Chained By The Alpha Jessica Hall

Chapter 131

Cleo

Nervously I pace waiting for Zayn to return, and find out what my father said to him after I spoke to him. Zayn said we would speak when he was home and I didn't want to try to mindlink him when he was driving or call him, he would already be angry I don't need to be another distraction. However, the longer I wait the more unsettled I become, every echo from the hallway making me jump. The silence 1s oppressive, like a heavy blanket smothering me. I squeeze my hands into fists, trying to dampen the tremors that ripple through them

Surely my father wouldn't expect me to marry Boyd after learning Zayn is my mate?

Then I hear it - the soft click of the door. My heart leaps, lodging itself in my throat as I whirl around. Zayn strides in, his face full of fury

"Cleo," he murmurs, his voice gravelly from contained rage. He halts as he takes in my worried expression, a fraction of his anger fading away as he reaches out to caress my cheek soothingly

His silver eyes meet mine, flashing with an intensity that takes my breath away. The inked tattoos adorning his muscular arms seem darker under the dim light of the hall and I can't help but stare back hoping his anger is only directed at the situation and not me

"I talked to him." His voice 1s hushed. He shrugs off my bag from his shoulder and places it gently on the wooden table near the door, his every move radiating quiet command

"What... What did he say?" My voice trembles at the edges despite my best efforts to mask my anxiety. The apprehension gnaws at me, festering into something much more dangerous, something almost akin to fear

Zayn moves towards me, his black hair falling messily over his eyes. He halts in front of me and reaches out for my hand placing it over his heart, and I don't like the look he is giving me, almost like he is worried what he says next will rip the rug right out from under me

"He told me that the pack 1s already owned by Dane. And marrying Boyd is the only way to ensure it remains with your family." His words are measured and calm but they hit me like a punch to the gut

My heart stammers in my chest as I process this revelation. We're going to lose the pack

I shake my head vehemently, "I won't do it Zayn," My voice wavers betraying my terror. "I won't marry him."

His expression remains unruffled, but his eyes hold an intense flame when he replies. "You won't have to, Cleo. Nor would I allow that." His hand, warm against the small of my back, pulls me close. His scent enveloping me, wraps around me like a protective cocoon. "I will fix this." he promises but how can he when it's already gone and my refusal to marry Boyd ensures that?

"How?"

"By proving it was never his to give away." My brows pinch in confusion

"That's not all though, I saw Vance on my way home. I have a plan two In fact, just in case the

first one fails, but I'm worried how you'll react."

My heart pounds in my chest, a dull throb of unease resonating in my veins. This felt dangerous, like skirting the edge of a cliff with nothing but a blindfold to guide you. "Zayn," I begin hesitantly, "what are you saying?"

"Plan A," he says, disregarding my apprehension with a wave of his hand. "We challenge Dane's claim to the pack, prove your mother never signed it over to your father meaning it falls to you. If we can prove your father manipulated or lied to acquire it, then we can take it back."

I shake my head, disbelieving. I can't even entertain the idea, Zayn said it himself his father never would have gone witness 1f my mother hadn't signed it over

"Plan B," Zayn continues, his voice steady and sure even as doubt gnaws at me from the inside out. "If we can't beat him fairly, then we use Vance."

"And that is?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper

His silver eyes flash ominously under the dim light of the room. "Vance," he says simply

What's his brother got to do with this?

"But.... He's your brother," I gasp out in disbelief, horror knotting itself in my stomach

That Zayn could consider risking Vance seemed unthinkable and also beyond me, what could he possibly do?

"He's not just my brother Cleo," he tells me, only managing to confuse me further. "He's yours," Zayn tells me. I scoff

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"Wait, you think we are related, ew. No," I tell him. Did he hit his head? Mates aren't mated to family members geez I'm pretty sure the moon goddess had limits too, incest nope! I've never heard of mates being relatives!

Zayn chuckles. "We aren't related Cleo," he laughs at my horrified face

"Well, duh!" I blink at him

"But your father is Vance's father, Vance is my half-brother, we share a mother. You and Vance share a father," he explains dumbing it down like Iam five years old and honestly, I'm thankful for that because what he said initially went way over my head

"Wait.... What?" My mind stutters to a halt, snagging on the implications of Zayn's words

The room spins and suddenly the air seems

thinner. "You're... you're joking," I stammer

Zayn's face remains tight, his silver eyes serious

"I wish I was Cleo," he confesses, his hand encircling my own. The warmth of his touch is both soothing and alarming. "But it's the truth, my mother met my father through yours. When she learned my father was her mate, she was already a few weeks pregnant, your father was blackmailing my mother, when she died he told my father, that was the night I killed mine, your father I thought initially framed him, turns out he told my father his son was his."