Page 14 of Claimed By the Alpha

Resting my eyes, I listened to the steady beat of his heart, letting it soothe me further. That was until my throat constricted, a lump formed, and fear crawled under my skin. But it wasn’t my fear I felt; it was his.

“Don’t leave me.”

I peeled myself away, glancing up to meet his eyes. “Never, why would you think that?”

“The mark.”

A weak smile curled on my lips. “I don’t need to wear your mark to be yours, Isaac. Neither does Logan have to rub his scent all over me. With or without mate bond, I am yours. Forever.”

His gaze never left mine and the fear I sensed slowly faded.

“I’m glad you are talking to me about it,” I said.

He sighed, his arms tightened around me. “I’m used to dealing with everything on my own, I sometimes forget I don’t need to do that anymore.”

His words echoed inside my mind and guilt rose. He was letting me in fully, and now I was the one keeping things from him.

I hated it, I wanted to tell him everything. All that went on in my mind. I was about to speak up, and let him know what had been bothering me when he spoke again.

“I don’t know who I can trust. I want to trust William, Conner and Laila, but I can’t.”

I have to tell you something. It was on the tip of my tongue.

“I’m probably just seeing things.” He laughed it off, but I knew he wasn’t joking.

“Oh Isaac.” I snuggled closer, hoping to take it all away from him. “William has only been good to me and Conner cares for you more than you realize.”

“And Laila? She doesn’t like you.”

My brows knitted together. Sure, we had our past, and I now knew why she kept pushing me away. I was going through my heat, and she didn’t want William near. However, when I got it under control, she was kind.

“She doesn’t hate me, she even helped me when I was back home.”

He watched me with an odd expression on his face—confusion mixed with disbelief.

“They wouldn’t let me near or alone with her, of course. But she still tried. Just letting me know I wasn’t alone by coming to the gym or the club.”

He hummed, but his eyes showed he was not convinced.

This was another moment to tell him about what had happened.

But still, I held my tongue.

Chapter six

West

Icouldn’tsleep,Icouldn’t pretend I wasn’t lying to him. It even felt as if I was betraying him. Doing the one thing I should never do.

I had to tell him, and I would. Today.

He was my everything, all that I ever needed, and what was I doing? Keeping him in the dark…

But I didn’t even know why I was doing it. It was just something inside me that told me to wait. Every time I saw an opening, words wouldn’t form. Held back by this thing beneath my skin. I was weak, scared, but for what?

There was nothing to be scared of.

Okay, maybe he would kill that man, that stranger. And I didn’t want that, but would he truly rip him to pieces if I asked him not to?

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