75

ALINA

“What?!” The word tore out of me before I could stop it.

Lisa glared at me, and I clamped both hands over my mouth. I shook my head, trying to suppress the horror crawling up my throat. I didn’t want to imagine what would happen if Alexander found out. I was already caught between disaster and ruin.

Once he learned all the things I was keeping from him, I wouldn’t even get the chance to exhale before he decided I wasn’t worth the trouble.

“What are we going to do?” I turned to her, panic tightening every muscle in my chest. I genuinely didn’t know.

“I don’t know.” Her voice cracked, and it sounded like she was seconds from breaking. I suddenly realized I was making things worse. She had come to me for comfort, not another wave of panic. And here I was, piling on fear.

I’d never been good at fixing anything.

“After what Jane pulled, I’m sure Alexander is looking into everything. He’s not just angry that I got hurt. It’s the fact someone got into his pack, past all his protection. It made him look weak, and he doesn’t take that lightly.” He hadn’t said it outright, but I saw it in his eyes. The insult.

This wasn’t just about me. To him, I was part of his territory. His claim. That thought made my skin crawl. The pack. Me. All one and the same in his mind.

“What do we do when he starts asking questions?” Lisa whispered. “People will tell him I wasn’t in the panic room, and he’ll know I was supposed to get you. Because I didn’t, you nearly got taken. I’m so sorry.”

Tears spilled down her face before she could stop them. I didn’t hesitate. I pulled her against me, letting her cry into my shoulder. My hands rubbed her back awkwardly. Comfort wasn’t my strong suit, but I tried.

My mind raced for options, grasping for anything that could help. I had already told Alexander what happened, and if I changed my story now, it would only fuel his suspicions. He was already looking at me sideways after the incident with James.

“I think I have an idea,” I said quietly.

Lisa lifted her head, her eyes red but full of something I hadn’t seen since she walked in. Hope. It struck me, how no one had ever looked at me like that before. Like I could be relied on. I couldn’t fail her.

“I told Alexander that Jane claimed you’d been given an assignment, which was why she came to get me.” Lisa nodded, sitting up straighter. The heaviness in her shoulders eased slightly. “We can build from there. Maybe she told you the same thing. That you had orders. You went to complete them. Simple.”

Lisa frowned. “But what kind of order would make me abandon the one I got from the housekeeper?”

I bit down on my bottom lip, thinking. “It would have to be something more important. Something you couldn’t ignore.”

She nodded slowly. “A direct order from the Alpha.”

We locked eyes. That was it.

“If she said it came from him, then no one would question why I followed that instead. I could say I thought she was helping me. That she was just the messenger.”

“Yes. That makes sense.” I nodded along.

We started going over what kinds of questions might come up, trying to fill in the gaps when the door swung open. Alexander stepped inside. Lisa scrambled to her feet while I fought the urge to not look guilty.

I hadn’t realized how much time had passed, but now that he was here, I noticed the dark sky through the window. Evening had crept up on us without warning.

He walked straight to me, his boots making little sound on the floor. I stopped breathing when I saw him up close.

His body was stained with blood. His shirt. His arms. Even his jaw had smears of it.

“W-what happened to you?” I asked, voice trembling. My hand lifted on instinct, reaching toward his face. I stopped myself just before my fingers touched his skin.

I started to pull back, but he caught my hand in his. His palm was warm and solid, completely enveloping mine. I stared at the contrast, his hand looked twice the size of mine. I had always known he was bigger than me, but somehow, standing here, I was feeling it more than ever.

He brought my hand to his cheek, right where the blood sat, and used my thumb to wipe it. The smear only spread more, streaking across his skin. My breath hitched at the intimacy of the gesture. A tremor ran through me and pooled low in my belly.

“What did you do all day?” he asked. His voice was deeper than usual, rough around the edges.

“N-nothing.” The word sounded stupid the moment I said it.

He hummed. Just that sound made heat creep down my spine, and I had to remember how to breathe. The silence between us crackled.

“And your friend?” He glanced toward the spot Lisa had been in, though she was long gone. “You seem attached to her.”

It felt like a cue. A chance to bring up the thing I’d been turning over in my head all afternoon.

“She’s my first real friend here,” I said. My eyes dropped to the floor, but that didn’t last long. He tilted my chin up, forcing me to look at him again.

“She seems lovely.”

I let out a small laugh. “You don’t even know her name.”

“I don’t need to. You spend more time with her than anyone else here.”

“There’s no one else to talk to. She’s always around.”

“Would you rather have something else to fill your time?”

I shook my head before he could even finish.

“No. I like having her here.”

Alexander released my hand, and I thought that was it, that he would turn and leave. Instead, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his chest. His chin rested on top of my head. I laughed quietly, feeling just how much taller and broader he was compared to me.

“Erm… Alexander…”

He let out a low growl that rumbled through his chest.

“Say it again.”

I blinked, confused, until it clicked. I swallowed hard.

“Alexander.”

He groaned, and I almost lost my footing as he drew me closer. His arousal pressed against my stomach, and I couldn’t stop the flush that spread over me.

But the feeling vanished almost instantly, replaced by something cold and sharp.

I would start showing soon. The pregnancy wouldn’t stay hidden forever. And when that happened, whatever this was between us, it would change. It wouldn't just end, I would probably end too.

“I… I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“I’m listening.” He stepped back, holding my hand as he led me to sit on the bed.

With Lisa gone, the room felt more private now. And I remembered why I had to speak up.

“She was just worried. About not being in the panic room after the explosion.”

“Was she hurt?”

His question surprised me.

“No. She’s fine. Just unsure how it’ll look after everything that happened.”

“Where was she? I heard she was supposed to come and get you. Why didn’t she?”

“She said she was told you had sent her somewhere else.”

“Jane told her that?” I nodded, and his expression darkened. “She’ll be dealt with. Come with me.”

“Where are we going?”

“Just come.”

I didn’t hesitate. My feet moved before I could think. As we crossed the doorway, a single thought slipped into my mind, quiet but persistent.

I should be afraid of how easily I followed him. I should be terrified that I didn’t even care.

But I wasn’t.

And that scared me more than anything else.