CHAPTER 26: BELOW HER EXPECTATIONS

Rhea’s gaze sharpened, and she stepped forward just a fraction, fists curling at her side. "Undress myself? You must be out of your damned mind."

Roff’s expression darkened, a deep frown carving into his features. His voice dropped, losing its mocking edge. "Don’t make me repeat myself. Undress. This instant. Come over here." He patted the bed beside him, the sound unnaturally loud in the tense silence.

Rhea scoffed. "But you just did."

Roff blinked, confusion flickering across his face. "What... what are you on about?"

"You — you just repeated yourself, stupid," Rhea said, her tone mocking.

"What the—" he began, but one of the guy with cropped-hair jumped in. "She means... you said ’Don’t make me repeat myself’... and then repeated your order."

Rhea chuckled, shaking her head. Are these the ones who want to have their way with me? A bunch of fools.

Roff waved a hand dismissively. "Whatever. Doesn’t matter. So... are you going to cooperate, or do I have to make you?"

She stared at him as if he were insane.

Did he really think she’d just let him do whatever he wanted? Her muscles coiled, ready to spring. Keep your distance, she thought, calculating the room’s angles. Knees first. Then the throat... or the head.

No way she was getting out of here without knocking some sense into them. A cold smirk touched her lips. "When I’m done with you, you’ll regret ever laying a hand on people weaker than you."

Roff observed her for a moment before bursting into harsh, grating laughter. "You’re delusional. There’s a limit to stupidity, and you’re crossing it. Now, come over here and stop stalling."

"Hey, man," the one with cropped hair said nervously. "I... I think you need to take it easy, Roff. She’s the Alpha’s mate. What if this goes wrong? We could be in deep shit for this."

The other one nodded vigorously. "Yeah, man... we could get into serious trouble. Maybe we should just... reconsider. Beat her up and let her go?"

At least his cohorts still has some sense, Rhea thought, her eyes darting between them, looking for an opening.

Roff pretended to think deeply before waving a dismissive hand. "Nah." His eyes glinted with amusement. "You two should relax. The Alpha doesn’t give a flying damn about this filth — he rejected her, remember?"

The other two men exchanged uneasy glances.

"Besides, Nikki’s got him wrapped around her paw now. Nothing will happen." He leaned back slightly, smirk twisting his features. "Stop worrying. This is just a one-time opportunity. You think I’d pass it up?" His gaze dragged over Rhea’s body with possessive hunger. "I’ve been dreaming of this for years." He licked his lips slowly. "Don’t you want to know what she tastes like? I bet she’ll be so fucking juicy."

"But I..." the second guy stammered, hesitation lacing his words.

"Come on," Roff cut him off with a sharp laugh. "Let’s have some fun! She’s practically begging for it anyway. We’ll just claim she’s seduced us, It always works. No one’s ever going to believe otherwise."

The cropped-hair man hesitated. "But she’s wolfless...Omega." He scratched the back of his neck. "She doesn’t even have the Omega-luring pheromones. I don’t think that lie will work in this case."

Rhea nodded silently, approving inwardly. What was this smart guy doing with a fool like Roff? They’d talked long enough, why weren’t they coming at her already? She wanted to leave as many fingerprints on their bodies as possible.

The other man chimed in hesitantly. "I still think we should just rough her up and let her go. No need to—"

Roff’s laugh cut him off. "Nope. Not happening. I’ve been waiting for this chance for far too long to back down now." His gaze locked on Rhea, sharp and calculating. "Stop worrying over nothing. In this pack she will always be that...nothing."

The male Omega in the corner peeked at Rhea, shame and pity twisting his face. She was here because of him, because he had made some sounds and dragged this on, and the thought hollowed him out.

Who would have figured the only person brave or foolish enough to interrupt them would be the same outcast the pack had bullied in her entire life?

He wished more than anything that there were a way to rewind time. He wouldn’t have made the sounds that drew her here. Guilt burned in his cheeks. I should never have made a sound, he thought. I should have just let them...

Roff glanced back at his men and barked, voice hard. "Trust me guys."

They nodded, hesitant like animals taking a reluctant step into water.

"Now, go get her," Roff ordered.

Rhea felt her pulse climb in a steady, hungry rhythm. Perfect, she thought. Finally, something other than words. She squared her shoulders, planted her feet, eyes locked on the approaching men. Her hands flexed.

The cropped-hair men, lunged. He moved shoulders-first, hands aiming for her upper body. Rhea met him with measured motion. She stepped aside, weight flowing through her hips in a smooth roll. Her foot snapped up in a clean front kick aimed at his knee, a precise ap chagi that punched through his center line. His leg folded like a snapped twig. He yelped, one hand flying to the joint. The cry was short, choked.

Before he could recover, she twisted on the ball of her foot, pivoting her hips to deliver a turning kick to the side of his jaw. The strike landed with a hollow, stunned thunk, her footwear skimming across the floor. The man’s head snapped back, eyes fluttered, and he crumpled to the ground, limbs going limp as unconsciousness took him before his face could hit the tiles.

What the...? Rhea blinked in surprise, the guy was weaker than she had anticipated. She had expected a tough fight, maybe even resistance enough to make her work up a sweat.

What the hell just happened? Was he even a real werewolf? Weren’t they supposed to be strong or something?