Page 85 of The Alpha Under My Bed

“Ellie? Jesus, are you okay?”

I whirled too fast, my head spinning, my pulse pounding in my ears. The streetlights cast a hazy glow over the sleek black car idling beside me, the tinted window rolled down just enough to reveal Claudia.

I stared at her, my breath still ragged, body trembling, the bond still tugging—tight, insistent, furious.

She tilted her head, her brows knitting in careful concern. “You look like hell, sweetheart.”

I swallowed, my throat dry, my limbs sluggish, my mind too fogged to think clearly. She was familiar. A tether to something outside of Mal. A lifeline when everything else felt like it was closing in.

“I—” My voice cracked, fingers twitching at my sides. I didn’t know what to say.

Her frown deepened as she reached over, opening the passenger door with a smooth motion. “Come on, let me take you somewhere safe. You shouldn’t be out here like this.”

Somewhere safe.

It was a lie. I should have known it was a lie.

But I was exhausted. Broken. And I didn’t think.

I stepped forward.

And then I got in the car.

As soon as I sank into the seat, a sharp pain exploded in my thigh.

I gasped, jerking forward, hands flying to my leg. A needle. Thin, metal, cruel.

My head snapped up, just in time to see Claudia’s grin, wild and too wide.

“Oh, wow.” She laughed, breathless, a twisted excitement in her voice. “I never thought I’d actually use one of these on someone. Man, what a fucking rush.”

She pressed the plunger.

A searing burn flooded my veins, too hot, too fast. My entire body reacted—jerking, thrashing—but I could barely move. My fingers were numb. My head spun, fast, relentless, disorienting.

No. No, no, no?—

“Shhh, sweetheart.” Claudia’s fingers tightened around my throat, just enough to feel mocking. “Don’t fight it. Just let it happen.”

The world tilted, spinning out of control.

The bond—raging.

Mal’s anger slammed into me like a freight train—snarling, furious, distant. Too distant.

Claudia yanked the empty syringe from my leg, clicking her tongue. “Wow. That kicked in fast. Didn’t think I got the dose right.”

I tried to lift my arms. Failed.

Tried to speak, but my tongue was thick, heavy. My lungs struggled to drag in air, my body slowing.

Distantly, I felt fingers—Claudia’s—stroking my hair.

“You poor thing,” she murmured, almost affectionate.

The world swam.

My body slumped.

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