Mesmerised by the Alpha

Chapter 37. The Devil at my Back

His presence was a storm pressing at my back—hot and unrelenting. I could smell him—clean soap, smoke, and something darker beneath, like warm spice or burnt cedar.

I turned slowly, glass in hand. He leaned casually against the bar, one elbow resting on the glossy surface, his eyes already fixed on me. God, those eyes. Now almost completely green, wild and stormy. They didn’t just look at me—they claimed me.

“I didn’t think this was your scene,” I said, lifting my chin, trying to sound casual despite my heart hammering inside my ribs. “Clubs, crowds... glitter balls.”

“I could say the same,” he replied, mouth curling into a lopsided smile. “But here you are. Looking like sin itself.”

Heat flared in my cheeks, and I rolled my eyes, trying to deflect the way his words made my stomach tighten. “Are you always this dramatic?”

“Only when I mean it.”

I sipped my drink and looked away, scanning the dancefloor. Kaci and George were still wrapped up in their own little moment, laughing over something. Jordan was teaching Daryl how to shuffle to the beat. For a second, it grounded me. Reminded me that I was safe. Surrounded.

“So,” I said, turning back to Theo, “what are you really doing here? Come to ruin my night?”

“I came to talk to you.”

“In a nightclub?”

He shrugged. “You wouldn’t answer my texts. You blocked my number. I had to improvise.”

My throat tightened. “Theo, you don’t get to chase me across town just because I didn’t reply.”

“I’m not chasing you,” he said, leaning closer. “I’m protecting you.”

I laughed. It was too sharp, too brittle. “Protecting me from what, exactly? Your girlfriend, Stella? Oh, wait—that was just a misunderstanding too, wasn’t it?”

His jaw tightened. “She’s not my girlfriend.”

“And the hickey on her neck?”

“She did that to provoke you. She knew you’d see it. Knew exactly what it would do.”

I stared at him, searching his face for lies, but there was only intensity there. And a desperation he wasn’t even trying to hide.

“I never touched her,” he said quietly. “Not like that.”

Something inside me wavered. But I wasn’t ready to let go of my anger. Not yet.

“You’re still lying to me,” I said. “If not about Stella, then something else.”

Theo didn’t flinch. Instead, he leaned in so that his lips were just beside my ear. “And if I told you the truth, Jasmine, would you even believe me?”

His breath sent a shiver down my spine. I swallowed hard, gripping my glass tighter. I hated the way he made me feel—like I was constantly teetering on the edge of something dangerous and exhilarating.

“Try me,” I whispered.

A flicker of pain crossed his face. Then he stepped back, just slightly, eyes never leaving mine. “Not here. Not like this.”

“Then stop following me.”

“I’m not following you,” he said again, and this time there was something more in his voice—something primal. “I feel you. Every time you walk into a room. Every breath you take.”

I blinked, stunned. “What does that even mean?”

“It means you’re not just some girl I like, Jasmine. It means I was made to find you. Whether you want me or not.”

The words hit me like a drumbeat to the chest. I opened my mouth, then closed it again. I had no idea what to say to that.

Theo exhaled, running a hand through his already tousled hair. “I shouldn’t have come here. I just… I needed to see you.”

He turned then, heading towards the exit without waiting for me to speak.

I stood frozen, drink forgotten in my hand. My skin buzzed like I’d touched a live wire. I didn’t know what was more dangerous—the lies he told, or the truth I was starting to feel inside myself.

“You okay?”

Kaci appeared beside me like a guardian angel, slightly flushed from dancing, her hair wild and damp with sweat. She clocked my expression instantly.

“What happened?” she asked, peering behind me. “Was that—was that Theo?”

“Yeah,” I said hollowly.

“What did he say?”

I shook my head. “Nothing I know how to explain.”

She grabbed my hand. “Come on. One more dance, and then we’ll go back to the VIP. You need to shake it off.”

I let her pull me onto the dancefloor, back into the crowd, into the swirl of lights and pulsing bass. For a moment, it worked. I let the music pour through me, tried to drown out the storm Theo had stirred up. I smiled. I danced. I moved like I was fine.

But every so often, I caught myself looking at the door.

And wondering if he was still watching me from the dark.

Back in the VIP area, someone had ordered another round of drinks. George had finally worked up the nerve to sit close to Kaci, their knees touching, their conversation flowing. Daryl and Jordan were locked in an animated debate about some sports team I couldn’t care less about. Nate was chatting with one of the bar staff, his charm dialled up to eleven.

I collapsed into one of the velvet-lined booths and reached for my water. I needed to sober up. Not because I was drunk, but because I needed my wits about me. Something was shifting. The night had turned. I could feel it.

Nate wandered over and perched beside me.

“You okay?” he asked, concern softening the usual cocky edge in his voice.

“Yeah. Just… thinking.”

He nodded, offering me a half smile. “Hell of a night.”

“Yeah,” I said, glancing around. “It really is.”

There was a thrum in my bones now. A kind of itch under the skin. I could feel something approaching, like a pressure change before a storm.

Then a chill crept along the back of my neck.

I turned instinctively and looked towards the balcony. Up there, just beyond the tinted glass, a figure stood watching. Still. Unmoving.

Theo.

Even from here, I could feel his eyes on me.

My pulse stuttered. His silhouette was sharp against the coloured lights. He wasn’t dancing. Wasn’t talking. Just watching me. Like he’d promised he would.

I blinked—and he was gone.

My heart hammered. Had I imagined it?

I stood up, brushing invisible crumbs from my lap.

“I’m going to the loo,” I muttered.

“You want me to come?” Kaci called after me.

“Nah, I’m good,” I lied.

I pushed through the crowd, past the bar, up the stairs to the quieter upper floor. I needed space. Air. Answers.

The corridor near the loos was almost empty, muffled by thick walls and soft lighting. I paused near the mirrored wall, gripping the marble counter as I stared at my reflection.

What was happening to me?

I didn’t hear him approach.

“You saw me,” Theo said quietly, from the shadows just behind me.

I turned sharply, heart jumping. “How do you do that?”

“I told you. I can feel you.”

I stared at him, willing myself not to lean in, not to give in to the gravitational pull between us. “You need to stop. This thing between us—it’s messing with my head.”

“It’s not just in your head,” he said gently. “It’s real, Jasmine. And it’s not going away.”

His eyes held mine, stormy and full of fire.

“We need to talk,” he said. “Properly. Away from all this.”

I should’ve said no. Should’ve walked away.

But instead, I nodded.

And in that moment, the lights overhead flickered—just once—and the bass dropped into silence.

A scream rang out from the lower floor.

Something had just gone very, very wrong.