Chained By The Alpha By Jessica Hall

He pulls back, brushing his nose against mine gently, and then his hand grips my chin, tilting my face up to his. I can feel the heat radiating off his body and the scent of his cologne mingling with his natural addictive scent. It’s intoxicating, and I find myself unable to look away from his piercing gray eyes

And then, without warning, his lips are on mine

The kiss is searing, electric, like a bolt of lightning straight to my core. His tongue teases my lower lip seeking entrance, and snapping out of my shock at his actions, I grant it willingly, letting myself get lost in the feel of his tongue brushing softly against mine. When he pulls

away, all I can do is stare at him

“Does that answer your question?” Zayn asks Boyd, who looks utterly baffled

“Y-yeah,” Boyd stammers, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “I guess it does.”

“Good,” Zayn replies, his eyes never leaving mine. “Now, if you’ll excuse us…”

Boyd hesitates for a moment, then nods, turning on his heel and disappearing into the crowd

The tension in the room seems to dissipate with his departure, but my own internal turmoil only grows

My chest tightens with a strange mix of relief and anger. I can’t help but feel like a pawn in some twisted game, with Zayn making moves I can’t predict

“Zayn,” I seethe, my hands balling into fists as I shove his broad chest. “What the fuck?”

His eyes flash dangerously, a storm brewing behind those silver gray eyes. “He won’t challenge me for you, Cleo.” There’s a bite to his voice that sends shivers down my spine. “I panicked. Or if you’d like,” he adds, his lips curling into a feral grin, “I can tell him you’re ripe for the picking.”

a

My heart races in my chest, torn between fury and something else entirely dangerous spark of desire. It scares me how attracted I am to this unpredictable alpha, even as his words set my blood boiling

“Fuck you,” I spit, trying to ignore the heat pooling low in my belly. “This isn’t some game you can control. This is my life!”

“Believe me, Love,” Zayn murmurs, stepping closer until his body brushes against mine. The scent of his cologne threatens to overwhelm my senses, a heady blend of cedar wood and smoke

“I know exactly what’s at stake.”

“Then why would you do that?” I whisper yell, feeling the first tendrils of doubt creeping in

Maybe Zayn’s impulsive actions are going to throw me in hot water once again with my father. This will definitely get back to him

“Because I couldn’t stand the thought of that prick laying claim to you,” he growls, his fingers digging into my hips as he pulls me flush against him. My breath catches at the intimate contact, my body betraying me by arching into his touch

“Zayn,’ I breathe, struggling to maintain my anger as I push against his chest

“Unless you want Boyd coming over and staking his claim against you, you’ll stop pushing me away, Cleo.” He growls in warning before dropping his head lower. “He’s right there, no lovers quarrels, you’ll make him think he stands a chance,” Zayn whispers, then grins deviously as he leans closer

I am about to mention Deacon, but my words are swallowed by his lips and he groans. His fingers twist in my hair as he tilts my head back and nips at my lips with his teeth, forcing them to part. His tongue brushes mine and I feel the sire bond kick in as a sound, a cross between a whimper and moan, escapes me. Zayn chuckles, kissing me deeper, and my tongue brushes his as I kiss him back. Breathless, Zayn pulls away, his eyes darting behind me, but I don’t look

“He’s gone,” he states, his lips hovering just above mine. I bite my lip and Zayn’s hand

moves

from my hair, his thumb brushing my lip and pulling it from between my teeth. “You’re not married yet, Cleo. And from what I saw, you didn’t seem too keen on the idea.”

My chest heaves with the weight of my emotions, my heart pounding like a war drum.

I can’t make sense of what’s happening within me, but I know I need to get away — at least for a moment

“Zayn,” I say, my voice strained, “I need to get out of here.”

“Sure, come on, I’ll take you to view those tapes,” he replies, his eyes flickering with an unreadable emotion. He leads me towards the security room, his hand on the small of my back, warm and reassuring, sending shivers down my spine

Each step feels like a battle, my mind racing with confusion of how the sire bond makes me feel toward Zyan, and the uncertainty of the war I could have possibly started. The suspicion that my draw to Zayn might be due to a sire bond gnaws at me like a relentless itch, clouding my every thought. Seeing a waiter with another tray of wine, I snatch a glass and scull the contents before holding up a finger telling him to

wait

Right now, I need something to drown out this sire bond; I give him the wine glass back when it’s empty, and I grab another

“Now you can go,” I tell him, and he nods, walking off while Zayn raises an eyebrow at

me

“Didn’t realize that me kissing you requires a drink?” he taunts, grabbing my hand and leading me down a hall

As we enter the security room, the tension

between us is thick, the air heavy with unspoken words and unanswered questions. We

sit down next to each other, our thighs brushing together, sending jolts of electricity through my body

“Let’s just focus on finding the footage from last night,” Zayn suggests, his voice low and slightly husky. “Maybe it’ll give us some answers.”

The security room’s dim lighting adds to the heavy atmosphere that seems to press down on me as I follow Zayn inside