Page 54 of The Alpha's Pretend Mate

He’d lost Alysa. Maybe for good.

Aurora's small hand grasped his shirt, her innocent eyes looking up at him with complete trust, and Cassius felt the weight of his decisions settle on his shoulders. As he fed his daughter from the bottle, the question he’d been avoiding surged up from the depths of his soul.

His heart squeezed painfully as he looked down at his daughter. Her eyes, wide and innocent, stared back at him with absolute trust.

Was I wrong?

The answer, as terrifying as it was clear, lingered in the silence.

Chapter 14 - Alysa

The car rolled to a stop in front of Alysa's apartment, the engine's low rumble fading into silence. Streetlights cast long shadows across the dashboard, illuminating the worry etched deep in Aleksander's steel-gray eyes as he turned to his sister.

Alysa stared out the window, her gaze unfocused, lost in a whirlpool of emotions she couldn't begin to untangle.

"Alysa?" Aleksander's voice was gentle, probing. "Are you sure you're alright?"

She hated the way his eyes searched her face, probing for something she couldn’t give him. She plastered on a weak smile, not quite meeting his eyes. "I'm fine, Aleks. Just… tired."

Tired of feeling like a pawn. Tired of my heart being yanked in every direction.

Aleksander's brow furrowed, unconvinced. He reached out, his large hand engulfing hers. "You know you can talk to me, right? About anything."

Alysa nodded, her hand already on the door handle. "I know. I just… I need some time to process everything." She paused, her voice barely above a whisper. "Alone."

Aleksander sighed, running a hand through his dark hair, but he didn’t press her. He never did. "Alright. But I'm coming to check on you tomorrow after the Pack meetings. No arguments."

His tone was soft, but she could hear the command beneath it. He wasn’t asking. Alysa nodded once before heading inside, her body stiff as though it could hold back the storm of emotions brewing within.

As Alysa trudged up to the apartment her brother had bought back from her landlord, Aleksander's promise hung inthe air like a lifeline. She wasn't sure if she wanted to cling to it or cut it loose.

The door clicked shut behind her, and Alysa leaned against it, letting out a shaky breath. The silence of her apartment pressed in around her, suffocating.

What am I supposed to do now?

An idea lit up in her mind, and before she could talk herself out of it, Alysa grabbed her keys and bolted out the door.

The sun had long since set by the time Alysa found herself pushing open the heavy wooden door of The Howling Moon. The bar was a favorite haunt for werewolves from various Packs, its dim lighting and pulsing music offering the perfect cover for those seeking to lose themselves for a night.

Alysa slid onto a barstool, her fingers drumming an erratic rhythm on the worn wood. "Whiskey," she mumbled to the bartender. "Neat." The amber liquid sloshed into the glass, and Alysa knocked it back in one burning gulp.

Maybe if I drink enough, I can forget the look in Cassius's eyes when he called us a mistake.

One drink turned into three, then five. The bar around her blurred, faces and voices melding into a cacophony of noise and color. Alysa's head swam, but the ache in her chest remained stubbornly present.

The bar was warm, almost stifling, the buzz of conversation and clinking glasses a steady hum that should have soothed her. But as the alcohol burned its way down her throat, Alysa felt the cracks in her armor widen, the edges of her control fraying with each shot.

Why did he claim me if he doesn't really want me? His explanation never really made sense.

The questions looped endlessly in her mind, each repetition more painful than the last. She signaled for another drink, ignoring the concerned look from the bartender.

"Don't you think you've had enough, Sweetheart?" he asked, hesitating to pour.

Alysa glared at him, her words slurring slightly. "I'll tell you when I've had enough."

She wasn’t sure what she was running from—Cassius, Aleksander, or herself. Maybe all of them. The drink she gripped in her hand trembled slightly, but she wasn’t sure if it was from her growing intoxication or the roiling emotions just beneath her skin.

A group of rowdy Pack members stumbled past, laughing and sloshing their drinks, oblivious to her quiet corner. It didn’t matter. No one ever really saw her. Alysa tipped the glass back again, the liquid a temporary balm against the loneliness that gnawed at her insides.

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