Defy The Alpha(s) 2: Rebel Beast

"Charlotte was like an annoying cockroach. Somehow, she always survived."

— Rebel Beast

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Charlotte didn’t need to be told twice. She scrambled to her feet, nearly losing her balance when pain shot through her battered body.

The truth was, she had genuinely fainted after the fall, but somewhere along the way, she’d regained consciousness in Thamas’s arms. She simply hadn’t seen any reason to give up the act, especially when it became obvious that pretending to be unconscious was somehow keeping her alive.

Well, apparently that protection had expired the moment they were alone.

Her entire body hurt, and blood still trickled from several cuts across her skin, but none of that stopped Charlotte from taking in her surroundings. She was inside a dragon’s home. A freaking dragon’s private flat!

Considering everything she’d heard about dragons and their obsession with wealth, Charlotte had expected the place to be outrageously extravagant, with gold dripping from every available surface and gemstones carelessly lying around.

Instead, she found herself staring at a surprisingly sophisticated living room. Deep olive and black dominated the space, giving the room a dark, masculine elegance, while warm lighting softened the otherwise imposing interior.

At first, Charlotte thought the touches of gold were surprisingly restrained, appearing along the edges of the furniture, fixtures, and decorative pieces in a way that complemented the darker colors beautifully. Then she looked properly, and her mouth fell open.

Good Lord.

The coffee table had gold legs. The enormous chandelier hanging overhead was pure gold. Gold threaded through the dark curtains, framed several paintings, edged the shelves, and gleamed from ornaments positioned around the room. Even the bloody fireplace had golden detailing carved around it.

Sure, it wasn’t enough to make the room gaudy, but it was certainly enough to announce that whoever lived here had money and wanted everyone entering his home to know it.

Charlotte’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction. For a moment there, she’d actually feared Thamas Draco possessed some humility. But not even good taste could completely defeat a dragon’s arrogance.

He was a dragon through and through, exactly as she’d hoped.

"How much did you hear?" Thamas’s low, raspy voice broke through her thoughts.

"W-what?" Charlotte stuttered, blinking at him with as much innocence as she could muster. However, the blank look Thamas gave her made it immediately clear he wasn’t buying it.

"Nothing," Charlotte said quickly. "Nothing at all."

She barely saw him move. One second, Thamas stood a few feet away, and the next, his hand was wrapped around her throat.

"Do you take me for a fool?" he snarled, tightening his grip until Charlotte’s breath caught painfully in her chest. "I can hear your pathetic little heart beating out of rhythm. You think you can stand in my home and lie to me?"

"Fine!" Charlotte beat against his arm, desperate for air. "I heard everything!"

Thamas released her with a shove, and Charlotte stumbled backward, coughing as she dragged air into her burning lungs. Her throat already ached from the force of his grip, and she wouldn’t be surprised if she now had the imprint of his fingers around her neck.

There wasn’t an ounce of remorse in those beautiful but cruel green eyes of his. Charlotte straightened despite the lingering pain. She feared him, for sure. She wasn’t stupid enough not to. Unfortunately, even fear had never possessed the remarkable ability to keep her mouth shut.

"You’re in love with Tamara."

Thamas didn’t react.

Charlotte studied him carefully before adding, "But she doesn’t love you."

That did it.

Emotion flashed through Thamas’s eyes so violently that Charlotte immediately realized she’d found the wound beneath all that dragon arrogance. His green eyes seemed to burn brighter, and the threat in them was unmistakable. One wrong word and she had no doubt he’d forget he’d just saved her life and toss her off the building himself.

"But she might be in love with you," Charlotte added quickly. "She could simply be hiding her feelings."

The violence in his gaze didn’t disappear, but Charlotte noticed she had his attention now.

"You suspect it too," she continued, choosing each word carefully. "That’s why you used me back there. You pulled me closer the moment you noticed her looking, and you made damn sure she saw you carrying me away."

Charlotte swallowed before delivering the dangerous conclusion.

"You were trying to make her jealous."

When Thamas said nothing, Charlotte found enough courage in his silence to continue.

"I can help you," she said. "If Tamara really is in love with you, I can help you win her over in no time."

Thamas burst into incredulous laughter causing Charlotte’s confidence to immediately waver.

