Page 83 of Stalked By the Alphas
“Then what?”
“We thought he might do something stupid. The last five years have been trying for him. He spirals quickly now. It’s been getting worse lately. The guilt… It’s getting to him.”
“Guilt,” I snap. “You know what? Fuck you and him and Noah.”
“No, please, Hazel. Please get him to come down, and then we will leave you alone. I swear. You will never see us again.”
My stomach lurches, and not just from Carter’s erratic driving. I’m torn between wanting to hurt them, but the shame and guilt of that eats me up.
“Noah’s with him,” Carter adds quietly. “But we need you, Hazel. You’re the only one who can talk him down.”
We screech to a stop near the bridge. In the distance, I can see two figures—one perched precariously on the railing and the other standing nearby.
“Thank fuck,” Carter mutters, and I realise how badly this is affecting him. He is their prime alpha, and he feels powerless, hopeless and alone. Yeah, I know how that feels. Welcome to the club. I feel almost vindicated, but at what cost?
“Go,” Carter urges. “Please.”
I nod, my heart pounding as I get out of the car. As I approach the bridge, I can hear Noah talking to him.
But as I get closer, I realise he isn’t talking. He’s singing.
My heart lurches. It’s a sweet lullaby that takes me completely aback.
The lullaby is hauntingly beautiful, filled with a desperation that makes my chest ache. My heart races, fear and adrenaline coursing through me.
“Zach,” I call out softly when I’m close enough.
He stiffens at the sound of my voice but doesn’t turn. Noah stops singing and looks at me with a nod, and steps back.
“Hazel,” Zach whispers. “You shouldn’t be here.”
I take a cautious step closer. “Neither should you, Zach. Please, come down from there.”
He shakes his head. “I can’t. Not after everything we’ve done. You deserve better.”
“Maybe I do,” I say, my voice shaking slightly. “But that doesn’t mean you deserve this. Please, just talk to me.”
“How can you even stand to be near me after what we did?”
I swallow hard, pushing down my own anger and hurt. “Because despite everything, I still care about you, and I don’t want you to do this. I want you to come down from there.”
“Why?” he asks bitterly. “So you can tell me how much you hate me? How disgusted you are by what we’ve done?”
His words sting, but I push past the hurt. “I am angry, and hurt and disgusted,” I admit. “But I don’t want you to die.”
Zach’s shoulders slump at my words. “Maybe I deserve to,” he says softly. “After everything we’ve done to you...”
“No one deserves this, Zach. Not even you.”
He laughs bitterly. “You don’t know the half of it, Hazel. The things we’ve done, the people we’ve hurt... It’s unforgivable.”
“Then live with it,” I say firmly. “Face the consequences of your actions. Jumping won’t solve anything.”
“It’ll end the pain,” he whispers.
My heart clenches at the raw anguish in his voice. Despite everything, I can’t bear to see him like this.
“And what about the pain you’ll leave behind?” I ask softly. “What about Noah and Carter? What about me?”
