Page 54 of The Alpha Under My Bed

MALCOLM

Ellie was unraveling.

I could see it in the way she sat curled up on my couch, knees drawn to her chest, fingers twitching against the hem of my shirt—my shirt that she hadn’t even realized she was wearing. The weight of exhaustion had settled into her limbs, her body still wrung out from last night. Not that she knew justhow muchI had wrung her out.

Her phone was still face-down on the table. Powered off.

Good girl.

She hadn’t even noticed me watching her, hadn’t realized that every time her eyes flickered shut, my gaze trailed the soft curve of her throat, lingering on the fresh bite mark she still hadn’t acknowledged. She shifted slightly, and I caught the barest wince, the way her fingers twitched like she wanted to reach for it but stopped herself.

That was new.

I wasn’t supposed to touch her mark yet. Not directly. She still thought she was untethered, still believed she had achoice.But there was a crack in that belief now, and fuck if I wasn’t going to exploit it.

I leaned against the counter, arms crossed, watching her fidget.

“You’re going to think yourself into a hole,” I said, keeping my voice light.

Ellie startled, blinking up at me like she had forgotten I was even there. That stung. I didn’t show it.

Her brows pulled together slightly. “I just—” She let out a sharp breath, shaking her head. “Everything feels like too much right now.”

I hummed, pushing off the counter and walking toward her, slow and easy. “Then let’s change that.”

She frowned. “What?”

“You need to get out of here. Take a break.” I nodded toward the door. “Let’s go.”

Her lips parted in surprise, like the thought hadn’t even occurred to her. “Mal, I don’t?—”

“I’m not asking,” I said smoothly, crouching in front of her. My fingers brushed over her ankle, just enough to make her still beneath my touch. “You’ve been locked in your own head since last night. You need something else to focus on. Come with me.”

I could see her hesitation, see the way her mind was already coming up with reasons to say no. I softened my touch, rubbing my thumb along the bone of her ankle in slow, soothing circles. “Just for a little while,” I murmured. “No expectations. No thinking. Just food, fresh air, and me.”

Her lips twitched like she wanted to argue. I waited, patient, watching the conflict play out across her face.

“…Where would we even go?”

My smirk was slow, satisfied.

“Food truck park. You can stuff your face, and I can be a good best friend and look the other way when you add more sugar to your lemonade.”

She huffed, rolling her eyes. But the tension in her shoulders had eased, her fingers no longer digging into her own skin.

I had her.

“Fine,” she muttered. “But you’re paying.”

I grinned, standing up and offering my hand. “Always.”

She took it without hesitation.

Ellie stretched, rolling her shoulders as she stood, rubbing the last bits of sleep from her eyes. I watched her carefully, the way she hesitated before heading toward the bathroom to change. She was still on edge, but she wasn’t fighting me. Not yet.

Progress.

I grabbed my jacket from the back of a chair, rolling my shoulders as I listened to her move around in the bathroom. It was funny—she acted like she was sneaky, but I could hear every little shuffle of fabric, every deep breath she took as she debated what to wear.

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