BILLIONAIRE ALPHA WON'T LET ME GO

SHATTERED DREAMS AND SILVER BRACELETS

The Air inside Wilbrook Bar had a scent of regret. The sound of a baseball game mumbled from the overhead TV. Zoe sat on a metal chair, nursing the burn of a whiskey on her throat. By her side was Liam, her ever-loyal, best friend right from art school, closely staring at her.

"Okay, what’s really the problem with you?" he asked, gently hitting his palm on the table. "You don’t just show up here on an afternoon taking whiskey; What happened? Did the gallery drop you?"

Zoe sighed, running a finger over a ring mark on the wood. "There was no gig, coming back to the city was a big mistake", Liam tilted his head, waiting.

"I need money, Liam," she finally admitted. "Like, rent-past-due money. Casey’s growing out of everything, he needs new cleats, and I’m trying to keep my art going... supplies alone are brutal." "You talk to your parents?" he asked, already wincing.

Zoe scoffed. "They cut me off when I told them I was pregnant and refused to tell them who was responsible, remember?"

Liam winced harder. "That's right, Then... what about..." "Don’t say it," she warned.

He ignored her. "Alex. I mean, you bump into him after seven years. That’s not a coincidence, that’s fate, even..."

She turned sharply toward him angrily, "Fate is what got me into this mess."

Liam looking out of the window responded. "Oh hell, speak of the devil..."

She slowly turned, her heart beating so fast.

Outside the bar was Alexander Blackwood. Rain streamed off his black umbrella, his coat already soaked, and His gaze, locked right on her. She shot off the stool. "I have to go."

"Zoe, wait!" Liam called after her.

She walked past him, just pulled on her jacket and headed straight into the rain. Her umbrella fumbled open in her shaking hands and before she could get it overhead, a shadow loomed, it was Alex. Fastly, he angled his umbrella to cover her too

"What are you doing here?" Liam’s voice cut in behind her, defensive. Alex didn’t acknowledge him.

His eyes never left Zoe. "I need to know," he said quietly. "Who's Casey’s father?"

Zoe froze, responding with a harsh voice, "That’s none of your business."

"You don't have any ring on you," he said.

"So? That doesn’t mean anything."

"It means you’re lying again, Just like when you vanished. You said 'Yes' to us and then you disappeared; No calls, no text, nothing."

The umbrella slipped from his hand and landed on the ground, letting the rain bear him.

Zoe felt the same water chilling her skin. "That was seven years ago. You don’t just show up from nowhere to demand answers."

Sounding frustrated, he responded, "You think I just moved on? I waited, I thought something happened to you, I searched for you, but all was in vain, and now I'm just realising that you have a kid?"

She took a step back. "Drop it, Alex, Just... drop it."

"Did you really love me?" he calmly asked, almost broken.

Zoe felt tensed. Every instinct wanted to say Yes, she had. Then she suddenly remembered her father’s words, "You aren’t one of us, and you never will be, Get out of here. "

Trying to hold it back, she finally forced out the words, "No. I didn’t."

Alex flinched like she’d hit him. He let out a bitter laugh, "Liar."

He reached for her with his cold and wet hands, cupping her face.

"Let go..."

"You still have it on you" he said, staring at the bracelet on her wrist. The silver serpent he gave her years ago, still there.

"I forgot it was even on," she lied.

"You sent back the ring, but you kept this, Why?"

"Here," she said, fumbling to unclasp it. "Take it. It doesn’t mean anything."

He caught her wrist. "Don’t. I still want you, Zoe. I never stopped loving you." Then he kissed her.

It wasn’t soft. It was angry, desperate, and messy. At that moment , everything they had buried for seven years came alive and in a second, she kissed him back hard. She gripped him tightly like letting go wasn't an option. They were both beaten by the rain, but that didn't matter to her.

When she realised what she was doing, she pushed him away, she was breathless, her palm connecting to his cheek, she slapped him.

"Are you crazy ?" she screamed.

"Hey!" Lucas Anderson called out as he hurriedly stepped into the scene, raging, "Zoe! Are you okay?"

He slipped between her and Alex, instantly taking her side.

"Who the hell are you?" Alex demanded.

"Lucas...Lucas Anderson."

The name got Alex cold. He stared at Zoe then back to Lucas, then back again.

"Anderson," Alex said. Slowly, dangerously. "Of course, that’s right, he’s Cassey’s dad."

Zoe latched onto it. "Yes, He is. We had a fight, that’s why I’m putting on the ring,, but he still remains Casey’s father. I’ve moved on, You should too."

She grabbed Lucas’s arm, "Let’s go."

Lucas didn't go out with her immediately, he stood giving one fiery lion at Alex before letting her lead him into the rain.

Alex stayed frozen in the rain as she walked away. His expression said it all: This wasn’t over.

Zoe got into her tiny apartment as she was completely soaked by the rain. Rainwater dropped from her jacket onto the floor, She had to first remove her wet sneakers by the side of the door; Lucas behind her, was also drenched.

