The Alpha's Shatter Zone

The heaviest beast on land was an elephant, right?

Wrong.

Kaiden’s heart grew heavier than every monster or element known to mankind, a cold stone thudding in his chest. It was trying to claw its way out and beat a heavy club over his head for being such an idiot.

“I am so sorry. You’ve got to believe me, Chesca. Hear me out, at least,” he whispered against her ear, the erratic beat of her heart strumming faintly. “Don’t give up on me yet,” his lips traced the path of tears down her cheek. His tears.

“K...Kaiden?”

Her soft whisper snapped his eyes to hers. They fluttered and struggled to open. “I’m right here. That’s it, you’re going to be ok,” he encouraged.

She opened her eyes fully, her jade irises taking a few moments to focus and adjust on anything. When they did, and settled on him, a frown creased her pale features. “Get… get off me!” she hissed, followed by a strangled cough.

“I’m sorry, of course. You need room to breathe,” he patted her back as she heaved water from her lungs. He hoped that her Alpha blood was working overtime to heal her extra fast. “Is that better now?” he cradled her in his arms again, the rest of the world seemly not existing in his mind, in this moment.

“No, I said.. get back. Let me go,” she struggled against him, striking her fists against his chest.

“What…? We need to get you back to the house, to see a doctor,” he said sternly. She was talking crazy.

Her eyes peered into his, green tinted chips of ice that held anger and hurt. “Let go of me,” she tried again to push him back, and Alpha Asa laid a hand on his shoulder.

“Kaiden, just step back,” he said gruffly before kneeling down and taking Kaiden’s mate in his arms. She calmed down instantly, and rested her head against his very broad chest. She reached up and wrapped an arm weakly around Asa’s neck.

Kaiden growled slightly. If Asa wasn’t already mated, Kaiden would be furious and most likely take it out on Asa’s face. Watching Chesca trust him like that was killing him. She’d rejected him, in her moment of greatest need. He’d saved her. Why would she be acting like this?

“What happened between you two anyway?” Miranda asked with flippant curiosity as they followed Asa and Jackson back to his house.

“Stay out of my business,” he growled, refusing to look at her. All he’d see would be her enchanting brown eyes that he had once done everything he could to figure out. But right now, they were the most distasteful thing in his mind.

“Did I say something wrong?”’she asked sweetly, albeit feigned, and placed a small hand on his arm.

“Shut it, Miranda! You not only said something wrong, you did everything wrong, can’t you see?!” He glared at her furiously, releasing more of his pent up anger. It threatened to manifest in his fists, and he pitied whatever would be on the receiving end.

“Woah, take it easy cowboy,” She snarled right back. “It wasn’t me that failed to mention they had a mate! When Jackson invited me here, I assumed it was part of your plan to pick up where we left off,” She recoiled like a viper, ready to strike the moment he stepped off course. Whatever course that was, he could only guess. It always was that way with Miranda—he could never be sure what she had in mind or would be capable of doing next. The unpredictability had been something that drew him in, toying with him mysteriously once upon a time. But now it just infuriated him.

“Well, you assumed wrong,” he clenched his jaw, done with this conversation already.

“Fine, but it’s not my fault your mate walked off a cliff to get away from you,” she spat with enough venom to put down ten men. But he had his shield up.

Spinning on his heel to face her, he gripped her biceps. “Don’t talk about Chesca in that way. Ever.” He said deathly low. “You have no idea what she’s been through, so don’t act like you can judge her or that you know what she was doing. Our life is our business, not yours, you hear me?”

Her perfectly arched eyebrow rose defiantly. “My dear Alpha, do I detect a threat?”

He steadied his breathing so he wouldn’t tear her throat out, and huffed through clenched teeth, “You detect the truth. Take it or leave it.”

“The truth, huh? Now that’s a new one for you,” she smirked coyly.

He dropped her arms and backed away a step when her eyes darkened. “Look, Miranda. I’m sorry for how we ended things. We both knew it would never work anyway. So just leave me alone, ok?”

