Chapter 34: Chapter 34 The Alpha’s Fury
Author
Alpha Dominic stared at the pale woman lying in the hospital bed. She looked fragile as parchment, her lips nearly translucent.
When he’d carried her to the car earlier, the Vance family’s housekeeper had opened the gates without question.
The man had been too terrified by Dominic’s murderous expression to even ask how he’d gotten onto the property.
The wedding ring on Dominic’s finger caught the light as he turned his hand. He’d found Elara’s purse thrown on the stairs, her phone completely dead.
The storage room door had been locked from the outside. Someone had deliberately trapped her there.
Who had locked her away?
Alpha Enzo, or that woman who called herself Elara’s mother but treated her like an unwanted guest?
--
Alpha Enzo and Nadia were having breakfast in the dining room.
Anthony and Selina were still sleeping in, as they usually did.
Alpha Enzo frowned at the unfamiliar number on his screen but answered after hesitating. "Hello?"
"This is Dominic." The voice was direct, leaving no room for small talk.
Alpha Enzo’s breath caught. "Ah, Dominic! I didn’t recognize the number. What brings you to call so early?"
He looked nervously at Nadia.
[They had recently pressured Elara about her company shares. Had she complained to Dominic?]
Trying to sound casual, Alpha Enzo asked, "Has Elara said something to you?"
"Should she have?"Alpha Dominic’s tone was slow and dangerous.
Alpha Enzo swallowed. "No, nothing at all. She came over for dinner last night, and her mother may have been a bit tough with her. Just family stuff, Dominic. Nothing to worry about."
"Not worried?" Alpha Dominic let out a soft, mocking laugh. "My mate was locked in a storage room for twenty-four hours in your house, and you think I shouldn’t be worried? You really think I’m that stupid."
"Storage room?" Alpha Enzo’s face went pale. "Dominic, there must be some mistake..."
Nadia reached for the phone, frowning. "Dominic, what’s this about a storage room? Elara left right after dinner last night. We would never do that. What are you talking about?"
"If she wasn’t locked away, then who was the woman I carried out this morning?" Alpha Dominic’s voice was full of sarcasm. "Did I rescue a ghost?"
His tone got colder and more threatening. "Let me make this clear, Nadia. You gave birth to her, but you don’t act like her mother. Maybe she’d be better off with strangers. At least they might actually care."
"Dominic, I..."
"I’m calling to warn you both," Alpha Dominic cut her off, his voice like ice. "I don’t know how you’ve treated her before, but I promise you this. If anyone tries to hurt her again, they’ll answer to me. And you don’t want that."
The line went dead.
The couple stared at each other in shock.
Alpha Enzo’s face turned red with anger. "Anthony must have done this. He was home last night!"
"I’m going upstairs to deal with him," he said angrily, getting up from his chair. "He needs to call Elara and say sorry right now!"
Nadia stayed at the table, feeling upset. Being lectured by her daughter’s mate about treating her own daughter felt humiliating. His words had really stung.
She tried calling her daughter, but the phone was turned off.
--
When Alpha Dominic returned to the hospital room, Elara was awake.
She massaged her throbbing temples. "You’re the one who brought me to the hospital."
"Who else would it be? A ghost?" Alpha Dominic snapped.
Seeing her face go paler, he regretted his tone.
"Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?" he asked more gently.
Elara didn’t seem bothered by his sharpness. "Thank you. Could I have some porridge? My phone seems to be dead."
"Linda will bring some soon. You need proper nutrition to heal." He grabbed a cup to get her water.
Elara’s wolf was still too weak to respond, which scared her more than the physical pain. She leaned back against the headboard, slowly getting her strength back.
She hadn’t expected Dominic to be her rescuer today. She owed him another debt.
Alpha Dominic returned with water at the perfect temperature. He handed it to her, watching as she took small sips.
His protective instincts were going crazy. Every time she winced, his wolf wanted to hunt down whoever had hurt her.
"What happened last night? Do you know who locked you in?"Alpha Dominic asked after she finished drinking.
Elara set the cup down. "It was probably my half-brother, Anthony. He was home last night."
Alpha Dominic’s wolf snarled. His hands turned into fists as he burned the name into his memory.
"I’m sorry," Elara said with an apologetic smile. "I’ve ruined your cruise vacation with your boyfriend."
Alpha Dominic froze. "My what?"
"Your boyfriend. The cruise tickets I gave you. Didn’t you say you were going with someone after you returned from your pack business?"
"If you hadn’t had to help me, you would probably be on the ship by now."
Alpha Dominic went dead silent.
She suddenly noticed his face getting darker and felt nervous. Had she said something wrong?
Maybe she used the wrong term? "Should I call him your partner instead?"
Alpha Dominic’s expression got even colder. "That’s right. How could you possibly be wrong? Obviously I’m the idiot here!"
This whole time, he’d thought the cruise package was her way of asking him to go together.
Like actual mates would.
