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“We should buy out her contract,” he said suddenly, stopping in his tracks.
Colton's eyes narrowed slightly at the suggestion. Buying Delcy's contract outright would essentially make her exclusive to them at the Alpha Gold Club. It was a bold move, but not an unusual one among the club's elite patrons. It was also an extreme measure, but one that would ensure Delcy's safety within the dangerous waters of the club, a place where predators masked their true natures with charm and wealth.
“You're suggesting we become her exclusive patrons?” he asked, his tone even but laced with caution.
“Yes,” Jaxon affirmed with conviction. “It will keep others from pursuing her. We could make it clear she's off-limits. This also gives us time to show her that we're different, that we genuinely care for her well-being.”
Colton nodded slowly, turning the idea over in his mind. As much as it rankled him to think of Delcy as someone's property, even temporarily, he knew this was the most expedient way to shield her from the club's machinations. The thought of another alpha's hands on her, another alpha's teeth at her neck, made his jaw clench and his fists tighten involuntarily.
No, he wouldn't stand for that. He and Jaxon were in agreement that this was the best way to protect Delcy.
“All right,” he said. “Set up a meeting with Trenton for tomorrow evening. We'll buy out her contract in full.” His tone brooked no argument.
With a nod, Jaxon pulled out his phone, fingers dancing across the screen as he arranged the meeting.
Satisfied, Colton rose from his seat and walked to the window overlooking the dazzling skyline, hands clasped behind his back. He would ensure that Delcy was unharmed, that she would remain free from the Alpha Gold Club and blissfully unaware of the transaction made on her behalf.
Colton knew Delcy would never accept money or gifts from them. Her wariness of alphas ran bone-deep, and her pride was evident in the way she carried herself. She would not understand their motives, would not want to be indebted to them.
No, it was better she didn't know. They would keep her sheltered, keep her safe in the little world she had built brick by brick through sheer resilience. She need never learn of werewolves in sheep's clothing like Trenton and the Alpha Gold Club patrons just waiting to prey upon her.
Jaxon joined him at the window, a silent show of solidarity. Together, they would guard something precious and rare. Delcy had no status, no riches or pedigree, but she was a queen in her own right. And they would treat her as such, whether she knew it or not.
“It's for the best,” Jaxon said quietly, echoing Colton's thoughts. His easy smile was gone, replaced by a solemnity Colton seldom saw in his younger brother. But Jaxon understood that with great power came great responsibility. And they now had the power to alter Delcy's fate. They would not squander it.
Tomorrow night, the deal would be done. And Delcy would remain untouched, untainted by the machinations of those who saw humans as playthings. She would stay in her world of coffee shops and sketchpads, never privy to the shadows that lurked at the periphery.
Colton let out a weary sigh as the door to his penthouse clicked shut behind Jaxon, leaving him alone with his thoughts. In the ensuing silence, his mind inevitably drifted to Delcy—her shy smile, her soft voice, the tantalizing taste of her kiss.
He absently brushed his fingers over his lips, remembering their kiss earlier that day when he had pulled her in close, coveting more of her. It had taken every ounce of restraint not to haul her over his shoulder and take her to his office where he would do more than just kiss her. But he knew Delcy was skittish, wary of alphas and their intentions. Getting this far, getting her to accept his and Jaxon's demanding kisses was good enough. He had to tread carefully so as not to startle her away.
Still, the wanting, the sheer need he felt to have her overwhelmed every rational thought. It was a dangerous, possessive desire that left his blood simmering. He both cherished her innocence and yearned to lay claim to every inch of her body and soul. She had awoken something primal within him that he had long kept buried.
With a weary sigh, Colton pushed himself up from the leather couch and headed to the master bedroom, loosening his tie along the way.
Sleep. He just needed sleep to clear his mind of these tempestuous thoughts.
Yet even as he slipped under the cool Egyptian cotton sheets, Delcy still consumed his mind. He could almost feel the phantom brush of her lips again, eliciting a frustrated groan. Tossing fitfully, he finally succumbed to exhaustion, Delcy's brown eyes the last image imprinted on his mind before sleep overtook him.
At first, it was only darkness and the steady cadence of his own heartbeat. And then the dream began.
It started innocuously enough—he and Delcy were together in a meadow, the long grass swaying gently around them. Her smile was radiant, lighting up her features. She laughed, a sound like tinkling bells, and the joyful noise made his chest swell.
Reaching out, he drew her into his arms, reveling in the feel of her body pressed to his. Her omega scent all around him, sweet and intoxicating. Then suddenly, she was beneath him, soft and pliant as he covered her body with his.
The scene shifted abruptly—no longer a meadow but a lavish bedroom. Delcy was sprawled across silken sheets, bare skin glowing in the low light. Her lips parted, eyes glazed with desire as he leaned down to claim her mouth. It was everything he had fantasized about and yet, as the haze of lust cleared, something felt off.
The face looking up at him was no longer Delcy's. It was the girl from seven years ago during his rut. Her face was a blur just as it had been that night when he had lost himself to primal madness.
“No, this can't be happening again,” he muttered, even as his dream-self roughly pulled the girl to him. He didn't want to relive the darkest moment of his past. But he was powerless, unable to stop the horrific visions unfolding.
Over and over, he ravaged the girl's prone form, lost to carnal hunger. Her cries faded into white noise as he indulged every savage desire. And through it all, her face morphed between the faceless girl and Delcy, mingling past and present sins.
Colton jerked awake, body coiled tight as a spring. His chest heaved with harsh breaths, skin damp with cold sweat. Disoriented, it took him a moment to get his bearings and recognize his bedroom.
Swallowing thickly, he sat up, pressing the heels of his palms against his eyes. It had only been a dream, he told himself. But the shame burning through him felt starkly real. He thought he had made peace with the demons of his past, but they had returned with a vengeance, violating the purity of his feelings for Delcy.
Rage simmered in his veins. He was disgusted with himself for allowing old ghosts to taint something so precious. He should have better control by now. Yet he knew that no amount of restraint could leash the savage nature lurking within every alpha. It was their curse to bear.