The laughter died just as quickly as it had come, and then he was striding toward her. Charlotte instinctively retreated with every step he took, her earlier courage disappearing beneath the sheer force of his presence. His aura had become so thick and volatile that her heart began hammering with fear, warning her that perhaps she’d pushed this dragon a little too far.

Her back struck the wall.

Thamas stopped directly in front of her, towering over her with enough fury burning in his eyes to remind Charlotte exactly what kind of creature she’d decided to bargain with.

"What makes you think I have any need for a weak, pathetic human like you?" he snarled. "If I wanted to make Tamara jealous, there are enough highborn dragonesses at Bestiaris who would gladly serve that purpose." His voice rose, the authority behind it making Charlotte flinch. "What makes you think you’re worthy of working with me? What makes you think you’re so fucking special?"

Charlotte squeezed her eyes shut beneath the force of his voice.

"Because that’s exactly what I am," she said. "A weak, pathetic human."

Silence followed. Charlotte waited several seconds before cautiously opening her eyes.

Thamas was still staring down at her. The anger hadn’t disappeared, but it had settled into something more controlled, as though he was restraining his temper long enough to discover whether she actually had a point or had simply lost whatever remained of her mind.

Charlotte took that as permission to continue.

"I might not know Tamara very well, but I’ve seen and heard enough to know she’s proud and possessive. Very possessive." Charlotte swallowed, then forced herself to hold his gaze. "If you parade some beautiful highborn dragoness around, what does that prove? Nothing. Tamara can tell herself she’s your equal. She can dismiss her as another female trying to win your attention."

Thamas’s expression remained unreadable.

"But me?" Charlotte gestured toward herself. "I’m human. Weak, and beneath you. Everything she believes you should despise."

A strange emotion flickered in his eyes, and Charlotte knew she had him.

"Watching you chase me wouldn’t just make her jealous. It would drive her insane because she wouldn’t understand it." Her confidence grew with every word. "What does he see in that miserable human? Why does he want her? Why is he choosing her when he could have any dragoness he wants? Those questions would eat at her every single time she saw us together."

Charlotte allowed a small smile to appear.

"She’d doubt it at first, of course. Which means we’d have to make it convincing. But Tamara doesn’t strike me as the kind of female who would stand quietly by while someone she considers beneath her takes something she secretly believes belongs to her."

She tilted her head. "Eventually, that dragon pride of hers would win..." Charlotte smirked. "And she’d come to take back what’s hers."

For a moment, it looked like Charlotte might have finally convinced him. Thamas’s expression turned thoughtful as he considered her words. Then his eyes flared with rage, and his large hand closed around her throat once more.

"So this is your plan, huh?" he hissed, forcing her back against the wall. "You expect me to parade around Bestiaris with a lowly human like you on my arm?" His fingers tightened. "Is that your real mission here? To seduce me under the guise of helping me win Tamara?"

Charlotte grabbed his wrist, coughing as she struggled to force the words through her constricted throat. "I wouldn’t dare! It’s only a suggestion, my lord. You can choose to do whatever you want with it."

Thamas’s grip tightened until Charlotte’s breath disappeared completely.

Her eyes widened.

Darkness crept into the edges of her vision, little sparks bursting behind her eyes as panic finally overwhelmed every stubborn instinct that had kept her standing up to him. Was this really how she was going to die? After surviving being thrown from the third floor, she was going to get herself strangled to death because she couldn’t keep her fucking mouth shut?

Just when Charlotte became certain he’d gone too far, Thamas released her. She crumpled against the wall, coughing violently as air rushed painfully back into her lungs. Her hands flew to her throat while she hacked and gasped, barely noticing when Thamas turned his back on her and walked several steps away.

"Let’s say I agree to this madness," he said after a long silence. "You obviously want something in return."

Charlotte slowly lifted her head, a glint in her eyes.

Of course she wanted something.

Quest wasn’t finished with her. Charlotte knew that with absolute certainty. Tamara might have stopped him today, and Thamas might have carried her away, but neither changed the fact that she’d humiliated a dragon in front of his entire house. Quest would come for her again eventually, and next time, he might make certain there was no Thamas nearby to catch her.

But if she had Thamas Draco’s protection? That changed everything.

Charlotte pushed herself upright despite the ache in her throat and looked directly at his back.

"Let me serve you," she said.

Thamas slowly turned around and Charlotte held his gaze.

"That is all I ask, my lord."

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