Alpha Alec's Redemption by Kathy M

Chapter 248

The wind is a soft caress against my skin, but it does nothing to cool the heat simmering beneath the surface. Sweat trickles down the back of my neck as I stand in the middle of the field, eyes closed, fists clenched at my sides. Nyx is pacing in my mind, her presence a steady, grounding force.

"Try again," she urges, her voice soft but firm. "You're overthinking it. Just feel it, Sadie."

I take a deep breath, releasing it slowly as I focus inward, searching for the power coursing beneath my skin-the powerful essence that I'm supposed to command. But instead of reaching that power, my mind flashes to Alec.

I squeeze my eyes shut, pushing his image away and try to focus. I refuse to let my mind wander when I should be focusing on getting this right.

"Breathe." Nyx's voice is firm but gentle. "In through your nose. Out through your mouth."

I do as she says, pulling air deep into my lungs and releasing it in a long, slow exhale. It doesn't help. My skin still burns. My body still hums with restless energy. And my mind? My mind won't stop spinning.

Because I keep seeing Alec.

I've been avoiding him since the day we took Aspen for an outing, but it has done nothing to diminish that unsettling desire I have for him. It has done nothing to stop the bond from humming inside me. It has done nothing to stop me from thinking about him. It also doesn't help that Aspen has kept mentioning him in almost all her sentences.

to shake the effects of the bond, but nothing. I still think of him. Still think of his green eyes, that intense look he gave me when he said he'd prove himself. When he promised he'd show me that he wanted me. Not because of the bond,

fingers to my temples, trying to push the memory away, but it keeps returning,

Every time we looked at each other across the field or in the hallways right before I fled like the coward I was.

shiver races down my spine, and I bite my bottom lip, tasting the salt of

voice sharper now. "Focus. You're letting your

to concentrate. I focus on the feel of the wind, the warmth of the sun, and the pulse of

feel of it and the power I

gasp, my knees

let out a frustrated growl and rub

I won't deny that. The combination of the full moon and the bond has made things really hard

tone softening.

my knees to my chest and resting my forehead against them. I'm panting,

doing wrong?" I murmur.

presence presses against my mind like a gentle nudge. "You're distracted. You're stressed. You're