The Alpha’s Fated Choice (Alpha's Fated Encounter Trilogy #1)

When Freddy’s face flushes red, I realize I must’ve spoken out loud.

“What did you say?!” He grabs me by a fistful of my hair, but without breaking a sweat, I jab my hand upward and use my elbow to break free of his hold.

“Do not put your hands on me again!” I hiss.

“Look, boys!” Freddy’s eyes are glinting with fury and humiliation. “This little whore thinks she can tell me what to do. I run this town, you b—”

He bites his tongue at the last word, and a few of the diners snicker at the self-fulfilling prophecy he just became.

“You can run this town all you want,” I say, giving him a disgusted look. “But do it from elsewhere.”

His hand darts out and grabs my throat, slamming me against one of the pillars. “You think you can speak to me that way? You must not know who I am—”

After so many years of fighting, I know how to break an opponent’s hold on me. Even if I am only up against humans, cage fighting has taught me how to defend myself. It’s given me the kind of confidence I’ve always lacked. I can hold my own in a fight even if it is against the likes of Freddy Henrick.

My hand curls around his wrist and twists. This time I don’t stop when he loosens his hold on me. Instead, I force his arm behind his back into a position that has him shouting out in pain.

“A little more pressure and your arm breaks,” I whisper in his ear.

“Hey, let him go!” One of his friend’s rushes forward, and without shifting my grip on Freddy, I use my other hand, propelling it upward to break the new guy’s nose. He stumbles back, blood spurting from his face.

“Get out of here,” I say calmly. “You’re not welcome at the Dancing Bear any longer. None of you are. If you try to make a scene, we have plenty of security cameras in here. And I’m not stupid enough to simply hand them over to the pack security team. I’ll blast them on every form of media there is. Let’s see Daddy rescue you then.”

I let go of Freddy and shove him toward the door. “Leave. And don’t come back till you learn how to respect women—and everybody else, for that matter.”

Freddy is clearly not done because he quickly turns around and charges toward me.

However, a hard voice comes from behind me and stops him in his tracks. “Did you not hear her? You are no longer welcome at the Dancing Bear, Freddy! Get out, before I call your father.”

I don’t know why people listen to Elsa, but there is something about her that commands respect. Or maybe fear. I’ve never seen my boss angry. Disappointed, yes, but furious, no. But those who have experienced Elsa’s wrath consider her a terrifying woman. Even Freddy seems to reconsider his options.

Straightening up, he rubs his arm and looks at his friends. “Let’s go.” As he turns to leave, he glances at me. “This isn’t over.”

I roll my eyes at his thinly veiled threat, even though I know he’s not going to let this go. I could’ve just called for Elsa and had this entire issue dealt with without getting involved. But seeing Freddy in the same vicinity as Drew pissed me off. And then, seeing how he was treating Eve—with nobody else coming to her aid—made me want to teach him a lesson. I am probably going to regret this; actually, I’m pretty certain of that. But it feels good to have put Freddy in his place even if just for a moment.

As soon as the door closes behind the last of them, I turn to look at Elsa, who has a disapproving look on her face. “What exactly were you thinking?”

I lower my head, knowing I’m in trouble. “Sorry.”

“What if he had hurt you?” she demands. “You know the type of person he is. And he means what he said. He’s not going to forget about this.”

“He and his friends were about to drag Eve into the back alley against her will!” I raise my head, trying to make my case. “I had to do something!”

“Yes,” Elsa says flatly. “And that something was to call for me. I would’ve dealt with it. But now you’ve gone and made things even more complicated for yourself.”

I know she’s worried about me, and my temporary sense of satisfaction fades away. “You’re right. But I can take care of myself.”

Elsa gives me an annoyed look. “You know, sometimes I think you’re a very levelheaded person, and then you go and pull a stunt like this. You do not want to engage with Freddy Henrick or his family. You know how his mother is.”

“I do,” I mutter. “But if they try to do anything to me, I can make a complaint directly to the Alpha’s office. I’m an orphan, remember?”

Elsa’s eyes turn heavy. “I know you think you did the right thing, Sophia, but even if Alpha Black protects you, there are a lot of ways these people can make your life miserable. I’m going to reach out to Migael and see if I can fix the situation. In the meantime, please try not to provoke Freddy. Being a vigilante is not going to help you.”

Having been sufficiently scolded, I wait until Elsa leaves me and goes to check on Eve. She takes the crying girl into her office, and I let out a sigh as I sit down next to Drew, whose face is pale.

He doesn’t say anything for a few seconds, and when he does speak, his voice is rough. “I’m sorry.”

I shoot him a confused look. “For what?”