Page 66 of Chained By the Alpha (Claimed Duet #1)

“Running into you isn’t exactly what I had planned, but it’s fitting,” he says. His tone is a sharp blade that cuts deeply. His black hair frames his face, and he has equally dark eyes, reflecting Zarek is just below the surface.

“Cleo.” His voice is deep and rough, sending shivers down my spine.

“Following me now?” My attempt at levity falls flat between us, the air charged with something dangerous. He steps closer to me and reaches out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ear. My skin tingles at his touch, and my heart races even faster.

His closeness is intoxicating, and for a fleeting moment, I forget about everything else – the arranged marriage, the pressure from my pack, everything except him.

“I wouldn’t have to if you’d just talk to me, but no. I wasn’t following you until I spotted you going into that store.” He steps closer, and I’m acutely aware of the solid mass of him, a wall of muscle and his raw Alpha power.

Then reality comes crashing back, and I take a step back from him, cursing myself for being so weak. “I should go,” I say quickly. “I have somewhere to be.”

“You’re marrying him, Cleo? Really?”

“Zayn, it’s not that simple—” I start, and the words tangle on my tongue.

“Make it simple for me, then.” His voice is a low rumble, and I can almost feel the vibration of his wolf beneath his skin.

“Please, I can’t do this here,” I plead, glancing around at the curious eyes starting to take interest in our heated exchange.

“Then when, Cleo? When will you stop running from what we are? I told you we are mates, yet you agree to marry someone else?”

“Being mates doesn’t mean we can just… ignore reality. There are consequences, alliances, expectations. Besides, nothing is even confirmed until I get my wolf tonight.” My voice trails off, the enormity of it all pressing down on me.

“Damn the alliances! Damn what everyone else expects!”

“Zayn, you know I can’t—”

“Can’t or won’t?” he challenges, stepping even closer, the heat of his body mingling with mine.

“Both!” The word explodes from me, a confession and a condemnation. The tension coils between us, a live wire ready to spark into flame.

“Tell me why. Give me a reason that’s worth more than this,” he whispers, his breath hot against my skin.

“Because if I don’t, everything falls apart. My father, the pack, it’ll be war, Zayn.” The weight of my decision presses upon me, a suffocating shroud.

“A war will start if you walk down that fucking aisle, Cleo,” he warns me, and tears burn my eyes at his words. No matter what, I am disappointing someone.

“I have no choice. You don’t understand,” I say, my voice barely above a murmur.

“Then let me fight for you, for us.”

“I don’t…” My resolve waivers, the pull toward him is undeniable. When I remember my father’s words about him betraying Zayn, it once again has me questioning Zayn’s actions and intentions.

“Stay with me tonight. Just tonight,” he murmurs, his lips hovering perilously close to mine.

“Zayn, I can’t.” The finality in my voice is a lie I wish I could believe.

The rough brick wall scrapes against my back as Zayn’s hands cage me on either side, his silver eyes blazing with an intensity that both frightens and thrills me. The city noises fade into the background, drowned out by the rapid beat of my heart.

“Damn it, Cleo! Do you have any idea what this is doing to me?” His fingers graze my cheek, and I lean into the touch despite myself. “Watching you prepare to marry another man? I am your mate!”

My heart clenches at his pain, mirrored by my own. “Do you think it’s easy for me? To turn away from what I want most in this world?”

“Then don’t!” There’s a desperate edge to his voice now, a plea hidden within the command.

His lips are mere inches from mine, and the air between us crackles with raw energy. The desire to close that distance is overwhelming, to lose myself in him and forget everything else.

“Tell me why, Cleo! Why Boyd?” The demand is a guttural growl, his silver eyes reflecting turmoil that mirrors the chaos churning inside me.

“I… I don’t know,” I whisper, my defenses crumbling. “His pack is strong, and our alliance… it would bring peace.” It sounds hollow even to my own ears.

“Because the packs, they’re on the brink of war,” I say, my words rushing out as I struggle to keep my resolve. “Marrying Boyd—it’s more than I can tell you. You lied to me; I can’t even trust you to help because I’m not even sure how much you know or if you even mean a single word you say to me!”

Tears sting my eyes, and I force them back. “I don’t give a damn about Boyd or your father’s politics. I care about you. Us.”

“Us,” I whisper, my heart splintering. His scent envelops me, a heady mix of vanilla, sandalwood and something identifiably male, intensifying the ache.

