Page 52 of Alpha Reid

Astrid pauses, taking a sip of her latte and leaning back on the sectional. “She’s just really protective of the people she cares about,” she says, staring off at the treeline in the distance. She returns her gaze to me, continuing. “I’m sure you understand.”

A lump forms in my throat.Does she know?

No, I have to push those thoughts out. The guiltier I act, the more she’ll pick up on it. Plus, what if she can read minds or something? I have to play this cool.

“Of course,” I say nonchalantly, sipping on my own latte and trying to calm my erratic heartbeat. “I don’t hold it against her.”

Astrid’s watching me intently again, and no matter how casual I try to play it, I can’t stop the heat of the flush that’s crawling up my neck and spreading to my cheeks, threatening to give me away.

“Listen, Serena,” Astrid sighs, scooching closer and leaning in. She drops her voice low, her expression stoic. “I know.”

“Huh?” I play dumb, but she just gives me a look like she’s onto my game and my throat tightens. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I mumble, darting my eyes away.

Deny, deny, deny.That’s what I need to do right now. This could all be a play to get me to talk- maybe she doesn’t know shit. And even if she does, there’s no way she could knoweverything, right? Maybe she knows bits and pieces and she’s trying to get me to fill in the rest, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to fall into her trap and ruin everything now. If I was going to come clean with anyone, it would be Reid. He deserves the truth more than anybody. But I can’t tell him. I can’t tell a soul. Not with what’s hanging in the balance.

“Are you sure?” Astrid asks, arching a brow. Her watchful gaze is still fixed on me, and my heart is racing. Can she hear it? I need to get it together.

I hold the paper cup upright between my legs and wipe my sweaty palms on my thighs. My pulse is throbbing in my ears, my heart is in my mouth, but I’m not saying a goddamn word.

Astrid heaves a sigh. “Serena, I wish you’d just talk to me. You know what I can do, so it should come as no surprise to you that I’m already clued in on your situation. I want to help you.”

I want to believe her, I really do. But this isn’t about me. I stare down at my hands, choosing to say nothing. After all, what’s there to say? If she already knows, I’m busted anyways. But if she doesn’t, maybe there’s still a chance…

“If you don’t do the right thing, you’ll lose them both.”

That gets my attention. My eyes fly wide, colliding with hers, and I swear my heart stops beating for a moment.

Both.

That means she knows about…

“W-what are you talking about?” I stammer.

Astrid sighs, scooting closer on the sectional. She reaches out for my hand and gives it a squeeze, her eyes sympathetic. “Listen, Serena, I’ll keep your secret for now. But you need to tell him. It’s the only way that any of us are getting out of this alive. Including your sister.”

I yank my hand away, and I can’t stop the tears that spring to my eyes.

There’s no way Astrid could know Olivia’s alive- I didn’t even know until a few weeks ago. It’s one of the memories that still haunts me every time I close my eyes.

They had been keeping me in that filthy cell for what, a week? Two weeks? The days bled together. And then he came for me. My guards had been teasing me, telling me how much their alpha was going to like me once he laid eyes on me, and they were right. He did like me. He stripped me bare and took his time examining every inch of my skin, smirking in satisfaction. Touching my body with his calloused hands, invading my space. He stunk like a dirty rogue; I’ll never forget that smell. I felt like I couldn’t get it out of my nostrils for days after.

He expected me to be compliant, but I’m not that kind of girl. I don’t scare easy. At least I didn’t before I lived through those weeks of hell that came after. He told me to get on my knees for him, but I refused. Then he forced me to my knees and started unbuckling his pants. So, naturally, I punched him in the dick. It was a stupid move that could’ve cost me my life, but I didn’t care much about my life at that point. I knew my family was gone. Knew my pack was gone. I was the only one left, and I’d decided I’d rather die than become Xavier’s concubine.

Then everything went sideways. He started to beat me, but I didn’t shed a tear. Didn’t flinch. Held strong so he wouldn’t have the satisfaction. Then he told the guards to bring him something, waiting until they returned. But it wasn’t something. It was someone. My little sister, who I’d believed to be dead. Up until then, the guards had taunted me about my family, saying that if I didn’t pass out that night after seeing my brother murdered, maybe my whole family would still be alive. I was told that everyone else in my family was killed because they fought back, but since I fainted like a coward, my life was spared and I was taken as a prisoner.

I’d mourned my little sister, and she was suddenly standing right in front of me, looking worn down and dirty and absolutely terrified. The week before the attack, we were celebrating her seventeenth birthday, and now she was shaking like a leaf, barely dressed, eyes rounded in fear.

He couldn’t get a reaction when he beat me, so he beat her instead while the guards held me down. By the end of it, I would’ve done anything to make it stop.Anything.

They put her in the cell next to mine after that. While I couldn’t see her, I could hear her. We’d talk in hushed voices when the guards weren’t around. She told me that a portion of our pack was still alive- that she was with them initially, mistaken to be just another member until the shadow pack somehow figured out that she was my sister. It wasn’t difficult to get me to comply after dangling my sister in front of me. When I resisted, they’d make me listen while they beat her.

So I made a deal with the devil. Infiltrate the six-pack, do what I was told to give the shadow pack a leg up in the battle, and my sister and pack would be spared. Fail, and they’d all be executed. I was the perfect mole- young, attractive, and the sister of an alpha whose pack was recently attacked. My story would be believable because so much of it was true; but one thing neither they nor I saw coming was Reid.

This used to be about saving the people I care for, but now that list has grown. I have no idea what to do, and if I’m being honest, I’m fucking terrified. I can’t see this story having a happy ending. Can’t see any way out of the mess I’m in.

“I can’t,” I whisper, a tear rolling down my cheek. I wipe it away with a sleeve, sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, willing the tears to stop. I’m stronger than this. I’m not a victim. When I go down, it’ll be fighting.

I already have it all planned out. I’ve been promised freedom for myself, Olivia, and my pack if I’m successful. But I’ll propose a trade- my life for Reid’s. Xavier must’ve found some value in me, to take me prisoner in the first place. Maybe Reid can take in my sister and my pack, go up north or something and stay out of Xavier’s way.

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