02

A fire burned in Jodie's legs as she stormed inside the Alpha's bedroom, prepared to set him straight. The bed was empty, but she heard a tuneless humming that echoed from his en suite bathroom while the shower ran. He was awake.

She took a step forward and stopped. Her heart beat so fiercely that it took her several moments to gather her thoughts. Barging in on him in the shower was a bad idea, as he was sure to mistake her audacity for something else. So, hands behind her back, she settled into an agitated pacing as she waited for him to finish.

It took all of twenty minutes, but finally, she heard the shower go off. Inside, he stepped out from the bath, plucked a thick, white towel from a hanging peg, and wrapped another towel around his waist before padding toward the room reluctantly. He'd sensed her entry and agitation from pacing to and fro. She'd come to air out some grievances, he knew, but was in no mood to listen.

He stepped into the room and saw her first. She took her time to steady her breathing before turning to face him. She was glaring, but something about it roused his cock with alarming swiftness. His treacherous wolf and body had both refused to work with him in matters pertaining to Jodie Mickelson. It was always the same reaction whenever she was around. They wanted her. Countless times, he'd caught himself imagining her bent over on his bed while he took her from behind. The things he could do with her body plagued his dreams. Yes, he wanted her too, but he'll be damned if he settled for a weak Omega who can't shift--a maid! No. He was vain like that, and he knew it. He needed a strong Luna by his side. Not his maid.

"You ugly--!"

"After this morning, I half expected you to join me in the shower ." He interrupted her name-calling, a sly smile tugging at a corner of his lips. "I took you for a lot of things, but a voyeur feasting on my nakedness? That, I didn't see coming. But tell me, did you enjoy the show?"

Jodie flushed. "I came in to do my job. Cleaning! And it was almost noon. No serious-minded Alpha would be in bed at such a time. And so, naturally, I was shocked to see you in the nude, on display for all and sundry. It was a momentary shock, and I didn't stand here for hours on end, staring at your ugly body. But," she took a deep breath. "That's not why I'm here."

"That's the second time you've called me ugly. I don't have the time for whatever you've come to hash out, maid."

'Maid' was the degrading title with which he addressed her. The only two times he called her by her name was when he'd attempted to lure her into his bed twice. Thinking back to those two separate events, she mentally applauded herself for withstanding his advances. Alpha Ken Romanov was a pig.

"Rachel, one of the cleaning staff, informed me of your night together," Jodie announced bitingly. "You're a pig, Kenneth!"

His jaw clenched, and his lips tightened as she continued. "The moon goddess, she must be mad for pairing me with someone like you! An unfaithful and an unworthy bastard!"

"Unworthy?" His lips curled into a contemptuous sneer. "That would be you, love. A mere maid who can't turn or do anything right! Yes, she must be mad indeed if she thought a stupid bond would trap me down to someone like you."

"A trap?" Her voice rose in agitation. "Is that what you think this is?"

"Yes," He replied and made a show of checking his wall clock. "I have a busy day ahead. Get out."

It was an order, and the compulsion to obey it reined in on her. He was, after all, still her Alpha and, as such, was difficult to ignore. But Jodie fought it. She wasn't born to take orders from anyone. She could feel it deep in her bones. Her current situation didn't define her reality.

"No," she replied to him. "I'll leave when I've said everything I have to say to you. Not when you tell me to."

"The audacity..." He frowned, face shrouded in anger. "But it's my fault. I've tolerated you long enough; this ends now. I, Alpha Ken Romanov of the Whispering Moon Pack, reject you, Jodie Mickelson."

A knot swelled in her throat and stuck there, rendering her incapable of drawing breath.

"I also banish you this day from the Whispering Moon Pack," he continued. "You have until nightfall to get your shit together and get yourself off my lands. Your house on the hill will be burnt at first light tomorrow, and if you're still in there by the time my wolves arrive, you'll be burned along with your precious home. Get. Out."

She couldn't speak, couldn't react to the tight pain that was slowly surrounding her chest. Silently, she headed for the door. She was in shock. Rejected and banished, she hadn't seen that one coming. Her entire life was here, and there was no place for her to go.