Chained By The Alpha Jessica Hall

Chapter 5

Damn it! I try to step away from him, but he presses closer until I feel his entire body pressed against my back, and his grip on my hip tightens

"Shouldn't you be in the Alpha meeting?" Alpha Zayn asks Boyd, who stares at him like a deer in

headlights

"My father let me leave," he stammers, quick to defend himself

I remain frozen in place. Some part of me is grateful that Zayn stepped out before shit got awkward with Boyd. The other part of me knows I'll be dragged back into that damn meeting, my opportunity to escape ruined

"Good, now leave," Alpha Zayn growls when I feel his hand on my hip move slightly, brushing beneath my blouse. Boyd also notices the Alpha's hand and reaches for me

"Come on, Cleo," Boyd states, reaching his hand toward me. Yet after hearing what he said, I don't want to go anywhere with him. Honestly, I'd rather put up with the boring meeting and this mysterious, somewhat bossy Alpha whose grip only seems to grow tighter

"Cleo is using the bathroom. She is required to attend since she'll be Alpha. Isn't that right, Cleo?" his fingers dig into my hip harder. No Alpha has ever... disciplined me like this. I glance up at him and swallow when I find his eyes glaring daggers at Boyd

"T guess I'll see you later, Cleo, if you come down to the ball," Boyd quickly states before

rushing off down the stairs

I gulp, peering up at Alpha Zayn, who leans down and points behind me.

"Bathrooms are right there," he tells me, and I glance back toward the conference room door, which the unisex bathroom door is next to the conference room

I give him a nervous look

"You weren't sneaking off now, were you?" he asks

"Just using the bathroom, but then I ran into Boyd," I say, awkwardly turning for the bathroom when I stop. "May I get my phone back, please?" I ask him. He raises an eyebrow at me

"Why, so you can message Boyd?" he asks, and my face falls

"What, no? It's my phone." Why is he so concerned with who I'm messaging?

"Until the end of the meeting, it is mine. Now, hurry, your father was worried about you," he snaps

"So, what? You decided to play errand boy for my father?" I snicker, rolling my eyes. Who is this guy? My teacher

If he thinks I am going to take his crap because he's an Alpha, he is in for a shock because I am also an Alpha and do not have to bow to him

"I'm waiting for my Beta. Now, use the bathroom before I tell Alpha Dane how excited you are to take Boyd as your mate, and become

the next Luna of Claymore pack" he growls, and my face falls

"Lam not taking him as my mate!" I reply, my tone changing to a growl. Alpha Zayn smiles deviously

"Then you better get back to the meeting to say that, I heard Alpha Dane ask to speak with your father after the meeting about an alliance proposal."

"What did my father say?" I ask him, slightly worriedly. This is common within packs, my father married my mother as part of a pack alliance, he then took over her pack only to find his true mate in my stepmother. It made things complicated, but at first, my mother had accepted it, though Linda wasn't as accepting as my mother. This is one thing that constantly wotrles me, even if we take a chosen mate, we

will still recognize our true destined mate

"I didn't hear. My Beta mindlinked me," he says as he steps closer and leans down

"But he can't marry you off without your consent. So make sure you don't give it," he tells me

"You know it's not that easy," I tell him, noticing how good he smells as he leans in closer, making me want to lean closer so 1 can soak up his scent. I almost follow that instinct when I snap out of the weird hair I'm under before embarrassing myself

"Isn't it?" he says, and my brows furrow

"Tt could cause pack wars," I remind him

"You'll have strong alliances," he tells me

"T highly doubt Alpha Samuel will go up against Alpha Dane, given they're best friends, and he is the only alpha my father currently has an alliance with." My eyes suddenly burn at the thought as tears spring to my eyes

"The only thing that would stop that going ahead," he begins to say, then smirks, and I want to slap him for being a jerk about me possibly being married off

"A mate, I know!" I snap at him, and his brows pinch. It's alright for him; he isn't being forced to marry someone he doesn't like. I gulp, a horrible lump in my throat. How will I explain this to Deacon? We have plans. Plans that don't involve political alliances

"Are you seriously not going to..." his words cut off when someone in the distance calls his name

"Alpha?" mutters a voice. Peering around him, I see his Beta standing on the stairs

Using his momentary distraction, I turn to the bathroom, push the door open, and quickly move inside. I wash my hands, not actually needing to use the bathroom, just trying to buy time. Now the urge to escape extends beyond avoiding an annoying meeting. I need to speak to Boyd and try to get him to talk his father out of that idea. Deacon will be my mate if my wolf doesn't find her own. He's insisted. We've already discussed it. Walking back out, Alpha Zayn 1s still talking to his Beta, and I internally groan. So much for escaping

"I should go back into the meeting," he tells the man he is speaking with, and I know I won't be sneaking off anywhere with the Alpha around to alert my father. He turns and moves toward me

I quickly rush back into the meeting and retake

my seat

Alpha Zayn follows me a second later. My father once again looks furious about having to wait for Alpha Zayn

"Sorry, my Beta needed to speak with me," Alpha Zayn states, and the other Alphas don't seem to mind. However, my father does

"That's what the mindlink is for," my father snarls

"Really? I wouldn't have known, Joseph. Last I checked, the mindlink provides me with access to his thoughts, not his eyes. He had something to show me. Now, can we continue?"

My father's lip tugs in the corners, and I know he 1s biting back what he wants to say

I lean back in my seat, sulking that I can't escape to see Deacon. Yet, one part of me is grateful to Boyd for the heads up about my dad's master plan. If he thinks I'm marrying Boyd, he is severely mistaken

The meeting drags on, tensions rising as Alpha Zayn continues to shut down my father's every argument. I can see Dad's temper boiling, his hands clenching into fists on the table. They spoke about the threat of the rogues and new treaty deals. As time passes, my father becomes increasingly angry as everything he says continues to get shut down

None of the other Alphas dare to interfere, and I wonder what my father did to infuriate this Zayn so badly. Surely, it isn't just because of the look my father gave him when he entered

Eventually, my father finally snaps and explodes, making me jump 1n my seat