FIGHTING FOR THE ALPHA'S MARK

Six

Xavier didn’t come all the way into the room. He stood in the doorway for a long moment, scanning the space before his eyes finally landed on me.

And when they did, his gaze knocked the breath out of me.

Heat washed through my body, so potent it made my toes curl.

The bond was raw and alive. It was an unwanted pleasure, a dizzying rush that pulsed through my core.

He was fighting it too, struggling to hold on to his composure, just as I was.

He pushed off the doorframe and walked toward me. I stayed silent, letting Eve’s instructions echo in my mind. My role: the confused woman with memory loss.

His intensity made me shiver as he stopped in front of me. He lifted my chin with his thumb and forefinger, forcing me to meet his eyes.

He studied them, peering deep, and it made me feel like a guilty child caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

I’m not a thief, I chanted mentally. I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t force that little girl to call me “mother.” I didn’t ask this man to bring me here.

“I’m so happy you’re safe,” he said softly. The sincerity in his voice twisted something deep in my stomach.

Before I could process it, he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me against his chest. He ran a hand through my hair as if memorizing every strand, then gently guided me until I was sitting on his lap at the edge of the bed.

He didn’t take his eyes off me. They were clouded with the same primal desire I was feeling. He leaned in, inhaling my scent. I had to hold my breath to keep from gasping aloud.

“I’m not mad at you, Sasha,” he said. His voice rumbled through my body.

“What’s most important is that you’re alive and here.”

I sat stiffly, hyper-aware of the power radiating from him, and the solid wall of his body behind me.

“I’m not going to judge you, either,” he continued. “I understand that you’re confused. You need medical attention.”

He paused, his gaze deepening. “If your reaction is because of our past misunderstandings, leave them there. In the past. The universe is giving us another chance. We shouldn’t waste it.”

His words hit me.

It seemed their marriage had been unraveling before Sasha disappeared.

This wasn’t my business. I had no right to be here, sitting on his lap, guessing the details of his marriage. But the urge to understand who Sasha was, and why we were identical, itched maddeningly beneath my skin.

And then there was the jealousy. The slow ache that Sasha had been his wife. That she was his before I ever knew he existed. She had everything I’d ever dreamed of.

Her husband was chiseled perfection, a gorgeous man whose body felt like stone and fire pressed against mine.

My mate.

I was this close to telling him one more time that I wasn’t Sasha. But it was useless. Not when I was consciously choosing to play this part.

I was selling my morals for a chance at survival.

“It’s strange,” he murmured, his voice softer now. “How we couldn’t stand each other. And now, you’re the most beautiful woman in the world.” He looked into my eyes. “The bond is back. The missing bond that’s been messing with my head for years.”

I didn’t understand, but I didn’t dare ask. I stared at his face, noticing for the first time the dimple that appeared on his left cheek when he smiled.

Damn.

I had always been a sucker for dimples. Ethan had them too.

The thought quickly evaporated under the heat of Xavier’s presence. I was so caught in it that I didn’t notice how close he was until it was too late.

His lips hovered over mine, so close I could feel the warmth of his breath.

Panic surged. This was dangerous territory. I wasn’t ready.

At the last possible second, I turned my head away.

“I’d… I’d like to be left alone, please.“

I felt the tension in his body. I could sense how hard he was working to restrain himself. He let me go and stood up.

“This is going to be difficult,” he admitted, his voice strained. “I don’t know how to control myself around you. But I’ll respect your wishes.”

He walked to the door, pausing with his hand on the knob.

“We’re expecting the doctor shortly. He’ll run some tests and see how we can help you through this situation.”

Then he left, closing the door behind him with a quiet click.

The moment he was gone, I grabbed my phone and texted Eve.

Me: He was just in here. He almost kissed me. Said a doctor is coming.

Eve: Okay, new plan. When the doctor comes, you need to be asleep. DEEP asleep. Don’t let them give you any injections. No drugs. We don’t know what they’ll do.

A chill passed through me. She was right. I had been drugged once before, and it had shattered my life. I was terrified of medication, of anything that might cloud my mind again.

I followed her advice. I curled up in bed and closed my eyes. The night stretched on. I must have actually fallen asleep because when I opened my eyes again, the room was shrouded in darkness.

I sat up, my heart racing. A bad feeling crawled up my spine. The risk of staying here, of being found out, felt enormous. I had to at least try to escape.

Moving silently, I slipped out of bed. I opened the door, wincing at the faint creak, and stepped into the hallway. The mansion was silent, like a sleeping giant. I was sure there were cameras everywhere, but I had to take the chance.

I crept down the stairs, through the living room, and into the kitchen. I found a back door. My heart leaped.

I stepped outside into the cool night air. The moon illuminated a landscape of rolling hills and forest.

Freedom was at my fingertips.

I picked a direction and ran. My target was the dark outline of the outer wall.

I was halfway there, lungs burning, when I heard voices. Two, maybe three guards, their conversation floating through the night as they patrolled.

They were still far enough away. Their flashlights cut slow arcs through the darkness. But if they caught me, it would be over. They’d chain me to a bed and treat me like a danger to myself. My escape would be the only proof Xavier needed that my mind was broken.

Panicked, I spun and sprinted back toward the house. My feet pounded against the earth. I slipped back through the kitchen door, ran up the stairs, and shut the bedroom door behind me without making a sound.

I stood in the darkness, panting.

This house wasn’t a home. It was a beautiful, gilded cage.

There was no running away.

There was only playing the part.