Don't Look at My Alpha Like That:

🖤 Chapter Five: Don’t Look at My Alpha Like That.

Aria was already in a bad mood by noon.

Her senses were overwhelming her. Every sound felt louder. Every smell sharper. The elevator’s ding made her flinch. The coffee in the break room smelled like burnt rubber. And Damon’s scent—dark musk, like cedar and fire—lingered everywhere.

And then came the intern.

Blonde. Bubbly. Bouncing down the hallway in stilettos way too loud for someone with zero business being on the executive floor.

Her name was Mira.

And she was currently laughing a little too loudly beside Damon’s desk, flipping her hair and calling him “Mr. Blackwood” like she was purring it.

Aria watched from her desk, jaw tight.

Damon was calm. Detached. Professional.

But Mira wasn’t.

Her hand lingered on his desk.

Her lashes fluttered.

Then… she touched his tie.

Aria didn’t realize she was standing until her chair scraped back loudly. She walked toward the office, fists clenched. She wasn’t going to cause a scene. Just deliver the updated finance file. That was it.

She knocked once and entered.

Damon barely glanced up. “Yes?”

“Report from legal,” she said, her voice too sharp.

Mira turned and flashed a sugar-sweet smile. “Oh, you’re the assistant. Can you get me a coffee too?”

Aria stared at her.

Mira giggled and turned back to Damon. “She’s cute. Like a puppy.”

Something in Aria snapped.

Her chest tightened.

A deep growl—low and animalistic—rumbled from her throat.

Both Mira and Damon froze.

Aria clapped a hand over her mouth, horrified. “I—sorry—I didn’t—”

Mira took a step back, eyes wide. “Did you just… growl?”

Aria spun and rushed out of the room.

She didn’t get far.

The moment she passed the hallway, Damon’s hand wrapped around her wrist.

“Office. Now,” he said, voice low and dangerous.

The door slammed shut behind them.

He paced in front of her like a storm about to strike.

“You growled at someone. In front of the staff.”

“She touched you,” Aria said, cheeks flushed. “It wasn’t on purpose, I just—”

“You growled,” he said again, slower this time. “Like a possessive wolf.”

“I don’t understand what’s happening to me—”

“You’re reacting to me.”

He was suddenly in front of her, chest heaving. “That mark on your wrist? It binds you to me. My scent. My presence. My wolf. You’re not human anymore, Aria.”

She stepped back. “You said this was just a contract—”

“It was,” he said through gritted teeth. “Until the mark appeared. Until your instincts started responding.”

Her back hit the wall. He caged her in with one arm, his scent surrounding her.

“You have no idea how hard it is not to touch you,” he said hoarsely. “Not to rip that mark open and claim you fully.”

Her breath caught. “Then why don’t you?”

“Because once I do, there’s no going back. You become mine—fully. No more pretending. No more hiding. You’ll belong to me in every way.”

The air burned between them.

Her heart pounded.

His lips were inches from hers. “Don’t look at me like that again. Not when I’m trying to protect you from me.”

She stared up at him, voice trembling.

“And who’s going to protect me from you?”

His jaw clenched. For a terrifying moment, he looked like he might kiss her.