The Alpha's Shatter Zone ✔️

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3782 words. Massive chapter!!

The sun rose too early.

It seemed Chesca had barely closed her eyes and fallen into a dreamless sleep before the light tapped on her eyelids and beckoned her awake. After trying to ignore it for a few moments, two things suddenly made her sit up in bed and fight the shadows from her mind.

One: the events of last night came flooding back into remembrance, the way her office had been broken into with a pin and her personal, private belongings sifted through by unfamiliar hands. The violating event crowded out the happy memories from the picnic that had preceded it, and the first kiss she'd shared with her mate...

And two: the heavy breathing from across the room that definitely didn't belong to anyone other than her soulmate, Kaiden. He was sleeping a few feet away from her, on the couch, and as Chesca watched him for a couple moments from the comfort of her warm covers, she couldn't help admiring the relaxed lines of his face as sleep momentarily erased his worries. The hair that rested in a mess across his forehead couldn't be any more beautiful, with the first ray of sunlight peeping through the curtains and illuminating it to amber shades. His bare chest rose and fell in even breaths, and Chesca's eyes traced the curves of muscles all the way down to his belly button before averting her gaze as a blush heated her cheeks.

He's your mate, for goodness sake, her wolf snorted. It urged her to go over and jump on top of him, drag him to the ground in a jumble of sheets and—

Shut it, will you? Chesca whispered to herself and tip toed over to Kaiden, wanting to prove to herself that she did have self-control. Placing a finger gently on Kaiden's forehead, she traced a line down his cheek and to his strong jaw, loving the feel of sparks that tingled up her finger. When his mouth twitched cutely in response, yet he didn't awaken, she did something without thinking. Placing a quick yet soft kiss on his forehead, she scampered to her bathroom and locked herself in. Leaning against the door to catch her breath for a moment, she grinned stupidly at herself in the mirror, placing a hand over her hammering heart. Score one for the Alpha female, she giggled silently.

After a quick shower, she came out and found Kaiden up and standing at the window, pulling back the curtains. His face was once again etched with worry lines from the stress he was under. His muscles were once again taut and rigid with unease, and in an alert readiness for the long day ahead.

"Good morning, Beautiful," he smiled, his eyes lighting up as they landed on her.

Her heart did a little flip on itself. "Hey yourself," she draped her towel over a chair after drying her long hair, and adjusted her shirt, looking down at her toes as she felt his gaze on her.

"You really do look beautiful, you know that right?" his voice was like melting honey, flowing over her and warming her from the outside in. Shaking herself to put a stop to her erratic thoughts, she lifted her chin.

"You may have mentioned it once or twice."
Truth was, no one really commented on her looks, which was how she liked it. Beauty was a vain and prideful pursuit, her mother had always said. It didn't really matter what physical features one was blessed with, as a smile and proper grooming could make anyone attractive and feel confident about themselves. But on the other hand, having a powerful Alpha male such as Kaiden, her mate, tell her she was beautiful, did something to unlock a spring of happiness, and radiance blossomed within her like nothing she'd ever felt. She'd never get tired of hearing his affirming compliments.

"Well, you look as fresh as the new day outside, and ready to conquer the world—"

She had to put a stop to his over the top romantic nonsense before it made her do something stupid. "And you should go freshen up, you look like a mess," she motioned to his baggy track pants and disheveled hair. Honestly, he looked amazing...