Dark Obsession

The Fourth Alpha

I thought I had reached my limit.

Three Alphas. Three men who wanted me, who claimed me, who consumed my every waking thought. I told myself it was enough. I told myself I didn't need anyone else.

Then I met Zane.

He was my best friend's father, and he was everything I should have stayed away from. Older. Impossibly dominant. A man who had known me since I was a child, who had watched me grow up.

And now, he looked at me like he wanted to devour me whole.

It happened at my best friend Maya's birthday party.

I hadn't seen Zane in years. He had always been distant, polite, the kind of father who was there but not really present. Maya talked about him sometimes how strict he was, how cold, how he never seemed to care about anything.

But when I saw him that night, I realized she was wrong.

He cared.

He cared about me.

His eyes tracked me across the room, dark and intense. I felt his gaze like a physical touch, burning through my skin. I tried to ignore it, tried to focus on Maya and the other guests.

But I couldn't stop thinking about him.

Later that night, I found myself alone on the balcony.

The cool air was a relief after the heat of the party. I closed my eyes, trying to clear my head.

"Is this seat taken?"

I turned to find Zane standing behind me, his expression unreadable. He was older than the others mid-forties, with silver-streaked hair and eyes the color of dark honey. He was devastatingly handsome, in a way that made my breath catch.

"Zane," I said, my voice too high. "I didn't see you there."

"You've been avoiding me," he said, stepping closer. "All night. I noticed."

"I wasn't"

"Don't lie to me, Aria."

His voice was soft, but there was steel beneath it. I swallowed hard, my heart pounding.

"I don't know what you want me to say," I admitted.

Zane reached out, his fingers brushing my cheek. "I want you to tell me the truth. I want you to tell me you've been thinking about me."

I should have denied it. I should have walked away.

But I was tired of lying.

"I have been thinking about you," I whispered. "I don't know why. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"There's nothing wrong with you," he said, his voice rough. "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, Aria. I've been watching you for years watching you grow up, watching you become this incredible woman. And I couldn't do anything about it. Because you were my daughter's best friend. Because you were too young."

"And now?"

He pulled me into his arms, his lips claiming mine. "Now, I don't care anymore."

What followed was unlike anything I had ever experienced.

Zane was older. More experienced. He knew exactly what he wanted, and he took it with a confidence that left me breathless.

"Tell me what you want," he demanded, his voice low and commanding. "Tell me."

"Anything," I gasped. "Everything."

He smiled, a dark, possessive smile. "That's my girl."

Afterward, I lay in his arms, my body humming with satisfaction.

"I can't believe we just did that," I murmured.

Zane pressed a kiss to my forehead. "Believe it. You're mine now, Aria. All of you."

"All of me?"

He looked down at me, his honey eyes blazing. "I know about the others. Kael. Damon. Ryker. They've all had a taste of you. But you're not finished yet, are you?"

I shook my head, unable to deny it.

Zane smiled. "That's what I thought. You're going to collect us all, aren't you? Every Alpha who crosses your path."

"I don't know what I'm doing," I admitted. "I feel like I'm losing control."

"You're not losing control," he said. "You're finding it. You're becoming something powerful, Aria. Something that can't be contained by one man."

"How do you know?"

He kissed me softly. "Because I've been around a long time. And I've never met anyone like you."

That night, I dreamed of them.

Kael. Damon. Ryker. Zane. Four Alphas, four pairs of eyes watching me, four sets of hands reaching out to claim me.

I woke up with a gasp, my heart pounding.

It was happening. I was becoming something I didn't fully understand.

And I was terrified and thrilled.