Page 5 of Chained By the Alpha (Claimed Duet #1)

I yank on the freezer doors, trying to get them to open.

In my panic, I realize there is a button on the handle on the third attempt.

I jam my thumb on it, it clicks open, and I grip the frame, using it to help pull me to my feet.

Turning back, the wolf is covered in blood as he takes on three rogues at once.

I peer around and find no exit for him, I call out to him.

The freezer would be secure if we could jam the door closed.

“Hey!” I scream at him, and he glances back only to be attacked. He attacks back, tearing into the wolf, only for another to replace it.

He retreats, backing up toward me, and I push the door open. If he doesn’t hide in here, they will kill him. We can block the door and wait for help to come. Unable to shift and join the fray, it’s our only hope.

Not given a choice, he turns the moment he gets a chance and barrels toward me. I shriek, darting out of his way before slamming the door shut the moment he is inside. The wolves hit the door and nearly toss it open while I push back against them.

“Help me block it!” I shout at the wolf while gripping the handle and digging my feet into the ground, trying to hold it closed.

I scream as it pushes inward, my shoulder and arm protesting as the door rams back at me; my injuries threatening to make my whole body collapse.

I can’t lock the handle, a body hits it.

Likewise, I click the lock in place, only for it to unlock instantly.

One of the rogues has shifted back. Paws would struggle to manipulate the lock.

“Move!” a man’s voice growls, I jump back as he slams his body against it. Hearing the lock click back in place, the handle drops to the ground with a loud clang. I try to catch my breath, relieved he got it locked, just as my legs give out from under me.

I clamp my hand over my bleeding thigh, internally cringing at the way it is ripped open. My consciousness fades, and I feel like I am going to faint as I stare down at my blood-drenched blouse.

“Show me,” the man’s deep voice comes as he swats my hands away. I look up to see who the man behind the mysterious black wolf is, who saved me. I gasp when I recognize him as Alpha Zayn. Looking very handsome and absolutely exhausted. Plus, he is naked with his hands holding my leg together.

“Why didn’t you shift?” he snaps at me, pulling me from my shock.

“I haven’t shifted yet,” I blurt out, and his head snaps up to look at me.

“You’re under twenty?”

I nod. He appears shocked, pressing his lips in a line. He nods once before a rumble sounds in his chest.

“Avert your gaze, jailbait, while I find something to cover myself with.”

“Excuse me? Jailbait? I’m nineteen and an adult!”

“Yes, exactly. You’re unshifted. Therefore, jailbait. Unmated wolves aren’t supposed to be naked around unshifted she-wolves. You won’t get your wolf until you’re twenty. Therefore, you’re still a damn pup!”

“Shut up!” I growl at him.

“Was that a purr?” he mocks. I glare at him. “Look away so that I can stand.”

I roll my eyes and look away. His logic makes no sense. I am of legal age to drink, an adult according to the law. Just technically not according to werewolf society.

“Wouldn’t be the first man I’ve seen naked,” I mutter.

“You’re not a virgin?” he growls.

My face heats. “I mean, I have seen men naked when they shift before.” I’m certainly not going to be discussing my barely there sex life with an Alpha I hardly know—especially one who knows my father.

“Good, so you are a virgin,”

Why does he care? I think bitterly.

“I never said that either,” I quip, and he growls. Not that he needs to know that I am, in fact, still a virgin. It just irritates me that he is so damn nosy and prying into my life.

“Well, are you or not?” he demands, and I look at him to find him covering himself with a meat bag. Seems fitting, I chuckle, staring at it.

“Aren’t there more important things to discuss?” I taunt. “Like, for example, my bleeding leg.”

“Answer me!”

“Why does it matter?” I shoot back. He looks away, and I watch as he clenches his teeth. “Are you a virgin?” I ask in a mocking tone.

“That’s none of your business!”

“Yet my virginity is yours?” I retort, raising an eyebrow.

“Do I look like a virgin?” he snaps. My eyes roam over him. The man is sheer muscle and flesh, each part of him sculpted perfectly, right down to his…

“You look like a man who has his meat in a sausage bag,” I snicker, trying to keep the mood light and the pain away. He doesn’t find my joke funny. Instead, he stares blankly at me.

“Fine, no, you don’t look like a virgin, although I wouldn’t be surprised if you were with your attitude,” I snap at him.

“Do you have a boyfriend?” he asks, and I sigh, rubbing my temples. I can already feel a headache coming on.

“What’s with the millions of questions? We may die in a freezer together, that doesn’t mean I need to reveal my entire life to you,” I remind him, and he sighs.

“Just answer the question.”

