Reclaimed By Alpha Zac

Chapter One

MABEL’S POV

I was just finishing up the last duty of the day, wiping off the beads of sweat forming across my forehead, when my thoughts were interrupted by a familiar, consistent knock on the door. My heart immediately began to pound faster against my ribcage as I scrambled across the room to get to the door.

There was only one person in the pack that knocked like that.

With a deep breath, I turned the doorknob and locked eyes with the person towering over me. His usual piercing blue eyes were now clouded, his perfectly slicked hair disheveled as he ran a finger through them, and his steps were very clumsy and predictable as he struggled to lean against the frame without stumbling over. As he leaned closer, the sharp scent of champagne and rum wafted through my nostrils, making me clench my nose as the alcohol reeking from his shirts was strong enough to make me gag.

“Mabel,” He slurred, running a finger through my hair with a sly smile.

“What the heck happened to you, Zac?” I frowned. “What have I told you about drinking too much? What if something bad happened to you while you were drunk?”

He pulled up what looked like a pouting expression and took a sharp inhale of air. “You…you can’t blame me, Mabel. I…I needed a break; try being an Alpha's child and see…just how much of a responsibility…it can be.”

I sighed, massaging a finger into my forehead, and stepped aside, pulling back the door even wider to let him in. “Alright, that’s enough now. Come on, let’s get you to bed…no one can see you in this state.”

He mumbled something under his breath and chuckled, attempting to walk forward but he missed a step and tripped over his own feet, stumbling right into my readied arms. Great—just great! At this rate, he wouldn’t even be able to find his room!

“You’re going to regret this later, Zac!” I cursed under my breath as I struggled to drape his arm over my shoulders and keep his head from slumping behind. He was heavy—like no kidding! I could almost feel the muscles on my back threatening to contrast painfully as I pushed forward. It took every ounce of whatever strength I had left from today’s cleaning to be able to steady him down the dimly lit hallway, my breaths slowly becoming ragged and flustered as he kept whispering inaudible sounds in my ears, making my cheeks turn red from the sudden closeness. I needed to get his drunk ass back to bed before we both ended up on the floor!

He might not know this but he wasn’t making any of this any easier for me, especially as I’ve developed a small crush on him for some time now. I wonder what he would say when he found out about it. Would he be happy? Or would he push me away like the others?

I bit my lips as the thoughts invaded my mind, and shook my head as I reminded myself that I shouldn’t be thinking about him that way. Not when he was in a vulnerable state like this.

“Finally,” I breathed out as we walked into his room, his head slumping back to peer at the surroundings, unintentionally exposing the bob of his throat. I held my breath, unsure of what to do next as my eyes stayed on his neckline. Even in his drunken state, he was so damn attractive. His disheveled hair falling across his face only made him look more like a Greek God—a sexy Greek God.

A shaky breath escaped my lips from the warmness slowly making its way across my abdomen. I can’t be doing this all the time; he’s an Alpha…and I’m not even a she-wolf, to begin with. Everything feels so…forbidden.

Without hesitation, I helped him to the edge of the bed, gently placing him on the sheets. He sank into it with a satisfied groan and closed his eyes briefly as if to savor the softness of the sheets.

I let out a satisfied sigh and stretched out my sore muscles before turning around to leave, but his hands grabbed my arms gently—almost with a sense of urgency. My brows raised in surprise as I locked eyes with him one more time, but this time his eyes thickened with something far more dangerous and rougher. My chest heaved with uncertainty and feelings as I moved my gaze to his hands.

“Stay.” He whispered, his tone husky and low. “Have a drink with me, Mabel.”

I hesitated, immediately pulling my arms away from his grasp. “Zac, you’re already too wasted to know what’s right or wrong anymore…you need to sleep it off, you’ll be—”

“No.” He cut me off, his gaze flashing with a mix of vulnerability and desperation. “I want you to drink with me. Just one more. With you. That’s…that’s all I ask. I don’t…want to be alone tonight.”

Thinking about it, I needed a break from everything today. The cleaning, the washing…everything was exhausting, including Zac’s stubborn attitude that’d brought him to this mess. I should have refused, pretended not to have heard him, and walked away to save both of our sanities, but I didn’t.

