed. The realization makes my heart pump faster and I tell the driver. “Stop. We’re going someplace else first.”My nerves are making my fingers shake with anxiety. I just have to take a deep breath
Tempted by the Rogue Alpha 110: Ultimatum
Lara There’s no way that Jensen has Dexter. This has to be another bluff. That’s what I tell to myself to calm down. My heart is slamming against the base of my throat and I find it hard to breathe. “You’re a damn fucking liar, Jensen.”“Am I?” he asks quizzically. “The plan was always to use capture Dexter. Only, we figured it would be hard to get him to talk, considering he’s tough as nails and would rather die than tell us where the money was. I suppose you know about that by now, don’t you? That I’m the one who was your employer? If not, now you do. This filthy fucking rogue took my money and I want it back. I’m prepared to take this to hell if necessary. What the fuck do I have to lose?”I say nothing for a good few seconds as I try to figure out what I have established so far. Jensen is my employer. Earlier, he told me he had someone I cared about and that he wanted to negotiate. I thought it was Ambrose, but it’s actually Dexter. Suddenly, someone comes to mind. I was talkin
