Chapter 0085

His gaze narrows sharply.

I shrug, my shoulders throbbing with a dull ache.

“Blood feeders. That’s the only term you need to remember.”

His clipped tone tells me everything. I’m certain I never want to encounter them.

Alpha Alexander adjusts himself on the edge of the bed. He presses a button. The bed whirs to life, tilting upward until I’m sitting, forced to meet his intense stare.

His expression is grave. Lips pressed thin. A faint crease forms between his brows.

“You must inform me the moment something feels off.”

“I… thought it was just exhaustion. My mind was foggy. It still is.”

He leans in abruptly, planting his fists on the mattress on either side of my hips. His face is dangerously close. His scent wraps around me, wild and intoxicating.

“I cannot lose you.” The words are a low, rough murmur. “I will not.”

His crimson eyes lock onto mine. My thighs squeeze together instinctively under his gaze. He has a way of making obedience feel inevitable.

I nod slowly.

He cups my face and kisses me. His tongue brushes mine, quick and possessive, before he pulls back.

“You need rest.”

He sounds frustrated. Annoyed. My eyes drop to the prominent bulge straining against his pants. I wonder how much restraint it’s costing him.

“If you were here for any other reason,” he whispers, voice thick, “I would take you right now. In this bed.”

He moves away, dropping into the chair beside the bed. His eyes never leave me. He doesn’t speak, but his gaze promises one thing: once I’m cleared, I won’t be leaving our room.

Hours pass before Isabella finally finishes. She runs endless tests. Asks my full name. The date. Where I am. Then come the physical challenges. With each question and task, Alpha Alexander’s impatience grows.

“Isabella, surely you have enough,” he snaps. He hasn’t left except for a brief moment.

“I’m being thorough. I won’t have you blaming me later for missing something.”

He waves a hand irritably, signaling for her to continue.

I comply with everything she asks. Still, she insists on complete rest once we return to the packhouse.

“I’m fine,” I whisper.

“I’m taking no risks.” She turns to her brother, crossing her arms. “No physical exertion for the next few days.”

His crimson eyes find mine. A slow, knowing smile curves his lips. He’s already planning how to bypass her orders. The thought sends a thrill of fear—and anticipation—through me. Our last time together flashes in my mind.

We walk back to the house slowly. Like the first time I left the pack hospital, I refuse to be carried. I need to move. To feel my own strength.

Caleb shadows us closely. They both act as if I might collapse or be drugged again at any second.

Alpha Alexander glances at me. He’s still listening to my thoughts.

“Take your time,” he murmurs. “I’m not going anywhere. I know you’re in pain.”

Dominic and the others would never have cared. They’d have forced me to work through the agony, ensuring I suffered more.

“And I will make them suffer, too,” he adds.

“You’ll have to beat me to it,” Caleb mutters from behind me. “Even that Genevieve. I’d have made her suffer far more than just being fed to the wolves.”

I freeze. Fed to the wolves? Real wolves? Or the pack?

“Don’t think about it,” Alpha Alexander says quietly, shooting a dark look at Caleb.

“Sorry. I’ll shut up.” Caleb sucks in his cheeks, avoiding my eyes.

I should have expected her fate to be brutal. I knew Alpha Alexander had a ruthless side. I should have realized his punishments are never simple. Marcus’s death was likely the cleanest kill he’s ever carried out. It makes me wonder about the other women. How they died.

Alpha Alexander says nothing. I decide not to ask. He hears my thoughts anyway. The look he gives me confirms it. They died the same way.