The alpha's bride

Chapter 11

The burn from the tequila hadn’t faded, and neither had the taste of salt on my tongue. My throat still felt raw, like the liquor had scoured it clean, but the sour lime was long gone. The noise of the party pressed in, suffocating, music blaring, people shouting, laughter cracking like whips across my nerves. Every inhale was laced with sweat, alcohol, and perfume. I wanted to bolt.

But I couldn’t—not yet.

Rosalyn stood across from me, arms folded tight, lips curved into a smirk that screamed satisfaction. She’d gotten what she wanted. Carlos’s attention had lingered on me for too long, and she wasn’t about to let me off easy.

I forced a shaky smile, lifted the empty shot glass, and set it down on the counter like it hadn’t just detonated my entire body with another wave of visions. My stomach turned, but I kept my face straight. That was the thing about surviving—sometimes you had to fake it so no one saw the cracks.

“Not bad,” Carlos said, flashing his dimples like they were weapons. “For your first time.”

“Guess I’m a natural,” I said, forcing my voice steady.

But inside, everything was unraveling. The glimpses I’d seen when his tongue touched my skin still clawed at my brain—skin, heat, tangled limbs in the dark, Rosalyn’s hair, but not always Rosalyn. Different girls. So many.

I swallowed hard, hating that his mess had spilled into me.

Rosalyn must’ve noticed my hesitation, because she leaned closer, eyes narrowed. “Careful, Tessa. Don’t let one little drink go to your head.”

The sugar in her voice was sharp enough to cut.

I opened my mouth, ready to snap back, but then the air shifted.

It wasn’t the music, or the laughter, or even the overpowering stench of beer. It was something heavier, like the room had tilted, the gravity pulled tighter. My skin prickled.

And then I felt him.

Dastien.

He wasn’t even in sight yet, but my body knew. My pulse picked up, heat curling low in my stomach, the pull snapping taut like a cord stretched too thin.

When he stepped into the kitchen, the world shrank to him. His dark hair was mussed like he’d run his hands through it a thousand times, his jaw clenched, his eyes—those stormy, impossible eyes—swept the room and locked onto me like I was the only thing that mattered.

I couldn’t breathe.

The noise faded. The music blurred. It was just me and him.

Rosalyn’s smirk faltered for half a second before she plastered it back on, brighter this time, louder. “Dastien! You made it.” She slinked toward him like a cat that thought it owned the whole house.

But his eyes never left me.

Every nerve ending I had sparked to life, screaming, move, go, run to him, but I forced my feet to stay planted. My hands curled into fists at my sides, glove biting into palm.

He didn’t even acknowledge Rosalyn’s greeting. He brushed past her, the heat of him hitting me in waves, and stopped right in front of me. Too close. Not close enough.

“You okay?” His voice was low, meant only for me.

I wanted to say yes, but the word stuck in my throat. My body was buzzing, my heart hammering against my ribs like it wanted out.

“I’m fine,” I lied, forcing a laugh. “It’s just… loud.”

His gaze dipped, taking me in—the dress, the gloves, the scarf. His jaw tightened, like he was holding back words he couldn’t say here.

Carlos cleared his throat. “We were just showing Tessa how we do shots, Texas style.”

The way Dastien’s eyes snapped to him made the air crackle. “Yeah? And you thought that was a good idea?”

Carlos lifted his hands. “She wanted to try. Chill.”

Rosalyn swooped in before the tension could break into something worse. “Relax, Dastien. It’s just a party. Don’t act like you’re her babysitter.”

Her words dug at me, sharp and calculated. Babysitter. Freaky Tessa. Weak. Out of place.

But before I could defend myself, Dastien turned back to me, ignoring everyone else. “You don’t belong here.”

The words should’ve stung. Instead, they sounded like the truth.

Rosalyn let out a laugh that was all venom. “Oh, please. She’s exactly where she belongs.” She slid closer to Carlos, her hand brushing his arm. “With us.”

Something inside me snapped. I didn’t want Carlos. I didn’t want this party. I didn’t want Rosalyn’s approval or her poison. My heart, my body, every vision that haunted me—they were all screaming the same name.

“Dastien.”

It slipped out before I could stop it. A whisper, but it was enough.

His eyes darkened, pupils widening like the wolf inside him was clawing at the surface. He stepped closer, the heat of his body brushing against mine, and the whole room seemed to hold its breath.

Rosalyn’s face twisted, fury barely hidden under her painted smile. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she muttered.

But I barely heard her.

“Don’t,” Dastien whispered, like he was warning himself as much as me. “Not here.”

My heart pounded so hard I thought everyone could hear it. I wanted to say something, anything, but before I could, a wave of dizziness slammed into me.

Not from the alcohol. Not from the bond.

A vision.

I grabbed the counter, knuckles white, breath tearing out of me.

The kitchen dissolved.

Darkness. Cold. Screams echoing through stone hallways. Blood pooling, thick and black, reflecting flickering torchlight. Shadows moved—too fast, too sharp—fangs glinting, eyes glowing red.

Wolves torn apart. A girl’s voice crying my name. My name.

And then—Dastien, on his knees, blood dripping from his mouth, chains cutting into his skin. His eyes met mine through the vision, wild and broken, and the word left his lips like a death sentence.

“Mate.”

I gasped, ripping free of the vision, the kitchen slamming back into place. My chest heaved, sweat dripping down my back, the taste of iron on my tongue.

Everyone was staring. Rosalyn looked smug, Carlos confused, but Dastien—

He knew.

His hand closed around my arm, firm, steady, grounding me even as I shook. His eyes searched mine, desperate, demanding answers I didn’t have.

“What did you see?” he whispered.

But I couldn’t speak.

Because for the first time, I wasn’t just afraid of my visions.

I was afraid they were about to come true.