Page 38 of Chained By the Alpha
He nods.
“And I’m scared of him marrying me off to Boyd.”
“That won’t happen,” he tells me, and I laugh. He has no idea.
“It won’t happen, Cleo,” he tells me; his aura rushes out and I fight the urge to push back against it, knowing there is no point in challenging the man when I don’t have my wolf. Gritting my teeth, I stare down at my plate when he drops his aura.
“I’ll speak to Alpha Dane. I have a meeting with him next week, anyway.” I look up at him, hopeful. If I can’t get Boydto refuse the marriage alliance, maybe Zayn can convince Alpha Dane not to force it.
“Why would you do that?” I ask. This man has already done enough for me.
“Because no one should be forced into a marriage for treaty agreements,” he tells me. “Now finish eating, you should head back before your father sends out a search party for you.”
“That’s if he hasn’t already.”
He snickers. “I’m sure he has. He’s probably tearing the city apart as we speak, looking for you. Have you decided how you’re going to explain your absence?” I shake my head, and he clicks his tongue.
“Well, you wanna think of something quick.”
I nod, mulling it over. Either way, I know I’ll end up having to come clean eventually. Occasionally, it’s best just to rip the band-aid off.
“I guess I’ll tell him I fell asleep in my car,” I ponder.
“He’ll believe that?”
“No, but it will give me a few days to come up with a better excuse, or I can tell him I stayed at Deacon’s which will not go down well, but Deacon will cover for me.”
Zayn says nothing and we finish eating in silence. When it’s time to leave, he drives me back to his place where my car is waiting and hands me my keys, along with another key and a plastic card. I stare at the swipe key with the small silver key attached to it.
“What’s this?” I ask him.
“That is the swipe card to the gate to get in here, and the key is to the packhouse,” he tells me. My eyes widen, and I try to pass it back to him.
“Zayn, I can’t take that,” I tell him.
“You can, and you will if you want my men watching your borders,” he tells me.
I swallow guiltily. “You still haven’t said what you want me to do. I can’t pay you, my father would notice if I took money, besides, I don’t even know what he pays for pack protection.”
“When do you go back to school?” he asks, and I lean against the hood of my car.
“Next week,” I admit, and I can’t wait to be away from my father, Linda and Lydia.
“And what do you do for work?” he asks.
“Mostly, I work for my father, and only during breaks. I was paying off my car after Lydia almost totaled it, but after my fight with him, I think I’ll steer clear of him since he paid to get it out, especially if he is serious about this marriage alliance. I know he’ll try to force me to drop out.”
“He can’t do that,” Zayn tells me.
“He can when he pays for it.”
Zayn sighs, then runs his fingers through his hair. “Fine,” he says, stepping closer and placing his hands on either side of my hips. His scent overwhelms me, and he smirks, seeing the effect he has on me. “You’ve sired my wolf, you know that. My father is going to murder me,” I growl, yet it comes out more of a moan. My eyes widen, and my face heats.
“Keep telling yourself that,” he purrs, giving me a devious smile.
“Zayn, stop playing with me. It’s not funny!” I growl at him. The shaky note in my voice betrays how hot and flustered this man makes me. His gaze rakes over me and ignites a pool of desire which has been simmering deep within the entire time I’ve been with him. I try to remind myself it’s the sire bond from him healing me, yet another part of me can’t deny how attracted to the man I am.
“And what if I don’t want to stop?” his voice is low, barely more than a whisper as he dips his head lower, his lips moving against my ear. It sends a thrill of anticipation spiraling downto my toes. The way he looks at me…it says he wants more than just playful banter. He wants me. I don’t know if that is his way of getting back at my father, however I can’t say I would turn him down if he requested my body for payment. It goes against everything I believe in; I’m saving myself for my mate, or for Deacon to mark me, but why do I feel like I would throw all that away for him?
