Page 39 of My Brutal Alpha

Dane cleared his throat and leaned forward a bit. The moment he started speaking, the atmosphere seemed to shift slightly, and a bad feeling washed over me.

That previous optimism fizzled as their neutral expressions became more irritated and determined. Suddenly, it felt like we were in the presence of two completely different people.

"The matter of Kody's daughter," Dane began, tone serious and firm. His eyes shifted to me specifically. "Ezra has already been promised to Nora, and regardless of how ridiculous he's being by convincing himself that any of this will work, he will follow through with this agreement."

That was all it took for the previously friendly facade to crack and crumble. My heart dropped at once as the realization settled into my skin.

From the start, they were never actually considering anything. They were never letting our stories sway them. Instead, they were already set with their decision, and it seemed there was nothing we could do to convince them.

The reality hit me like a punch to the face, and as that weighed on me, knowing they would never actually accept me in the case of it all being real hurt more than I wanted to admit.

I didn't know what to do, and given his speechless reaction, Ezra didn't know either.

Ophelia sighed. "You seem nice and all, dear, but this just won't happen. You should accept that before it's too late."

Her condescending tone set me off. It was enough to get me to my feet, as the house around me seemed to blur, and I lost focus.

I knew then that I didn't need that. I didn't need to feel scrutinized by them.

"Zoe. Wait—"

Catching as Ezra called for me, I ignored it and kept going until I pushed my way out of the house.

The moment the cold air cooled my burning cheeks, ripe with embarrassment, I pressed on and continued walking down the street as the sun began to set, ignoring whatever pack members looked my way.

Many of them had seen me and Ezra together more recently, and they would surely have questions, but in that moment, I didn’t care. If they were bothered enough, they could ask their alpha themselves.

By then, I knew his parents wouldn't change their minds, trick or not.

That wash of shame and hurt felt all too similar to the first time Ezra rejected me, and I couldn't handle it. I couldn't.

Heading straight for Sebastian's house, I didn’t stop. I knew I was in far too deep with Ezra.

Chapter 19 - Ezra

Standing in the living room, jaw clenched, I was seeing red.

Zoe was already gone, and her scent was slowly fading as I looked back at my parents while they remained on the couch, looking far too composed and at ease for my liking.

My inner wolf was restless within me, anxiously pacing at the thought of Zoe leaving like that and having to deal with the people who caused her to storm out.

From afar, I couldn't tell what she was thinking or feeling, worsening the ache.

That guilt was far too loud for me to ignore, and it tore me up to even think about how volatile Zoe's feelings were after everything unfolded.

With a combination of disbelief, devastation, and anger, I locked my sharp gaze on the two of them.

Teeth clenched to the point of aching, I muttered, "Get. Out."

Neither of them moved at first, likely assuming I wasn't being serious. They only looked back at me with those determined expressions, smug enough to trigger my wolf even more.

Everything had been going so well. As far as I could tell, my parents were accepting her and coming around. They seemed to be far too receptive to change their minds just like that.

But after it was all said and done, I knew they had been bluffing. They wanted our guard down. They were only pretending to be receptive, all to twist it around and crush Zoe as swiftly and effectively as possible.

I felt blindsided by them right when I was beginning to think there was a chance we could make amends.

Immediately, I wished I never brought Zoe into my mess. I wished I had left her alone and never bothered her in the first place.

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