Chapter 14

Anita's Pov

I had just settled into bed, my thoughts still swirling from the strange events of the evening. The flowers, Zach’s warnings, and the familiar voice in the hallway—it was all too much to process, yet it still felt like something wasn’t adding up. But before I could let my mind wander too far, my phone buzzed on the bedside table.

I frowned, reaching over to pick it up. It wasn’t often that I got calls this late, especially from an unknown number. But when I glanced at the screen, my heart skipped a beat.

It was Alpha Hades.

My fingers froze over the screen for a moment, unsure of what to expect. Why was he calling me now, of all times? I hesitated, but eventually, curiosity won out, and I answered the call.

“Hello?” I said cautiously,

There was a pause on the other end, a strange, heavy silence, and then I heard it, his voice. It was low and blur.

“My mate…”

I blinked as my heart was pounding in my chest. His voice was different from what I was used to. He sounded. Confused. And was he drunk?

“Alpha Hades?” I asked, sitting up in bed, my mind racing. “What are you talking about?”

“My mate,” he repeated, his voice even more strained this time. “Why doesn’t she want me? Why would she let another man into her home?”

I brought the phone to my face, staring at it, What was he talking about? My mate? Another man?

“Alpha Hades, please what are you talking about? Are you okay?” I asked, my concern growing in my voice.

Something was wrong. Very wrong. I had never heard him like this before. He spoke like someone so broken.

“She… she let him live there,” he mumbled, his words barely making sense. “She opened the door for him, let him… let him in.”

My heart thumped in my chest as his words began to sink in. Was he talking about me? My mind raced, trying to piece together the fragments of his drunken rambling. And then it hit me like he was talking about earlier that night. When he had shown up at the apartment, when Zach had answered the door.

Had he thought…?

“Alpha Hades,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm despite the sudden rush of emotions flooding within me. “Where are you?”

He didn’t respond immediately, but I could hear him muttering something under his breath.

I strained to listen, catching snippets of his drunken confessions, something about wanting to live a good life with his mate, about how everything was supposed to be different.

“Alpha Hades, where are you?” I asked again, my tone was more insistent this time.

“I’m not at the packhouse,” he said, his voice trailing off. “I’m at… somewhere else. It doesn’t matter. Nothing matters.”

I felt a surge of panic rising in my chest. He wasn’t making sense, and from the sound of it, he was completely drunk. I needed to find him. I couldn’t just leave him like this, all alone at wherever he was.

“Tell me where you are,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “I’ll come get you.”

There was a long pause on the other end of the line, and then he muttered something which I couldn't grasp before finally giving me an address.

It wasn’t far from my apartment though, just a few blocks away. Without thinking twice, I grabbed my jacket, slipped on my shoes, and rushed out the door.

The night air was cool, the streets quiet as I hurried down the sidewalk, my mind racing with questions that I couldn't place right.

When I arrived at the address he had given me, I found myself standing in front of a small, dimly lit bar. The door was slightly open, and the faint sound of music drifted out into the night. I pushed the door open and stepped inside, my eyes scanning the room.

There he was.

Hades sat slumped in a booth near the back of the bar, an empty glass was in front of him and a half-empty bottle of whiskey at his side. His head was resting on the table, and from the way his body was slouched, I could tell he was completely out of it. My heart clenched at the sight of him.

The strong, powerful Alpha, was reduced to this?

I moved closer to him slowly, unsure of how to handle the situation. As I reached the booth, I knelt down beside him, gently placing a hand on his arm.

“Alpha Hades,” I whispered, my voice soft but firm, “Can you hear me?”

He stirred slightly, lifting his head just enough to look at me through his blurry eyes. His gaze wasn't steady, but when he saw me, something flickered in his expression. Maybe realisation. Yes it was.

“Anita…” he muttered, his voice low. “You came?”

“Of course I did,” I said, my heart ached after seeing the state he was in, “Let’s get you out of here, okay? You need to go home.”

But as I tried to help him up, he grabbed my arm, pulling me down beside him. The sudden movement knocked over the glass of whiskey, spilling its contents across the table.

I gasped, trying to steady myself, but Alpha Hades was already pulling me closer.

His hand cupped my cheek, his touch surprisingly gentle despite the clumsiness of his drunken state. His eyes locked onto mine, and for a moment, I saw his weakness there—the pain, the confusion, the longing.

My heart started thumping loud against my chest as my cheek flushed pink immediately.

“Why didn’t you want me?” he mumbled under his breath, “Why would you let another man live with you?”

My breath caught in my throat as his words sank in. He had come to my apartment. He had seen Zach, and he had assumed…

“Alpha Hades,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “You… you thought Zach was…?”

He didn’t answer, his gaze still locked on mine, but the pain in his eyes said everything. He thought I had betrayed him. He thought I had let someone else into my life, into my heart.

I shook my head, trying to clear the confusion. “Alpha Hades, no… Zach’s my friend. My best friend’s brother. He’s like family to me. There’s nothing going on between us.”

But he wasn’t listening. He was too far gone, too lost in his own hurt, in the shadow of the alcohol which he had taken.

His hand slid from my cheek to the back of my neck, pulling me closer until our faces were inches apart.

“I thought…” he whispered, his voice cracking, “I thought I was losing you.”

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding in my chest. I could feel the heat of his breath on my lips, the intensity of his gaze pulling me in.

“You’re not losing me,” I whispered back, my voice barely audible. “You’re not.”

For a moment, time seemed to stand still. The world around us faded away, and all I could see was him, this man who had always been so strong, so controlled, now weak and broken in front of me. And in that moment, something shifted between us. Something I couldn’t quite explain.

Before I could say anything else, Alpha Hades closed the distance between us, his lips connected with mine in a soft, abrupt kiss.

My eyes widened as I froze instantly.