The Alpha Behind The Mask-Chapter 44: Two Phones

Oliver’s POV

​Fuck.

​The moment my lips crashed against hers, I knew I’d lost. Every wall I’d built, every bit of distance I’d tried to maintain as Alpha Oliver or Dom Raymond, crumbled. I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t be touching her. But seeing her broken and bruised because of a mistake in my world had snapped something inside me.

​I expected her to slap me. I expected her to fight. But then, I felt her fingers tangle into the hair at the nape of my neck. She was pulling me closer. She was kissing me back with a desperate, heartbreaking hunger that nearly brought me to my knees.

​My wolf howled in triumph, a primal, possessive growl vibrating in my chest. It felt so goddamn good. Knowing she hated Raymond, and yet she was melting into me—it was a drug I couldn’t quit.

​Then, as quickly as the fire had started, she doused it.

​Aurora shoved me back with a strength born of pure panic. I stumbled slightly, my breath coming in jagged gasps, as I watched the realization dawn on her face. Her eyes widened, flashing with a sudden, sharp horror, as if she had just realized she was kissing the devil himself.

​"No," she whispered, her voice trembling.

​Before I could say a word, she scrambled off the sofa and bolted. The sound of the bathroom door slamming shut and the lock clicking into place echoed like a gunshot in the small apartment.

​I stood there in the center of her living room, my hands still tingling from the silkiness of her skin, feeling like the monster she clearly thought I was. What the hell? Why did she hate me this much? Was it just the mask? Was her hatred directed at every Dom in that club, or was it something deeper? I wanted to break down that door, to pull her into my arms and tell her everything—tell her I was the same man she kissed last night... that I was Alpha Oliver.

​But I couldn’t. Not yet.

​I composed myself and let myself out of her apartment. I made it to the car and drove back to the mansion in a blur of speed and rage. I pulled the blacked-out car into the deepest corner of the private garage, hidden away where she wouldn’t notice it.

​Reaching my room, I tried to wash the smell of the club and the alley off my skin, but I couldn’t wash away the memory of her lips. I sat on the edge of my bed, the silence of the mansion feeling heavy around me.

​This morning, when I woke up and saw her sleeping on the couch, I panicked. For the first time in years, I felt something break inside me. A warmth in my chest that scared me more than any enemy ever had. So I did what I always do—I shut down. I turned cold. I called her a "distraction." I watched the light leave her eyes.

​But by the afternoon, guilt wouldn’t leave me alone. It felt alive under my skin.

​I saw a set of gold jewelry online. The delicate design reminded me of her red hair falling over her shoulders. I wanted her to have it. I wanted to see her wearing it. But I was too much of a coward to send it as Oliver.

​So I sent it as Raymond.

​I ran a hand through my damp hair, frustrated. What is wrong with me? Am I losing control?

​I have spent my whole life being the King. Strong. Untouchable. I have never needed anyone. But now, I can’t stop thinking about her.

​Could this be love?

​No. It can’t be. Love is weakness. Love makes you a target. This is just... obsession... desire. That’s all.

​At least, that’s what I keep telling myself. But even I don’t believe it.

​It took me hours before I could finally fall asleep.

Waking up the next morning, I stayed on the bed and picked up my cellphone. I dialed her number, my chest tightening as the line rang.

​"Good morning, Alpha Oliver," she answered. Her voice was thin, brittle, and tired. Hearing the pain in her tone made my heart sink.

​"You don’t have to come to work today," I said, my voice as flat and cold as I could make it. "I have personal matters to attend to, and I won’t be in the office. Stay home."

​She sounded confused, hesitant. "I... I understand, Alpha. Thank you."

​I ended the call before she could say more. It was a lie. I had a mountain of paperwork and a council meeting, but I knew she couldn’t move, let alone work, with those bruised ribs.

​My wolf paced restlessly behind my ribs, snapping at me. "You like her... just admit it..."

​I frowned. "I don’t," I muttered to the empty room.

​I showered and went down for breakfast, but the food tasted like ash. All I could see was her face, split and swollen. I needed to hear her voice again—not as the Alpha she feared, but as the man she had kissed back in that apartment.

​"Get me a burner phone," I told my Beta, Elias. "Now. And make sure it’s untraceable."

​Elias didn’t ask questions; he knew better when my eyes were that shade of dark green. By the time I finished my coffee, the phone was in my hand. I retreated to my private study, locking the heavy oak doors behind me. I dialed her number again, my throat tight.

​She picked up on the third ring. "Hello?"

​"Aurora." I spoke the name with the low, gravelly rasp of Dom Raymond. It was a skill I’d perfected—shifting the resonance of my vocal cords. "It’s me. And don’t you dare end this call."

​There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end. I could almost picture her clutching her phone, her knuckles tight, her heart hammering against those injured ribs.

​"How did you get this number?" she whispered, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and that fire I loved.

​"I have my ways," I said, my grip tightening on the phone. "I know you didn’t leave for the hospital. Why? Do I need to come back there and carry you myself?"

​"You’ve done enough!" she snapped, but then she winced, a small gasp of pain following the outburst.

​The sound made my blood run cold. "Don’t raise your voice; you’ll hurt your side. Listen to me, Aurora. I’ll be sending a package. It contains a new phone, a medical ointment for the bruising, and painkillers. Use them. If you don’t, I’ll assume you want another visit."

​"Fuck you!" she spat out, before the line went dead.

​I stared at the phone for a long second, a dark, dry laugh escaping my throat. She was so damn interesting. Even broken and bruised, she had enough fire to curse me out.

​I made a quick call to ensure the package was delivered immediately, then spent the next several hours drowning in the mundane hell of council meetings. My body was in the room, but my mind was in that small apartment. I was exhausted, drained by the double life I was leading, and I found myself missing her presence more than I cared to admit. The silence in my office, which I usually craved, felt hollow without the sound of her typing or the faint scent of her.

​By 9 PM, after a series of meetings, I finally made it back to the mansion. I pulled out my personal cellphone so I could call her, but my eyes nearly popped out of my head.

​Fifty missed calls from Aurora.

​My heart hammered against my ribs. Was she dying? Had the pain gotten worse? Did something happen? I reached for my desk to steady myself, my thumb hovering over the dial button. But before I could call her back as Oliver, the burner phone in my pocket began to vibrate with a violent intensity. I reached in and pulled it out, only to realize Aurora was calling Dom Raymond.

​