I sway my body to the pulsing beat blasting from the club’s speakers, my eyes fluttering shut as I let the alcohol coursing through my veins guide my movements. I’m lost in the music, in the blissful haze of intoxication, finally free from the constant ache in my chest. I don’t know what day it is anymore, let alone the month. And frankly, I don’t care.
When drowning my sorrows in pints of ice cream stopped numbing the pain, I graduated to something stronger, something that could knock me out cold and grant me a few precious hours of oblivion. Mila’s been worrying herself sick over me, convinced I’ll never recover from Alex’s betrayal. And maybe she’s right. This is my fourth night in a row at the club, ever since she cut me off from drinking at home. Alex had blown up my phone with calls and texts until I blocked his number, unable to bear seeing his name flashing on my screen.
I roll my hips, shimmying lower as the bass drops, reveling in the appreciative whistles and catcalls from the men crowding the dance floor. But then a large hand clamps down on my ass, startling me out of my drunken haze. I don’t bother turning around or demanding he remove it – at this point, I’m too far gone to care. Instead, I grind back against him, relishing the heat of his body pressed flush against mine. But the moment he leans in to whisper in my ear, I realize with a sickening lurch that I should have paid more attention.
“Hello, beautiful,” Collins purrs, his breath hot and reeking of liquor as it fans across my skin, making me break out in goosebumps.
Sobriety comes crashing down on me like a bucket of ice water, and I immediately try to twist out of his grasp. But his arm only tightens around my waist, trapping me against him.
“I’ve missed you, Hannah,” he murmurs, burying his nose in the crook of my neck and inhaling deeply. Bile rises in my throat, and I have to swallow hard to force it back down. I need to get away from him now. But I didn’t come to the club with anyone who might come looking for me, anyone who could save me from him. I’ll have to be smart about this; play it cool. Men like Collins don’t handle rejection well.
“Collins, it’s been forever,” I say, hoping he can’t feel the way my heart is pounding wildly against my ribcage, threatening to burst out of my chest.
“Yes, it has. Too long.” He spins me around to face him, and my stomach plummets to my toes. Hearing his voice was bad enough, but seeing his face… it hits me like a physical blow. I haven’t laid eyes on him since that awful night, the night he tried to force himself on me. I’d prayed I would never have to again. And now here I am, trapped in his arms with no escape in sight. Why is he even still in town? He should have gone back to his pack by now.
“You’re still as beautiful as the first day I saw you,” he says softly, reaching up to stroke my cheek. I flinch at the contact, my skin crawling with disgust.
“Thank you,” I manage to choke out, forcing my eyes to stay open, to not betray the sheer panic clawing at my insides.
“Be mine, Hannah. You’ve seen for yourself that Alex isn’t worthy of you. Stop wasting your time drinking yourself into oblivion over him. Be my mate, my Luna.”
I barely resist the urge to roll my eyes and sigh. Of course, he hasn’t given up, even after I’ve rejected him countless times. But I’m so tired of repeating myself, of having to fend off his unwanted advances.
I part my lips, ready to turn him down once again when a familiar voice cuts through the din of the club.
“Well, well, what do we have here?”
I spin around to see Alice standing there with Alex by her side. Great. As if this night couldn’t get any worse.
“I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but I thought you’d at least wait a month before moving on,” she sneers, her eyes glittering with malicious glee.
I can only stare at her, one eyebrow arched in disbelief. Is she seriously going to stand there and judge me after spending the last month doing everything in her power to steal Alex away? The hypocrisy is astounding.
As I’m silently fuming, I feel the air in the club shift, charged with a sudden tension. A low, menacing growl rumbles from somewhere nearby, raising the hairs on the back of my neck. My gaze darts around the room until it lands on Alex… and what I see makes my eyes widen in shock.
He’s glaring at Collins with such raw, murderous rage that it’s a wonder he hasn’t burst into flames on the spot. If looks could kill, Collins would be nothing but a smoldering pile of ash. I furrow my brow in confusion. What the hell is Alex so pissed about? Before, I might have assumed it was jealousy at seeing me in another man’s arms. But not anymore. He made his choice when he went back to Alice. So why the death stare?
“Really, Collins? Out of all the men here?” Alex snarls, his fury ratcheting up with every word.
