Chapter 152: Lost Control
Oliver’s POV
I took a plain, dark motorcycle from the back of the garage, the engine roaring like the beast inside my chest. Every red light I ran felt like a countdown to my own destruction. My mind was a mess of images: Aurora’s sweet smile this morning, followed by that picture of her sitting across from a stranger.
I arrived at the club in record time. I didn’t park; I just dropped the bike near the entrance and threw the keys to the bouncer, who froze when he saw my mask. I didn’t say a word. I didn’t have to. The aura of Raymond was cold, sharp, and deadly.
I barged into the club, the heavy doors swinging open with a bang. The music was a low, thumping hum, but it felt like a hammer against my skull. I didn’t have to look hard. My wolf found her scent instantly—vanilla and rain, now mixed with the stale smell of expensive cigars and sex.
She was there, in the dark corner, just like in the picture. She looked up as I approached, her eyes meeting mine. I expected fear, or maybe relief. Instead, she stared at me coldly. She didn’t move. She didn’t flinch. She just watched me as if I were the one who had committed a crime.
I didn’t say a word to the man sitting across from her. I didn’t even look at his face. I reached out, my fingers locking around Aurora’s wrist with a grip of iron. I didn’t ask. I dragged her up from the chair.
The man didn’t move to stop me. He was an alpha—I could tell by the way he carried himself—but even he could feel the raw, untamed power radiating off me. He knew that if he interfered, the floor would be covered in his blood within seconds. He simply lowered his head and let us pass.
I pulled her through the club, ignoring her stumbles. I didn’t stop until we reached Raymond’s private room. I threw the door open, shoved her inside, and slammed it shut.
"Have you no shame?" I roared, turning to face her. The rage I had been holding back since I saw those texts finally exploded. "I told you it was over! I told you I didn’t want you! Why are you disturbing me? Why are you hunting for men like a common whore?"
Aurora straightened her dress, her eyes flashing with a defiance that made me want to shake her. "But you came," she said, her voice steady and mocking. "I said I’d find someone else, and you came running. It seems I’m not as ’boring’ as you claimed, Raymond."
I stepped into her space, my mask inches from her face. I needed to end this. I needed to make her hate Raymond so much that she would never think of him again. I decided to lean into the darkness. I decided to become the monster she thought she wanted.
"You think this is a game?" I hissed, my voice dropping into a threat. "You don’t know who I am. You don’t know what I do when I’m not in this club. I am a killer, Aurora. An assassin. My hands have taken more lives than you can count. Do not provoke me. If you keep pushing, if you keep trying to crawl into my life, I will kill you. I will end you without a second thought."
She flinched, her breath catching, but she didn’t back down. "The contract is not over," she whispered, her voice trembling but determined. "We agreed on three months. You can’t just throw me away because you’re bored or scared."
"Is it about the money?" I spat, reaching into my jacket and pulling out a roll of cash I had grabbed. I threw it at her feet. "Take it! I’ll give you ten times that amount. Just stay the fuck away from me. I don’t want you near me. I don’t want to see your face."
"Never," she said.
Before I could react, she lunged forward. She didn’t go for the money. She went for me. She crashed her lips against mine, a kiss full of desperation and want. I tried to push her away, my heart screaming, but she was like a fever. She pulled back just enough to gasp for air, her hands moving down to my waist, her fingers fumbling with my belt.
"I don’t want your money," she breathed. "I want you."
Something inside me snapped. It wasn’t the Dom. It wasn’t the King. It was the wolf—the part of me that felt trapped and betrayed. I grew irritated; the noise, the touch, and the lies all swirled together until I lost control.
I didn’t use my hands. I used my ability. A wave of pure kinetic force exploded from my chest.
Aurora didn’t just stumble. She flew. She was tossed across the room like a ragdoll, her body hitting the far wall with a heavy thud. She crumpled to the floor and didn’t move.
The silence that followed was heavy.
"Aurora?" I gasped; the mask suddenly suffocating me.
I rushed across the room, my heart stopping as I saw her lying there, her eyes closed. She had fainted. I panicked, grabbing a water bottle from the side table and pouring the cool liquid over her face.
"Aurora! Wake up! Please, wake up!"
She stirred, a soft moan escaping her lips. When her eyes finally opened, they weren’t cold or defiant anymore. They were wide and filled with a terrifying, raw fear. She looked at me as if I really were the killer I claimed to be.
I felt a wave of relief that she was breathing, but then I saw it. On the side of her head, where she had hit the wall, a dark bruise was already forming, and a thin trickle of blood was matting her hair.
I couldn’t stay cold. I couldn’t stay Raymond anymore. The sight of her blood—caused by my hand—shattered the last of my resolve. I dropped to my knees beside her, my hands trembling as I reached out to touch her, then pulling back, afraid I’d hurt her again.
"Are you okay?" I asked, my voice cracking, the Raymond growl completely gone. "I’m sorry... I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean... I lost control. Please, let me see."
She just stared at me, trembling, as the reality of what had just happened slowly sank in.