Chained By The Alpha By Jessica Hall

The soft hum of computers and the faint glow of monitors cast eerie shadows across the walls, their silhouettes distorted and ever-shifting. My heart races in my chest, anxiety gnawing at my insides as I try to make sense of the chaos in my mind

“Any luck?” Zayn asks, his voice low and controlled as he speaks with one of the security guards watching over the screens

“Not yet, Alpha,” the staff member replies, frustration evident in his tone. “I’ve been trying to locate the footage, but it seems to have vanished.”

“Vanished?” I echo, my eyebrows shooting up in

surprise. “How is that even possible?”

“Technical difficulties,” Zayn explains, though it sounds like a weak excuse. “These things happen sometimes.”

“Let me try,” Zayn tells him, stepping forward and holding his hand out. The security guard rummages around on his desk, which seems to be in messy order

“Here you go, Alpha,” a technician says, handing Zayn a tablet before stepping back to work on one of the computers and trying to pull the footage up. The whirring of processors forms a quiet hum as he retreats back to his computer station drenched in ghostly blue light. Fingers dance swiftly over keys in order to coax up missing fragments from last night’s events, his brow furrowed as he searches for the footage

“Thanks,” Zayn replies, his tone detached. I can feel the weight of his gaze on me, but I avoid looking at him, focusing instead on the screens around us. One by one, they display grainy images of the club’s various rooms and corridors, but none seem to capture the moment I so desperately need to see

“Seems like we’re having some technical difficulties with the footage,” Zayn says, handing the tablet back to the technician. “Keep looking, though.”

“Of course, Alpha,” the man replies, nodding before turning back to his task

“Technical issues, huh?” I mutter, more to myself than to Zayn. My thoughts keep drifting back to the confrontation with Alpha Dane, and the uncertainty of where Deacon might be. A sense of helplessness washes over me, and I

suddenly feel lightheaded

“Hey, are you okay?” I nod, and chew my lip

“Just worried about Deacon,” I admit. Zayn rolls his eyes

“Tm sure he’s fine, probably just cooling off somewhere, chilling out with friends,” he tells me. I raise an eyebrow at him

“We checked his friends, they haven’t seen him

Zayn sighs

“If it makes you feel better, tomorrow I will even help you put up missing person flyers, fuck T’ll find a milk carton company if you want to plaster his ugly mug on that too, okay so cheer up.” he tells me and I can’t help but smile knowing he is only saying this to make me smile,

“Deal?” he asks

“I may take you up on the flyers if we can’t find him,” I chuckle

“I’m sure he’s fine,”

I place a hand on the edge of a desk to steady myself, realizing that the wine I had earlier is affecting me more than I expected

“Lightweight,” Zayn teases. He leans over, gripping my arm to steady me. The casual gesture somehow makes him even more desirable, and I have to force myself to focus on anything but the magnetic pull I feel towards him

“Never took you for a wine drinker,” Zayn comments, his voice tinged with amusement

“Are you always this much of a lightweight?”

“I don’t usually drink wine, okay?” I defend myself, rolling my eyes. I can’t help but appreciate the distraction, though. It’s a brief reprieve from the storm of emotions threatening to overwhelm me

“Relax, Cleo. I’m not judging you,” Zayn says, amusement dancing in his eyes. “If anything, it makes you more… endearing.”

“Endearing?” I scoff, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks. “That’s one way to put it.”

“Would you prefer adorable?” he asks, his lips curving into a smirk

“Definitely not,” I retort, trying to ignore the way my pulse quickens at the sight of his

smile

The sire bond it has to be that, right? There’s no other explanation for why I’m reacting this way to Zayn

I roll my eyes, trying to suppress the flush creeping up my neck. “I don’t usually drink wine,” I admit. “But I needed something to calm my nerves after dealing with Alpha Dane and Boyd.”

“Fair enough,” Zayn replies, leaning against the desk with a smirk. “But you’re not driving,” he warns me

“Tl catch a cab,” I retort with a shrug, and Zayn huffs

“Let’s get out of here,” Zayn suggests, sensing my irritation. “I’ll drive you home.”

“I don’t think I can go home just yet. My father will be furious.” I admit

Zayn sighs, rubbing the back of his neck as he considers my words. “Do you have any other

places in mind? Your dorm, maybe?”

I take a deep breath, attempting to regain some semblance of control over my emotions. My heart is a thunderous drumbeat in my chest, and the heat from Zayn’s touch still lingers on my skin, and Iam a hundred percent positive he has sired my wolf now. I can’t ignore the fact that our chemistry is undeniable, but the thought of being bound by something so uncontrollable terrifies me

As we make our way toward the stairs, I see the barrage of threatening messages from

my father on my phone. My heart clenches with fear as I realize that going home isn’t an option tonight

Zayn, sensing my distress, guides me gently down the stairs, his hand warm and

steady on my lower back

“Careful,” he murmurs as I stumble slightly. “I’ve

got you.” he murmurs, his grip tightening on my arm slightly when someone calls out

to him

“Crap Shana, needs me to fix the safe, apparently it’s jammed again” he grumbles,

leading me down the last couple of steps

We reach the bar, and Zayn insists on confiscating my clutch, teasing me about trying to drive home buzzed before shoving me down on a stool at the bar