The Alpha's Shatter Zone
|18|

“Not happening,” she shoved Kaiden back firmly on the chest, and gritted her teeth with determination.

He watched her with a slight grin, then slowly stuffed his hands in his pockets, as if to show her he was a man of his word. She didn’t trust his word as far as she could throw a stick. And right now she just wanted to wipe that smug look from his face, but knew that from even a punch the sparks might be too hot to handle. So she brushed past him instead, continuing down the path in silence. Perhaps he’d get lost in the woods out here and that’d teach him to try stalking her again.

His exact footsteps matched hers, their crunch and cracking keeping in a steady rhythm. Only when she reached her destination did he speak.

“You come here to think a lot?” he eased himself down on the rock beside her, and she remained tense. Ready for anything, her father would always say.

“And when I’m trying to get away from certain annoying people,” she said with a toss of her hair.

Kaiden chuckled at that, a deep warm rumbling from his chest that made her roll her eyes. “Right, I get it. But honestly, I’m happy to just talk. Ok?”

He looked at her sideways, and Chesca tried to interpret his open expression. Could that really be all it meant? He was being open and honest for once? “Ok. Shoot.” she looked back at the view in front of them, the shadowed valley dropping away from Razorback Ridge and extending into a plain cut diagonally by the meandering river.

“That story back there, it was beautiful.”

“Beautiful? Try again,” she wouldn’t get sucked in by his smooth words.

“It was...endearing, inspiring,” he scratched his chin in thought, “...and heartwarming.”

“You’re turning into Poetic Asa.”

He chuckled again and shook his head. “Nope, I’m now fresh out of pretty words. Although,” he turned to her and studied her again, making her squirm in her seat and reminding her of another midnight discussion not too long ago. “Another subject might definitely inspire some more poetic lines.”

She instantly looked away and huffed, shoving him over with her elbow. “Get over yourself.”

“You get over yourself,” he pushed her back, and she nearly toppled from the rock.

“So you’re tryna push me off the edge now? I knew it!” and she gave him an extra hard shove. He stumbled to his feet back from the cliff and his laughter rang out in the night air.

When they finally settled down and stopped acting like teenagers, and Chesca had successfully wiped the smile from her face, she said in a serious whisper, “Is your father really as bad as they say he is?”

He stiffened, and she nearly regretted the question. Nearly, because it was still one she knew she needed answers to. This was her father-in-law they were talking about, and she cringed at that thought that had suddenly materialised.

“You’ve heard the stories, I’m sure. Cruel, mean Alpha.”

“That was you I thought they were talking about.”

“Ha ha seriously?” he laughed but sobered when she threw him a serious look. “Oh. Well, ok, I guess they’re kinda true too. But my dad….” Kaiden sighed. “He’s always been controlling, telling me what to do and how to run my pack even though I gained the title a few years ago. He never really realised he had to step down and let me be my own alpha.”

She nodded, encouraging him to go on.

“It all came to a head recently, and I realised he had been gathering his own band of followers, giving them orders behind my back. He eventually pushed me out entirely…” his words faded in a whisper.

“And the scars on your back?”

Kaiden shot her a dark look, and she knew she’d gotten out of him all she would for the night. They both stared out into nothingness for a few moments before he spoke.

“How did you lose your parents?”

“Alright, I guess it’s only fair we take this turn about,” she rolled her shoulders and breathed deeply, filling her lungs with the crisp mountainous air. “Rogues. They attacked at night, and destroyed nearly half the pack.”

After a minute of silence, he must’ve realised she wasn’t going to say anything more. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault.”

“I admire your strength, Chesca. It’s not easy being an Alpha, especially after going through so much loss and tragedy,” he spoke softly.

She glanced at him. “I thought you were fresh out of poetry?”

“I said I needed a subject,” he grinned in the dark.

She ignored his statement and the warm flames licking at the edge of her heart. “We all have our problems and demons to fight. No one gets through life unscathed. It’s just up to us how we handle the trials that come our way,” she shrugged, making light of the heavy topic.

He nodded silently, and a wave of tiredness slowly lapped at her mind, her strength after a busy day ebbing and waning like the tidal moon. She sighed, letting her eyes flutter close for a brief moment. The stillness surrounding them pervaded her heightened senses, and even his presence was calming despite how she normally felt about him. Something about being with him just felt so right, and she didn’t have the will to argue with the part of her that kept putting up a wall. So when she felt herself falling, tilting ever so slightly to the right and the side of her head meeting a warm and soft yet firm shoulder, she didn’t snap back up and berate herself. Instead, her eyes closed once more, and for a few minutes she just wanted to rest.