“You’re apologising now too? Where is my bad boy Kaiden, and what did you do with him?”

The growl that emanated from his chest and throat caused birds to fly awkwardly from the trees above them, and an almost frightened look crossed Miranda’s face when he slammed his fist against the tree trunk beside her head.

“And there he is,” she winked before kicking off the tree and brushing past him. Bumping into his shoulder, her footsteps echoed in the ensuing silence as she followed after the other Alphas down the path.

Kaiden stared after her with rage-hazed vision for a few moments before hurrying to keep them all in sight. His mate, after all, needed him whether she wanted it or not. But he couldn’t help thinking that maybe he’d caused Chesca more pain than anything she’d sustained in her tumble down the hill.

He was beginning to realise just how much he needed to prove he was worthy of her trust and…love.

“Thank you, that’s enough for now,” Chesca murmured quietly, smiling at the maid who had asked if there was anything else she could get for her. Chesca’s fingers played with the bubbles that floated on the surface of the warm water. The hot bath felt so good to her bruised and aching body, and made her want to fall asleep and stay here forever. Her scratched and muddied skin was now caressed with sweet smelling soap that soothed and cleansed.

As soon as Asa and Jackson had brought her back to the mansion, they’d carried her to her room, and Jackson had ordered a few maids to clean her up after getting her checked over by a doctor. The only broken bone was in her arm, her radius, and it was now secured with a waterproof splint. It should be all healed in a couple days, the kind female doctor had assured her. Thankful for being an alpha with accelerated healing, Chesca bore the slight pain with little complaint.

Another maid, whose name was Sandra, was gently washing her hair and Chesca closed her eyes, resting in the tub.

Her sister, Cass, came back in the steamy bathroom with some underwear and a big fluffy robe. “I’ll just leave these here.”

“Thank you.”

The maids were twins, one with dark hair and blue eyes, the other with blonde hair and brown eyes. Otherwise, they looked beautifully similar. “We got our parents’ traits jumbled up,” Cass had explained. “I’ve got dad’s hair and mom’s eyes, and Cass has mom’s hair and dad’s eyes,” Sandra had added. They were so cute.

“Sorry to disturb you, Alpha Chesca, but someone wants to see you,” Cass popped her head back in the door and Chesca instantly heard another voice.

One with a deep timbre that she knew all too well. “Chesca, are you ok?”

“Kaiden, go away!” she sank lower in the bath as his hand appeared on the doorframe.

“I just want to see how you’re doing,” his voice was strained. “And say I’m sorry for what happened.” It maybe even held a touch of remorse.

“I don’t want to see you, especially not right now!” she hissed and the instantly loyal maids blocked his entrance into the bathroom.

“But you’re my mate, what’s the problem?” There was that illogical reasoning and confidence in his tone again. Well, maybe it was logical, but she didn’t want him anywhere nearby at the moment. Not after last night.

“Just leave me alone,” she whimpered as something hot rolled down her cheek. It couldn’t be a tear. No, it must just be a splash from the bath water.

“You heard her, Alpha. Now go,” Sandra demanded and tried pushing the door shut.

“Please… can I talk to you later then?” he persisted.

She didn’t answer.

“All due respect, Alpha Kaiden,” Cass dipped her head in respect. “Please leave now.” Coming between two Alphas was a daring move, but getting between an Alpha and his mate was even more stupid. The maids must have nerves of steel and Chesca couldn’t be more grateful for them.

He left begrudgingly, as evidenced by the low growl that emanated on the other side of the door, and Chesca released the breath she’d been holding. They’d have to talk about it all sometime, but she didn’t have the strength right now.

“Ok, I’m listening,” she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and lifted her eyes to his. Finally, being all rugged up in a thick blanket and cosily sitting in bed, she could focus her attention on him.

“Ok, good, well,” he paced back and forth at the end of the bed. Then he suddenly handed her a flower, chucking it into her hands as of it was a hot potato and melting his own hands. He was acting nervous, and she tried to squelch the enjoyment of watching him like this. Bringing the yellow hibiscus to her nose, she smelled the floral scents mixed with saltwater overtones. It was sweet of him to bring it, even if just plucked from the hedges on the outdoor patios, but with everything that had happened she deserved much more. Without offering a thank you, she stared at him for him to continue.

