Captive of The Beast Alpha: Drugging the CEO Was a Mistake.-Chapter 39: Naya: Questions without answers II

The effect was immediate. Everyone went silent and turned to look at me.

I’d been standing frozen in the same spot where Elon had left me. My whole body was shaking, and I felt like I might throw up or pass out or both.

What had I just witnessed? What were they talking about? That thing being someone’s brother? Children dying? Full moons?

None of it made sense.

"I’ll see, Miss Rivers, to her room," Elon said calmly now. "It’s late, let the Nannies take the children to their nurseries..."

"They’re not sleeping—" Adam started to say.

"Not now, father," Elon cut him short. "They’re here for the festival and would leave when we’re done with that. Please, set aside your grievance and protect your family tonight."

Then Elon cleared his throat and walked back over to me, flashing me a dimpled smile.

"Come on," he said quietly. "Let’s get you settled."

I let him guide me away from the living room, away from the angry voices that had started up again the moment we left, though quieter now. He led me down a hallway and up a different staircase than the one the creature had used, and with every step, my mind kept replaying what I’d just seen.

The monster’s eyes. Those glowing slitted pupils that had looked at me like they knew me.

The way it had whimpered when they were tying it with those heavy chains.

The way something in my chest had responded when it looked at me, like recognising something I’d lost.

Elon opened a door to another bedroom—bigger than the first one they’d given me but just as nicely furnished. He flipped on the lights and immediately went to check the windows, making sure they were locked and turned to face me.

I hesitated by the doorway until he beckoned for me to come in.

When I did, I sat on the bed, trying to still my pounding heart.

"Elon," I finally asked, "what was that thing downstairs?"

He paused, clearly uncomfortable by the question I’d asked him. "Don’t worry about that right now," he said gently.

"Don’t worry about it?" My voice came out higher than I intended. "It threw a man into a wall, and he died. How am I supposed to not worry about—"

"Naya." He turned to face me with a pained expression. "I’m sorry I cannot tell you so much, and I understand you’re confused and terrified, but please, just get some sleep. Try to rest, and by morning, you’ll forget that this ever happened."

"How can I sleep when—"

"And don’t open your door," he continued, speaking over me. "For any reason. No matter what you hear or who knocks, please don’t open it. Do you understand? Though this is the most secure part of the pack house."

The seriousness in his voice sent a chill down my spine. "Why? Is that thing going to come back?"

"Just promise me," he said. "Please. Promise you won’t open the door."

"I promise," I whispered, because what else could I say?

He nodded and moved toward the door like he was going to leave. Then he stopped, his hand on the doorknob, and turned back to me. His eyes studied me for a long second, as if he was debating something.

"Are you sure nothing is going on between you and Hansel?"

The question caught me off guard. "What? Why would you—"

Before I could finish the sentence, Elon crossed the room in three quick steps, cupped my face in his hands, and kissed me.

His lips were warm and soft against mine, the kiss gentle but insistent. It lasted maybe three seconds—long enough for shock to flood through my system, for my brain to short-circuit trying to process what was happening.

Then he pulled back, his hands still on my face, and looked at me with an intensity that made my breath catch.

"I needed that," he said. His thumb stroked my cheek once before he dropped his hands and stepped back. "Did I ever tell you you’re beautiful? Because you are. You’re the most beautiful human I’ve ever met."

I just stared at him, my mouth hanging open.

"I know this is terrible timing," he continued, running a hand through his hair and looking almost embarrassed now. "But can I buy you breakfast tomorrow? Actually, take you on a proper date instead of... whatever disaster this has been?"

"I—what—you just—" I couldn’t string together a coherent sentence.

He smiled at that, "You know what? Hold that thought. ... think about it tonight, okay? And try to get some sleep." He moved to the door again, then paused with his hand on the knob. "Sleep well, Naya."

Then he was gone, closing the door softly behind him and leaving me sitting on the bed with my heart racing and my mind completely blank.

What just happened?

Did he really kiss me? After I’d almost been killed by a monster? After watching his family tear itself apart, arguing about whether to kill someone or something, they kept calling their brother.

What the hell was wrong with this family?

I stood there for a moment, trying to decide which part of tonight’s disaster to process first—the monster, the argument, the kiss or the breakfast date that had come out of nowhere.

My hands were still shaking. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. And underneath all the confusion and fear was a bone-deep exhaustion that made my legs weak.

What was this place? What kind of people were they? Why had I been brought here? And most of all... was Hansel even still alive?

I wandered into the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face. The clothes I borrowed from Hansel’s guest room wardrobe were wrinkled and stained. My hair was sticking out as if I’d been struck by thunder.

I looked tired, scared, and unsure—the complete opposite of the woman who had walked confidently into the DOE gala just days ago.

Looking at my reflection, I muttered to myself.

"This is madness."

All of it.

I hadn’t called Reese. I didn’t even know where my phone was. I hadn’t eaten properly. I hadn’t slept without fear since... since that night in the precinct when Hansel paid off my debt.

And even then, I wasn’t sure what his intentions were. Was this all a way to keep me indebted to him? Or worse—was I bait for something else?

I returned to the room and sat on the edge of the bed.

No matter how beautiful this house was or how handsome Elon might be, something about this whole thing didn’t feel right. The monster, the locked door, the whispers, the hidden tension—they were all pieces of a puzzle I didn’t understand.

But I wasn’t going to wait for them to solve it for me.

The moment the sun came up, I was leaving.

I didn’t care how. I’d walk, run, hitch a ride—anything to get back to the city, back to a world that didn’t include creatures that roared and brothers who kissed strangers during a family meltdown.

I curled into the thick duvet, refusing to take off my clothes. I didn’t trust this place.

I stayed like that for what felt like hours, wide awake in the dark.

And for the first time in a long time, I felt something I hadn’t allowed myself to feel.

Fear.

Not just for myself—but for Hansel.

Because whatever that monster was... I had a strange, terrifying feeling that it had something to do with him.

I cut off that line of thinking immediately. This wasn’t my problem. Hansel wasn’t my problem. Whatever connection I thought I’d felt with that monster was just my imagination running wild after the most traumatic experience of my life.

I just had to survive until morning.