Selling Myself To The Alpha
Chapter 48

Liana POV

I am sitting on my bed bent over my tablet as I draw my frustrations. It felt awkward last night when Axel came to visit. Between scolding myself for falling in love and thinking about Luther's visit, I was not in a talkative mood. And I know Axel must have caught onto my mood because he did not come to see me this morning like he usually does.

The fact is, the longer I allow myself to enjoy Axel and his touch the harder it is going to be to let him go. If I had any working brain cells, I would distance myself from him. But noooooooo, I must go and shamelessly beg him to have s*x with me in a hospital room. How dysfunctional am I?

"You have a visitor," a nurse announces as she walks into my room. "Visiting hours is not for another hour, but it's your brother. Can I send him in?"

"My brother?" I gape at her in surprise. Of all the humans in the world, he was the last I expected to see.

"Yes, sure, please," I stutter as I put my tablet away, but my excitement does not last.

Am I a bad person for thinking he is here because he needs money? I wonder as I watch the nurse leaves. It is not like I want to think it, but what else? Why would he come and not Mom and Dad? "Hello, sister."

My jaw drops to the floor and every drop of blood drains from my face as I watch Wilson walk over to me.

"What are you doing here?" I ask brusquely as I pull myself together.

"Nina told me what happened," he replied as he puts down a vase of daisies. I fucking hate daisies. "So, I came to see how you're doing."

"I'm alive," I snap. "Now you can go."

"That's no way to treat a visitor," he raises his eyebrows.

"Oh, f**k off," I sneer. "The mere fact that you're here without Nina tells me everything I need to know. You already drove a wedge between me and her. You're just disappointed that I didn't die."

"Oh, you're mistaken," he raises his eyebrows. "I want you alive, my dear."

"I'm not your fucking dear," I sneer. "Or any other term of endearment of which you can think. You and I have nothing to say to each other."

"I gather your accident is the reason why you haven't sent Nina that picture?" He ignores my rant as he takes a seat and looks at me smugly.

"If you say so," I grunt. I am sure as hell not going to share my thoughts with him. I will burn in hell for all eternity if I should speak my mind. I hate him even more than I hate Angela.

"If you care for Nina, you will delete it," there is a coldness in his voice that sends a shiver up my spine.

"Oh, please," I roll my eyes. "If you care for Nina, you wouldn't cheat. Even if I don't show her the photo, she will end up getting hurt by you. No way your threesome will end in a happy ending. As a matter of fact, maybe I should tell Stacey the truth. I heard it could be rather painful when your mate rejects you."

"Don't break your little mind over it," he laughs evilly. "She's my mate and knows exactly what's going on."

"Figures," I grunt. "Shit does attract flies."

"Has it ever occurred to you to ask why I'm doing it?" He rests his elbows on his knees and intertwines his fingers as he leans forward.

"Has it ever occurred to you that your reason doesn't matter?" I raise my eyebrows.

"In this case it does," he smiles, and I wish I could slap that smug look off his face. "I know Nina is your friend, but have you really looked at her? She's not in the same league as Stacey."

"Listen," I sigh theatrically to mask my disgust. "I might be dying here. So, either speed up and say what you mean or leave."

"You look at Nina and see your friend," he says angrily. "I look at her and see a pathetic and needy woman that should stick to salads and exercise for a couple of months. And a nose job wouldn't harm either."

"You sick fuck," I hiss as I cling to the last threat of my fury. "Get out, now. I'm not going to sit here and listen to you insulting her."

I reach for the button to call a nurse, but he quickly takes the controller.

"Not so fast," his words are dangerously soft. "You want to hear this, believe me. You can sit here and slur at me all you want, but the point is, you're the reason why I'm dating her. You were right about one thing. I don't give a rat's a*s about Nina or her feelings. She's only a means to an end. A way to get close to you."

"What are you talking about?" I ask as an ominous feeling sends dark tendrils down my spine.

"Stacey is my mate," he explains as he looks at me with boredom. "Nina is the solution to keep an eye on you. It was quickly clear to Wyatt that you're the alpha's pet and that it's too much of a risk to touch you. So, we needed to replace another way to get to you and Nina was the answer."

"Wyatt?" I whimper on the verge of hysteria. His words are a mumble jumble of confusion and I have no clue what the hell is going on.

"I'm more than an accountant, Liana," Wilson snorts. "I have a very lucrative hobby as a bookie and your brother owes me. Wyatt vouched for Leon, and I went to him. And according to Wyatt, he's broke because he must pay you. And since Leon can't pay, you're going to help."

"I will not!" I explode as I try to put the puzzle pieces together.

"Oh, but you will," he laughs ugly as he stands up. "That is if you care for Nina. You shouldn't worry so much about her broken heart as about her broken neck. You have three weeks to repay the twenty thousand dollars Leon owes or somebody will get hurt." "And you think I will pay if you hurt Nina?" I ask angrily. Wilson is sadly mistaken if he thinks he can blackmail me. I am scared out of my mind that he might hurt Nina, but I will replace a way to get to her before he does. "Harm her and see what happens. Not only will you be out of your money, but I will also destroy you. As you said, I'm the alpha's pet. I might be human, but I do have the means to get to you."

"I wouldn't tell Axel about this if I were you," his evil eyes bore into mine. "I have many desperate clients that will do anything to get out of their debt. Even mechanics and personnel from Silver Enterprises. It would be a terrible day for the pack if an elevator malfunctions and he gets hurt. Not to mention if his car's breaks fail on a rainy day."

Anxiety pulls my throat close, and all my bravado evaporates.

"Three weeks, Liana," his smile is evil as he stands up. "After that, you'll have one less friend."

I bite my tongue as I watch him walk out. Shame washes over me as Wilson's words replay in my mind. Has Leon and his bad habits not caused enough drama? Now his mindless behaviour is endangering lives. Instinctively I reach for my phone to contact Axel and Nina but decide against it. No, I sigh and close my eyes. I must think this through.

Nina did not believe me when I told her he was cheating, why would she believe me that he is threatening her life?

If Wilson has two brain cells, he will know that I will tell her and is most likely monitoring her phone. By now he must have flooded her with lies. Just like he did before. I have no proof and it is his word against mine.

And Axel... even if Wilson did not threaten him, I do not want to ask him for help again. I ran to him with Dad's operation. He stepped in with Wyatt. He took care of Brand and gave me a job. He rescued me from the bathroom. Now this.

It feels like I take and take from him without giving back. Just like Leon. A parasite that sucks the host dry. Even if I have s*x with him for a lifetime it will never compensate for everything, he has done for me.

I rub my temples where a headache is brewing. This is such a mess. I want to strangle Leon but what will that help? Wilson will still look at me for his money. And poor, innocent Nina. All she ever did was support and help me. I would not be standing if it were not for her after I broke off my engagement with Wyatt. This is not fair to her. Even if I do not pay Wilson, I do have the obligation to keep her safe.

I know Axel can protect himself. Wilson can threaten him all he wants. Axel will snap his neck like a twig. I shudder involuntarily as I think of Axel's reaction when he hears about this. He is going to be so mad, and I do not even want to imagine what he will think of me after this. I might not be the love of his life but at least he does not look at me like trash. But that will change once this comes out.

I have two choices here. Either I ask for Axel's help to keep Nina safe and he will loathe me for the rest of his life. Or I pay Wilson and pray that he will never contact me again.

Furious and frustrated I get out of bed and take the awful daisies and toss them into the trashcan.