Page 106 of The Alpha Under My Bed

Her body fluttered, tightening, her breath coming in short, sharp cries?—

And then she came again.

I barely had time to groan before my knot slammed into place.

I roared against her throat, filling her, claiming her, marking her from the inside out.

Mine. Forever.

She trembled beneath me, wrecked and perfect, knotted and owned, and so fucking mine I couldn’t breathe.

I pressed a soft kiss to her throat, my voice rough, final.

“You’re never getting away from me now.”

She sighed, exhausted, satisfied, wrecked beyond repair.

“Good.”

Epilogue 1

MALCOLM

The house breathed.

It wasn’t the sterile, hollow air of an empty apartment or the stiff, curated scent of a place that had yet to be lived in. This house had settled into itself. Wood and stone, warmed by the sun streaming through wide windows, carried the faint scent of aged leather, old books, and something sweeter—something that wasn’t just home but mine.

Ellie’s scent curled through every inch of the library, blending with the spice of well-worn pages, ink, and the faintest trace of coffee. She was curled up in her oversized armchair, one leg hooked over the other, completely lost in whatever world had taken her hostage this time.

Her glasses sat low on her nose, a habit she hadn’t shaken, even after I replaced the ones she lost. I could still hear her unimpressed huff when I brought home twenty pairs instead of just one, promising to get more but running out of frames at the store. But she wore them. And that meant she had learned.

I should have been watching her.

Instead, my attention was locked on the envelope in my hand.

It wasn’t ordinary paper. This was heavy. Deliberate. Expensive.

No return address. No last name. Just three letters written in an elegant, unrushed scrawl:

Malcolm Cross.

A slow, deep breath filled my lungs as I ran my thumb over the black wax seal. An invitation.

I cracked the seal, unfolded the letter, and read.

Malcolm Cross,

We have been watching.

We have been listening. And we liked what we saw.

You rejected fate.

You defied instinct, and you made the world bleed for it.

Now, we invite you to take your place among us.

The Chosen are waiting.

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