Page 83 of The Alpha's Fated Destiny

Will I be alone once again?

Alex’s fingers press into my upper arms as he drags me close, slamming his mouth down on mine.

The heat of his lips, his tongue as it forces its way inside my mouth, the hunger that follows, is all so familiar. I clutch at him desperately, scared to lose him, frightened of the consequences of my own actions.

My claws dig into his skin, my heart hurting with a vengeance.

As if in response to my own raging emotions, Alex grows more aggressive. His mouth moves against mine, as if he is marking my mouth. He robs me of my breath, his claws piercing past my clothing, drawing blood.

I don’t care.

In this moment, I feel so cold, so alone, my entire world crashing around me. My head is a tangled mess and I’ve lost the ability to connect one thought with the other. Alex’s hands are burning into my skin, reminding me of his presence, while my mind is trying to detach.

When he pulls away from me, his eyes are pleading, “Stop icing me out. What’re you doing to our bond?”

“I…” I stammer, unable to explain, scared to explain, desperate to watch my words.

“You’re mine, Sophia!” he growls just before he parts his lips and his fangs pierce into the side of my neck, right into the mating mark he gave me. The pain is excruciating. It’s something I’ve never experienced before.

It does the job of dragging me out of the deep recesses of my mind where I’m hiding.

When Alex looks at me, my blood is on his lips, but this time I can see the terror in his eyes. “Sophia…”

My knees buckle and he catches me, stopping my descent.

“Sophia, talk to me.”

“I-I’m fine,” I lie with ease, holding it all in. He can’t know how I feel. If I just bury it inside like I used to, it will be fine. I can still be happy.

“You’re not fine and you’re icing out the bond!”

“I’m not…”

“Yes, you are!” I’ve never heard him sound so frantic. “Sophia, look at me.”

His hands forcibly tilt my head back, “I’m not leaving. It doesn’t work like that. And I don’t care how much you get angry with me or scream, or be unreasonable. I am going to stand by your side till death.”

His words are reaching me, but the thick wall of fear is blocking me from comprehending them.

“I know why you’re upset about your mother. I’m not angry or even remotely upset with anything you did.” Alex is still talking, as if determined to get through to me. “I am never going to walk away from you. No matter what. You are everything to me, Sophia. Everything. I will always be here for you to lean on and you can’t drive me away that easily, so you can just forget about that. You’re stuck with me for life now.”

My wolf is pacing anxiously within me, uncertain and nervous.

Alex’s voice gentles. “I know saving your mother is important to you. It’s important to me, too. I still miss my own parents.”

He lowers me to the ground, taking me in his arms, my back pressed against his chest, his arms around my waist. His chin is resting on top of my head as he murmurs, “When the dark witches had me in that cave, they’d done something to me. I was dreaming. I felt like a dream, but now I’m not so sure. When I was born, my parents planted a garden in their home. Karina burned it down. But in that dream, I was back there before her touch had tainted the place. And I saw my parents. I talked to them. For the first time in years, I heard my mother’s voice, felt her touch. It broke my heart.”

His pain is what draws me out of the cocoon I’ve formed around myself.

“You never…you never said anything.” I look up at him, my own fears being pushed aside by the concern I feel for him.

He just holds me tighter, his voice tired. “We both have issues, Sophia. You think I’ll abandon you if you push me too hard. And I want to protect you from everything, including my own problems.”

“I want to know about your problems, Alex.” My heart throbs with the knowledge that he has been holding back.

“I know. Just like I want you to be completely assured that no matter what you throw at me, I can take it,” my mate responds steadily. “Things are not always going to be roses and rainbows for us. We’ll fight, we’ll get angry with each other. But that doesn’t mean our bond will break as a result.”

My fingers trace along his as I try to calm myself. “I’ve always been independent. Ever since I met you, it’s been a constant struggle to lean on you and to stop leaning on you. I keep waiting for…”

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