ALEX
I close my eyes, taking a deep, shuddering breath as I walk downstairs for dinner, the weight of work and pack duties bearing down on my shoulders like an oppressive force. Sometimes, in my most desperate moments, I wish I could escape for a week, take a break from the relentless responsibilities, and come back to find everything just as I left it. But I know that’s an impossible fantasy. The daunting task of ensuring my pack’s readiness in the face of a potential civil war has consumed nearly every waking moment these days, leaving me little time for Hannah. I miss her with an ache that resonates deep in my bones – the warmth of her presence, the softness of her touch, the way she gasps and writhes beneath me when I’m buried deep inside her, claiming her as mine. It’s been far too long since we last mated, and the longing is a constant throb in my veins.
She’s doing well after what happened with Collins. I was really concerned about her well-being, so I kept insisting that she speak to someone about what happened. It took a while, but eventually, she agreed. I’m so relieved that she took that step because I know it’s crucial for her to fully heal and move on from the trauma.
As I near the dining room, a scent both new and hauntingly familiar assaults my senses, intoxicating and divine. It’s a fragrance that sets my nerves alight with a strange mix of desire and unease. Has Hannah experimented with a human perfume? But why would she do that?
Stepping into the room, my eyes sweep over the gathered faces – my parents and brothers- but Hannah is nowhere to be seen. Instead, Alice sits brazenly in her seat, a smug smile playing on her lips. White-hot anger surges through me, and I march over, ready to unleash my fury and demand she remove herself from my mate’s place. But the moment her scent envelops me, the words die on my tongue, and I find myself inexplicably drawn to her.
“Alice,” I greet, my face stretching into a smile that doesn’t reach my eyes, a cold and empty gesture. What the fuck is happening to me?
“Alex, nice of you to join us. Seat,” Alice purrs, patting my chair beside hers, which she has already pulled out in a presumptuous display of familiarity. Like a dog obeying its master’s command, I find myself sitting down without a single word of protest, my body moving of its own accord. I ask myself again, what the actual fuck?
As I’m trying to wrap my mind around this unnatural compulsion, Hannah steps into the room, her eyes widening in shock and confusion at the sight of Alice in her place, filling my plate with food. A pang of guilt and shame twists in my gut, but when I try to stand, to move away from this bizarre situation, Alice’s hand shoots out, gripping my arm with surprising strength, holding me in place.
“Sit,” she commands again, a bright, unsettling smile plastered on her face, her eyes cold and calculating. I don’t know what’s more disturbing – the fact that I obey without question or the eerie calmness with which she exerts her control over me.
I feel the weight of stares boring into me, and I notice my family and Hannah both watching, their expressions mirroring the confusion and unease that churn within me. Desperate to escape this suffocating situation, I abruptly push back my chair and head for the hallway, hoping to put some distance between myself and Alice before she can react. But her voice rings out behind me, sharp and demanding.
“Alex!” She’s giving chase, her footsteps echoing in the hallway, and against every instinct screaming at me to run, I find myself stopping in my tracks, my body betraying me once more.
“Aren’t you hungry?” she asks, quickening her steps toward me, her voice tinged with concern.
“I am, but I need a moment alone,” I reply honestly, the words tumbling from my lips before I can stop them when usually I would have brushed her off with a curt dismissal.
“Is something wrong, baby?” The endearment falls from her lips, sickly sweet and cloying, and before I can react, her scent hits me again, stronger than ever. My eyes flutter closed as I breathe it in, my body responding with a powerful, undeniable longing. Without thinking, I reach out and grab her by the waist, pulling her flush against me and burying my nose in the crook of her neck to inhale that intoxicating fragrance.
“Fuck, Alice, you smell divine,” I growl, my voice rough with desire, as I pull back to stare at her, my eyes dark with a hunger I can’t control.
“Thank you, baby,” she replies, winding her arms around my neck, her body molding to mine in a way that feels both wrong and irresistible. “I’ve missed you, Alex.” She pouts, her lower lip jutting out in a calculated display of vulnerability, and an overwhelming need to erase that expression from her face, to please her in any way I can, fills my chest, pressing against my ribs.
“I’m so sorry about that, Alice. Tell me how I can make it up to you,” I hear myself say, the words spilling from my mouth unbidden, a desperate plea to earn her forgiveness even though I don’t feel it in my heart.
She reaches up, cupping my face in her hands, her eyes boring into mine with an intensity that is supposed to steal my breath but doesn’t. “Kiss me,” she commands, her voice low and seductive. “I can’t remember the last time I felt your lips against mine, and I want nothing more right now.”
Without hesitation, I lean in, closing the distance between us, but as our lips are about to meet, searing pain lances through my chest, my heart clenching in protest. A voice screams at me from the depths of my mind, desperate and urgent, begging me to stop. It sounds hauntingly like my wolf, but his presence is faint and distant as if he’s being smothered by an unseen force. Why can’t I hear him clearly, as I always could before?
