Chained By The Alpha By Jessica Hall

Cleo

As I stood there, staring at Maya in disbelief, my mind raced with questions and doubts. Had I set off this chain of events by confiding in Zayn? Had my trust in him, in the wrong person, led to this devastating turn of events? My luck seems to be getting worse and worse

The sound of my own heartbeat rings in my ears, loud and fast

Maya must have sensed my distress because she reaches out and squeezes my arm gently. “Look, Cleo, I don’t know what’s going on between you and Zayn, but you should know that Zayn…” She stops and shakes her head. Maya’s expression is one of concern and confusion, her

brow furrowing and her lips pressing together

“What is it, Maya?” I ask, wondering what more there could be

Maya bites her lip. “Lydia told me you’ve been involved with Zayn; whatever is going on between you, too, you need to be careful, especially now,” she tells me. My brows furrow in confusion

“T have a boyfriend, Maya, Deacon. Remember him,” I remind her. Maya raises an eyebrow at me

“You sure about that? Because Lydia said, you’ve been sneaking off to see him. I know Lydia can be a bitch, but Zayn, of all people!? He’s ruthless, Cleo, if he starts a war with our pack over you. You’ll get us all killed; we haven’t got enough warriors to go up against his pack!” she

snaps at me abruptly

“What are you talking about!” I snarl. “Just spit it out, Maya, whatever it is, tell me!” Maya

curses and shakes her head

“Your father was at that meeting. He’s furious

Zayn put claim to you, told him if he forces you to marry Boyd, he’ll start a war and challenge your father. How could you be so stupid to risk the pack like that?” she shakes her head in disbelief

“He what?” I squeak, knowing my father was going to lose it at me for this. What has Zayn done; why would he do that!?

“So forget about Deacon; if he hasn’t heard already, he will because right now, you and Zayn are the talk of the city,” she growls, storming off

I spent the rest of the day lost in thought, trying to figure out what I could do to help. Every time I think of Zayn, I am filled with a mix of longing and anger. He had seen me In my weakest moment, and instead of leaving things be, he had started a war—a frigging war, and not just with Alpha Dane, but my father

As the news spread throughout campus and beyond, the tension grew so thick it was almost tangible. The quiet whispers and casting gaze in my direction transformed into outright hostility laced with their fear

My phone also has done nothing but go off with messages from my father. I never even gave him this number, so I know he must have rang his phone off it, so he had the phone number. I didn’t open a single one of them, already knowing what I would find in them

Alpha Zayn’s decision to declare war against the Claymore pack had thrown the entire school into turmoil. It is as if everyone 1s expecting him to storm the place. Unable to handle everyone staring and whispering, I skip the next class and head back to my dorm

Yet even furious with Zayn I couldn’t shake the memory of his embrace, the way he had comforted me in the face of such humiliation

Our connection is undeniable, and this sire bond only seems to make me ache for him despite wanting to punch him in the face. I paced back and forth, unable to shake the conflicting emotions swirling inside me. I knew I had brought this upon myself, but I also couldn’t help feeling drawn to Zayn like a moth to a flame

I collapse onto my bed, a deep sense of despair settling in when I receive another message

Sighing I open it, not wanting my father to come here and cause a scene. There are around 50 messages from him, each one raging at me like I asked Zayn to declare war. Yet the last one sends my blood cold

Dad: Meet me at my office tomorrow so we can go over ways to fix this

My heart sinks as I realize there is no avoiding this conversation. My father 1s going to

be furious with me for bringing this upon our pack

Swallowing down my dread, I hastily reply

Cleo: I’m sorry, I never asked for this

Dad: You may not have asked for it, but you certainly caused it. You will marry Boyd, but first, we need to fix this shit with Alpha Zayn

Whatever is going on between you two, you end it, and end it now, Cleo!

I stare at his message, tears burning my vision; I don’t even understand what’s going

on between me and Zayn. We aren’t even a thing, so exactly how do I break up with someone I am not even with? Clutching my hair, I try to take some deep breaths, trying to will the tears away. This is so messed up, so frigging messed up

I was still trying to gather myself together; I was even too afraid to get dinner, not

wanting to be caught in the halls by anyone when I heard a knock on the door. I sit up abruptly, staring at my dorm room door. Glancing at the clock, I see it is a little after 8 PM now. I know it can’t be my father because I literally just spoke to him

Nervousness ripples through me when the thumping continues, and some part of me worries it might be Alpha Dane

“Cleo, I swear if you don’t open this damn door, I will break it down!” comes Zayn’s voice. My

heart flutters in my chest, and I quickly move to open it before he busts 1t down

The moment I do, I want to slam it in his face when I see he is also furious with me. Zayn’s face 1s twisted in anger, his jaw clenched tight, and his eyes flashing with frustration. His body is tense, and his fists are clenched at his sides