The Alpha's Discarded Mate

CHAPTER 4

Zoey

Something dark crossed Noah's face and his hands clenched on the armrests. "Did he hurt you?"

Yes. No. Not in the way Noah probably meant because Eric never hit me or physically harmed me. But he broke me in other ways and those wounds were deeper than any bruise or cut.

"It does not matter." I whispered, averting my eyes.

"It matters to me," Noah said and the intensity in his voice made me look up.

Our eyes met and that pull between us flared so strong that I gasped. His pupils dilated and I saw his wolf right beneath the surface.

He was staring at me like I was the answer to every question he ever had.

No. This could not be happening. I could not handle another Alpha in my life. I could not handle whatever this mate bond thing was trying to tell me.

I just escaped one nightmare and I was not about to walk into another.

I need to be alone." I said.

Noah stood up and for a second I thought he might argue but he just nodded.

"There is food and water on the table. If you need anything, there are pack members outside who will help you. Rest, Zoey. We can talk more when you are feeling better."

He walked to the door and I should have felt relieved that he was leaving, but instead I felt cold like someone took a blanket away. My wolf whined in protest and I told her to shut up.

Noah paused at the doorway before looking back at me. "For what it is worth, I am glad you are alive. The world needs more wolves like you even if you do not see it yet."

Then he left and closed the door behind him. I was alone with my thoughts and my fears and the growing certainty that everything just got a lot more complicated.

Because Noah Briggs was not just any Alpha. He was my mate. And I had no idea what to do about that.

***

I spent the next three days in that small room recovering. Every day Noah came to check on me and every day, the pull between us got stronger and harder to ignore.

He brought me food himself instead of sending omega wolves to do it and he always made sure to ask what I wanted before showing up with exactly that.

When I mentioned I missed fresh fruit, he appeared an hour later with a basket of strawberries and apples and even some cherries that must have cost a fortune this time of year.

When I complained that the room was too cold he brought extra blankets, and built up the fire himself instead of calling someone else to do it.

Eric never did things like that. He said Alphas had more important duties than catering to their mates and I had believed him.

But watching Noah stack wood in the fireplace with his own hands made me realize that maybe Eric was just lazy and selfish and hiding behind his title.

"You do not have to do this," I said as Noah adjusted the logs to make sure they would burn properly. "I am sure you have better things to do than play nursemaid."

Noah looked at me over his shoulder and something warm flickered in his blue eyes. "There is nothing more important than making sure you are comfortable."

The way he said it made my stomach flip and Sierra perked up with interest. She had been annoyingly vocal about Noah ever since I woke up. She kept pushing me to get closer to him and let him touch us.

I told her repeatedly that we were not doing that. We just escaped one Alpha and we did not need another. But she was not listening.

"I am fine," I said even though fine was a stretch.

My body still ached from the wolfsbane poisoning, and my heart hurt every time I thought about Olivia . The baby growing inside me was a constant reminder of everything I lost.

"You are not fine," Noah said, his eyes soft as he stood up and brushed ash off his hands. "But you will be."

He said it with such certainty that I almost believed him. It scared me because I could not afford to rely on anyone right now.

People let you down and Alphas and I needed to remember that before I did something stupid like trust him.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" I asked because I needed to understand what he wanted. There had to be something. Nobody was this kind without expecting payment.

Noah walked over to the chair beside my bed and sat down like he had every right to be there. "Because you need help and I can provide it. Is that so hard to believe?"

Yes. It was hard to believe. My entire life taught me that kindness came with strings attached and the nicer someone was, the more they wanted from you in the end.

"Most Alphas would have sent me back to my old pack by now.” I mumbled under my breath.

"I am not most Alphas," Noah’s voice was firm. "And I get the feeling that sending you back to your old pack would be the worst thing I could do."

He was right about that. Going back to Storm Forest meant facing Eric and Juliet and watching my daughter call another woman mommy while I lived in the omega quarters like a servant.

Just thinking about it made my chest tight and my eyes burn.

"I cannot go back," I whispered.

"Then don’t," Noah said simply like it was that easy. "Stay here. My pack will protect you."

I wanted to ask why he cared so much. Why he kept looking at me like I mattered and why his presence made everything feel less terrible.

But I was afraid of the answers. I already knew what that pull between us meant and acknowledging it out loud would make it real.

"There is something you want to ask me," I said instead because I noticed the way he sometimes opened his mouth like he was about to say something important before closing it again. "I can tell."

Noah was quiet for a long moment and his eyes searched my face like he was trying to decide if I was ready for whatever he wanted to say. "You are right. There is something I want to ask but I do not think now is the right time."

"Why not?"

"Because you have been through enough. And I don’t want to add to your burden when you are still healing."

That should have made me feel better but instead it made me more anxious because now, I would spend all my time wondering what he wanted to know.

Was it about Eric or about why I ran? Or was it something else entirely?

"You can ask," I said even though I was not sure I meant it.

Noah shook his head. "Not yet. When you are stronger."

Before I could argue the door opened and a man walked in carrying a tray of food. He was tall and lean with brown hair and familiar hazel eyes that made my heart stop.

I knew those eyes. I knew that face even though it had been years since I saw it last.

The man looked at me and his entire body went still as the tray slipped from his hands and crashed to the floor.

Plates shattered and food scattered everywhere. Neither of us moved because we were too busy staring at each other in complete shock.

"Zoey?" His voice cracked on my name like he could not believe what he was seeing.