The Alpha's Shatter Zone
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A familiar form fell back and knocked his head on the floor before his eyes opened.

“Kaiden?” she jumped back and placed a hand over her racing heart. Why did he insist on giving her a heart attack this early in the morning?

“Oh, hey,” he mumbled, his voice husky and groggy. It tugged at her despite her will power. Grabbing his hand to haul him to his feet, she gave him her best glare even though he towered over her. His mussed hair flopped ungracefully across his face, and she nearly swept it back with her own fingers, but she kept them by her side and drummed them on her thighs instead.

“What are you doing sleeping outside my door, again?” she asked evenly, though the question was obvious by the way she raised her eyebrows high towards the roof. They nearly fell off her face, she was so inquisitive as to his reason this time.

“I uhh, just wanted to make sure...you were ok,” he fumbled and leaned against her door frame, almost as if he knew better than to enter without her permission.

“Oh? Why wouldn’t I be?” She tried ignoring the way his eyes roamed quickly up and down her body. She likewise tried to ignore his bare chest and inceptionally toned abs. She would never grow tired of checking him out..

“You never know who might be lurking in these halls, and I already know the lock on your door doesn’t work,” he gave a slight grin, and they both knew what he was referring to.

She smothered a chuckle and tried remaining serious, “You think someone might try and attack me?”

“Well.. maybe not attack…”

“What? And who?” She crossed her arms.

“My brother— I don’t….I don’t trust him.”

“Why not?” She asked slowly, surprised at his revelation.

“I’ve seen the way he looks at you,” a scowl darkened his features.

“And how is that?” She tilted her head, wondering just where he was going with this.

It took a moment for him to answer after a quick swallow. “With lust… and desire.”

Tapping her fingers on her chin, she responded, “Rather like the way you’re looking at me now?” She couldn’t help but smirk at the way his eyes had darkened while looking at her.

“I’m your mate, I’m allowed to look at you like this,” he scoffed, with a light dancing in his eyes now.

“Then since I’m your mate, surely Elah will not touch me.”

Kaiden frowned suddenly. “You underestimate him.” The serious tone in his voice set her on edge, wiping away the playful smirk.

“And you don’t trust him?”

He snorted and rolled his eyes. “What gives you that idea?” He moved past her into her room when she stepped aside.

She knew his question was asked rhetorically, referring back to his very first statement. She blew out a sigh and sat at her desk. “Does he also bear the scars of your father?” She was going out on a limb here, but something prodded her to ask about the way his father had supposedly treated him, and maybe his brother also.

Kaiden shot her a look full of warning. “Worse. He bears the favour of our father.”

“And is that such a bad thing?” She watched him pace back and forth across her carpet, like a caged lion.

“Depends how well you know our dad,” he rubbed his chin thoughtfully and posed the statement with careful consideration.

“Well, I had always heard of the Alpha of Razestone to be cruel and ruthless. Now I’m not so sure if they were referring to you or your father,” she spoke softly, knowing this was a sensitive topic.

“Both, in our own way, I guess,” he sank heavily on the edge of her bed and rubbed both hands over his face.

She watched a flicker of defeat cross his face, and decided now was as good a time as any to mention what had been eating at her for too long now. “He sent me a message, your father did,” she began tentatively, holding the surprised gaze he quickly shot to her. “It said you were shirking your responsibilities as Alpha. And if I saw you, to truss you up like a christmas turkey and send you straight back,” she finished with a touch of humor to lighten the seriousness.

“What? When? Why didn’t you tell me?” he leapt up and stepped towards her, his fists instantly clenching by his side.

“I didn’t think it was necessary. I wanted to find out for myself if his words were true.”

“And do you believe him? That I’m shirking my duties?” his worried eyes pinned her on her seat, and she knew somehow her answer was of great importance to him.

“At first, I wasn’t sure. But Kaiden, the more I get to know you, I guess….I guess I’m still not sure….” she failed miserably at appeasing his worried face.

“But you didn’t send me away, even after the lies my father told you,” he dropped to his knees in front of her to be on the same eye level, and carefully reached for her hands in her lap. “Why not? I know you don’t trust me.”

“I…. Lets just say, I distrust him more than I distrust you,” she gave an honest answer, the warmth of his touch almost making her trust him even more than she knew she did. But despite the ounce of sincerity in the warm brown eyes that peered into her with with glowing golden flecks, she kept her wall of adamant up and remained someone distant. For the sake of her own heart.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he smiled slightly.

“Take it how you will,” she looked away and gently tugged on her hands.

He released them and slowly got to his feet. “But it still doesn’t make sense. Why would my dad write you that? All he’s done the last few years is criticise me and push me away. Now, I’m finally gone, like he wants. So why ask you to send me back?”

“That’s what I want to know,” she shrugged and pondered the situation.

“Maybe…maybe that’s why Elah is here, to convince me to return for some reason,” he paced back and forth once more. “He is more alike my father than I dare admit. I wouldn’t put it past him to be a part of some elaborate plot.”

“What are you talking about?” Chesca picked up a pen from her desk and twirled it between her fingers, watching him intently. “A plot? You make him sound like an evil mastermind from a comic book. What is your dad trying to do?”

“That’s the point. I’ve never been able to figure him out. Ever since my mom died…” he trailed off and ran a hand through his hair, pushing it all back from his face. “He’s manipulative, that much I know. I can’t fall for whatever lies he’s spun this time.”

