Page 25 of Alpha's Unclaimed Mate

He reacts as if I’ve shot him. He drops to his knees with a shocked expression, clutching his heart in pain, his breathing labored. Raising his hand, he tries to reach out for me, but isn’t able to move.

“I…don’t…”

His voice sounds pained, but I can’t fall for this again. I shut the door behind me and walk away.

CHAPTER 10

THERON

Icrack my eyes open, feeling a bone-deep chill radiating through my entire body. My teeth chatter and my mouth is dry.

I look around the chaotic mess in the office—files strewn about, furniture overturned, and me in the center of it all, sprawled flat on the cold marble floor.

How long have I been here?

My throat feels like it's choking. I try to sit up, but a sharp pain explodes in my back. My vision blurs.

I remember a rogue attack, and shots being fired while I drove.

Things feel jumbled in my mind. My memories are fragmented, and their edges are sharp.

As the buzzing fades in my head, the frantic whimpers of my wolf are all I can hear—a desperate plea for help. My link to the pack feels like it’s about to snap.

Suddenly, a memory pierces through the fog—a tear-streaked face, jolting me upright.

“When were you going to tell me about your mating ceremony?”

Seren!

Her eyes were filled with hurt and betrayal. Her words were cold with finality, more determined than I’ve ever heard her.

My heart pounds in my ears.

Damn it! She knows—about us being mates, about Vanessa.

You’re no longer mates. She rejected you.A strange voice rings out in my head.

No. There has to be a way to explain this to her. She’s human; maybe she doesn’t understand the politics at play here. Choosing Vanessa is logical—it keeps things uncomplicated. Maybe I underestimated Seren. But she can’t leave me. She has to take it all back.

My calls to her cellphone go straight to voicemail. My home security is clueless about her whereabouts.

As a last resort, I call Ella, my hands unsteady on the phone.

“She isn’t home yet.” Ella’s voice sounds clipped. “She left first thing this morning for Blackwood headquarters for an interview.”

My heart sinks. Seren should have been back at the estate by now. I’m about to hang up when Ella adds, “Why? What happened? Did she not get the job?”

I let out a harsh breath, my mind racing. What if she went home and no one noticed? The thought makes my chest feel tight, a tiny spark of hope flickering inside me. “Ella, go to her room and check if anything seems out of place.”

There’s a pause. “Okay, sure. I’ll call you back in five minutes.”

“No, Ella. Now.”

The silence on the line feels endless. I hear her footsteps, and the urgency missing in them.

Ella’s voice comes through again, her breath ragged. “No luck, Theron. She’s not back. Everything seems to be in order. Did something happen in your office?”

I squeeze my eyes shut, voices ringing in my head. “No, Ella, nothing happened. It’s nothing.”

---