Page 69 of Stalked By the Alphas
“You did save her, Zach. We all did.”
He looks up at me, his eyes haunted. “Did we, though? We might not have killed her parents, but westill hurt her. Scared her. How are we any better than them?”
I sigh heavily. “We’re not perfect, Zach. We’ve made mistakes. But our intentions were never to truly harm Hazel. We love her.”
“Do we?” Zach asks quietly. “Or are we just obsessed with her?”
His question hits me like a punch to the gut. I’ve never allowed myself to examine our feelings for Hazel too closely. Love, obsession, possession - where does one end and the other begin?
“I don’t know,” I admit finally. “But I do know that we want what’s best for her. Even if that means letting her go,” I finish quietly.
Zach’s head snaps up, his eyes wide. “What? No, we can’t just let her go. Not after everything.”
I hold up a hand. “I’m not saying we will. But we need to be prepared for the possibility that it might be what’s best for Hazel. After what she’s been through, she may not want anything to do with us—or any alphas—ever again.”
“I can’t lose her, Noah. Not again.”
“I know,” I say softly. “I don’t want to lose her either. But we have to put her needs first this time.”
We sit in silence for a long moment, each lost in our own thoughts.
Finally, Zach speaks up. “So, what do we do now?”
I sigh. “We wait. Give her time to process and heal. And when she’s ready, we’ll be there. To explain, to apologise, to do whatever she needs us to do.”
Zach nods slowly. “And if she never wants to see us again?”
“Then we respect her wishes,” I say firmly, even as the words tear at my heart. “No matter how much it hurts us, this isn’t about us. Not anymore.”
Zach looks like he wants to argue, but he just nods again. We both know it’s the right thing, even if it’s the last thing we want to do.
42
CARTER
HittingBuy Nowon the phone screen, I sit back with a smile. I’m still on the floor beside Hazel’s bed, listening to her steady breathing as she sleeps. My body aches from the fight, and my stab wound throbs and has started to bleed again, but I ignore the pain. All that matters is that Hazel is safe, and she wants me here. Okay, she said to stay with her until she fell asleep, but I didn’t want to leave once I was here.
As night turns to dawn, I replay the events of the day in my mind. The scuffle with the masked man outside, being stabbed and knocked out, the terror of realising Hazel had been taken. The desperate search. The brutal fight to get her back. It all happened quite quickly, considering, but to Hazel, it probably felt like years. What did they do to her while she was with them? We found her naked and tied to a fucking bed.
A soft whimper from the bed pulls me from my fresh surge of rage that makes me wish we could killthose fuckers all over again. Hazel stirs restlessly, caught in the grip of a nightmare. I rise to my knees, hesitating. Should I wake her? Touch her? I’m not sure what she needs.
“No... please... stop,” she mumbles, her voice thick with fear.
I can’t bear to hear her suffering. “Hazel,” I call softly. “It’s okay. You’re safe.”
Her eyes fly open, wild with panic. For a moment, she doesn’t seem to recognise me.
“It’s Carter. You’re safe.”
Recognition dawns, and she lets out a choked sob. Without thinking, I gather her into my arms. She clings to me, trembling.
“I’ve got you,” I murmur into her hair, stroking her back soothingly. “You’re safe now. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
Hazel burrows closer, her tears dampening my shirt. I hold her tightly, murmuring soft reassurances as she cries. Gradually, her sobs subside into quiet sniffles.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers, her voice hoarse.
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” I say firmly.
