All Chapters of Alpha, Let's End This Bond!: Chapter 151 - Chapter 155

ARIAThe stairs to my apartment felt twice as steep as they had yesterday. By the time I reached the fifth floor, my legs were shaking so badly I had to lean against the peeling wallpaper just to find the keyhole. I just needed the door to close. I needed the world to stop moving for five minutes.I stepped inside and didn't even bother taking off my coat. The silence of the apartment, which usually felt like freedom, now felt heavy—like it was pressing down on my lungs.Twenty years.I slumped onto my bed, the mattress groaning under my weight. My mother’s face was a blur in my memory, a smudge of red lipstick and the scent of expensive cigarettes before she’d walked out and never looked back. And now? A BMW. Asking about the "wealthy wolf.""Pathetic," I whispered to the empty room. My voice sounded thin, like paper.I checked my phone. Three missed calls from Brandon. Five texts from Nova. I tried to type a reply, but my fingers felt like lead. The screen was too bright, the white

ARIAI sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the empty IV bag still hanging like a ghost from my wall. My throat was a jagged mess of fire, and every time I tried to swallow, my vision blurred.The phone buzzed. Tasha."Hey," I croaked. It sounded like I’d been gargling broken glass."Aria? What the hell happened to your voice?" Tasha’s tone was instant alarm. "You sound like you’ve been screaming into a pillow for three days straight.""Just a bug," I said, leaning my head against the cool plaster of the wall. "It’s fine. I’m fine.""You aren't fine. You’re hoarse and breathless, and I can practically hear the fever through the speaker. Why aren't you in the hospital? Go to the clinic, get a proper room, let them pump you full of the good stuff."I closed my eyes. A hospital stay meant a deposit. It meant insurance paperwork that would ping the Stormbourne accounts. It meant a bill I couldn't pay without dipping into the startup money Brandon and Nova had just put up. "It’s unnecess

ARIAThe heavy, drug-induced fog finally started to lift, but my brain felt like it was being rebooted by a very slow processor.I blinked, the ceiling of my apartment coming into focus. I’d been out for a while. Three hours, if the shift in the light was any indication."Aria? You with me?"I jumped slightly, the motion sending a sharp spike of pain through my temples. Brandon was sitting on the edge of the sofa, leaning in too close. I could see the flecks of gold in his eyes and the fine lines of worry etched into his forehead."I’m awake," I croaked, pushing myself up. My voice was still a wreck, but the fire in my throat had cooled to a dull simmer."Gosh, you scared me," he breathed, sitting back just an inch. "You went totally still. I was about five seconds away from calling that medic back to check your vitals. I thought you’d fainted in your sleep.""Just the meds," I said, pulling the throw blanket tighter around my shoulders. Being close with him was making me twitchy. It