TRAPPED BY THE FEMALE ALPHA

Chapter 2

Violeta's POV

Go home with her?

I stared at Quinn, my brain sputtering like a dying engine. Did I hear her right? Who the hell invites their employee home on day one? The words itched to fly out, and for a second, I pictured myself saying it. Telling her where to shove her ridiculous idea. Walking out of this insane job, dignity intact—even if it meant unemployment.

But the thought vanished in an instant.

Her hand clamped around my arm so fast and hard, it felt like I'd been caught in a bear trap. "What are you—" The words choked off as she yanked me downward. My knees cracked against the floor with a jolt of pain.

The next thing I knew, I was under the table.

"Let go of me!" I hissed, shoving at her. But Quinn didn't budge. Her face loomed inches from mine, fierce and feral, her wide eyes brimming with something I didn't understand—Anger? Madness?

"Shut up," she spat, her voice sharp enough to cut through bone.

My stomach twisted into a knot.

"What the hell is—"

BANG!

The sound exploded through the room like a cannon, shattering the air around us. I gasped, clutching my chest as my heart slammed against my ribs.

Gunshots.

Another one fired, louder this time, echoing off the walls. The table vibrated under me, and for a split second, my mind went blank.

Oh my God. Oh my God. Someone is shooting.

"Wh-what's happening?" I whispered, my voice barely audible.

Quinn didn't answer. She just stared at me, her gaze like a sharp blade. Then, without warning, she rolled out from under the table.

Panic surged through me. "Wait! Don't leave me here!"

She didn't even look back. I pressed my hands against my trembling knees, trying to stay quiet, but my breathing was too loud. Too fast. My pulse roared in my ears, and the silence that followed felt heavier than the gunshots.

Then I heard it—a voice.

"Is she under there?"

It was a man. Deep. Mocking. Cruel.

"What's this, Quinn?" he continued, his tone dripping with amusement. "Protecting a human now?"

My breath caught. Human? Why would he—

"Protecting who?" Quinn snapped, her voice low and dangerous. But something about her tone was different now, rougher, almost guttural. "You've broken into my office. Do you think Father will be pleased?"

"Spare me the lecture, sister."

Sister? My brain spun. She told me this morning she was the only heir.

"You broke the rules, we were supposed to hunt from afar, but you took her in, you broke the rules Quinn,"

Quinn's sharp intake of breath was the only warning before it happened.

The air around us shifted. A sound ripped through the room—a growl so deep and primal it made my stomach drop.

I froze.

The table shook as the growling turned into snarling, then the sharp sound of claws—claws—scraping against tile. Glass shattered somewhere, and my whole body trembled.

They weren't just fighting.

They were tearing each other apart.

I pressed my hands over my mouth, struggling to stop my ragged breathing. My knees ached, my back burned from crouching, but I couldn't move. Couldn't scream. Couldn't think.

All I could hear was the chaos above me—slashing, snarling, and guttural sounds that couldn't be human.

My chest tightened as my mind raced. Who the hell was Quinn? And what the hell had I walked into?

I didn't know how long I had been crouched under the table. Seconds? Minutes? My body ached, and my breathing came in sharp, shallow bursts, but I couldn't stay. Not with the glass shards biting into my knees and the pounding in my chest screaming at me to move. I had to get away from whatever this was.

I rolled to the other side, wincing as jagged glass pierced my skin, and dragged myself toward the elevator. Every movement felt like a death sentence, but staying would've been worse. I slammed my hand against the button, praying for the doors to open faster. Finally, they did, and I collapsed inside.

But just as they began to close, her voice pierced my thoughts.

"Fucking human!" Quinn's scream was raw, animalistic, and sent chills down my spine.

I looked up, my blood turning to ice as she vaulted over the table. Her hands were dripping with blood, her fingers curling into claws that glinted under the dim office lights. Hair sprouted along her forearms, and her eyes glowed with a feral intensity. She wasn't just angry—she was something else entirely.

An animal.

Her wild gaze locked with mine just as the elevator doors sealed shut. My heart thundered in my chest, but I wasn't relieved. This wasn't over. I could feel it.

The elevator dinged, and I stumbled out, adrenaline surging through me as I bolted for the glass doors. The street outside was eerily empty, and my lungs burned as I gulped in air, scanning my surroundings.

Then I saw her.

Quinn stood across the street, her face twisted in fury. My mind reeled. How did she beat me here? She didn't taken the elevator. She didn't even run.

Panic rooted me to the spot. My brain screamed at me to run, but my legs wouldn't obey. I watched, helpless, as she strode toward me.

For a moment, I thought she might tear me apart right there on the pavement. But instead, she walked to a sleek black car, got in, and pulled up beside me.

"Get in," she ordered, her voice sharp and guttural.

Everything in me screamed no, but my feet moved anyway, fear outweighing reason. I climbed into the passenger seat, my body trembling as the door slammed shut, and the car sped off into the night.

"Where are we going?" My voice was barely audible, but it broke the haunting silence.

Her hands gripped the wheel so tightly her knuckles turned white. "Next time, you stay under the fucking table until I say it's safe!" she snapped, her voice trembling with rage. The car screeched to a sudden stop, throwing me forward.

"You could've gotten yourself killed! He could have shot you!" she yelled, her eyes blazing as she turned to face me.

I flinched but forced myself to meet her gaze. "There won't be a next time," I said, my voice low but defiant.

Her expression darkened, her lips curling into a snarl. "Oh, there will be. And when there is, you stay under the table." Her words were like a promise—and a threat.

We drove in silence after that, the tension suffocating me. My mind raced, trying to make sense of what I'd just seen, of what Quinn had become. I wasn't sure which terrified me more—her monstrous transformation or the terrifying anger behind it.

When we arrived at her place, she yanked the door open and half-dragged me inside. The grandeur of the place barely registered as I stumbled through the massive double doors. She let go of me in the living area and disappeared into the shadows without another word.

I stood there, trembling, my skin still stinging from the glass cuts. Before I could process anything, a sharp, shrill sound cut through the silence.

The telephone rang.

It echoed through the space, each ring twisting my nerves tighter. On the second ring, I walked toward it as if in a trance, my hand shaking as I lifted the receiver to my ear.

"Lucas says you have the human girl," a deep, gravelly voice growled through the telephone. "Will you bring her in for the ritual, or will you eliminate her and keep your position as alpha?"

My stomach dropped, and the receiver slipped from my fingers, the sound of it hitting the floor echoing in the stillness.