Bound to the Alpha

Just as Adeline reached Alpha Callum, her knees buckled and she collapsed against his chest.

Her weight pressed against him that made his body tensed. The scent of blood and something faintly sweet reached his nose, but he forced it down.

Pathetic.

His lips curled into a sneer as he stepped back and let her fall away from him. His jaw clenched tightly and without even thinking about it, he grabbed Adeline by the arm and roughly shoved her into the backseat of the car.  

She offered no resistance as she crumpled like a rag doll. Her head lolled to the side, struggling to keep her eyes open and probably fighting against the exhaustion that pulled at her.

“This bitch,” Callum muttered while wiping his hands against his pants as if touching her had sullied him. “She’s faking it. Probably thinks she’ll get my pity.”

He slammed the car door shut with enough force to rattle the frame.

But his wolf, Onyx, wasn’t convinced.

“She’s burning up,” his wolf rumbled inside him restlessly. “Can’t you smell it? She’s sick.”

Callum scoffed aloud while shaking his head as he moved toward the front passenger seat.

“She’s weak, Onyx. Weak and useless. We should’ve left her where she fell.”

Callum pushed the thought aside and himself to focus on something else. He turned his gaze toward Adeline’s face to study her more carefully now. 

Her skin was unnaturally pale. She us covered in bruises and scratches that made her look even more fragile. The heat radiating off her body was intense, like she was burning up from the inside. His stomach twisted in irritation, but not because of the girl herself. It was the way she was making him feel, how she seemed to stir something in him he didn’t want to acknowledge.

She looked fragile and breakable. It was nothing like the mate he had imagined for himself.

“Tch.” He turned away and muttered, “Useless.”

A soft frown crossed Adeline’s face and for a brief moment, Callum wondered if she had heard his words. But he quickly pushed the thought away. 

Not that it mattered.

His gamma, Marcus, shifted uncomfortably in the driver’s seat while watching them through the mirror.

“Are you sure about this, Alpha?” he asked carefully. “Taking her… feels rushed.”

Callum shot him a glare strong enough to make Marcus look away. “Are you questioning me?”

“No, of course not,” Marcus said quickly and gripped the wheel tighter. “Just… she doesn’t look like she’ll last long.”

Callum exhaled sharply and leaned against the door. His mind drifted back to the meeting in her father’s office.

He hadn’t expected much when he came, but seeing this girl in such a state? It had been almost laughable. She was weak, thin, and without a wolf… or at least, that’s what they wanted him to believe.

His wolf growled. “She has a wolf. I heard her.”

Callum’s jaw tightened. He didn’t need the reminder. He had seen the flicker in her eyes and the brief surge of power when she met his gaze. Whatever her father claimed, Adeline was no ordinary wolfless girl. But why the hell would she suppress her wolf?

Marcus cleared his throat, hesitating before speaking again. “Her father practically threw her at you, didn’t he? Like she’s… disposable.”

Callum’s lips curled into a bitter smirk. “He did. Probably because she is.”

“Do you really believe that?” Marcus asked quietly.

Callum snapped his head toward his gamma, “I don’t care what I believe. She’s mine now. And I’ll decide what to do with her.”

Marcus held his gaze for a moment then nodded tightly. “Understood, Alpha.”

But the question was why?

Her father, that manipulative bastard, had offered her up without a second thought. Alpha Callum didn’t trust him, not one bit. There was no way the old Alpha would hand over his daughter so easily without some hidden agenda.

As the car rumbled to life and pulled away from the pack house, Callum turned his attention back to Adeline.

Her breathing was shallow and her chest was rising and falling unevenly. The heat radiating from her body was undeniable now that the car’s confined space amplified it. His wolf growled again.

“She’s not faking this, Callum. Look at her.”

Callum’s lips pressed into a thin line. Against his better judgment, he turned to study her more closely. Her face was pale but a faint flush had crept into her cheeks as evidence of the fever raging through her body.

He frowned, “She’s weak,” he muttered, more to himself than to Onyx. “Too weak to be of any use.”

But despite his reasoning, his wolf wouldn’t shut up.

“She’s ours.” Onyx replied.

Callum growled low in his throat, ignoring the restless pacing of his wolf in the back of his mind. He didn’t need a mate. He’d made it this far without one and he wasn’t about to let some broken girl change anything.

Adeline stirred slightly while a soft whimper escaped her lips as she shifted in her sleep. Her hand twitched weakly against the seat like reaching for something she couldn’t grasp. Callum’s eyes narrowed as he watched her.

“Alpha?” Marcus ventured cautiously.

“What?” 

Marcus hesitated then gestured toward her again. “If she’s this bad off… maybe it would be better to—”

“To what?” Callum interrupted, “Leave her to die?”

Marcus faltered under his Alpha’s icy glare but continued. “No. But… maybe she needs help. A healer. Something. She’s burning up, and if she—”

“She’ll survive,” Callum cut him off.

The words felt hollow even as he said them. He didn’t know if she’d survive and worse, he wasn’t sure why it mattered to him.

Adeline shifted again. Her lips parted as she murmured something unintelligible. Callum leaned forward instinctively, straining to hear.

“Help… E-Escape”

Her voice was cracked and hoarse.

Callum stiffened while anger is flaring in his chest. Help? She dared to ask for help after everything? After the weak display she’d put on?

He leaned closer, “You don’t get to ask for help. Not from me.”

Adeline’s eyelids fluttered but she didn’t wake. Her breathing grew more labored and Callum’s wolf snarled in his mind.

“She’s suffering, Callum! Are you really this heartless?”

“I didn’t ask for her,” Callum shot back internally. “She’s not my responsibility.”

Onyx growled and the sound vibrated through Callum’s chest. “She’s your mate. If she dies, her blood is on your hands.”

Callum clenched his fists that his nails bit into his palms. He forced himself to turn away from her and stare out the window instead.

“Keep an eye on her,” he ordered coldly, his voice low but firm. “I want someone watching her at all times.”

Marcus nodded without question. “Yes, Alpha.”

As the car sped through the winding forest roads, Callum allowed himself one last glance at Adeline.

Her face was slack, her body limp and defenseless. Whatever secrets she was hiding, whatever her father’s motives were, he’d find out soon enough. 

And if she thought she could escape him?

She was sorely mistaken.