Page 7 of Chained By the Alpha (Claimed Duet #1)

I don’t know how long has passed, but my body is going numb. Zayn’s lips look a little blue, and even his body heat isn’t doing much to keep us warm now. He now observes me with something that looks like concern in his eyes. I think I imagine it because as soon as it comes, it is gone.

“Are you alright?” he asks. I nod. Though it’s obvious lying because my body is shaking like crazy.

He sighs, his breath fogging the air. “I’m going to shift into my wolf form. I’ll be able to keep you warm better.”

Seriously? Did he think of that now? “I’m glad you finally realized,” I scoff, not that the idea had come to me, either.

Suddenly, he grabs hold of my neck tightly.

“Careful there, princess. If it weren’t for the fact that your father pays me for protection, I could fucking care less.

But if you must know, our wolves aren’t human, or have you forgotten that?

Your scent is driving my wolf mad, so don’t provoke him,” he snarls, pushing me off his lap roughly.

My heart thumps as I look at the man before me, surprised at his sudden behavior change. His eyes flash a shimmering black that burns to a bright silver.

“Wait!” I blurt, now worried his wolf will kill me. I’m Alpha blood, and his wolf is an Alpha. What if he thinks I’m a threat to him and mauls me?

“What, Cleo?” he growls.

“Maybe you shouldn’t shift? It was one thing for him to heal me while you had control, but you are giving him full control,” I tell him, and he rolls his eyes and his bones start snapping.

“At least tell me his name!” I blurt.

“Zarek,” Zayn tells me, and I swallow when he quickly shifts into his massive, black wolf.

He is huge, and his aura only seems to grow stronger in this form. He growls then stalks toward me, and I freeze, pressing against the wall as his wolf sniffs me.

“Don’t eat me,” I cringe as his wolf puts his face so close to mine that our noses are touching. Hesitantly, I reach up and brush the fur on his shoulder.

“Nice, Zarek, good puppy,” I tell him. He huffs at me calling him a puppy. I wonder how much control Zayn even has in this form.

His giant wolf then licks my cheek and drops to the ground beside me.

I watch him for a second and see him roll his eyes, making me realize Zayn must have more control than I thought because that is clearly a human trait.

He sets his giant paw across my lap and drags me against him, pulling me close.

Despite his harsh words earlier, I snuggle into his thick, soft fur, welcoming the renewed warmth of his giant body.

Right now, the important thing is to survive. The warmth gives me hope that perhaps we’ll make it, and someone will find us before I die down here.

I know Dad won’t give up until he’s found me.

Wrapped in Alpha Zayn’s wolf’s warmth, I somehow drift off once again into an uneasy sleep, one filled with rogues, bloodshed, and dead bodies.

It is only when I hear a loud explosion that I’m snapped out of my sleep, making me shoot up, and the Alpha growls. A second explosion blasts more debris into the already tight space, forcing him to shift back.

At that very moment, light seeps into the freezer room, and I turn to see none other than my father standing there in wolf form.

Several men are with him, but his eyes are on us, a look of pure rage in those burning eyes of his.

A terrifying growl leaves him, echoing off the walls and trembling through me.

“Get off my daughter!” Dad roars, making me stare up into the eyes of Alpha Zayn; his lush, dark locks cover his forehead.

It is then, with pure horror, that I realize not only am I in my skimpy bra, but the Alpha is on top of me, straddling me butt-naked.

“Wait! Dad, it’s not what it looks like!” I scream. My father moves to grab him. Zayn, however, is much quicker. I find myself precariously caught between two Alphas wanting to rip each other to pieces as Zayn pulls me up with him.

But it is too late; Alpha Zayn’s eyes narrow at my father as he stands to face him, with me caught between them.

“She was freezing to death. I was trying to keep her fucking warm,” he spits out in a cold voice that surprises me. Dad doesn’t seem to care and steps closer, pushing the Alpha away from me.

“You may be the Alpha of your pack, but you have no right to touch my daughter!” His voice booms through the room as they square off against each other. Both are huge Alphas full of power and might, though only one could win this battle for supremacy.

The tension in the air is so thick, you could cut it with a knife. My dad and Alpha Zayn are at each other’s throats, both exuding menacing auras, their eyes locked in a challenging stare.

“You’re making out like I am hurting her. I’m not interested in hurting your fucking daughter, Joseph. Now get out of my way!” Zayn snarls furiously.

