Alpha's Private Plaything (Elsa and Drake Stone) novel Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Drake

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The weekend sun beat down on the pristine courts of Moon Shadow Bay Tennis Club as I slammed the ball across the net with more force than necessary. It flew past Jason’s reach and hit the fence with a satisfying crack, carrying all the frustration I refused to acknowledge.

“Fifteen-love, I announced coldly.

Jason exchanged glances with Taylor, both of them studying me like I was some goddamn lab specimen. The tension between us had been building since Jason opened his big mouth ten minutes ago.

“You really letting Elsa leave the company?” he had asked, as casually as if he were commenting on the weather.

I positioned myself for another serve, bouncing the ball against the court three times. My face remained expressionless, but my muscles coiled with tension, my wolf snarling beneath my skin. Fuck this conversation. Fuck their questions.

“Forty-love,” I called after another punishing serve. Jason hadn’t even moved to return it.

“Drake, Taylor said during the changeover, handing me a towel. “You haven’t answered the question.”

I wiped the sweat from my face with unnecessary force, my expression remaining neutral despite the rage bubbling beneath my skin. The scent of my own agitation hung in the air, sharp and bitter, noticeable to any wolf with decent senses.

“What’s there to fucking answer? She’s an assistant. Assistants come and go.”

My mind drifted back to a Black Obsidian gathering three years ago. The whiskey had flowed freely, and the other werewoves had pressed me about Elsa, curious why I kept an omega as my personal assistant for so long without officially claiming her.

“She’s a tool,” I had told them with cool detachment. “An efficient, loyal tool that serves multiple purposes. I need someone who can handle my schedule and satisfy certain… private requirements. The men had laughed knowingly, raising their glasses in appreciation of my pragmatism.

The memory faded as Taylor’s voice pulled me back to the present.

“You’ve had her by your side for ten years, Drake. Ten years where you’ve eated her like… just another employee.”

I shrugged, reaching for my water bottle and nearly crushing it in my grip That’s what she is.”

“Bullshit,” Jason muttered, just loud enough for me to hear.

My eyes flashed gold in warning, a ripple of alpha dominance rolling off. Watch it, I growled, the sound rumbling deep in my chest.

But instead of backing down, he held my gaze, his own eyes hardening.

‘She’s been your right hand for a decade,” he continued. “She’s handled everything from international pack negotiations to your grandmother’s birthday presents. And now you’re just going to let her walk away?”

“She’s just an assistant,” I repeated, my voice dropping to a dangerous whiper. If she wants to leave, what the hell can I do? People quit jobs

every damn day.”

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Chapter 40

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My gaze drifted to where Vera sat in the club’s outdoor lounge area, delicately sipping tea and scrolling through her phone. She looked up and gave me a practiced smile when she noticed my attention, her sweet scent deliberately wafting toward me on the breeze. Perfect, submissive, from a respected Black Obsidian family-everything an Alpha’s mate should be, at least on paper.

Taylor followed my line of sight and sighed. “Right. And I’m sure it has nothing to do with the fact that you’ve been parading your future Luna around the office while demoting the woman who’s kept your empire running.”

I turned back to the court, grip tightening on my racket until the material creaked in protest. “Let’s fucking play,” I spat, my patience hanging by a thread.

“I heard Silver Glow’s HR department had a two-hour meeting with Elsa yesterday,” Taylor mentioned casually as we resumed our positions.

My racket nearly slipped from my fingers, a cold sensation spreading through my chest. I recovered quickly, ignoring the sudden twist in my

gut and the roar of my wolf.

“My company could use someone with her skills too,” Jason added, adjusting his stance. “Half the CEOS in the city would hire her in a

heartbeat.”

I served again, the ball hitting the net. “Fuck!” I hissed under my breath. Fault.

“Alexander Lumin’s been showing her around quite a bit,” Taylor continued seemingly oblivious to my deteriorating mood. “They were at the Moon Shadow Art Gallery together yesterday.”

“Really?” Jason’s eyebrows shot up. “I didn’t know they were that close.”

Taylor pulled out his phone, tapping the screen a few times before holding it up. “He posted this on his social media last night.”

Despite myself, I looked. The photo showed Elsa standing next to Alexander in front of a large abstract painting. She was… smiling. Not the professional smile she wore at business functions, but a genuine, relaxed expression I hadn’t seen in years. Alexander stood close to her-too damn close-pointing at something in the artwork.

That fucking man had no right to make her smile like that. No right to stand so close. No goddamn right to breathe the same air as her.

“Looks like she’s found herself an upgrade, Jason commented with a low whistle. “Business and pleasure with the Moon Shadow Alpha? Talk about landing on your feet.”

I served again, missing completely this time, the ball flying wildly off-coul. The racket in my hand finally gave way, a crack appearing along the frame as my knuckles turned white.

“Double fault, Taylor called unnecessarily.

After three more disastrous games, Taylor suggested we take another break Vera had been called away by her mother to discuss some family matter, leaving Taylor and me alone at the water cooler.

“Drake,’ he began, his voice serious, you know Elsa has been privy to ever Black Obsidian business strategy for the past decade. Every contract, every negotiation, every weakness.”

I gave him a sharp look, my teeth clenched so hard my jaw ached. “Your point?

“If she joins Silver Glow Industries, she takes all that knowledge with hero our biggest competitor’

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Chapter 40

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I laughed, the sound harsh and dismissive. “She wouldn’t. She’s not that stupid.”

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