Page 48 of Chained By the Alpha (Claimed Duet #1)

“Cleo!” Zayn pleads. But I refuse to listen. Instead, I head for the stairs before remembering I can’t escape him in his room, either. So, instead, I make my way toward one of the spare rooms, hoping to escape the embarrassment that engulfs us.

As I shut the door behind me, the hollowness of my heart echoes in the stillness. Tears well up in my eyes, blurring my vision as I desperately try to make sense of it all.

Even at this moment, I can hear Zayn’s footsteps approaching, growing louder with each passing second. Panic grips me, pushing me to lock the door. The walls seem to close in around me as I struggle to catch my breath.

“Cleo,” he pleads again, his voice soft as he tries to turn the handle, finding the door locked. I remain silent, unwilling to expose myself to further disappointment.

His fist bangs lightly on the door, rattling the frame as he speaks through gritted teeth. “Cleo, I can explain.”

I don’t respond and close my eyes, trying to block out the world around me. Finally, after minutes pass, I hear his footsteps retreat, and I can breathe again. I collapse on the bed, curling into a ball as I tug the blankets up, wanting nothing more than to go to bed and get this day over with.

· · ·

The next morning, sleep evades me, flashes of last night’s humiliation replaying in my mind.

I need to get out of this room; I need a distraction.

I quickly dress in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt before leaving the room.

My bare feet pad quietly down the hallway as I make my way downstairs.

In the kitchen, I find Zayn sipping a steaming cup of coffee, his eyes finding mine from down the hall where he sits at the island counter.

His silver orbs are filled with remorse, but it’s too late for apologies now.

I don’t want to hear any excuses or half-hearted justifications.

I just need space from him in this situation.

His jaw clenches as he sees me fully dressed.

“Cleo,” he says my name warningly, I ignore him and head straight for the front door, only to hear his chair scrape across the floor.

“Cleo, where do you think you’re going?” he demands, his voice authoritative as he catches up to me in the foyer.

“I’m going to look for work since I can’t go to school,” I say coldly, placing my bag over my shoulder with a resolute thud. “I can’t stay cooped up here all day.”

“Not until we talk,” he growls out, his hand wrapping around my wrist, stopping me dead in my tracks.

I whirl around to face him and meet his gaze head-on. “There’s nothing to talk about, Zayn! You made your feelings crystal clear yesterday!” Anger laces my words, my green eyes blazing with unshed tears.

“You’re not going alone,” he growls out, his jaw flexing as he stares me down, challenging me to defy him further.

And while a part of me wants to push him, the other part of me knows I’m no match for him until I get my wolf.

So, I know I have no choice as he tightens his grip on my wrist. He leads me back to the kitchen and motions for me to sit.

“I am at war with nearly every damn pack in this city because of you right now. You can’t just wander off and leave the damn pack! ”

“I’m sorry about yesterday, I wasn’t trying to hurt your feelings, but I have made it clear, Cleo,I won’t mate you until you get your wolf—” he starts, and I cut him off.

“It’s fine, Zayn. I don’t want to hear any more excuses; it’s fine, I get it,” I lie through gritted teeth, forcing a fake smile on my face. I don’t get this man at all!

He narrows his silver eyes in disbelief yet he doesn’t press further as he finishes his coffee in one gulp and places the mug in the sink. “Put on a jacket, it’s cold outside, and we’re leaving.”

“We?” I ask hesitantly, looking at him suspiciously.

“We are going together; you want to work, you can work with me, until this shit is settled with your father and the other Alphas, I don’t want you wandering off without me,” he grumbles out impatiently, gesturing at the door.

“You want a distraction, fine. I’m giving you one; take it or leave it.

” I swallow grabbing my jacket before meeting him back at the front door where he stands in his suit trying to fix his cufflinks, and in a terrible mood, which isn’t helping when he looks on the verge of shifting.

Moving closer, I take them from him, flipping his hand over, I do his cufflinks.

“Why are you so cranky?” I ask him, and at first, he says nothing until I glance at him when moving to do the other one. “My wolf is furious with me; he is fighting me,” Zayn admits, and I stare at him.

“Why?” I ask quickly, fixing the other cufflink.

“For upsetting you; he didn’t like that you weren’t sleeping in our bed,” Zayn states, coming out in a growl at the end as his wolf tries shoving forward. “Your wolf is angry I wasn’t in the bed?”

