Dane’s POV
I noticed the uneasy look on her face the mont I stepped into the library.
I hadn’t expected to see her here... what the hell was she doing here? I thought she was a maid or sothing, but now I realized she wasn’t dressed in uniform like the other staff, which ans she wasn’t a maid, and the way she sat at the desk I realized she was the librarian.
I walked deeper into the library, ignoring her just as much as she was ignoring , heading straight for the shelf I needed. But every few seconds, my eyes flicked to her. And what pissed off? She didn’t look. Not once. She didn’t glance at . Didn’t bat an eyelash. Didn’t even seem interested that I was there.
I was Dane Blackwell—future Beta of the Snow Moon Pack. Girls usually stared. Hell, most couldn’t stop themselves. Even Alphas’ daughters tried to get my attention. But not her. An oga. An oga who looked at like I was nothing.
I clenched my jaw. I hated ogas. Always had. Weak. Quiet. Sneaky. Most of them just wanted to climb higher than their rank allowed. And they’d do anything to get there. Yet... this one didn’t even seem to care who I was. Why did that bother ? Why did I care?
Frustration churned in my chest, and before I could stop myself, I turned around and walked back toward her desk. She didn’t lift her head.
"Do you always ignore people? "You work here, don’t you? Shouldn’t you be helping ?" I said coldly.
She looked up slowly, calmly. "Do you always talk to people this rudely?"
Her tone wasn’t rude—but it wasn’t submissive either. It was... neutral. Too neutral. I narrowed my eyes.
"You talk too freely for soone who’s just an oga," I snapped.
She blinked. "And you judge too quickly for soone who doesn’t even know ."
That set sothing off inside .
"You’re just an oga," I growled. "Don’t forget that."
Her lips parted, shocked. But instead of looking hurt or scared, she tilted her head slightly, her eyes narrowing.
"What did an oga ever do to you?" she asked softly. Calmly.
That question hit deeper than I expected. mories flashed. Pain I hadn’t thought about in years. I clenched my fists and barked, "They destroy hos. That’s what ogas do." My voice dropped. "My mother treated one like a sister. Brought her into our ho. Loved her like family. And how did she repay that kindness? By sleeping with my father. By ripping our family apart."
I didn’t realize how loud my voice had gotten until the echo bounced off the library walls. She sat still... watching . No pity. No fear. Just... understanding.
"Not all ogas are like that," she said quietly.
I scoffed, jaw tight. "Yeah? How would you know?"
"Because I am one," she said. "And I’d never do that to anyone. So people destroy hos, Dane. It has nothing to do with their rank. It has to do with who they are."
Her words made sothing shift in . But I didn’t like it. I didn’t want to feel anything right now.
She turned her gaze away from and continued reading the book in front of her.
Rage and confusion buzzed through my chest. Turning away, I grabbed a book at random from one of the shelves. But instead of leaving like I’d planned, I dropped onto one of the reading couches and sat down.
I didn’t know why. I didn’t want to stay... but for so reason, my legs didn’t move. I opened the book and realized it was a romantic book, and imdiately I frowned. I hate romance. Why can’t two people just et up, fuck and go on with their lives? Why must there be feelings attached. I read the first Chapter, scoffed and rolled my eyes. Lovers eting, falling in love, destiny, soulmates... all that crap. I hated it. I didn’t believe in love. I didn’t believe in mates, either.
Everyone talked about it like it was the most magical thing in the world—like once you t your mate, everything would just fall into place. But I knew better. My mother was my father’s mate. She loved him. He claid he loved her too. He would touch her like she was everything. Kiss her like no other woman existed. And she believed him. So did I. Until the day we found out he had been sleeping with soone else—soone my mother had taken into our ho like family. An oga. A woman my mom trusted like a sister.
The fact that he’d been sleeping with her all along while my mother—his own mate—never knew was shocking enough, but what gutted us was finding out he’d gone to a witch just to make sure she’d never sense his betrayal.
That day changed everything.
My mother broke. I watched the strongest woman I knew fall apart piece by piece while my father stood there, not even ashad. He said it was "just sex." That it "ant nothing." But it ant everything to my mother. She was his mate. And he still betrayed her.
So no—I didn’t believe in love. I sure as hell didn’t believe in mates. If a bond that deep could be broken by lust, then what the hell was the point?
I shut the book hard and dropped it on the small table beside the couch, rubbing my hands over my face. My chest felt tight, and I wasn’t sure if it was from anger or sothing else.
I glanced toward the front desk again. Her attention was solely fixed on the book in front of her, and I hated it. I hated her for making rember things I buried long ago. I hated that she seed different from other ogas I have t. I hate that I noticed her at all, that she was getting under my skin.
"She doesn’t look like an oga to ," my wolf muttered in my head. And he wasn’t wrong. Other ogas bowed their heads. Kept their distance. Looked at like I was royalty. But her? She didn’t even flinch when I barked at her. She didn’t try to please . She didn’t care. Or maybe... maybe she was just pretending. Playing a ga. Was this so kind of trick to get my attention?
Well, it was working. Damn it.
I shifted in my seat and looked at her again, her head bent low over the book, her fingers brushing across the page as she read. Maybe she thought acting uninterested would get chasing her. Maybe that’s what this was. So smart little ga. Fine. I could play too.
I stood and walked over to her desk slowly, hands in my pockets. She didn’t look up.
I cleared my throat. "I heard there’s a bonfire tonight," I said casually, like it ant nothing. "You wanna be my date tonight?"
That got her attention. She lifted her gaze to mine, her eyes calm and unreadable. Then... she scoffed. Not giggled. Not blushed. She scoffed.
"Sorry," she said, almost like she was amused. "I already have two n asking ."
My brows shot up. Two? I blinked, then chuckled darkly. "Who? Other ogas like you? A couple of guards? Warriors maybe?"
She smiled faintly. Like she wasn’t even trying to impress .
"No, actually," she replied. "One of them is Callum Linton—the Alpha heir of the Nightshade Pack."
That na hit like a punch. Before I could react, she added, "And the second is your cousin."
My jaw clenched. "Nathan?"
She nodded once, then looked back down at her book like that was the end of the conversation. Like I didn’t matter.
I stared at her, my blood boiling, and for the first ti... I didn’t know what to say. Callum and Nathan both asked her to be their date for tonight? What the hell is happening? What is so special about her that the two wanted her as a date? And I knew she was clearly not lying. I thought she was done, but she continued.
"But I’m sure," she said, voice calm but sharp, "the girl you were banging earlier would be glad to take your offer. She looked... eager enough."
The smirk that followed made my blood boil. I stared at her, my jaw tight, my fists clenched. For the first ti, I felt like I had been challenged and I, Dane Blackwell, love challenges.
I lifted my chin before muttering. "Na your price."
She lifted her head and furrowed her brow at .
I continued. "Be my date for tonight, and I will grant any requests of yours!"
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