Chained By The Alpha By Jessica Hall

The two Alphas looked 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 when 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, and 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, but 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, but 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 the debris has been cleared away, not that there is much left of the place. And I see the source of the explosion: the huge gas tanks for hot water and kitchens

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 Alpha meeting a few years back. Samuel seemed to accept it almost immediately. My mother, however, wasn’t so inviting to Linda but eventually, she came to terms with it, it is not like she had a choice. Linda and my father are fated mates. Yes, it is true that you can also reject your mates and take chosen ones. Some take chosen mates then ditch them for their true mates when they come along, true mates will always be stronger than chosen and will override a chosen mate bond, if the true mate marks them, which is what happened to 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 that 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 that answers her

“Samuel isn’t providing the pack protection we pay for each month, it’s provided by Alpha Zayn!” my father snarls at her

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. But before I can dwell on that thought, someone drapes a blanket over my shoulders

I turn around to find Zayn standing there, now wearing a pair of shorts

“You looked cold,” he says gruffly

“Thank you,” I whisper, pulling the blanket tighter around me

“Doesn’t

your father ever get sick of yelling at people?” he mutters, and I chuckle

“Apparently not,” I sigh, knowing I will have to listen to him rant all the way home

“Are you really going to leave my pack defenseless?” I ask, chewing my lip, and he scratches his chin. “I will work out something with your father. Don’t you worry about it,” he says, and I am about to ask another question when I hear my name being called

“Cleo!” Another voice calls out, and I look over to see Deacon rushing toward me from the club next door. The relief on his face 1s evident as he wraps me in a hug, nearly squeezing the life out of me

“Thank God, you’re okay! I’ve been trying to reach you. Why weren’t you answering your phone?”

I glance back at Zayn, remembering he took my phone. Before I can ask him, I catch him glaring at Deacon. I clear my throat, wondering what has gotten into him. He looks at me and then seems to come to his senses, but then snaps at me

“Oh, I’m sorry. I left your phone in my pants, which was destroyed while I was saving

you!”

I blink at him, not expecting such a harsh reply

Honestly, I wasn’t going to ask him at all because I knew there was no way he had my phone now. Not after the constant shifting and fighting

“Oh, you must be Alpha, Zayn. I’ve heard about you. I’m Deacon, Cleo’s mate,”

Deacon says, holding out his hand to Zayn. Zayn, however, growls at his gesture

“L highly doubt that she isn’t even old enough to recognize her mate yet,” Zayn snarls, but Deacon is oblivious to his anger