Betrothed To The Alpha

CHAPTER 66

ALICE

"What the actual fuck just happened?" I screech, my voice shrill with disbelief as I watch Alex practically drag Hannah out of the club, my feet rooted to the spot in shock. Collins staggers to his feet, swaying slightly as I whirl on him, shoving at his chest with all my strength.

"Explain to me what the fuck just happened!" I demand, my face mere inches from his, eyes blazing with fury.

"I don't know... I don't fucking know!" he yells back, his own confusion and frustration evident in his tone.

"Why did he act like he wasn't under my spell? He shouldn't have reacted like that if he was properly enthralled," I snarl, pacing the tiny space I have on the crowded dance floor, my movements jerky and agitated.

"Fuck! Why the hell did he behave like that?" I scream again, rounding on Collins once more, my fists clenched at my sides, nails digging into my palms.

"Would you fucking stop shrieking at me and come talk in private?" he hisses, grabbing my hand in a bruising grip and hauling me toward the back door.

The cool night air hits my flushed skin as we stumble outside, and I immediately wrench free of his grasp, crossing my arms over my chest and tapping my foot impatiently, waiting for him to explain this clusterfuck.

"As I said, I don't fucking know. The bond between them should be almost completely shattered by now. It doesn't make sense that he could still be so possessive of her. But don't worry-" he starts, but I cut him off with a vicious slash of my hand.

"Don't worry? For all we know, they could be making up and reconnecting right this second, and you're telling me not to worry?" I seethe, my voice dripping with sarcastic disbelief.

"If you would fucking let me finish, you'd understand why I'm saying that," he snaps back, his own temper flaring at my interruption.

But I'm too far gone to care about his precious explanations. "You know what? Fuck your excuses. I'm not interested in hearing them. Just get me more of that potion, and fast. Clearly, I need a stronger dose to truly have Alex wrapped around my finger."

My wolf whines in the back of my mind, her displeasure at my continued involvement with dark magic palpable. But I ruthlessly shove her aside, not giving a single shit about her opinion. I want Alex to be mine, wholly and completely, and I'll do whatever it takes to make that happen, consequences be damned.

"No problem," Collins assures me, his tone placating. "And how are my men settling in with your pack? The ones I asked you to host?"

It takes me a moment to recall what he's talking about, but then it clicks. The night he first gave me the potion, Collins had requested I allow some of his pack members to stay with us, claiming he couldn't afford to keep them in a hotel and needed them close by. I'd lied to my parents, saying they were old friends from high school, and so far, no one seemed to suspect their true origins.

"They're fine," I reply dismissively, waving a hand. "No one's questioning their presence, even if they do act a bit... different."

"Good, good," Collins nods, a satisfied smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. "Don't worry, doll. Soon, everything will be exactly as we want it."

"It fucking better be," I growl, my patience wearing dangerously thin. "I'm so tired. I just want Alex to be mine, fully and completely. No more delays, no more setbacks. Make it happen, Collins. Or else."

The unspoken threat hangs heavy in the air between us, my eyes glittering with a dark promise of retribution if he fails me again. This ends now, one way or another. Alex will be mine, and nothing - not Hannah, not the fates themselves - will stand in my way.

HANNAH

"Don't you ever fucking kiss me again," I spit, my chest heaving as I struggle to catch my breath, my lips still tingling from the searing intensity of our brief but seemingly endless kiss.

"I deserved that," Alex admits, wiping the side of his mouth where my nails left bloody furrows, sucking the crimson droplets from his fingertips. My traitorous heart clenches at the sight of his wounds, guilt, and regret warring with the anger still coursing through my veins. But I refuse to let it show on my face, schooling my features into a mask of cold indifference.

"Leave and never show your face in front of me again! Do you hear me?" I scream, my voice raw and ragged with emotion.

"I can't do that, Hannah. But for now, I'll go. Just know that things aren't what they seem, and as soon as I can explain everything to you, I will. I promise." His words are cryptic, his eyes pleading with me to understand.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I demand, confusion swirling in my gut, mingling with the ever-present ache of betrayal.

"And stay the fuck away from Collins," he adds, his tone brooking no argument.

"You don't get to tell me what I can and can't do!" I snarl the embers of my anger flaring back to life at his audacity.

"Just fucking listen to me, okay?" Alex roars, grabbing my arm, his gaze boring into mine with a new kind of intensity - one tinged with fear. The sight of it sends a chill down my spine, the confusion in my mind growing with each passing second. What the fuck is going on?

I part my lips, ready to give voice to the questions burning on my tongue when the sound of approaching footsteps makes us both freeze. Alice and Collins emerge from the shadows, and Alex immediately drops his hand from my arm, taking a hasty step back.

Without another word, he turns and walks away, Alice clinging to his side like a burr. But as the distance between us grows, I hear his voice echoing in my mind through our bond.

"Trust me, Hannah. Just trust me."

I'm about to respond, to demand answers, when Collins' voice yanks me back to the present.

"Here," he says, pressing a bottle of water into my hands. I glance down at it, then back up at him, my mind still reeling from Alex's cryptic warning. Without giving it much thought, I unscrew the cap and gulp down the contents, desperate for anything to soothe my raw throat and frayed nerves.

But the moment the liquid hits my tongue, I realize my mistake. It's not water I just drank, but something far more sinister. My vision blurs, the world tilting on its axis as a wave of dizziness crashes over me. I try to speak, to cry out, but my words come out slurred and jumbled, my tongue heavy and useless in my mouth.

Panic seizes me in its icy grip, my heart pounding against my ribcage. What the fuck did Collins just give me? Oh, moon goddess, please, please save me from whatever twisted plans he has in store.

I feel his arm snake around my waist, his touch making my skin crawl even as my head throbs with blinding, relentless pain. I try to rub my temples to ease the agony splitting my skull, but it's no use. The dizziness only intensifies, the edges of my vision darkening as I teeter on the brink of unconsciousness.

And then, just as I'm about to succumb to the beckoning void, I hear Collins' voice, his words dripping with cruel satisfaction.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. Come tomorrow, you'll be exactly as I want you to be. My perfect little Luna."

A bone-deep shudder of pure, unadulterated terror rips through me, but before I can even draw breath to scream for help, for anyone, the darkness swallows me whole, dragging me down into its fathomless depths as my mind echoes with one final, desperate plea.

Alex, please...save me.