“You forget I’ve marked you, Cleo; our wolves are possessive, animalistic sides of us; he kept me up all damn night wanting me to drag you back to the room like some barbaric caveman.

He thought you were rejecting him.” He rubs his temples.

I bite my bottom lip at his words, not knowing what to say.

Zayn reaches for his keys, when I snatch them from the hallstand. “I’m driving. I’m not getting in a car with you if you’re on the verge of shifting.” He clenches his teeth but says nothing. Instead, he turns to open the door.

We head out to the car when it occurs to me that I have no idea what he does for work; all I know is he has an office in the city. “What are you doing for work, anyway?” I ask him, hitting the key fob.

“Real Estate, property development; I have all the city pack businesses, and I own a few clubs and bars. The proceeds go back into the pack.”

“So how much do you own exactly?” Zayn seems thoughtful for a second. “My pack or me in general?”

“Both?”

“Half the city, between my father’s assets that were passed down and what my pack owns,” he tells me as I open the driver’s door and climb in, and so does Zayn, slamming the door behind him.

“That was not me!” Zayn growls as his claws slash his seatbelt when he goes to pull it on. “Zarek, you stupid mutt!” he snarls. My eyes widen as he talks to himself. Well, his wolf.

“She is right fucking there!” he snarls as fur sprouts across his hands. I raise an eyebrow at him, worried this will be a very embarrassing all-day thing in his office.

“Sorry, he’s being a…” His words cut off as Zarek presses beneath his skin.

“Zarek, knock it off, or I won’t sleep in our room tonight, either,” I snap at him, knowing he is about to shred Zayn’s suit.

I want to get out of this house and can’t without Zayn.

Zarek instantly settles, and Zayn sucks in a breath of relief.

I stare at him, bewildered that his wolf so easily listened to me.

“He never listens to me like that,” Zayn mutters.

“Maybe because you called him a mutt.”

Zayn snorts and shakes his head. “Ready?” I ask him.

He nods, motioning for me to go; the tension in the car is thick the entire way to his office building.

I park the car and climb out in front of a large building with his name at the top.

Z.H. corporation. “I can honestly say I have never been to this side of the city,” I tell him as I park his car.

“It’s only ten minutes from your university. How have you never been here before?”

I shrug. “Dad always told me this side of the city was rougher, so I avoided it.” I wonder why my father would say that when this seems to be the nicest part of the city and is only a few minutes away from the city center.

“He lied,” Zayn states coldly as we walk into the lobby.

The second we enter, all eyes are on us, and instinctively, I stop.

Zayn drapes his arm across my shoulders, tugging me closer.

He leads me through the large lobby, my gaze darting everywhere as people greet him left and right.

I feel like an outsider, a trespasser in this world of glitz and glamor I don’t belong in.

When we reach an elevator, Zayn uses a swipe card and then presses the level he wants to go to.

His office takes my breath away—panoramic windows look over Nightshade City’s expansive skyline.

On one wall is a mahogany desk with a sleek computer setup, while another showcases various awards and pictures of Zayn shaking hands with official looking people.

His scent permeates everything, claiming this space as his own.

Despite the grandeur, it feels impersonal and cold—like him when he isn’t around me.

“So… what do you want me to do?” I asked tentatively as he settles behind his desk, shuffling through papers.

“Make yourself comfortable,” he motions to the lounge. I sit heavily on it. For some reason, I was expecting it to be some cozy little building, not an actual skyscraper. However, I am now left twiddling my thumbs as he logs into his computer.

“Sitting on your lounge and watching you is not what I had in mind for work.”

Zayn sighs heavily. “Considering I wasn’t planning on coming in here today for now, it will do; just give me a second, and I will give you something to do.”

I mosey around the room looking at all the pictures, ones with his family and him as a child to him graduating from university to a picture of him and… me? My heart stops.

“What?” I find myself picking up a photo of me.

“This was at the pack meeting when I met you.” he states, coming up behind me.

“What are you doing with it?” I demand.

“I took it while I was sitting across from you.” He smirks before returning to his desk.

“That’s creepy!” I huff as I put it back on his desk. “So, what do you want me to do, Alpha Zayn?” I ask sarcastically as he glares at me for using his title like that.

“My files are right there. Sort them by date, will you?” he points to a mountain of files at the end of the desk.