Alpha Kane's hand, which had been twitching casually on his knee, suddenly tensed, and veins appeared all over his hand and forearm, like a blue web, visible from under his rolled-up sleeve.
Alpha Kane's head turned dangerously towards me, and the look that flashed in his sinfully attractive honey eyes almost made me flinch.
"My factories comply with all environmental regulations and have passed all environmental tests. I obtained the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) for them."
I quickly added, trying to soften his anger. "I never doubted it."
"Yeah, I did. Don't do it again. If the wrong people find out, there'll be a whole investigation." The vein in my temple was throbbing, and my jaw was clenched so tight I thought it would snap. The glint in Alpha Kane's eyes hadn't faded.
"Did he think I was stupid enough to talk nonstop? He was always pestering me, and when I did, he got mad." I needed Nova's favor, but she was silent; maybe she didn't want the fuss.
"Relax!"
"Don't tell me what to do," the asshole replied, like a petulant child whose favorite toy had been stolen.
That wolf was insufferable.
Shaking my head, I turned away and began to look at the night society. Its bustle and noise were inviting.
Alpha Kane went quiet, and I wasn't going to clean up this hornet's nest anymore. We soon joined the pack, parked outside my apartment building, and I picked up my bag.
"Thanks for the ride. Goodnight," I muttered, and the asshole just chuckled. His jaw didn't drop.
Olfie opened the door for me, and I went down.
"Thanks, Olfie," I said, and he nodded respectfully before getting back into the driver's seat.
The car hummed to life silently, but didn't move. He waited for me to enter the building. I pulled out my pass and swiped it to enter.
As soon as the glass doors slid open and I stepped into the house, the car finally started moving.
"Alpha Kane couldn't control his emotions," Nova suggested.
"Didn't his parents love him and guide him?" I thought as I headed toward my apartment.
Turning around, I saw Ryan and my dad talking about serious topics, and I joined them for a few minutes. After that, I wanted to sleep. What a fucking day with this asshole.
***
As soon as I arrived at the office, Cassie bumped into me.
"Now we all know that's a blatant lie." Cassie chuckled mirthlessly, "You try so hard, Zara. But you'll always be useless. You'll be thrown out as soon as someone better comes along. Marcus saw you for who you are, and now Kane has too."
She knew everything about me. The way she said his name was clear in my head: "Kane." A few seconds later, I was irritated.
"Screw being a good girl," I growled, smiling as my fist connected with Cassie's face.
As soon as my fist connected with Cassie's face, the anger seemed to evaporate from my body. I stood there, like an idiot. While I didn't regret my actions, I had never dared to follow through with them before.
My bad luck continued when Alpha Kane turned the corner, too. I gritted my teeth as Cassie started to sob at the sight of Alpha Kane.
I didn't even hit her that hard. Just enough to leave a nice bruise on her face. But hardly enough to break the skin or give her a black eye. And yet she still had a cheekbone that whined and whined, as if I was trying to kill her.
"Kane!" Cassie whined. "Zara just attacked me out of nowhere!"
Alpha Kane's face was cold, his gaze darting between us. Something burned in the depths of his gaze when he met mine, and I struggled to contain my smirk.
"Is it true, Zara?" Kane turned his stern gaze on me, the corner of his lips twitching suspiciously.
"Say no," Nova hissed.
My big mouth was getting me into trouble again.
"If you consider being punched in the face an attack, then yes," I looked at him, stone-faced. "I attacked her with such brutality."
"Zara, do you like being alive?" Nova growled under her breath.
"Exactly." I sarcastically said, "Why do you ask?"
"Really?" Nova rolled her eyes. "Then why are you so determined to kill us?"
"You know, you're incredibly negative," I smirked at my temperamental wolf.
"Shut up, Zara." Nova sighed, shaking her head.
A few seconds later, Kane grabbed my forearm so tightly it hurt.
Alpha Kane quickly pulled me along. I stumbled and tripped to keep up.
Confusion washed over me as he passed by the office building. Where the hell was he taking me?
Alpha Kane charged into the basement, only going a few feet before I crashed into a Luxury car.
"See, Zara," Nova snorted. "He took us out into the basement to kill us in peace."
"Really?" I rolled my eyes. "He's the Alpha; he can kill us wherever he wants. You need to stop being so dramatic."
"It's called self-preservation, Zara," Nova snapped. "You could use it."
"Are you completely out of control, Zara?" Alpha Kane's voice was deathly calm as he pinned me against the car.
"I have perfect control, Alpha." I gritted my teeth and spat out my answer.
Alpha Kane's honey eyes darkened. "Care to explain why you attacked Cassie?"
"Cassie deserved it a long time ago," I snapped, acutely aware of the closeness between me and the Alpha.
"What happened to your good girl, Zara?" Each word he said was slow, and when he said my name, his voice dropped to a raspy growl.
Alpha Kane's tall frame leaned over me, and I couldn't help but notice his face coming closer to mine.
"I tried, but it was too hard." I pouted my bottom lip, eyes wide as I looked up at Alpha Kane.
A deep growl escaped Alpha Kane's lips as he pinned me back against the car. His rough hand came up and grabbed my face. His touch wasn't strong enough to hurt, but I couldn't pull away.