Alpha's Private Plaything (Elsa and Drake Stone) novel Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Elsa

The Stone family estate was nestled in the western hills of the city. As my car approached the imposing gates, I felt the familiar mix of belonging and alienation that always accompanied these visits.

Ten years of coming here, and I still feel like an imposter. Never quite family, never just staff. Existing in that fucked-up limbo where I’m good enough to help but not good enough to belong.

The elderly housekeeper, Mrs. Shake, greeted me at the door with a warm smile that eased some of the tension in my shoulders.

“Miss Elsa, so good to see you,” she said, taking my coat. “It’s been too long.”

“It’s good to see you too,” I replied, returning her smile. “How have you been?”

“Same as always, dear. Now hurry along, Mrs. Stone has been asking for you.”

I made my way to the main living room, where Drake’s grandmother sat regally in her favorite armchair. Despite her age, Evelyn Stone maintained the commanding presence who had once been the pack’s Luna. Her face lit up when she saw me.

“Elsa, darling!” She extended her hands, and I crossed the room to take them, bending to accept the kiss she placed on my cheek. “I was

beginning to think you were avoiding us.”

If only you knew what your precious grandson has been doing to me. How he’s replaced me with a younger model while still using my

body like a fucking chew toy.

“Never,” I assured her, squeezing her hands gently. “Work has been….. demanding.”

Her shrewd eyes studied my face. “You look tired, dear. Is my grandson working you too hard?”

If she only knew. “Nothing I can’t handle.”

“Where is Drake?” she asked, looking past me toward the doorway. “Don’t tell me he’s not coming again.”

“He mentioned he might be late,” I said carefully. “He had some… personal matters to attend to.”

Like playing doctor with his virgin girlfriend while I pick up the pieces of the company he’s supposed to be running.

Mrs. Stone’s expression darkened slightly. “That boy. Always putting work before family.”

I didn’t correct her assumption, nor did I mention Vera. Let Drake explain his own absence.

1/3

For the next hour, I mingled with the Stone family members, exchanging pleasantries and deflecting questions about Drake. His father,

Marcus Stone, gave me a cool nod from across the room but made no move to speak with me. His stepmother, Miranda, was more welcoming, pulling me aside to ask about my mother’s health.

I was in the middle of a conversation with Drake’s cousin when the atmosphere in the room suddenly shifted. Heads turned toward the entrance, and conversations quieted. I didn’t need to look to know who had arrived.

Drake stood in the doorway, alone and impeccably dressed in a dark suit that emphasized his powerful build. His eyes scanned the room,

landing on me with an intensity that made my breath catch. I’d been certain he wouldn’t come, that he’d stay with Vera instead.

But here he was, fifteen minutes after I’d arrived, looking like he’d stepped out of a magazine and staring at me like I was the only person

in the room.

1

Fuck. Why does he still affect me like this? Why can’t I just hate him completely?

Drake

I was late to the family gathering, and I didn’t give a damn.

My father, Marcus Stone, former Alpha of the Black Obsidian pack and current chairman of Stone Industries, stared at me with cold fury.

“Pack gatherings are sacred, and you can’t even be bothered to arrive on time.” His voice carried that familiar tone of command that used

to make me flinch as a child. “You show a complete lack of responsibility.”

The wolf inside me snarled, hackles raised at the challenge to my authority. Fuck him and his holier-than-thou attitude. I’m the Alpha now, not him. My eyes flashed with golden fire, a warning that went unheeded. Every muscle in my body tensed with the effort not to shift right there in the dining room and tear into him.

Instead of acknowledging him, I turned to my grandmother, the only person in this room I still respected. I bowed slightly.

“Good evening, Grandmother.”

Evelyn Stone, my grandmother, narrowed her eyes at me. She was in her eighties now.

“You’re late, Drake,” she said flatly. “Sit down before the food gets cold.”

I took my place at the table, noting with irritation that the only empty seat was directly across from Elsa. Of course they’d arrange it this way. Another fucking manipulation. My assistant. My property. My… I pushed that thought away, a dull ache spreading in my chest.

She looked beautiful tonight, dressed in a simple dark blue dress that hugged her curves. The silver moon pendant I’d given her hung at her throat, catching the light when she moved.

My stepmother, Miranda, was already fawning over Elsa as if she were a daughter rather than an employee.

2/3

“You’re getting too thin, dear,” Miranda said, piling rare meat onto Elsa’s plate. “You need to eat more. Doesn’t she, Drake?”

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