The tickle in his ear woke him up. He slapped at the little insect that was surely trying to make a home there, and slowly let his surroundings seep back into his consciousnesses. Silence. A quiet hush that fell over him like the blanket of dew he felt settling on his clothes. Something warm tugged for his attention, and his arm automatically curled around the object. When it moved against his chest, he started and peered down in the pale light at a silvery blonde head.

Chesca.

The thought that she had fallen asleep beside him and now lay in his arms was unnerving to say the least. Because it was also totally shocking, exciting, and had his heart racing in a matter of seconds. The rock behind his back was hard, and his backside was totally numb, but he didn’t really care. The warming presence of his mate this close overwhelmed any other discomfort. His fingers dared move in circles on her hip where they lay, and she instantly turned her head, her eyes fluttering open. Peering up at him, only inches away, her clear hazel irises—which glinted as if a dozen forests were melded into glistening pools of colour—stared unblinking into his own.

Then within the space of a heartbeat, she pushed against his chest and jumped to her feet, away from him. The shocked look on her face probably mirrored his own, and she ran a shaky hand through her tangled hair.

“I don’t know what happened, but uh...um..” she ran her tongue over her lips and swallowed, “we should get back, before uh..” She stuttered and glanced awkwardly about, looking anywhere but at him.

He smiled slightly, amused by the way she was so flustered. “The Fire is long over already, there’s no rush,” he stated quietly, as if he had to whisper despite their far distance from anyone else.

She clenched her fists and turned without a word, heading down the path back towards the residential grounds. He followed her carefully as she meandered her way through the dizzying maze of trees, the dark sky above the shadows of trees only hinting at the approaching dawn, a pale grey bouncing off the objects around them.

Teasing words were on the tip of his tongue the whole way, but something stopped him from saying them. Maybe it was the glimmer of trust she’d given him a few short hours ago. If he broke it now, she’d close right back up like a clam, and he’d be back at square one. No, better to play it safe for now. He’d hold on to the inch she’d given him, and take a mile when the time was right.

“It’s ridiculous the junk they’ll print to get these to sell,” Chesca threw the paper back down on the kitchen bench. On the front cover was an article about Alpha Jackson, whose territory was by the coast. Every year he threw a spectacular beach party, and this one was no exception, which was obvious by the way it had gotten out of control and cops had to be called. The picture of him half naked jumping into his pool was testament to the overconsumption of alcohol and discriminate lack of maturity.

“It works, though,” Lexi peered up at her from the rim of her glass of orange juice, a twinkle in her eyes.

“I only buy the paper to make sure I’m not in it,” Chesca huffed and continued slicing a papaya for breakfast. The sunlight was streaming in through the glass windows, and she always loved this space in the early morning. “Those pesky reporters are always hunting for a juicy story, and they don’t care who they slander to get it.”

“True,” Lexi shrugged and flipped through the paper, “And thankfully jerks like Alpha Jackson most often get the limelight,” she snorted at another incriminating picture in the main article.

“Speaking of jerks, have you seen Kaiden anywhere?” Chesca sat down and asked.

“Why are you asking me? He’s your mate,” Lexi raised an eyebrow and took a piece of Chesca’s fruit.

“Hmm..he hasn’t infuriated me for a few days, and I’m beginning to think that’s a bad sign, like he’s planning something. That, or he’s left, which I would appreciate.”

“Nah, you’d feel it if he left. The mate bond, remember. Especially since you’ve marked each other,” Lexi pointed out and wiggled her eyebrows.

“Don’t remind me,” Chesca muttered.

“Well, I did see him down by the lake yesterday, and Charles mentioned something about working out with him at the gym. So he’s not getting up to too much mischief, I’d say.”

“Hmpf, you’d be surprised,” Chesca rolled her eyes and poured crunchy nut flakes into her bowl, followed by almond milk.

“Just leave it be, Ches. You said you’d give him a chance.”

“Yeah, but I still don’t have to trust him,” she stared down at her cereal.

“Actually, you do. Every relationship needs to be built on trust. And honesty. Just talk to him, get to know him like a friend.”

She knew her friend made sense, but it was still difficult to look past the fact he originally wanted to kill her and take over her pack. He could still be planning that, for all she knew. A few tender moments and soft smiles didn’t magically change the past. A night of sharing about each other and falling asleep against a rock didn’t automatically make her run into his arms like she couldn’t live without him. Even though she couldn’t get some certain feelings out of her head, she had to remain firm and concentrate on her responsibilities. Like this pack.

As if fate was toying with her, the object of her traitorous thoughts suddenly walked in the kitchen, his chest bare and his hair ruffled as if he just got out of bed.

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