Page 9 of Betrayed Alpha Mate

As he disappears between the trees, I fall to my knees in a pathetic pile of numb limbs and choking sobs. The man I love, the man I’d lost my virginity to a week ago, and the man who undoubtedly is my fated mate, just ripped my heart out of my chest and squashed it under his boot before walking away.

***

A stray tear rolls down and hits my pillow, and that’s when I decide to stop moping around like this.

It’ll do me no good.

So what if I’m still affected by his touch? I’ll just make sure that I wear stronger armor and keep my distance so that tonight never happens again.

I sit upright in bed, feeling my palms and fingers tingling again as if magic is stirring. Maybe if I told the others and sought their help, I wouldn’t feel so uncertain about my gifts. Perhaps it’s because I know how much is riding on finding the fifth witch, and that’s a pressure I’ll have to carry if the ritual actually works.

It might be working now, and that’s why the tingles are getting stronger—strong enough to lead me out of bed and padding toward my bedroom window, in need of some fresh air.

An overwhelming stir erupts in my chest, as if clutching my heart, but not in a frightening way. It feels like a warm embrace, a subtle caress, and the tingling in my palms becomes stronger until I can almost make out a golden mist covering them.

My breath hitches in my throat, and I look up at the lace curtains covering the window just in time to see a shadowy figure lingering by the trees. Frowning, I take a step forward to get a closer look at the figure, only to make out the broad shoulders and distinctive mop of curls on his head.

“Sean…?”

As soon as I whisper his name, the figure disappears, prompting me to pull back the curtain to get a closer look. But there’s nothing out there except for the branches swaying in the wind.

Perhaps I’m just too skittish and exhausted from today. Why would Sean be outside, anyway, spying on me like some stalker?

I need sleep, and I need to forget about Sean’s existence altogether. It’s better that way for the sake of my sanity.

Chapter 3 - Sean

Like a thief in the night, I creep back home, heart thundering with adrenaline and the unmet, unreasonable desire to be close to Emily.

I don’t know what’s going on with me, except that I’m like a starved man, an addict that needs his craving satisfied, or I might lose my mind.

I’m losing my mind going back home, only because I’m too afraid of being caught.

What’s going on with me?

Perhaps I’m not feeling like myself because touching Emily tonight brought back the reminder of something I’d convinced myself that I could forget. But retiring from black ops a year ago and returning home to Stowe to become Silverfang’s alpha has made me realize that there’s still something amiss in my life.

As soon as I’m back home, it’s like the air is different, less dangerous, free of any traces of Emily’s natural scent. Jasmine.

Who would have thought that the sweet scent could be so lethal to a werewolf? That a scent like that would drive me crazy?

Crazy enough to follow her home after she’d slapped me across the face….

I must be losing my mind, but I don’t even care. All I care about is being near Emily, touching her again, feeling the way her warm, soft flesh ignites a sensation in me that I’d only felt once before.

Groaning under my breath when awareness of that memory comes crawling in and pooling at the apex of my thighs, I drag my feet to the bar, where nothing seems to pique my interest. Not even the strongest drink can cure this craving or take the edge away.

I know, because I’ve been down this road before. The only difference is that five years ago, Emily wasn’t resistant, and I hadn’t broken her heart.

But I knew all along. I knew that our connection was special, even long before our lips met and danced in harmony that night. It was in those long, lingering stares, while she administered Mother’s medication or washed a plate in the sink—I felt it even before I touched her.

Gulping hard in an attempt to swallow and bury that memory, I know I’m only fooling myself. Behind closed doors, where no one can see me, I’m haunted by the past, and I’ll never be able to escape it.

Not unless Emily gave me a second chance.

If there’s anything tonight showed me, it’s that a second chance is out of the question.

Grunting and mumbling a string of profanities under my breath, I opt for my secret stash of herbs behind the liquor cabinet. I roll a joint and enjoy it on the balcony, needing the fix to get some sleep for the night.