Shattered by the Alpha Stronger Than Ever novel Chapter 2

Chapter 2

my hair

An Omega transfer. Kael’s new Beta.

From day one, she played the sweet girl card hard–handing out coffees with a megawatt smile.

“Nice to meet you all! I’m looking forward to working with you!”

But when she reached my desk, she froze.

“Oh my god…” she covered her mouth with a giggle. “Are people still using Hello Kitty thermoses?”

I didn’t say anything

She bit her lip. “Oops, I didn’t mean it in a bad way! I just say what’s on my mind. No offense, okay?” She leaned closer. “But seriously… aren’t you a little old for all this cutesy stuff? I thought women in the workplace were supposed to be, like, elegant and put–together.”

It felt like the whole office turned to stare at me at once.

My Hello Kitty keyboard, the figurines on my desk, the pink dust covers around my monitor…

Kael used to call these things “Talla’s fortress.‘

Now, under those judgmental eyes, they felt like a childish display begging to be laughed at

My ears rang like someone had poured acid into my skull.

Riley’s constant leugh drilled straight through me, loud and shrill, like a jackhammer cracking open the little world I’d built for myself–cute, safe, and stupidly naive

“Geez, relax. It’s just a joke, grandina Don’t tell me you can’t even take a little teasing?”

My knuckles went white, fingers digging into the hem of my skirt.

“Enough.”

Kael’s voice rang out behind me.

I turned and saw his mouth curled in a sharp, dangerous smile–his signature tell when he was pissed.

The sun backlit him from the floor–to–ceiling windows, giving his profile a golden edge.

For a second, he looked just like the boy who once beat up a classthate for gluing gum in my hair.

Riley pouted. “Sorry, I was just joking. You’re not really going to overreact like this, are you?”

“This isn’t a coffee shop. If you want to gossip, Riley, then maybe you should quit and go start a podcast. She slunk back to her desk, face stiff with barely concealed rage.

Chapter 3

I don’t even know when things changed between Kael and Riley.

It was like I blinded, and suddenly… the lunch our housekeeper sent over from home came with three sets of utensils.

I stared at the takeout bags, my voice shaking. “There’s nothing here I even like.

Kael didn’t even look up from his reports.

“We’re doing salads today. Riley says it’s good to cleanse the system once in a while…‘

Riley slid into the seat next to me, holding her designer coffee like It was a prop in a rom–com. “Oops! My bad, Talia-”

Her manicured nails tapped on the lid, sending out a hollow rhythm.

“I forgot you’re not into salads. But hey, grown–ups do need to eat healthy sometimes, right?”

She left the rest unsaid–but the smug curve of her lips finished It for her.

I looked at her, my voice quiet but steady.

“You keep saying my name like we’re best friends or something. Newsflash–you’re older than me. Should I be calling you grandma?” The office went dead silent.

For a second, Riley looked like I’d slapped her. Her perfectly winged eyeliner twitched

That’s when Kael finally looked up from his desk–just to frown at me.

“Talia, that was uncalled for.

Once upon a time, he punched a kid for calling me a crybaby.

Now, he was scolding me—for bruising another Omega’s ego

I laughed once, short and sharp, and turned on my heel to leave.

Kaol instinctively reached for me.

But when he pulled me into his arms this time, I caught a different scent on his shirt–Riley’s perfume.

Even his compromise felt dismissive

“Alright, alright. I’ll tell the housekeeper to make you steak tomorrow, okay?

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