“Smash those amazing, pink, full lips against mine and steal the breath from my lungs. Make me feel whole once again,” Alice whispers, her breath hot against my skin, snapping me back to the moment. Her eyes are closed, her lips parted in anticipation, waiting for me to claim her.
My body moves of its own volition, leaning in to capture her mouth, but a scream of my name shatters the trance, jolting me back to reality like a bucket of ice water dumped over my head.
I whirl around to see Hannah standing there, her eyes wide with shock and betrayal, her face crumpling in anguish. I try to form words, to explain, to beg for her forgiveness, but my tongue feels heavy and useless in my mouth. How can I possibly justify what I was about to do when I don’t even understand it myself?
“Just tell her the truth, baby,” Alice murmurs beside me, her voice sickly sweet and cloying. I turn on her, my eyes blazing with a fury that burns through the fog of her influence, but she doesn’t cower before me.
“Get the fuck out of here,” I snarl, my voice laced with command, the power of it vibrating through the air.
“But we didn’t do anything wrong. You’re mine,” Alice whimpers, grabbing my arm in a desperate, clinging grip. I stare at her, astonished and utterly confused. Did I do more than almost kiss her? What the fuck is she implying?
“I knew I shouldn’t have believed you,” Hannah chokes out, her voice thick with tears and betrayal, before turning on her heel and fleeing, her footsteps echoing in the hallway.
“Hannah, no! She’s lying!” I call after her, moving to give chase, but my hand seems stuck, held fast by Alice’s grasping fingers. With a burst of strength born of desperation, I wrench myself free, sending her crashing to the floor in a heap. I don’t spare her a second glance as I race after my mate, my heart pounding in my chest, a sickening mix of fear and self-loathing churning in my gut.
I catch up to Hannah just as she reaches our bedroom door, her hand on the knob. I lunge forward, wrapping my arms around her waist from behind, holding her tight against me.
“I swear to you, what you saw and heard isn’t what you think,” I begin frantically, the words tumbling from my lips in a desperate rush, my voice cracking with emotion.
“Get your hands off me! Get your filthy hands off me!” she screams, struggling against my embrace, her body writhing in my arms like a wild thing. But I can’t let go, not until I’ve made her understand, not until I’ve convinced her of my innocence. Once I release her, I may never get the chance to speak my truth.
“I didn’t cheat on you. You would have felt it if I did, even if it was just a kiss,” I remind her urgently, my voice low and intense, willing her to remember the bond we share, the connection that runs soul-deep. She stills in my arms, and I quickly spin her around to face me, my heart-shattering at the sight of her tear-stained cheeks, the anguish etched into every line of her face. With a gentleness that belies the turmoil raging inside me, I reach up and wipe away the moisture with the pads of my thumbs, my touch lingering on her soft skin.
“Then explain what I just witnessed,” she demands, her voice raw and broken, as she crosses her arms defensively over her chest and turns her face away from me, unable to meet my gaze.
“She was trying to force herself on me.” The words feel like acid on my tongue, but they’re not exactly a lie. My heart didn’t want to kiss Alice, even if my body moved to do so, compelled by some dark, unseen force.
“And those words she said?” Hannah presses, her voice trembling with barely contained emotion.
“To make you believe what you thought was happening,” I insist, reaching out to cup her chin, gently turning her face back to mine, holding her gaze with an intensity that burns. “I will never cheat on you, Hannah. Definitely not with Alice.” I pour every ounce of sincerity into my words, willing her to see the truth in my eyes, to feel the depth of my commitment to her.
She swallows hard, searching my face for any hint of deception, before giving a small, hesitant nod. “Okay.” Her voice is barely above a whisper, but it’s enough. She believes me, even if a flicker of doubt still lingers in her eyes. That’s alright for now.
Desperate to change the subject, to shift the focus away from the pain and confusion of the last few minutes, I ask, “What are you doing tomorrow?”
“Nothing, since it’s Saturday and there’s no work,” she replies, her gaze dropping to her hands.
“Perfect. We’ll go on a date then.” The idea sparks in my mind like a bolt of lightning, a sudden, brilliant flash of inspiration. I’ve missed her, and it would be good for us to finally have that experience together.
Her head snaps up, her eyes wide with surprise. “A date?” she echoes, as if the concept is foreign to her, as if she can’t quite believe what she’s hearing.
“Yes, a date. Just be ready by 10 am,” I confirm with a smile, my heart swelling with anticipation and hope.
“10 am?” She blinks owlishly, her brow furrowing in confusion.
“Yes.” I reach out and pull her closer, my hands settling on her hips, my eyes boring into hers with an intensity that steals her breath. “I want to spend the whole day with you, Hannah. I want to show you how much you mean to me.”
A small, shy smile curves her lips, and she gives a tiny nod, her eyes shining with a tentative joy that makes my heart soar. “Okay, no problem.”
I lean in, brushing my lips across her forehead in a tender kiss, lingering for a moment to breathe in her scent, to revel in the warmth of her skin against mine. “It’s a date then. Just you and me, my mate. The way it’s meant to be.”