Alpha's Private Plaything (Elsa and Drake Stone) novel Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Patronizing cow. Your fake sweetness makes me want to vomit. I forced a professional smile instead.

About five minites later, a shout echoed through the cavernous room suddenly.

“MOVE! EVERYBODY RUN! THE DISPLAY IS FALLING!”

I whipped my head around to see the massive two-story display rack tilting forward, its metal supports groaning under the strain. Thousands of precious silver ore samples began cascading down, filling the air with glittering, dangerous dust.

My first instinct wasn’t to run-it was to find Drake. Without thinking, I lunged toward where he stood with Mike and Harold, my wolf howling inside me to protect our Alpha despite everything. Drake! Move! The thought screamed through my mind.

But Drake didn’t even look my way. In one fluid motion, he partially shifted-his hands becoming clawed, his muscles bulging beneath his suit as he lunged toward Vera. He wrapped his arms around her, shielding her body with his as the silver rain poured down around them.

I froze mid-step, the realization hitting me harder than any physical blow could have. He chose her. Without hesitation. He didn’t even

fucking look for me.

Something cracked inside me then-something beyond bone and tissue. A fissure in whatever was left of my heart.

That moment of stillness cost me. Pain exploded through my right ankle as a heavy metal shelf crashed down, pinning my foot. I cried out, tears springing to my eyes from both physical agony and the deeper wound of watching Drake protect Vera without a second thought

for me.

Through watery eyes, I saw Drake checking Vera carefully, his hands gentle as they brushed dust from her hair, his expression concerned as he examined her for injuries. She clung to him, playing the terrified damsel perfectly, while I sat bleeding on the floor, unnoticed.

Good thing I stopped giving him my heart years ago, I thought bitterly as I tried to swallow back the sob rising in my throat, or that would have broken too. Fucking idiot. What did you expect? That he’d suddenly remember you exist when his precious princess was in

danger?

The aftermath was chaos. Mike Rossi lay unconscious, silver dust covering his clothes and hair. Several factory workers were coughing and displaying early signs of silver poisoning, their skin taking on a grayish pallor.

A doctor examined my ankle, his expression grim. “It’s a bad sprain, possibly a hairline fracture. You won’t be walking properly for at least ten days to two weeks.”

I nodded numbly, barely feeling the pain anymore. The sight of Drake hovering protectively over Vera had numbed me more effectively than any medication could.

1/2

Harold approached Drake, his face ashen. “Alpha, I’ve checked the security systems. Something strange happened-our monitoring equipment failed exactly thirty minutes before the tour began.”

A tech specialist added, “The system was deliberately tampered with, sir. Someone who knows our pack technology interfered with the

surveillance.”

Harold shook his head in disbelief. “The display racks were reinforced with pack rituals just last month. They shouldn’t have collapsed

without significant force.”

Drake’s eyes were fully golden now, his wolf clearly at the surface. His voice came out as a low growl. “Did anyone notice anything unusual? Any suspicious behavior before or during the tour?”

A heavy silence fell over the room. I shifted uncomfortably on my makeshift seat, the pack doctor still wrapping my ankle. The silver dust had been cleared from the air, but the tension remained thick enough to choke on.

That’s when Vera’s voice broke the silence, trembling and hesitant.

“I… I noticed something, but I don’t know if I should say…” Her eyes were wide, fear apparent in her expression.

Every wolf in the room turned toward her. Drake moved closer, his protective stance obvious. “What did you see, Vera?”

She glanced nervously at me, then back to Drake. “Before the tour started, I saw Elsa talking with one of the workers. They were

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