CHAPTER 66: GETTING OUT OF HANDS

Ares leaned forward slightly, his gaze locked on hers. "What I will not tolerate is you, a child of a traitor, moving around my pack and disrupting it because you cannot follow simple rules."

Rhea stared at him, her expression sharpening. The temperature in the room seemed to drop with the shift in her mood. Her curled fingers tightening.

Ellie glanced at Ares with a deep frown, a silent question flickering in his eyes as if to say, Is that really how you plan to handle this?

Ares continued, tone clipped. "I know exactly what you are doing. You are causing trouble just to get my attention. Well, now you have it. Stop this foolishness at once."

Rhea exhaled sharply, exasperation flashing across her face. She turned her head toward Ellie with a dry, incredulous look that all but said, Can you believe this idiot?

Ellie raised both brows in a helpless expression, then looked away with a small sigh that admitted he understood her frustration.

Ares pushed on, oblivious. "No matter what you do, no matter how much you try to force it, I will never mate you. I will never accept you as my Luna."

That was the breaking point.

Rhea rose from the sofa in one sharp motion, her patience snapping. "I have had enough."

Ares clenched his teeth. "Sit back down."

She ignored that command."So you think I am fighting back for your attention?"

"Why else would you be disrupting the pack all of a sudden," Ares shot back.

"It is not all of a sudden," Rhea replied, her voice colder than the air around them. "And I am not disrupting the pack. I am fighting back against the people who killed me in the first place."

Ares stared at her, speechless for a heartbeat.

Rhea stepped forward, eyes blazing. "Somehow, I am thankful they starved her to death. If they had not, I would never have met the moon goddess. I would never have been here to fight back for her. To fight back," she repeated, her voice rising. "And what you call disrupting is me doing what you cannot do. Like saving an omega in your pack who was beaten and nearly raped by your pack members."

Ares stiffened. His expression tightened as if something inside him had cracked. "I am handling that."

"I do not see you handling anything," Rhea shot back. "Other than abusing your power on me. Reprimanding me for fighting back."

Ares straightened, anger flashing in his eyes. "Do not talk to me like that."

"I can talk to you however I want," she replied, unbothered. "You did not add that to the list of things I cannot do."

His jaw flexed. "What are you on about now."

"You told me not to challenge your authority in front of everyone," Rhea said calmly. "So that means I can challenge your authority when no one is watching."

She looked at Ellie. "Turn away and do not watch."

Ellie blinked, stunned, then his lips curved into a smirk. He obediently turned his body slightly and glanced toward the door as if examining it very closely.

Ares stared at the two of them, utterly floored. The absurdity, the insolence, the sheer boldness of it all seemed to short circuit his brain.

Rhea turned back to him. "There is no one here other than Ellie, who is clearly not watching. So, I can challenge you now."

"What the..." Ares could not believe the scene happening in front of him.

Ellie’s shoulders shook, his body trembling with the effort not to burst into laughter.

Ares snapped, "Watch yourself."

"Oh, I am watching," Rhea fired back, stepping closer to his desk. "I have been watching since the moment I stepped into this world. Watching how useless your brain becomes whenever anything involves the Krolls."

Ares shut his mouth abruptly, half out of fury and half because he refused to look up at her.

"Enough," he yelled, releasing a wave of pheromone into the room. The air thickened instantly with his pheromone, a heavy wave rolling through the room.

Rhea did not flinch. Her spine stayed straight, her chin lifted, and her gaze burned even hotter, as if the pressure only sharpened her instead of bending her.

She wrinkled her nose slightly when a faint scent of iris brushed past her senses. Iris? she thought. Where is that coming from? There is no single flower in this office. The confusion flickered through her mind, quick but noticeable.

Ellie, on the other hand, coughed softly. He wondered why Ares was releasing his pheromone in the presence of an Omega, a wolfless one at that. His eyes darted nervously, still facing the door as promised. Should I turn around and see what in the world is happening, or should I stick to not looking? He shifted slightly. He knew Ares would not hurt her despite his anger, but he could not help the spike of worry stirring in his chest.

Ares raised a brow, confusion breaking through his mask. His Alpha pheromone had no effect on her. None. Not a tremble. Not a hesitation. What is going on, he thought, a cold thread slipping down his spine.

He forced himself to cover the shock, pulling his shoulders back and lifting his chin. "You will learn how to respect me," he said, voice firm even as the edge of uncertainty lingered beneath it.

Rhea met his gaze without a blink. "You want respect? Earn it. Because threatening to kick me out, talking down to me, acting like I am some inconvenience, ranting about a traitor’s daughter like you watched my parents kill yours... none of that will make me respect you."

Ares stared at her. His jaw flexed once, twice, a crack forming in his composure.

Rhea’s gaze did not soften either.

Ellie risked a tiny glance over his shoulder. Just a sliver of a peek. This is really getting out of hands, should I do something or what?