It was something in the way he looked like me. I didn’t feel like a maid under those intense eyes. Something in the way he emphasized my drinking with him. It felt forbidden on the tip of the lips, almost like an invitation to taste what wasn’t mine in the first place.

“Fine.” I breathed out, grabbing the bottle from his bedside. “Just one. Nothing more.”

He flashed me a mischievous grin as I sat down next to him, tilting the bottle towards my lips to have a sip, and felt the burn of the drink scratch against the back of my throat. I crunched my lips and quickly passed it to Zac, who chuckled and had no problem taking some gulps without flinching from the sharpness. I gasped in disbelief and shook my head with disapproval.

Soon, we were passing it back and forth between each other, the distance between us closing up as the alcohol worked its way into our blood. My thoughts were now foggy, and the ache of exhaustion was soon replaced with adrenaline and the quiet feelings I had for Zac. The air thickened with the s****l urge between us; the bottle between us was long gone as his eyes found mine already ogling him, my heart racing as I felt the pool of wetness fill my legs when his fingers found my waist and drew teasing small circles there.

“You’re beautiful, Mabel,” He murmured behind my earlobes, the hotness of his breath fanning my neckline. “So f*****g beautiful.”

I should’ve stopped him. I should’ve pushed him away because of how wrong this felt but the moment his mouth met mine, nibbling and sucking with urgency and passion, I lost all sense of willpower to resist his charms.

And the next thing I knew, we were tugging at each other’s clothes, kissing with heavy breaths in between, and running our fingers across our bare skins, exploring the sensitive parts that were aching with need. His fingers, gentle yet firm, explored every inch of my body as if he was trying to memorize every curve and mark of my body, and I found myself tilting my head backward in ecstasy, moaning softly as the pleasure rolled off my body in waves of orgasms.

His name escaped from my lips in a ragged whisper. And that was all it took for him to completely lose whatever thread of composure he was hanging on, as he positioned me against the headboard and looked down at me with a predatory look of longing before widening my thighs to thrust into my entrance.

“Zac!”

I turned and tossed in the bed as the sounds of birds chirping filled my hearing. A dull pain shot through my muscles as I tried to sit upright, making me wince and groan in frustration at what might have caused it, but my heart immediately sank when I saw that I wasn’t alone in the bed—heck, this wasn’t even my bed!

And the worst of it all was that Zac was already awake, sitting beside me, with a look that tugged painfully at my chest as I recognized that emotion on his face. He shook his head when he saw that I was finally awake and flashed me a remorseful look, running a hand through his messy hair as he looked to the side, avoiding my gaze.

“Mabel...” He started; his jaws clenched as he struggled to find the right words. “I’m…sorry for last night. It was so stupid of me…I shouldn’t have…we shouldn’t have…shit, it’s all my fault for asking you to join me.”

I swallowed hard as I tried to fight back the tears that were starting to pool up in the corner of my eyes. This hurts more than it should. Maybe having feelings and fantasies about him from afar, not knowing what he thought of me was probably the best idea—but knowing this now…I don’t think I’ll be able to face him anymore. I felt so stupid, so embarrassed…felt like nothing but a maid to him.

“It’s…fine.” I forced a smile and pulled up the sheets to my chest to save whatever dignity was left of me.

“No, it’s not.” He said, shaking his head slowly as if he still couldn't believe what had happened. That he had s*x with me, a mere maid. “This was a mistake. We were drunk, not thinking straight at all…. s**t, it can’t ever happen again. We…we need to forget it ever happened, Mabel.”

The more he talked, the more pangs of pain shot into my chest. It felt like I’d just passed him a dagger and watched him stab into my chest over and over again without being able to stop him. The pain from rejection was nothing like I’d ever thought. It felt like I was being torn apart from my insides—it was painful and uncomfortable.

I nodded, swallowing back the hiccups that threatened to escape my throat. “Forget…I can do that.” I gave a bitter laugh and climbed out of bed, gathering my clothes as quickly as I could as the room suddenly felt suffocating around me—his presence suddenly felt suffocating around me. It almost felt like I was not needed anymore, like I was just one of his flings overnight.

“Mabel, wait.”

But I didn’t listen to him.

I clutched my chest as the sharp aching surged through my entire body, burning as I slammed the door behind me.

I’d given him everything, and in return, he’d taken away my dignity and trust, reminding me of my place as a maid…a friend…

A mistake…