Chained By The Alpha Jessica Hall

Chapter 116

"Wouldn't have to if you'd just talk to me, but no, I wasn't until I spotted you going into that store." He steps closer, and I'm acutely aware of the solid mass of him, wall of muscle and his raw alpha power

But then reality comes crashing back and I take a step back from him, cursing myself for being so weak. "I should go," I say quickly. "I have somewhere to be."

"You're marrying him, Cleo? Really?"

"Zayn, it's not that simple" I start, but the words tangle on my tongue

"Make it simple for me, then." His voice is a low

rumble, and I can almost feel the vibration of his wolf beneath his skin

"Please, I can't do this here," I plead, glancing around at the curious eyes starting to take interest in our heated exchange

"Then when, Cleo? When will you stop running from what we are? I told you we are mates, yet you agree to marry someone else?" His question slices through the noise around us, leaving nothing but the truth exposed and raw

"Being mates doesn't mean we can just... ignore reality. There are consequences, alliances, expectations... besides, nothing is even confirmed until I get my wolf tonight." My voice trails off, the enormity of it all pressing down on me "Damn the alliances! Damn what everyone else

expects!" His frustration echoes my own, but where I am caged by duty, he's fueled by rage

"Zayn, you know I can't-"

"Can't or won't?" He challenges, stepping even closer, the heat of his body mingling with mine

"Both!" The word explodes from me, a confession and a condemnation. The tension coils between us, a live wire ready to spark into flame

"Tell me why. Give me a reason that's worth more than this," he whispers, his breath hot against my skin

"Because if I don't, everything falls apart. My father, the packs, it'll be war, Zayn." The weight of my decision presses upon me, a suffocating shroud

"A war will start if you walk down that fucking aisle Cleo," he warns me, and tears burn my eyes at his words. No matter what, I am disappointing someone

"I have no choice. You don't understand," I say, my voice barely above a murmur

"Then let me fight for you, for us," he offers

"T don't..." My resolve waivers, and the pull towards him 1s as undeniable when I remember my father's words about him betraying Zayn, and it once again has me questioning Zayn's actions and intentions

"Stay with me tonight. Just tonight," he murmurs, his lips hovering perilously close to mine

"Zayn, I can't." The finality in my voice is a lie I

wish I could believe

The rough brick wall scrapes against my back as Zayn's hands cage me on either side, his silver eyes blazing with an intensity that both frightens and thrills me. The city noises fade into the background, drowned out by the rapid beat of my heart

"Damn it, Cleo! Do you have any idea what this is doing to me?" His fingers graze my cheek, and I lean into the touch despite myself

"Watching you prepare to marry another man? I am your mate!"

My heart clenches at his pain, mirrored by my own. "Do you think it's easy for me? To turn away from what I want most in this world?"

"Then don't!" There's a desperate edge to his voice now, a plea hidden within the command

His lips are mere inches from mine, and the air between us crackles with raw energy. The desire to close that distance is overwhelming, to lose myself in him and forget everything else. But reality is a cruel master, and it holds me back

"Tell me why, Cleo! Why Boyd?" The demand is a guttural growl, his silver eyes reflecting turmoil that mirrors the chaos churning inside me

"I... [don't know," I whisper, my defenses crumbling. "His pack is strong, and our alliance... it would bring peace." It sounds hollow even to my own ears

"Because the packs... they're on the brink," I say, my words rushing out as I struggle to keep my resolve. "Marrying Boyd-it's more than I can tell you. You lied to me; I can't even trust you to help because I'm not even sure how much you

know or if you even mean a single word you say to me!"

Tears sting my eyes, but I force them back. "I don't give a damn about Boyd or your father's politics. I care about you. Us."

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"Us..." I whisper, my heart splintering. His scent envelops me, a heady mix of pine and something indefinably male, intensifying the ache

"Cleo, I can protect you. I will protect you. No one will ever harm you, not on my watch." His voice is a low growl, leaving no room for doubt of his sincerity

"This isn't about me, Zayn!" Anger and frustration well up inside me, spilling out before I can rein them in. "It's about the packs. About people who'll get hurt if I don't do this!" Zayn steps back as if struck, raking a hand through his hair

"Let me help you," Zayn tells me

"Like you helped me look for Deacon when you knew where he was all along?" I ask him. I know it was a cheap blow, but at the moment, I don't trust anything or anyone

My fingers tremble against the heat of his skin, betraying the longing that seeps into my every pore

His muscles tense beneath my touch, his breath hitching. For a moment, I see the man beneath the Alpha, vulnerable and torn. But then he steps back, the connection severed as if by a knife's edge "But don't expect me to stand by and do nothing

while you walk down the aisle with another

"

man

The air between us cools almost immediately, the tension now uncomfortable and heavy with unspoken words