“Cleo, I can protect you. I will protect you. No one will ever harm you, not on my watch.” His voice is a low growl, leaving no room for doubt of his sincerity.

“This isn’t about me, Zayn!” Anger and frustration well up inside me, spilling out before I can rein them in. “It’s about the pack. About people who’ll get hurt if I don’t do this!”

Zayn steps back as if struck, raking a hand through his hair.

“Let me help you,” Zayn tells me.

“Like you helped me look for Deacon when you knew where he was all along?” I ask him. I know it’s a cheap blow, but at the moment, I don’t trust anything or anyone.

My fingers tremble against the heat of his skin, betraying the longing that seeps into my every pore.

His muscles tense beneath my touch, his breath hitching. For a moment, I see the man beneath the Alpha, vulnerable and torn. He steps back, the connection severed as if by a knife’s edge.

“Don’t expect me to stand by and do nothing while you walk down the aisle with another man.”

The air between us cools almost immediately, the tension now uncomfortable and heavy.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I will let you play pretend for now, but you will see I am not lying, and when you do, don’t even dare ask me to spare your father because the answer will be no.” he growls, pushing off the wall and stalking away.

“Do you think you are better than him?” I ask, and he stops; the sound that leaves him draws the attention of the entire street.

“Excuse me?” he snarls, and I see Zarek press beneath his skin, his eyes changing slightly, and his entire body seems to vibrate as his aura comes out violently.

“My father, do you think you’re better than him?” He stares at me, calming slightly, and I realize he thought I was comparing him to Boyd.

Yet before he can say anything. “You’re not.

My father lied to me, and you may think I am foolish for going back to him and my pack, but at least I know what to expect from him.

You, I don’t; you lied from the beginning, proving I don’t know you at all.

Then you dare to get angry that I leave.

Isn’t the saying better the devil, you know?

Because that’s just it, Zayn. I don’t know you, what I do know is you’re a liar. ”

“Which will make it all the easier when I kill him because you’ll realize I am the only one who told the truth.

I may have hidden the fact that I killed your boyfriend, but I never lied about the reasoning for it.

I just didn’t want to upset you. I hid that you were my mate because I knew you wouldn’t feel the bond and that you’d question it.

The main reason I hid it? Because I wanted you to feel and realize we shared a bond. I didn’t want to ruin it for you.”

“Ruin it?” I scoff. He ruined it when he lied.

Zayn grips my face, his fingers wrapping tightly around my jawline, knuckles turning white as he forces my chin up to meet his intense gaze. The pressure of Zayn’s grip on my face is almost painful.

“Yes, because the day I laid eyes on you was the greatest and worst day of my life,” he tells me. I swallow and try to pull away from his grip. He doesn’t allow me to.

“The greatest, because I found my mate. And the worst because I realized you couldn’t feel the bond. I’ve never felt my heart race so fast, never knew loving someone so much could hurt until I thought you were ignoring me,” he whispers.

“The moment I laid eyes on you in that conference room, I knew you were mine and knew I would never love anyone else. I knew then I wouldn’t just kill for you. I’d lay my life down for you without even thinking.”

“Zayn…” Guilt gnaws at me, but I fail to come up with anything else.

“Even now, when you’re about to betray our bond and marry him, I’d still die for you. Despite that at this moment, I hate how much I love you.” He shakes his head. “You think I lied, yet I marked you, giving you the power to destroy me. Does that sound like a rival Alpha getting revenge?”

“I marked you,” he continues, his tone rough with barely contained fury, “not to bind you, to offer up my soul at your feet, because that’s what you hold now. Not just my heart, but my soul; my very existence is tied to loving you.”

His jaw clenches as he locks eyes with me, his gaze holding mine hostage.

“I’ve handed you the power to destroy me.

Tell me, does that sound like a man who merely seeks revenge?

Or like one damned and determined to love you, regardless of the cost?

”He then lets me go, turning to leave when he stops again.

“Happy Birthday, Cleo.” I chew my lip, and he leaves, storming off toward his car, which I just noticed across the road.

Yeah, happy birthday, I think to myself dryly.

This is by far the worst birthday of my life.

Zayn storms off, his words still ring in my ears. I can feel the weight of his emotions, the intensity of his love and pain, and it overwhelms me.

I take a deep breath and make my way back to my car. As soon as I get in, tears start streaming down my face. This is supposed to be my birthday, a day filled with celebration. Yet here I am, feeling more confused and broken than ever.