Alpha's Private Plaything (Elsa and Drake Stone) novel Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Elsa

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The silence that followed Drake’s exit was deafening. I sat frozen at the long table, the echo of his words still ringing in my ears. I am not marrying an Omega! She’s not worthy of being my Luna! The words had sliced through me like silver blades.

Marcus Stone’s face had gone pale, one hand clutching at his chest. His breathing became labored as his eyes fixed on the door his son

had just stormed through.

“Marcus?” Miranda’s voice was sharp with concern.

I pushed my chair back and moved to him, my training kicking in despite my emotional turmoil. Even now, I’m still playing the perfect assistant. Pathetic. “Mr. Stone, please take slow breaths. Should I call Dr. Ramirez?”

He waved me away, but his eyes remained pained. The scent of distress filled the room, making my inner wolf whine with anxiety.

“Marcus has always been too stubborn for his own good,” Evelyn muttered, her ancient eyes fixed on me with an emotion I couldn’t quite

name. “Just like his son.”

I straightened my shoulders, forcing my voice to remain steady even as my insides felt like they were being shredded. “Mr. Stone, I understand Drake’s position completely.” The words tasted like ash in my mouth, bitter and choking. “He needs a proper mate who can

benefit the pack, not someone like me.”

Not a lowly Omega whose only value is warming his bed and organizing his calendar. Not the dirty little secret he fucks when no one’s

looking.

Miranda reached across the table, her manicured fingers wrapping around mine. The unexpected touch made me flinch.

“Darling,” her voice was gentle, “ten years ago, we rejected you. It was our greatest mistake.” Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. “The wrongs Drake is committing now aren’t yours to fix.”

I wanted to pull away, to protect myself from this sudden kindness that hurt more than their previous disdain ever could.

Miranda squeezed my hand. “Go to him, Elsa. Only you can calm that damn temper of his,”

Why me? I wanted to scream. I’m just his fucking assistant, remember? Just staff. Nothing more.

But I nodded, rising from my chair like a well-trained puppet. “I’ll find him.”

As I drove through the pack territory, following the bond that still inexplicably tied me to Drake, I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at

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myself. Pathetic, that’s what I was. Absolutely fucking pathetic.

For the first two years of our arrangement, I’d foolishly believed Drake had chosen me because he recognized me as his true mate.

I’d constructed elaborate fantasies where our contract was just a formality, that deep down he felt the same pull I did. I’d lie awake at night, body still warm from his touch, imagining a future where he’d look at me the way he now looked at Vera.

Stupid, naive little bitch.

I remembered those early days at the Stone estate-the sneers, the whispers, the casual cruelty. Who does she think she is?

Our relationship was purely transactional. Drake needed a competent assistant to handle his affairs and a body to satisfy his urges. I needed money for my mother’s silver poisoning treatments. That was all. Everything else was just my own delusion. Just business. Just fucking. Just convenience.

I knew exactly where to find him. The riverbank at the edge of Stone territory had always been Drake’s refuge when he needed to escape. We’d spent countless evenings there over the years – sometimes talking, sometimes in silence, sometimes with his body claiming mine

under the stars.

He was leaning against his car, chain-smoking, cigarette butts littering the ground around his expensive shoes. The scent of tobacco mixed with his natural pine and leather smell, creating a heady combination that made my wolf stir restlessly beneath my skin.

Stop it, I scolded myself, disgusted by my own weakness. He just publicly humiliated you. Stop wanting him. Stop being such a desperate,

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