Chained By The Alpha By Jessica Hall

“Saved me how?” my voice shakes, and I fight back the tears that threatened to spill

“Someone slipped something in your drink,” he tells me. “I found you in the parking lot… trying to drive home,” he answers. Why would anyone

drug me? And why did he care enough to help me?

I open my mouth to say something, but then close it again, not knowing what to say. “And

Deacon just let me try to drive?” I ask him. He shrugs

“No idea. He was too busy, not dry-fucking your step-sister and his ex.”

“Stop saying that! You make it sound like he was doing something wrong!” I snap. His eyebrows raise almost into his hairline

“Because he is wrong! You shouldn’t be with him! You’re not his!” he snarls

“What the heck are you talking about?” I growl back at him, and why 1s he getting so mad? Of course, I would assume he did something when I wake up, not remembering how I got here! Zayn sighs heavily and pinches the bridge of his nose, letting out a deep breath

I struggle to process everything he’s saying about Deacon and Lydia. It feels like a betrayal, a wound that’s too fresh and raw. “You’re wrong,” I whisper, more to myself than to him

“Deacon wouldn’t allow someone to do that to me and there is nothing going on with him and Lydia!”

Zayn”s expression softens slightly, and he takes a tentative step closer. “Cleo, I’m just telling you what I saw, he abandoned you. I wish it weren’t true, but I can’t change the facts.”

“You have a mate out there. One that abandoned you. Deacon clearly isn’t yours, so I don’t get why you’re with that loser, or he would have

told you, you were his mate.” He shakes his head

“Yeah, but heaps of people choose mates, they don’t actually have to be fated, and I, for one, don’t even believe in fated mates. Look at my father’s mate, real catch, she’s nothing but a gold digging bitch. I rather skip on the mate’s part, thank you,” I tell him, and he shakes his head

“And you think Deacon isn’t after the same

thing? He knows you’re the next Alpha, he becomes your mate, you become his Luna while he steals your title right out from under you,” Zayn states

I’d never thought of that, but Deacon wouldn’t do that. We’ve been together for two years, not once has ever mentioned becoming Alpha once I take over the pack

However, Zayn’s words about Deacon seeking power through me echo in my mind as I try to piece together the fragments of last night. I barely remember anything. I remember seeing him dancing on the dance floor, that’s it. The concept of him using me for his gain feels like a foreign thought, yet it gnaws at the edges of my consciousness

“L never thought about it like that,” I admit reluctantly, the realization leaving a bitter taste

in my mouth. “But Deacon isn’t like that. He cares about me.”

Zayn raises an eyebrow, a skeptical look crossing his features. “Does he? Or does he care about what being with you can get him? Think about it, Cleo.”

His words sting, and a part of me wants to defend Deacon, to deny Zayn’s accusations. But another part, a growing, nagging doubt, wonders if there’s some truth to them. The world of pack politics is a complex web of alliances and power plays, and I’ve always known that being the next Alpha would put me in the center of it

all

“Even if what you’re saying is true, what does it matter?” I challenge, trying to mask the turmoil

inside me. “I don’t need a fated mate, fate can be wrong, look at my mother, fate really fucked her

n Over

Zayn’s gaze softens, and he steps closer, his presence overwhelming. “You might be surprised at what fate has in store for you.”

The proximity between us 1s electric, a current that seems to flow from him to me, igniting a fire that I didn’t know existed. His eyes search mine, and for a moment, I feel as if he’s looking straight into my soul

The room feels charged with an energy I can’t explain, and I find myself leaning towards him, drawn by an invisible force. His scent envelops me, a heady mix that makes my head spin when he speaks again

“Doesn’t matter, not now anyway. Just do what you want, you wanna stay with the fool, be my guest. Just know that you’re safe. And nothing

happened between us,” he says, his gaze holding mune. I suppose I should be grateful it was him and not someone else with more sinister intentions

“Thank you,” I whisper, feeling a little relieved but still uneasy. He nods, his eyes never leaving mine, as if trying to reassure me without words

But the tension remains, undeniably simmering between us a heat that refused to be extinguished, and his gaze 1s intense

And though I know I should be grateful for his help, I can’t help but wonder what it would have been like if something had happened between us. This dangerous thought sends a shiver down my spine and ignites a fire deep within me that threatens to consume my very being

“Look, I wasn’t drunk, I had two drinks and I definitely didn’t take any drugs voluntarily, and

I am sorry you had to babysit me. But you are wrong about Deacon, he wouldn’t abandon me,” I insist, my voice trembling with embarrassment

The heat between us is undeniable, but so is the humiliation

“You are seriously still doubting me? See for yourself.” Zayn hands me his phone, and

on the screen is a video of me being carried inside the packhouse by him, clearly not in control of my own body

“Your so-called boyfriend left you alone while you were like that.”

I chew my lip, tears threatening to spill at the thought of Deacon just abandoning me. I hand the phone back to him. “But why am I wearing your shirt?”