Page 78 of Stalked By the Alphas
After I see Mrs Lewis out, I lock up meticulouslyand check the back door. I check the windows and find the kitchen one is open but pushed closed.Did I do that?I don’t remember, but then, during my heat, I was so out of it that maybe I did.
My heat.
It all comes flooding back like a nightmare.
Zach’s scent. How did I not put two and two together? His summer rain scent was on the sheets. I know it was. I just didn’t piece anything together because it was so faint. Did they break in and come to me while I was in my heat? And if they did, how did they? Through the kitchen window? I lock the doors meticulously. I know I do. I remember coming downstairs to make sure I had locked the front door. My hands tremble, and I feel icy cold inside. Wishing I’d asked Mrs Lewis to stay, I check all the doors and windows again and then a third time for good measure.
Another thought hits me in the guts, and I inhale sharply. If the alphas were here during my heat, that means they had sex with me. I remember the knots and the feeling of euphoria that they brought. It was more intense than with the vibrator. Did they have sex with me while I was too delirious to tell them no? I gulp. What if I told them yes? In the middle of my heat, desperate for a knot, what if I knew they were real, and I told them I wanted it?
The memories are hazy, but I remember the feeling of being filled, of multiple knots. At the time, in my heat-addled state, it had felt so good. But now... I can’t know for sure if it was real or not.
Setting up the cam bear and, this time, making sure the damned thing is fully charged, active and doing its fucking job, I head upstairs and crawl into bed, placing my phone on the pillow next to me. If I’m going to the bookshop tomorrow, I need to get some rest. I feel better after some good food, but too much has happened in the last few days. I groan and turn over, clutching the duvet to me and closing my eyes, willing myself to sleep and forget any of this ever happened.
46
ZACH
I pace restlesslyin Carter’s living room, like a caged tiger, growing more frustrated by the second. My mind keeps replaying Hazel’s horrified expression over and over. The disgust and betrayal in her eyes as she realised the truth about us is seared into my memory.
“We fucked up,” I growl, running a hand through my hair in frustration. “We should have told her the truth from the beginning.”
Noah sighs heavily from his spot on the couch. “Maybe. But it’s too late for that now.”
Carter stands by the window, staring out at the darkening sky. “We need to give her space,” he says quietly. “Let her process everything.”
I whirl on him, anger flaring. “Space? Are you fucking kidding me? After everything that’s happened, you want to leave her alone?”
“What choice do we have?” Carter snaps back. “Shedoesn’t want us near her right now. Pushing her will only make things worse.”
“He’s right,” Noah interjects in that calm way before I can argue further. “We need to respect her wishes for now.”
I clench my fists, fighting the urge to punch something. The alpha in me is screaming to go to Hazel, to protect her, to make her understand. But I know they’re right. We’ve done enough damage.
“This is all your fucking fault!” I growl at Carter. “You did this by telling her everything.”
Carter whirls around, his eyes flashing dangerously. “My fault? We all agreed to come clean eventually. I just sped up the timeline.”
“Well, you certainly fucked that up royally,” I snarl, taking a step towards him.
Noah stands quickly, moving between us. “Enough,” he says firmly. “Fighting amongst ourselves won’t help Hazel.”
I back down reluctantly, my hands still clenched at my sides. “So what do we do now?”
“We wait,” Carter says, his voice tight with frustration. “And we hope that Hazel will give us a chance to explain everything properly.”
“And if she doesn’t?” I ask, voicing the fear we’re all feeling.
Noah sighs heavily. “Then we have to respect her decision. No matter how much it hurts us.”
The thought of losing Hazel for good makes mychest ache. After everything we’ve done, everything we’ve been through, it can’t end like this.
“I can’t accept that,” I say quietly. “I won’t.”
Carter turns to me, his expression grim. “We might not have a choice, Zach. We’ve manipulated her life enough. If she wants us gone, we have to honour that. We are through with this bullshit. None of it makes sense anymore.”
I shake my head stubbornly. “No. There has to be another way.”
Noah rubs his temples, looking exhausted. “What other way is there, Zach? We can’t force her to forgive us or be with us. We’ve seen how that plays out. We were deluded. Obsessed with getting our revenge. We forgot.”