Dad, however, refuses to bow down to him, and I find myself caught between the pair of them.

“Don’t push your luck with me.” Zayn’s voice is menacingly low as he looks Dad straight in the eyes.

Standing tall between them both seems futile. They are both so much bigger than I am, and their anger is only escalating with each word being spoken.

“She’s my daughter!” Dad roars, his voice echoing through the confined space.

“And you had no right to touch her, regardless of the circumstances!”

“As I said,” Zayn retorts, unyielding, “she was freezing. What was I supposed to do? Let her freeze to death?”

The two Alphas look like they are mere seconds away from lunging at each other when I hesitantly set my hand on Zayn’s bare chest. His heart thumps beneath my palm calmly, and his eyes fall on me.

“Please,” I mouth to him, needing him to back off.

I know my father’s temper, and if Zayn doesn’t back off, I know this will turn into a bloodbath.

Zayn’s brows furrow briefly, and he grips my hand, moving it off his chest. But he doesn’t let go like I expected he would, even after I turn to my father.

“Can we go, please? It’s cold, Linda and Lydia are probably worried,” I tell my father, knowing his mate is most likely the only person to distract him or stop him from causing a scene.

My father pauses briefly, considering my words at the mention of his mate.

“Fine. I will deal with you when I get home. What is wrong with you? How could you allow him to be all over you like that!” he snaps angrily, grabbing my arm.

Great! I hoped to use his mate to distract his attention away from Zayn, only to get it pointed right at me.

I glance at Zayn, who presses his lips in a line but nods to me; he doesn’t look impressed about letting my father walk away with his life.

He squeezes my hand and lets me go just as my father yanks me toward the exit where debris has been cleared away, not that there is much left of the place.

Then I see the source of the explosion; the huge gas tanks for hot water and kitchens.

“We’re leaving,” my father snaps as I limp along behind him. My leg burns violently as I try to keep up with my father.

As I’m led out, I spot Lydia standing next to Alpha Samuel’s car. She’s in the company of Samuel and two of his men. Samuel is her biological father. He’s on the phone, and I catch the tail end of the conversation.

“Yes, Linda, Lydia is fine, and so is Joseph. Oh, and Cleo is safe, but you should come right away.”

Dad doesn’t even look at Samuel as he pushes me toward the car. “Get in,” he orders.

“Dad—”

“Get in!” His voice is a roar, his eyes still flashing from the argument with Zayn.

He then turns back to Samuel and Lydia. You’d think those two would hate each other since Linda left Samuel for my father when they met at an Council meeting a few years back.

Samuel seemed to accept it almost immediately.

My mother, however, wasn’t so inviting to Linda.

Eventually, she came to terms with it; it is not like she had a choice.

Linda and my father are fated mates. Yes, indeed, you can also reject your mates and choose your own.

Some people choose mates and then abandon them for their true mates when they appear.

True mates are always stronger than chosen ones, and they can override a chosen mate bond if the true mate marks them, as happened with my mother.

When my mother caught my father cheating, it was because Linda marked him; it severed her bond to him instantly.

I glance back at the building and see Zayn emerge from the wreckage, immediately taking charge.

He’s barking orders at various members of his pack, directing them to tend to those who are injured.

The man is fully in Alpha mode, but something in his eyes tells me the confrontation with my father isn’t over.

My stepmother, Linda, shows up, rushing past me to embrace Lydia.

“Oh, my poor baby! Are you okay?” she gushes, and I roll my eyes.

The words turn my stomach. “Poor baby?” I mutter under my breath. Linda always worried about her daughter and never anybody else.

What about the people who are actually hurt?

Ignoring the scene, I walk over to Dad’s car, pulling on the door handle, only to find it locked. Dad and Samuel are in a heated discussion a few yards away. And I try to listen.

“Wait, what happened?” Linda demands, looking at Samuel. But my father is the one who answers her.

“Samuel isn’t providing the pack protection we pay for each month; Alpha Zayn provides it!”

Samuel shrugs, trying to explain himself to his ex-wife and his friend. “My hands are tied. I am short of men for my own border patrols with all the recent attacks, and I wasn’t going to leave my daughter unprotected, Joseph!”

“But him! No, I won’t allow it… I don’t want him anywhere near my pack.”I turn my attention away, rubbing my arms, trying to warm them.

The cold is starting to seep back into my bones, making me regret the loss of Zayn’s warmth. Before I can dwell on the thought, someone drapes a blanket over my shoulders.