Page 83 of The Alpha Under My Bed

Still tightened with every breath he took.

“You,” I choked out, my voice wrecked, raw, barely above a whisper. “You were him. The whole time.”

The words tasted like poison on my tongue, and I hated—hated—how my body still ached for him, still wanted to crawl into his arms even as my mind screamed at me to run.

Mal’s eyes darkened, the corner of his lips twitching as he took a step forward, his scent curling around me now, unmasked, potent.

“I’ve always been yours, sweetheart,” he murmured, voice dripping with satisfaction, like this was exactly where he wanted me. Like this was always how it was supposed to be.

“You weren’t ready to see it.”

The final fucking straw.

I snapped.

My hand flew out before I could stop it, cracking against his jaw with enough force to sting my palm. His head barely moved from the impact, but his eyes flashed. Something wicked curled at the edges of his smirk as he exhaled slowly—like he had been waiting for me to snap. Like he wanted this.

“You lied to me!” My voice shook, my chest heaving as the betrayal dug its claws deeper, twisting, cutting.

“You let me think—God, you let me think I was losing my fucking mind over you! Over some stranger, when it was you the whole time!”

His smirk didn’t fade. If anything, it deepened, settling into something dark and satisfied.

“Didn’t hear you complaining last night, omega,” he said, voice slow, deliberate, relishing every syllable.

“Or the night before. Or the night before that.”

My stomach flipped. My thighs clenched.

And I hated him for it.

I turned away sharply, my breath coming too fast, too shallow, everything spiraling too quickly.

I had to get out.

I had to leave.

The bond clawed at my insides, fighting against the instinct to put space between us, but I ignored it, storming toward the door with my hands trembling.

“Ellie.”

I ignored him.

“Ellie.”

I reached for the door handle.

“You won’t make it ten feet.”

I froze.

His voice was soft, knowing, filled with something I couldn’t place. A shiver crawled up my spine, every hair on my body standing on end. Slowly, I turned, my pulse hammering as I met his gaze.

He was watching me like he knew.

Like he had already won.

“You feel it, don’t you?” he murmured, stepping forward, slow and careful. “The bond. How it owns you.”

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