Page 186 of Ruled By The Alpha

Thirty years before I can get out from under his control.

Chapter 7

Evelyn

The first thing I notice is the utter absence of pain. The second is the low murmur of voices surrounding me, one as familiar to me as my own, the other completely new. The third is the warmth seeping into my body and how damn comfortable it feels.

None of it makes any sense. I remember being caught by the guards and their brutal beating before they strung me up to die. Maybe this is the afterlife, free of pain and hunger and fighting.

Part of me longs for an end to my suffering, but a bigger part of me is just… sad. Sad that I can’t protect my sisters and Wes now that I’m dead. Sad that I’ve left them, knowing my absence will hit them hard. I can’t bear to think about the hurt I’ve caused them with my death.

I peel my eyes open and the conversation immediately stops.

“Eve?”

There’s a gentle touch on my cheek, and I automatically turn toward the speaker.

“Wes.” My voice cracks, my throat too dry. His smile lights up his whole face and I reach for a hug, only to stop short when my brain catches up with me.

Someone is holding me, a pair of strong arms are cradling me to a hard chest.

Abareandwetchest.

Belonging to someone who smells like heaven and makes my core twinge. I’m scared of my reaction, scared to look at the male holding me, so instead I focus all my attention on my best friend, even though I know I am only delaying the inevitable.

I truly must be dead because this strange male carries notes of Wes’ natural scent all over him, but the Wes I know is as abstinent as I am. We have to be, otherwise we run the risk of luring in an alpha. Yet there is no denying these two had sex, and the two scents combined are easily the best smell I’ve ever had the pleasure of inhaling. I can’t seem to get enough.

“I’m so glad you’re awake!” Wes leans in and rubs his cheek against mine to whisper, “I had no choice, Eve. I’m sorry.”

Confusion hangs over me like a cloud I can’t shake. “What?”

“It’s good you’re finally awake.” The stranger’s voice is deep and hypnotizing. I have to fight with myself not to glance up at him. “It’s time we talked before we rest some more.”

I’m nodding before I realize it. There’s… there’s just something about his voice that has me agreeing, like some instinct long buried inside me. I don’t understand it, and I don’t like how out of control I feel. Wes is watching me carefully, and though he’s still smiling, he’s tense. Clearly I’m missing something and Wes is nervous about it—nervous about me.

Fuck. I’m such a chicken shit. I just need to look at this male get it over with. Letting my fears control me isn’t who I am.

I take a quick look around and my jaw drops. We’re in the biggest bathroom I’ve ever seen; the tub could fit five people easily, and the shower twice that number. Everything is so clean and perfect, and I love it.

Wes has moved to the door, a towel wrapped around his waist as he looks to the male holding me. I have no idea what he’s waiting for. He seems hesitant—shy, almost—and it’s unusual for him.

The stranger must nod or something, because my best friend swiftly steps into the other room, and we follow. Now we’re in a small, dark room with fairy lights dangling from the ceiling. The softest-looking blankets are strewn all over the floor, and I want nothing more than to roll around in them, burrowing deep until I forget about the sad state of the world. The walls are painted a light color that’s impossible to discern in the darkness, but it feels homey, safe, and comforting.

“Do you have clothes?” Wes asks quietly, standing near an open closet that looks empty.

The male’s chest vibrates beneath me when he speaks. “I’ll bring some for you both later.”

Wes climbs into the middle of the blanket pile, then buries himself beneath them. His groan makes me envious, and I wiggle in the arms holding me, silently demanding to be released.

“Hold still, omega,” the male says, and I instantly freeze. “We don’t want you getting hurt again.”

He carefully sets me down, arm still wrapped around my waist and holding me steady. It’s as I sink into the bedding that I realize I’m wearing only a towel, same as Wes. My cheeks burn and I duck my head, allowing Weston to guide me under some of the blankets he’s wrapped around himself. We cuddle together just like we usually do, and it brings me so much comfort.

Shuffling from behind me draws my attention, and I turn just in time to see the stranger drop his own towel to the ground. I squeak, eyes wide, staring at his hardened length, even though I know it’s not proper. Even when I know that the male is an alpha, the very thing I should be running away from. His presence, his scent, gave him away from the moment I woke up, but I refused to give it space in my head. I refused to acknowledge the truth that Wes and the alpha are bonded, the bite on the side of my friend’s nape all the proof I needed.

I didn’t want to admit to myself that my best friend, the love of my life, is no longer mine to covet.

I expect an attack from Wes—an omega staring at another omega’s alpha just isn’t done. Shouldn’t be done. It causes the bonded omega to become territorial, and their instincts demand they fight to defend their mate. Yet Weston is calm—too calm—staring at his mate’s member the same as I am.

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