Page 6 of My Brutal Alpha

That strain between us had been going on for some time, and we either avoided each other entirely or were at each other’s throats when we were forced to be in the same space for too long. The guys came to expect it, and to my surprise, they never really questioned it.

I think they assumed our personalities just clashed too much, and naturally, we were bound to not get along. It was true that we were both stubborn and strong-willed, but before I screwed everything up, it was actually the opposite.

Our personalities almost complimented each other, which made it almost painful to see her clear disdain for me.

Unfortunately, I understood why that was the case, and I couldn’t blame her.

I wanted to pass the blame onto her and pretend like I had been completely within my rights to treat her the way I did, but if that were the case, she wouldn’t hate me so much.

With her irritating non-greeting earlier still in my mind, I wandered around the facility anyway, taking everything in.

It wasn’t all that necessary. Most people quickly scanned the individual rooms and what machines were inside them, familiarizing themselves with what was available.

But for me, I couldn’t stop myself from taking it all in. It was like I could see parts of Zoe in those minuscule details and picture her thinking while she chose this and that. I could see and feel her rationale, and while it felt like something I shouldn’t have any right to, I couldn’t help it.

In a way, it felt like I had the chance to offer my praise and congratulations through my reverence, given how she would hardly let me close enough to tell her myself.

Moving along, able to hear the guys as they caused their mischief in the background, I silently appreciated the work she put into the whole thing—from the subtle, clean layout to the handpicked machines with specific uses and even the simple decor she put up. Everything seemed so intentional and deliberate, and it was impressive.

While she would never want to hear it from me, I was impressed with how far she had come. Given how her alpha was also her brother, there wasn’t a whole lot expected of her. He was rich enough that she didn’t need to set out on any serious endeavors, but she did anyway, and I thought it was admirable.

Zoe had always been a go-getter as far as I knew, and it didn’t matter what obstacle might appear in her path—if her sights were set on something, then she was damn well going to get it.

I was proud of her, even if I had to keep that fact to myself. I hoped there would come a day when I could tell her upfront, but that seemed incredibly far away.

Moving slowly through the main level, my senses perked up as I heard her nervous laugh from across the room. It piqued my curiosity, and I found myself silently listening.

I reminded myself that it was none of my business and that I should probably forget it, but the moment I could smell and sense her discomfort from across that distance, I could not stop the need to find out what was happening.

I wanted to give her the space she clearly wanted, but the longer it went on, the more irritated I felt.

Without meaning for it to happen, those dormant instincts to protect her simmered to the surface again, and as ready as I was to jump in from that fact alone, I urged myself to pump the breaks.

Standing and looking ahead of myself absently, I kept an ear out, noting the different points of discomfort in her words.

There was no doubting how much she didn’t want to be a part of that conversation, but I was also well aware that she would personally skin me alive if I did anything to ruin her day. It was far too important to her, and I couldn’t risk it.

She may think the worst of me, and rightly so, but I wasn’t that much of an asshole. At the very least, I had her best interests in mind, whether she would accept that or not.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to remove myself from the moment behind me, but the more I tried to hold it back, the more restless I became.

Glancing over my shoulder, I watched as closely as I could, finding her body language incredibly telling as the man kept talking to her, never giving her a chance to escape the conversation.

I scoffed internally at that, strangely irritated at the idea.

But when I finally focused on the man himself, my brows furrowed, and that recognition finally clicked.

It was Rory—my dad’s beta.

The moment I realized it, I forced out a breath in disbelief of the situation.

Between me and my friends, our territories were relatively close. It was how we managed to get to one another quickly if we needed to lend a hand or simply wanted to visit. However, my parents lived quite far away from Sebastian’s pack grounds. In that case, it was highly unlikely that Rory would stumble upon the gym naturally. He seemed at least familiar with Zoe, so it was clear he had been there before…whether that was personal business or at the direction of my parents to scope out the area before they came to visit, I didn’t care.

Regardless, it only told me they weren’t far. If Rory was there, they surely meant what they said and fully intended to stick around for the time being.

That irritation sparked beyond being protective of Zoe and wanting to get Rory off her back. Regardless of having avoided my parents on purpose for all those years, they were insisting on kicking around, and that was the last thing I wanted.

I knew it was just another attempt to control me like they used to. They wanted me back under their iron grip, to fawn and carry out their every order to a ‘T’ for their satisfaction. They still saw me as that obedient kid from before, which made me furious.

---