“What will you do?”

He paused mid-step and met her gaze. “Keep an eye on Elah. Keep him in line like I have always tried to. But there’s no respect for me in his ways. Nothing I say will persuade him once he’s set on an idea.”

Chesca fought off a shiver. His family sound so crazy mixed up, and she didn’t want to have a part of it. The fact she was now irreversibly tied to Kaiden though, hit her full force as she reached up and touched his mark on her neck. He would be her lifelong partner whether she liked to or not. And suddenly, that made her scared. She really knew nothing about this man, or his family. His mother sounded like the only nice one, and she was dead.

It also crossed her mind what Kaiden would think of her if he really knew about her own family and their own set of problems. Her sister’s face flashed over her mind’s eye, the first time in years, but she successfully smothered it back where the memory belonged.

“What are you thinking?” his gentle voice caught her off guard. She looked up and saw his eyes on the faded scar that claimed her as his. He probably knew what she was feeling, seeing as their connection was stronger since the ceremony, but she still didn’t want to open up to him.

“N-nothing.”

He gave a small grin, knowing she was lying. “That’s what you always say.”

“Ok, well, I just realised how little we truly know about each other. But we’re stuck with each other forever,” she sighed heavily and stood, walking to her window to catch the fresh breeze.

“Good point,” he leaned back casually against her wall. “Then we could start getting to know each other by working together?”

“Very funny. I’m not giving you my pack,” she picked up a pillow from the window seat and pegged it at his head.

“Hey hey, it was just an idea,” he lifted his arms in defence and caught it midair, his warm chuckle unlocking some place buried in her heart. Maybe a place that had never been opened before. It felt strange, but his cheeky smile was contagious and it spread to her own face.

“Whatever, I’ll see you at dinner,” she snatched the pillow from his hands and chucked it on her bed before heading to her door. Holding it open for him, their eyes held each other’s as he walked past, his shoulder brushing against hers.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself from the rush of sparks that enveloped her arm from the simple touch, she closed the door and headed out for her run.

Kaiden’s words played in her mind over the coming days. He had seemed just as confused as her and didn’t quite believe his brother had only come for a friendly visit. So she watched them, and listened, trying to find out anything that could help her decide to trust or distrust him further.

Elah’s easy-going manner and handsome charm took him far amongst the young ladies, but when Charles told him to be careful in a slightly reprimanding tone, Elah only scoffed and flirted all he more. His disrespect was only growing.

In this Kaiden hadn’t been wrong. But it was not all as he had predicted. In fact, Elah seemed to encourage Kaiden in his newfound position as mate to the Alpha of this pack. Instead of trying to get him to go home under his father’s insistence, he seemed to forget all about him.

Chesca began to see that this situation suited Kaiden all the better. He was a born leader, an Alpha, but for many reasons had been scorned and criticised by his dad. Now here, in this role as her mate, Kaiden could gain influence over the members and run it how he wanted, far removed from their father’s influence. It was a perfect position that no one on their right mind would turn down. She felt her blood boil every time she saw Elah whispering to Kaiden, like two conspirators plotting to take over her pack.

Nothing could be proved, and she knew most of these conclusions were like mud in her own head. But naturally, it only made Chesca dislike Elah all the more. A part of her had wanted this sly man to drag her troublesome mate by the ear back to his rightful pack.

She watched Kaiden’s attitude towards him shift also, from one of wariness to possible friendship. A rekindling of brotherly ties. This was of course aided by Elah’s eventual giving up flirting towards her, and for this alone she was grateful.

But other young unmated women of her pack had now become the targets of Elah’s sly compliments and greedy stares. Kaiden either didn’t notice or didn’t care about his brother's actions, for he did little to stop him.

Chesca was obliged to house and feed Elah, as he was the brother of her mate, but as time went on she grew more and more disturbed about his presence. He behaved atrociously in her eyes, but no one else seemed concerned besides the one or two comments Charles had made before giving up. All she could do was hope he’d grow up or grow tired of her pack and move on.

“What are you doing?”

“Hiding from You-Know-Who.”

“Which one? Number one or two?” Lexi ducked under the table and crawled to the back of the musty storeroom.

“Ahhh...you-know-who number two,” Chesca dusted off the top of a box and lifted the lid.

“Yeah, isn’t he so stupid! You’d think he’d get the hint that Alice isn’t interested, yet still he asked her out again last night.”

“Elah would flirt with a granny if she was the last female on earth,” Chesca observed while flipping through files.

“Huh that’s true. What are you doing?” Lexi tucked her legs under her and took the stacks of paper Chesca handed her.

“Sorting old pack documents.”

“You got nothing better to do? You’ve been in here for hours and no one can find you.”

“Ha, exactly. I’m hiding,” Chesca threw her friend a knowing look.

“Okay,” Lexi mouthed silently and winked. “But seriously, you gotta get out of here sometime. Destine made the best veggie lasagna for dinner.”

“Mm sounds good,” she agreed absently.

“And Kaiden’s been asking about you.”

“Uh huh,” she frowned at one document before scrunching it up and tossing it into the wastebasket across the room.

“So I told him you were here.”

“Uh—you what??”

Lexi shrieked and leapt for the door before Chesca could get her claws in her. “You can thank me later!” Her laughter disappeared down the hall before Kaiden’s face popped around the door frame.

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