Page 110 of Chained By the Alpha
“Stay here then, I’ll leave,” he tells me, and I scoff.
“Please, Cleo!” he begs, taking a step closer to me. “Let me do this for you. Just let me keep you safe.”
“Safe?” I scoff, feeling the bitterness rise within me. “Do you think I feel safe with you now? After everything?”
“Look, I know I messed up,” he admits, his gaze locked on mine. “I was trying to protect you, Cleo. I swear, I would never hurt you.”
His words wrap around my heart, squeezing it painfully. “I don’t know if I can believe that anymore, Zayn,” I whisper, my voice breaking.
“Then let me prove it to you,” he pleads, his hands gripping my shoulders. I shiver at the intensity of his touch. Memories flooding back to me. “Stay at least until your birthday, please.”
“I…” I hesitate, my resolve wavering. Then I remember the lies and the betrayal, and I force myself to pull away from him. “No, Zayn. I can’t. Not until I know the truth.”
“Please, Cleo,” he whispers. His breath warm against my neck as he pulls me close once more. His lips brush against my skin, sending a shiver down my spine. “I can’t lose you.”
“Stop,” I choke out, tears forming in my eyes. My whole body trembles with desire and frustration, my emotions warring within me. “I can’t do this, Zayn. I don’t know who to trust anymore, and you were the one person I hoped I could count on.”
The distance between us feels insurmountable, the gulf of lies and secrets too wide to bridge. My body trembles with the effort of holding back tears – and the undeniable urge to run into his arms and forget everything. He must see the conflict on my face because he sighs heavily
“Alright,” he relents, stepping back and releasing me. “Fine, but I’m not letting you sleep on the streets or without guards.”
He ignores my protests when I tell him I don’t want guards, dialing a number on his phone. “I’m booking you a room. You’ll be safe there. I won’t have you on the damn streets, Cleo.”
As I watch him make arrangements, the cold knot of betrayal tightens in my chest. The man I once thought I knew seems like a stranger now. How could everything have gone so wrong?
A short while later, I find myself standing in the lobby of a modest hotel, a room key card in my hand. The receptionist gives me a sympathetic look. I ignore it. My jaw set as I march toward the elevator, Zayn chasing after me trying to convince me to come home with him. As the doors close, Zayn forces his way into the elevator. I let out a shaky breath, trying to process everything that has happened. “Seriously, Zayn, this is not giving me damn space.”
“Just let me walk you up, Cleo.” He argues, pressing the button to the second floor. We step out of the elevator, and he insists on walking me to the room. We walk along the balcony, stopping at my door.
The cold key card in my hand bites into my skin as I swipe it through the reader. The door clicks open with a soft beep. Stepping inside, the room is small but clean. Its peaceful atmosphere is a stark contrast to the turmoil raging within me. I drop my bag on the floor unceremoniously and Zayn tries to talk to me. I shut the door in his face. He bangs on the door while I sit on the edge of the bed, burying my face in my hands. How did it come to this? How did everything spiral so far out of control?
Eventually, he gives up and realizes I am not going to speak to him, at least not tonight, and I move to the window. I see Zayn talking to one of his men downstairs pointing to the room, before he climbs into the car. I sigh, knowing he assigned me a babysitter. The door to the Chinese restaurant opens, drawing my attention across the road to see my father staring after Zayn’s car. I suck in a breath, then his gaze goes to me in the window. I stagger back, letting the curtain close, wondering if he saw me, though I know he did. He looked directly at me.
The bitter sting of betrayal threatens to suffocate me, and I struggle to keep my emotions in check.
An hour later, a knock on the door startles me from my thoughts, my pulse pounding in my ears. My eyes dart around the room, searching for something to use as a weapon if need be. With a shaky breath, I wipe away the tears clinging to my lashes and stand, opening the door cautiously.
“Dad,” I breathe out in surprise as I find my father standing there. My father stands before me, his normally stoic expression now softened with concern. His eyes meet mine, filled with a mix of sadness and understanding. I take a deepbreath, my heart racing. I can feel my tears welling up as I take a step forward and wrap my arms around my father.
He hugs me back tightly, and I feel a wave of emotion wash over me, half expecting him to shove me away. Yet growing up, there was no place I felt safer than on his shoulders or in his arms. That was until all this mess since that stupid Council meeting.
When I step back, he holds up a bag of Chinese food.
“Hungry?” he asks, his graying hair and tired eyes give him an air of vulnerability I’ve never seen before.
“Cleo,” he says gently, his voice betraying his own hurt. I nod and he passes me the bag. After a moment, he says, “I’m sorry,” and his voice cracks with emotion.
“What are you doing here?” The question tumbles from my lips unbidden, my defenses crumbling in the face of his unexpected presence.
“I saw Zayn banging on the window of your room, so I figured I’d check on you,” he replies, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. “I came to make sure you’re alright.” He takes a deep breath before continuing. “I really didn’t mean to interrupt you, especially after… I knew you wouldn’t take my calls, and Zayn won’t let you near me. I just wanted to make sure everything was ok.” He smiles weakly, his expression a mixture of guilt and something else.
“Well, I’m sure you see that I’m not?” The words burst forth, raw and accusing. “Everything I believed in has been shattered. I don’t know who to trust anymore.”
“Trust me,” Dad says softly, reaching out to place a comforting hand on my shoulder. “I know what’s best for you.”
“Is that why you banished me?”
He drops his head, looking ashamed. “I did that out of anger. I never should have, Cleo. By the time I came to my senses and returned, you were gone, you went with him.”
