Page 75 of The Alpha's Crimson Vow

“Because of me.”

His eyes don’t leave mine. They burn into me, pinning me in place, making it impossible to move.

“Because you matter to me,” he says.

My mind goes blank. Completely, terrifyingly blank.

There’s something in his voice—something that makes my stomach twist.

But Alex doesn’t stop.

“While I was at Pinnacle, Valerian discovered what I was doing,” he continues, his voice quieter now. “He tried to stop me. That’s why he came after you.” He swallows hard, like it physically hurts him to say this next part. “Because he knew that if anything happened to you…” His voice falters for just a second before he pulls it back together. “…I wouldn’t have been able to go on.”

It feels like a veil has been torn away in my mind, stripping everything bare, forcing me to see it all differently.

He… He did that to protect me? From his uncle?

Alex steps forward, closing the space between us. He’s close now—too close—closer than I’ve let him get in so long. And yet, I don’t move.

My head tilts back as I stare into his eyes, those piercing eyes that have haunted me every night since he walked out of my life.

“Katherine,” he says, his voice steady, low. “That day you heard me on the phone. The day I told you I was just using you… that was the hardest day of my life.”

A sharp breath catches in my throat.

“I’d seen how far Valerian would go,” he continues. “I came so close to losing you forever, and I knew he wouldn’t stop. Hewould keep coming after you, keep finding new ways to hurt you—because of me.” His jaw tightens, his entire body wound with tension. “So I did the only thing I could think of. I pushed you away.”

His voice drops lower, almost a whisper. “It was the only way I knew how.”

The words hit me like a physical blow, knocking the air right out of my lungs.

Alex takes another step forward, and I feel the warmth of his body, the sheer presence of him like gravity pulling me in.

“I’m sorry, Katherine,” he says, his voice breaking just slightly at the edges. “I haven’t stopped thinking about the look in your eyes that day. The way I hurt you. The way I made you doubt everything. I hated every single word I said to you.” He exhales, and I swear I see his hands clench like he’s physically holding himself back. “But I had to make sure you were safe.”

He pauses, his eyes searching mine. They’re unflinching, raw with emotion, with truth.

“I understand that you’re mad at me. And you have every right to be.” His voice is barely above a breath now. “But I need you to understand.”

My heart is thundering in my chest, each beat crashing into my ribs with unbearable force.

Alex did that… to protect me?

Everything I thought I knew—everything I convinced myself was true—has just been ripped apart at the seams.

I don’t know how to process this.

Chapter Nineteen

Katherine

The city skyline stretches beyond the glass walls of my office, but I barely see it. My hands rest motionless on my desk, fingers curled around a pen I haven’t written a single word with. My mind is a chaotic mess, a whirlwind of emotions I can’t seem to tame.

Last night plays over and over again in my head like a film reel stuck on repeat.

Alex’s voice. His eyes. The way he looked at me, like I was the only thing in the world that mattered. Like he’d been drowning and I was the only thing keeping him afloat.

I squeeze my eyes shut for a second, inhaling sharply, trying to clear the image from my mind—but it doesn’t leave.

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