“Kinda,” I tell him. Shit! Why would I tell him that? What if he tells my father? “Please don’t tell my father. He’ll fucking kill me! I told him Deacon is just a friend,” I blurt like an idiot. The last thing I want is for Deacon to get in trouble because we fooled around.

The Alpha growls but says nothing else and instead tries to stem the bleeding on my leg when I hear a loud crack. The Alpha looks up at the ceiling, and so do I. Seconds later, we hear a crash, and the freezer we are hiding in shakes.

“Please tell me that wasn’t the roof caving in,” I mutter.

“That wasn’t the roof,” he says sarcastically, using a piece of my shirt to tie my wound shut.

“So, have you got a girlfriend, then?” I ask. I’m here, and who knows what’s going on outside, might as well pass the time.

“Not anymore; I broke up with her today,” he states matter-of-factly.

“Today? No wonder you were in such a bad mood at the Council meeting.She dumped your cranky ass,” I mutter.

“I broke up with her!” he protests, sounding less like a suave, imposing Alpha and more like a teenage boy.

I raise an eyebrow at him. “Really? Is that why you’re so butt hurt?”

“I’m not hurt. I dumped her during the meeting. I was in a bad mood because your father is a prick,” he states.

“Wow, you broke up with your girlfriend via text. You really are a jerk!” I tell him.

He shrugs. “She’ll find her mate eventually. It wouldn’t have lasted anyway.”

“Wait, you just dumped her for no reason?”

“I have my reasons, none that you need to know about.”

I roll my eyes at him. “Did she cheat?”

“What? No, of course not,” he growls. Alpha Zayn gets up, wanders to the door, and unlocks it. He yanks on the door, it doesn’t budge.

“Great, now I am locked in here with you,” I curse as he examines the door. He swears, peering up. I also look up to find the door frame has been bent, locking the door in place. The Alpha peers over his shoulder and glares at me.

“Sure, say it like it’s my damn fault, you’re not the only one trapped in here!” he grumbles.

“Yes, but you can adapt to the cold, I can’t!” I retort, and he turns to look at me.

“Fuck!” He turns back to try to find a way out.

My breath fogs the freezing air as I shiver, glaring at Alpha Zayn’s back. It is impossible not to notice how his muscles flex beneath his taut skin, and I refuse to let myself be swayed by lust in this very not ideal situation.

“It’s no use; we’re stuck in here,” I state the obvious, my teeth chattering as I huddle against the wall. Whether it’s the cold or blood loss, my leg is numb.

He turns, casting me a scathing glare that sends shivers down my spine for an entirely different reason. “Thanks, I fucking know.”

As my heart pounds in my chest, I think how unfair it is that I might die here with this arrogant-as-hell Alpha.

I want to scream at the injustice of it all; however, there is no time for that.

I briefly think about Deacon, hoping he didn’t get caught up in the fight as he stood outside, waiting for me.

And what about the people at the ball? What of Lydia and my father?

My thoughts are cut off when I hear a chilling crack echo through the room, and my stomach tightens with fear.

“Get down!” Zayn barks, his voice tense with urgency.

Before I can even react, Zayn throws his body over mine, shielding me from the teeth-grating screech of metal collapsing above us. His muscular form presses against me, making it difficult to breathe.

“Are you okay?” Zayn asks, his breath hot against my ear. He lifts himself off me just enough to look into my eyes. I nod, my heart still racing from the close call. The side of the freezer is bent in, and the roof is now lower.

“Thanks,” I whisper, feeling a strange mix of gratitude and annoyance toward him while he moves to try the door again.

“Maybe if we’re lucky, the power source has been cut, and we won’t freeze to death,” I offer, trying to ignore the incessant chattering of my teeth.

Zayn tilts his head, raising an eyebrow as he assesses me. “I originally wasn’t so sure if you were a natural blonde. This just puts my doubt to rest.”

He did not just mock me for being blonde! Anger blazes within me, momentarily eclipsing the cold.

“Hey, I’m actually pretty smart. At least think with my brain and not my temper and dick,” I snap, hearing the faint sound of the motors running. Just great! The damn room is still powered.

“Ouch, princess,” Zayn smirks, but there is a hint of annoyance in his voice. “You sure know how to hit me where it hurts.”

“Good,” I mutter, hugging myself to stay warm.

My nipples are painfully erect beneath the thin fabric of my bra, but I refuse to let him see how much the cold is affecting me.

Instead, I focus on the anger coursing through me, using it to keep me warm when his eyes go to my shoulder and collarbone.

His hands reach for my shirt, eyes wide with panic.