“I was so worried about you,” he stopped pacing and looked at her, his face twisted in concern. “When you screamed, and disappeared over the cliff…” His adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. “I thought you could be gone forever.”

“I’m tougher than a little slip down a hill,” she rolled her eyes and played with the edge of the soft blanket between her fingers.

“You nearly drowned Chesca, and it’s all my fault,” his eyes crinkled, as if he was in pain. Maybe he was, if he could feel her pain through the mate bond.

“It was stupid of me to argue with you last night, pursuing you in the forest like that,” Kaiden continued slowly.

“Yeah well…” she raised her eyebrows, intending for him to continue. This was a pretty good apology so far, and she wanted to get as much out of it as she could.

He sat on the edge of the bed and took her hands gently. She didn’t pull away, but didn’t wrap her fingers around his either. “I understand you’re upset about Miranda, and I would be too if you had an old b—boyfriend show up out of the blue like that,” he stammered over the distasteful word.

“Really…” she narrowed her eyes on him sarcastically.

“I didn’t know Jackson had invited her, and I don’t think he knew I’d found my mate when he did. Or else he would’ve left it alone.”

“Jackson was trying to set you up again? So your relationship with that twerpy vixen has been common knowledge?” This subject was churning her insides. Suddenly she was mad at him all over again. It was a wearying emotion, one she was sick of.

He rubbed his thumbs in circles on her hands, and sighed. “We broke up, I told her it was over. And it is, no matter what she says or thinks, or does. I don’t know what else to say, Chesca. You’re the only one I’ll ever want.”

She felt her anger towards him seeping out of her bones and dissipating into the heavy air around them. How could she remain mad with him when he was looking into her eyes so openly and honestly? “So you don’t wish you could still be with her?”

“No! Of course not. The only woman I want is you, my mate. No one else matters to me or could ever make me feel the way you do. Chesca…” he slowed and flickered his eyes over her face questioningly. “You have to believe me.”

And she found herself doing just that. She was so tired of fighting him, and it was scaring her, the way he compelled her to drop her resistance. When he lowered his head, and his lips briefly pressed against her forehead, she leaned in and inhaled his scent. It calmed her, and eased the aching that still wrapped itself all throughout her body. Without a conscious thought, she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing his head down so her lips were on his. He shifted on the bed to face her better, and the kiss deepened, filling her with a craving desire that outburned the throbbing weariness.

“Chesca….” he murmured against her lips.

“Mm...” she couldn’t respond any further. He was stealing her breath away with each touch, and his voice sent tingles of heat dancing across her skin. When his hands shifted around her waist and pulled her closer, she nearly cursed the blankets between them.

“All I want is you now.”

“I believe you, Kaiden,” she whispered breathlessly as his lips trailed kisses down her jawline and to her neck. When they reached her mark, that most sensitive spot only he could ever touch like this, she gasped with delight. “But we...have to stop…” she hated the tiny voice of reason in the back of her mind. Her wolf was out-shouting it, but she wasn’t ready.

“You’re right,” he dragged his lips away reluctantly from her skin, his breath hot and heavy as it mingled with hers. Eyes as black as her own blinked into hers, and she smiled while raking her fingers back through his hair.

“Later.”

“I get it,” he nodded and brushed her lower lip with his thumb before pulling away, rising from the bed.

She took a deep yet shaky breath and smoothed her hair. That was too close. The coolness she now felt as he walked toward the door was dull and lonely, but it was for the best, she told herself,

“Thanks,” she called out softly.

The charming smile he sent her warmed her insides, “I’m the one apologising. Don’t thank me for anything.” And with that, he left her with her own thoughts, her body mending and their relationship on hopefully better terms.

She reached under her pillow and pulled out his hoodie that she’d kept from that time back home in the kitchen. After tugging it over her head and arms, she curled up and enjoyed a peace filled sleep.