Page 78 of The Denver Alpha
“Oh that’s what you want, right?” Juliet scoffs, shoving me again. “Yes,Alpha.” Shove. “No,Alpha.” Shove. “Please, let me suck your dick,Alpha.”
“Enough!” I shout, snatching her wrists before she can shove me one more time, narrowing my eyes on her menacingly.
“Admit it!” Juliet yells, yanking her hands out of my grasp and stumbling back. “That’s what you really want, deep down, isn’t it? For me to just smile and look pretty and obey your orders without question?!”
“It’d be fucking nice,” I snarl.
Her irises glimmer with the silver of her wolf as she steps forward and shoves at my chest once more. “Well sorry I’m not a pushover like the girls you’re used to!”
“Yeah, me too,” I mutter.
I look up just in time to see the hurt flash in her eyes as she snaps her mouth closed, and I immediately know I went too far with that one. She just kept pushing and pushing and I finally snapped. Juliet just has a way of always driving me off the edge of that cliff, forcing me to the brink of my sanity.
I blow out a breath, shaking my head regretfully. “Juliet, I didn’t mean…” I take a step toward her, but she holds up a hand to halt my advance, slowly backing away.
“No, I heard you loud and clear, Cole Bauer,” she says coldly, the tenor of her voice suddenly eerily calm.
I scrub a hand over my face and draw a deep breath into my lungs.I’m losing my shit.I know it, she knows it, but I can’t stop. It’s like a slow-motion car crash.
“I just…” I heave a sigh, shaking my head again. “Maybe it’s not safe for you here anymore.”
Juliet blinks at me in disbelief. “What are you saying? You want me to leave?”
Do I?
No. I can’t stand the thought of her not being near me. Juliet belongs here, at my side.
But what if I can’t keep her safe?
I clench and unclench my fists, struggling to find the appropriate words to convey my meaning. “That’s not…”
“Save it,” she snaps, cutting me off. “I was warned about getting involved with you, and I should’ve listened.” She buries her hands in her hair, tugging at the strands as she throws her head back. “God, I’m such an idiot!”
It’s like I’m watching my world crumble around me and all I can do is stare blankly. Juliet’s eyes return to mine, and the pain in them…fuck, it’s like a knife straight to my heart. My wolf practically howls in agony, burying himself in the recesses of my consciousness as Juliet turns on a heel and starts to walk away.
“Jules, wait!”
She whips around, her rage practically rolling off her in waves. “Stay away from me, Cole,” she hisses, pointing an accusatory finger in my direction. “This, whatever this was?” she gestures back and forth between us, “It’s over. I’mdone.”
31
Cold. Empty. Numb.
Last night emotionally drained me, and I woke up today still exhausted.
I haven’t left my room. Have barely left my bed. I turned my phone off to silence all communication, though Shay showed up with a sandwich this afternoon and made me tell her what happened as I forced down a few bites.
I’m still angry. Heartbroken. But more than anything, I’m just tired. Tired of trying so hard to assert my independence in a world that will never see me as anything but a weak, naïve, sheltered little girl. Tired of being made to feel like asserting myself is somehow wrong, and that I should bite my tongue and bow to the authority of the men in charge.
No more.I refuse to swallow my opinions or live my life as a mindless piece of arm candy. I’m done pretending to play the part of the perfect daughter and sister of the alpha. I want to be seen. Heard. Respected.
I really thought Cole was different. I thought he was beginning to see the real me; to treat me as an equal. Or maybe I was just blinded by my attraction for him- by my competitive drive to win him over. I experienced so many firsts with Cole Bauer, and now I have one more to add to the list… my first heartbreak.
I know he’s at my door before I even hear the knock. I swear I can sense his presence somehow, like it calls to me whenever he’s near. It’s part of what drew me to Cole in the first place; a magnetic attraction that was so strong I couldn’t escape it. I still can’t.
The knock is soft, hesitant, followed by that rough, gravelly voice that sends goosebumps skittering down my spine. “Juliet?”
Just the sound of his voice has tears burning behind my eyes, my throat raw and aching. I yank the comforter up over my head and bury myself in the blankets. “Go away, Cole.”