And just like that, my confusion morphs into white-hot anger. I can’t believe the nerve of him, the sheer hypocrisy. He’s back with Alice, but apparently, I’m supposed to stay miserable and alone forever? What a fucking asshole.
An idea sparks in my mind then, a way to show him just how done I am with his bullshit. Fuck Alex and his double standards.
“How I live my life is none of your damn business anymore,” I snap, reaching down to lace my fingers through Collins’. I feel him stiffen in surprise at the sudden contact, but he quickly relaxes into it.
Meanwhile, I’m fighting the urge to cringe, my skin crawling with disgust at his touch. But I need Alex to believe I’ve moved on, that he’s no longer the center of my universe. He doesn’t deserve my love or loyalty.
Alex’s nostrils flare, his face flushing an alarming shade of red as rage practically radiates off him in waves. A vindictive thrill shoots through me at the sight. Good. Let him see that I’m not pining for him anymore.
“You’re right; it’s not any of our business.” Alice cuts in, latching onto Alex’s arm.
“I guess everyone ended up with who they were meant to be with after all,” Collins says from behind me, tightening his grip on my waist and pulling me flush against him.
I stiffen as I feel his hard-on pressing into my lower back. Oh god. I think I may have taken this too far. What if Collins actually believes I’m serious about being with him? His hold on me is already bruising, and it’ll take a miracle to break free if he decides he wants more than just a dance.
Panic rising in my throat, I dart my gaze around the room, silently begging someone, anyone, to intervene. But then my eyes land on Alex again… and I’m shocked to see the utter devastation written all over his face as he stares at Collins’ arm wrapped around me.
I blink, and in the next instant, Alex is charging across the room, closing the distance between us in a few long strides. Before I can even process what’s happening, he’s grabbing Collins by the collar and slamming his fist into the other man’s face with a sickening crunch.
Collins crumples to the ground, clearly not expecting the blow. Alex stands over him, chest heaving, eyes wild with fury.
“She’s mine,” he snarls, the words dripping with possessive rage.
Then he’s spinning around and seizing my hand, practically dragging me out of the club as I stumble to keep up with his punishing pace.
“Let me go!” I shout, trying to wrench my arm free of his bruising grip. But he only tightens his hold, refusing to release me.
“Why, so you can go running back to him?” he roars, finally dropping my hand once we reach his car.
“Yes!” I scream back, the word tearing from my throat on a sob.
“In case you’ve forgotten, you’re my mate. Mine.” He slaps his hand against his chest, right over his heart.
“And in case you’ve forgotten, I rejected you!” Hot, angry tears sting my eyes, blurring my vision.
Alex doesn’t respond; he just stares at me, his chest rising and falling rapidly with each harsh breath.
“Please, just leave me alone. I’m so tired of this,” I whisper brokenly, the tears finally spilling over to stream down my cheeks.
Something flickers in Alex’s eyes as he watches me cry, his jaw clenching so hard I fear he might crack a tooth. Slowly, he reaches out to cradle my face in his hands, his thumbs oh-so-gently brushing the tears from my skin.
My eyes flutter shut at the contact, my traitorous heart aching at the tenderness of his touch. There’s nothing I want more in this moment than to melt into his embrace, to bury my face in his chest and let his scent wash over me, soothing the ragged edges of my soul. But I can’t. Alex has proven he isn’t worthy of my love, my trust. And that knowledge is a blade in my heart, twisting with every beat.
“Hannah Jefferson,” he murmurs, and my eyes snap open to meet his intense gaze. “You are mine. And if I have to remind you of that every single day for the rest of our lives, I will. Because you belong to me, and only me.”
And then his mouth is on mine, stealing the breath from my lungs as he kisses me with a desperate, consuming hunger. For one brief, shining moment, I’m tempted to give in, to let him sweep me away on the tide of passion and lose myself in his touch.
But I won’t let my foolish heart overrule my head. Not again. Not after everything he’s put me through.
Wrenching away from him, I raise my hand and slap him across the face with every ounce of strength I possess. The crack of skin on skin echoes in the charged air between us, and I watch with grim satisfaction as a livid red handprint blooms on his cheek.
I don’t regret it. Not even a little bit.