Gently shutting the door behind them, he softly groaned as he tried to rub the back of his neck where he'd earlier hit the pavement. "Zoe, I'm curious to know, who the hell was that guy? He looked like he had a mission to kill me. That wasn't a random guy."

Zoe dropped on the sofa, the cushion groaning as always. She was just in a confused state. The house was dim and quiet. Casey was already fast asleep in his bedroom completely unaware of the trouble awaiting them.

She finally opened up. "His name’s Alexander Blackwood," Lucas barely hearing her.

For a second, Lucas paused, unsure if he heard right. "Wait, Blackwood, as in Alexander Blackwood, The billionaire?"

She nodded slowly. "Yeah, He’s Casey’s biological father."

Lucas stared at her. "You’re serious? That guy is Casey’s dad?"

"He saw us at the gallery, Saw Casey, and now... he knows; I panicked. I told him you were Casey’s father, that we were married but going through a separation."

Sitting close to her, Lucas gave a low whistle, "Do you think he has agreed to that?"

Zoe shook her head, burying her palms to her face. "I don't know... but I don't think he has, I think he’s angry and heartbroken. He kissed me, Lucas, then I slapped him. This whole thing is a mess."

Lucas said to her, "Zoey, you need to stop running from this and I'm telling you this because I care. Blackwood is still going to return. That guy is not going to give up, not when there’s a child involved."

She looked up, her eyes now red. "I know, but I can’t let Casey get into all these, He’s just a child. He deserves to have a normal life, a life of drama, of no power struggles. I left all of that behind for a reason."

Lucas sighed. "About Casey’s little league fees... If things are tight, I can cover them, just until you’re back on your feet."

Zoe frowned. "Lucas, I already owe you too much. You let us crash with you in Willowbrook, you coach Casey, you’ve been there more than anyone else, I can’t keep taking."

"You're not taking, You're surviving, and Casey’s got talent. I believe in him. You’ll pay me back when you’re a famous artist with gallery shows in Manhattan, Deal?"

Zoe smiled weakly, her throat tight. "Deal, Thank you."

The words echoed back at her, empty. Lucas deserved better;Hell, so did Alex.

Then she recalled her ordeal with Henry Blackwood seven years ago.

FLASHBACK

On a particular Wednesday morning when she just stepped out of the shower, she heard a knock on her door, only to find a brown envelope laid on the floor. Seeing nobody when she looked around , She picked it up and opened it. "MEET ME AT THE BLACKWOOD MANSION WITH THE ADDRESS BELOW, BUT DONT TELL ALEXANDER". There was no name, No explanation, Just instructions.

Zoe became restless. she didn't know what it was all about, but something told her it wasn't for good. She couldn't just ignore it, so she dressed up and boarded a cab to to the address.

The Blackwood mansion wasn't just a house, it was massive and intimidating, It screamed 'Wealth'.

She was ushered into the Henry's father's office, He didn't even bother to stand or out a cheerful face.

Zoe, trying to be polite, said "Mr Blackwood, it's finally an honour to meet you"

Hermy cut her off immediately. "That's not important. I want you to leave Alex, you don't know who he really is, leave before you get hurt.

“I want you to leave Alexandar, You aren’t one of us and you never will be.

Zoe was stunned, was this a sort of a test?

"You're wrong", She said, "We've been together for the past seven years, and he just proposed, i love him and I know him better than you think.

Alex leaned forward, his face hard. "Then clearly, you don't know he's a warewolf"

Zoe blinked, "A...what?"

"You heard me", he said, "The Blackwoods are warewolves, We've been around for centuries and the pack is powerful, just like our company. Alex is in line to lead both"

Zoe was trying to remain calm, but her brain was losing control, everything was not just making sense. But Alex didn't look like he was joking, Zoe realised he was very serious when his eyes had turned red.

He continued, "Alex is not going to marry a human, it doesn't work that way. He'll be with someone from another pack. It's political and strategic, You aren't part of this world."

Zoe got a notification on her phone, "You can check that", Henry said.

She reached out to her phone and saw a bank alert of $500,000.

Henry waved it off as though it didn't matter.

"You're and artist, right? That's to help you start a gallery, somewhere far from here, somewhere far from him.

"I'm not leaving Alex for money", Zoe said.

"No, you're leaving because you care about him, the company and the pack are falling apart, There's a lot you don't know", Henry said.

"What happened?", Zoe asked.

Henry shrugged, "He didn't mention that to you? I think I'm done with this conversation. Leave now before you get hurt, Leave!"

Zoe hurriedly left the premises and boarded a cab back home.

She got home and locked herself in the bathroom and that was when she finally took the pregnancy test. It turned out POSITIVE.

She cried until her throat started hurting, unsure if she was protecting her unborn child or herself.

For a while, She stared at the silver bracelet on her wrist. Alex had vowed to love her forever, but what's forever when it's built on lies?