Alec’s

***

I pace the room, anxiety eating at my insides. We had just arrived at Alec's house a few minutes ago. It's a large six-bedroom mansion set on acres of land among the rich and affluent. If I wasn't so worried, I would have appreciated how good the house looked.

It was a bit cold, but maybe because there was nothing of personal value in it. It was just a house, not a home.

"This is where I escape too when I need to be alone and away from the pack," he said when I asked him why his house was on the opposite side of the pack.

If I were me from before, I would have been jumping at the idea of turning this house into a home. Just the idea of bringing warmth to it would have made me all giddy. I wasn't that girl though... and right now I can't even imagine a life with Alec as my mate, let alone turning this cold house into an inviting warmth.

"Will you stop pacing? It's giving me a headache," Alec demanded in a taut voice.

"I can't. I'm worried about Raven."

She didn't come home yesterday. As if that wasn't worrying enough, Raven wasn't picking up her phone either. I tried reaching out to her through my newly discovered mind-link powers, but it didn't work. Either it doesn't work when someone isn't in proximity or something terrible has happened to her.

"She's probably fine," Alec said, waving his hand dismissively.

"What if she's not? Those hybrids were after me yesterday. It might be because I've been hunting them, and their leader sent them to capture me. What if the same thing happened to Raven, but unlike us, she wasn't able to fight them off?"

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more worried I became. All sorts of scenarios played in my head, and none of them were good. My breath started coming in rapidly, and I felt like I was being suffocated

I put my hand against my chest, trying to calm myself down, but nothing happened. I felt like something heavy was set on top of my chest. I couldn't breathe.

I was so lost in my worry that I didn't

see Alec move. Without warning, he grabs me and pulls me against his chest. One of his hands is wrapped around my waist while the other is holding the back of my head. Gently, he pushes me forward so that my

head is on his chest.

I try fighting him, but he doesn't let me go. Eventually, I give up as the beat of his heart begins to calm me down. I close my eyes for a brief second and inhale his scent. I can feel every inch of him. Every hard ridge of his body. Alec was taller than I was, so my head just touched his chest, unlike Lola, who was tall enough to reach his neck. The need to wrap my hand around his waist and stay in his arms is riding me hard. I also can't ignore the urge to reach up on my toes and seal our mouths together.

The bond comes to life, this close to each other. It's needs demanding to be fulfilled.

Alec's hand around my waist tightens, pushing us closer together. Closer than we were a few seconds ago. He places his chin on top of my head, and I feel him inhaling my scent.

For a minute, forget what has

happened between us, and I get lost in the moment. Get lost in the feel of his body against mine and his hand around my waist. I get lost in the

'what could have been' as I drown in

all that is Alec Ashford.

I melt in his arms as I give in to the demands of the bond for the first time since we learned that we were mates.

I close my eyes for a brief second. The moment I do, though, flashes of the past enter my mind, reminding me that Alec isn't the same man I built my dreams and hopes around.