An Alpha for Valentine

THIRTEEN

VALENTINE



I sat in the dimly lit room, lost in my own thoughts. Kerri's words from earlier hung heavy in the air, swirling around in my mind. So much so that even when a soft shuffle of footsteps approached, I didn't look up.

The door creaked open, and Devin entered. He clicked his fingers to gain my attention. "Hey, Val, how was your day?" His concern was evident, his eyes searching mine.

Val? Did he just give me a nickname? It was supposed to be repulsive. I gave the look. But it did not disgust me, and the small smile that played on his mouth told me that my mind had told him what he needed to know. There was no use fighting him or the nickname.

“Bearable,” I replied, deliberately keeping my tone neutral. I didn’t want to burden him with my own inner turmoil, even if he could easily find out. I felt no urge to keep him out of my head. Plus, there were more pressing matters to attend to.

His mind, for example. He could try all he wanted to plaster his pain with a smile, but I could see right through him. He was deeply troubled. I was guessing the Satake search did not produce the results that they wanted.

I turned the question back to him, genuinely interested. “And yours?”

Devin's expression darkened, a shadow passing over his features. "We hit a dead end," he confessed. The frustration was heavy in his voice. "But we do know one thing now. Someone or something took our brother. Whatever they are, they are powerful. They might have even known he was a relic, considering they putting blocks that are capable of killing Delicates that look."

His words hung in the air, and for a minute, all that we shared was silence. I somehow felt pity for him. Maybe because the circumstances hit too close to home. It was a cruel twist of fate, having your family torn apart by unseen hands.

When Devin spoke, I couldn't help but wonder why his life and struggles mattered so deeply to me. Yes, we shared some primal bond, but our relationship had always been complicated, fraught with a door we both could never really open.

I toyed with the idea of confiding in him. Letting him know how my day really went. I especially wanted to tell him about Kerri. I wanted to ask him if he knew Kerri had a big fat crush on him that had turned into something dark. But letting him in on all of that meant letting him in on my insecurities and the sharp pang of jealousy that had gripped me earlier. It meant accepting the mate bond I had fought for years. At the last moment, I hesitated. The words remained unsaid, lingering on the edge of my tongue.

Instead, I mustered a small, understanding smile. "You'll find him, Devin. You will bring him back. I know you will."

Devin nodded. He looked happy to hear that. “I should take a shower. I reek or at least smell like dog piss.”

I giggled at his comment and watched him walk into the bathroom. When he disappeared into the bathroom, a strange tension settled in the room, palpable and electric. It was as if the very air held its breath, waiting for something to happen.

A low growl rumbled within me, a warning from the primal part of my being. It urged me to seek solace in Devin's presence, to draw strength from our mate. Big words for s*x in the bathroom. It was exhausting having to fight urges like this every waking day, but until I got Devin to see a reason to end the bond, I would keep on fighting. That's what I always did when faced with something that scared me. I kept fighting. My wolf told me I could trust him. It told me I would never meet anyone who could tame me the way he could. It trusted him. It needed him. But would a beast that lived on instinct know?

I was still deep in my thoughts when a sudden, powerful force surged through the room, wrenching me from the ground. Panic coursed through me, and my limbs flailed in the empty space. It felt as if invisible hands were hoisting me up, defying all reason.

"Devin!" I called out, my voice a mix of terror and confusion. But despite my efforts, the words seemed to get caught. The shower's steady stream drowned any hope of Devin hearing me over its cascading sound.

It was happening again. This was another attack. What was clear now was that it wasn't someone after my life. Magic was undeniably involved. This wasn't a mere figment of my imagination.

I kicked and scratched at whatever held me by the throat, but it refused to yield. My hands instinctively flew to my neck, my breath becoming labored. Speaking felt like trying to force words through solid concrete. I struggled, straining to voice anything, but it seemed as if my vocal cords were encased in lead. Then, suddenly, I was flung into a wall, crashing to the floor with a gut-wrenching thud.

There was no respite. The force struck again, leaving me breathless and voiceless. Something heavy landed on my chest, an intangible yet oppressive weight. I fought against it, summoning every ounce of strength to push it aside, breaking the suffocating hold. It proved futile; the moment I moved, the weight descended once more, compressing my chest and suffocating me.

Panic surged, and I writhed beneath the unseen pressure, struggling to shift onto my stomach, but it only intensified the force. Finally, I managed to force out words.

"Devin!" I shrieked, pouring every ounce of my remaining strength into the cry.

The invisible assailant seemed incensed. It lifted me off the ground and began to twist my arms. A loud c***k echoed throughout the room, signaling the brutal break of my wrist. Tears pricked at my eyes from pain, fear, and desperation. When the pain finally kicked in, I screamed. I don't remember screaming, but I did, and it was unlike anything I'd ever done before. I screamed until I felt my entire body convulse. Until my lungs burned and my legs grew weak. Until every bone in my body gave way.

But that only angered whatever was doing this to me even more. It tossed me across the room before slamming me back down, slamming my head into the tiled floor, making it ring painfully.

The last thing I saw as my eyes rolled to the back of my head was Devin's horrified face looking down at me. His face twisted with shock.