All Chapters of Bound To The Alpha Who Broke Me: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Althea's P.O.V The rain started just as I left the city limits, and I knew immediately this drive was going to be a disaster. Not because of the weather though. That didn't help. Not even because I was driving alone at night on roads I didn't know. But because the tightness in my chest had been getting worse for the past hour, and I was running out of ways to pretend it wasn't happening. My fingers tightened on the steering wheel as another wave of pressure spread across my ribs. Not quite painful. Just this constant reminder that the heart beating inside my chest wasn't technically mine. That it had belonged to someone else first. Someone who had died one year ago so that I could sit here in this car, ignoring warning signs my body was practically screaming at me. I should have rescheduled this trip, should've listened to Mom when she had said it was too far to drive alone and should have listened to Dr. Morrison when he had raised his eyebrows at my travel plans and asked if I

Althea's POV When I woke up the next morning, the memories hit me all at once. The accident. My car spinning out of control on wet pavement, tires screaming and the world tilting sideways. Dark and endless rain pouring down so hard I could barely see. That massive wolf that had appeared out of nowhere, standing in the middle of the road with eyes that glowed silver in my headlights. And the man with silver eyes who had carried me here. Who had looked at me like I was something he despised. Something he wanted to destroy. I could still feel the ghost of his arms around me. Still smelt rain and earth and something wild that had clung to his skin. My chest tightened just by remembering it. Not with pain though. I sat up slowly in the unfamiliar bed and looked around. Morning sunlight filtered through the window, illuminating wooden walls and simple furniture. The room smelled faintly of cedar and earthy and it reminded me of the forest outside. It should have felt peaceful.

Althea's POV I was packed and ready in less than an hour. Not that I had much to pack. The borrowed clothes Marla had given me. My ruined phone with its shattered screen. My wallet with my license and one credit card. A hair tie I had found in the bathroom. That was it. Everything else had been in the car that was now apparently destroyed beyond repair. I sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the door, waiting for Leo to come get me. My chest still ached. That dull pressure hadn't left since I had arrived here. If anything, it was getting worse. A constant tight feeling that made it hard to take full breaths. Maybe I really did need to see Dr. Morrison the second I got back to the city. Maybe the stress of the crash and being held prisoner had triggered something. Maybe my body was finally rejecting the transplant after one stable year. That had to be it. It had nothing to do with Xavier Sandalio. One hour. Then I would be gone from this place forever. So why did leaving

Althea's P.O.V Before I could talk myself out of it, I walked over to the dresser. Three photographs sat there in simple wooden frames. The first was a group photo. Dozens of people gathered in front of the main house. Xavier stood in the center. He was younger but unmistakable with those silver eyes. He was smiling. Actually smiling. His arm was around a beautiful woman with long dark hair and warm brown eyes. She was laughing at something, her head tilted toward him. My chest tightened. That must be Em! I didn’t know her fully but it had to be her. The way Xavier looked at her in the photo like she was his entire world made something twist painfully inside me. The second photo was just the two of them. Close-up. Xavier's forehead pressed against hers, both of them with their eyes closed. In love. The third photo made my breath catch. It was her alone. A Professional portrait. She wore a simple white dress and smiled directly at the camera with such joy it hurt

Althea's p.o.v I did not go back to Xavier's room right away. My hands would not stop shaking. The tremor started in my fingers and worked its way up through my wrists, settling into my shoulders like I had been carrying something too heavy for too long. I pressed my palms flat against my thighs, trying to stop the shaking through sheer force of will but it did not work. Everything that had just happened kept replaying behind my eyes like a film I could not pause. Xavier on that examination table. Silver burning through his skin with a smell like scorched meat that still clung to the inside of my nose. The weight of the surgical tools in my hands as I helped Dr. Chen extract each bullet. How Xavier's unconscious face had looked almost peaceful before he woke and the walls slammed back into place. My feet carried me through empty hallways without conscious direction. Xavier had made that clear from the very first day I stumbled into his territory that I was human and nothing