Alpha Alec's Redemption by Kathy M

Chapter 261

Alec

The cold-water rushes over me, icy rivulets cascading down my skin as I brace my hands against the shower wall. My breaths come in sharp, ragged bursts, each one echoing against the tile. My muscles tense beneath the freezing spray, and yet it does little to quell the fire raging inside me.

I squeeze my eyes shut, the water stinging my skin as I drop my head, letting it pummel the back of my neck. It's not enough. Nothing is enough.

The scent of her clings to me, even now. It's embedded in my skin, threaded through every breath, every heartbeat. Sadie. Her soft whimpers, the way her body arched against mine, her mouth forming my name on a trembling gasp. And now she's in the other room, curled up in that bed, her body wracked with the heat

I can't take away.

Knox growls in my mind, pacing restlessly. "They are in pain."

I know. Goddess, do I know.

I grip the back of my neck, fingers digging in as if I can scrub away the feeling of her pressed against me. The memory of her slick warmth against me is a brand I can't erase, and it's driving me out of my mind.

She wanted me. Begged for me. And I had to pull away. I had to be the one to stop it.

I can still hear the echo of her voice, broken and raw.

"You don't want me. You still love Lola."

A shudder wracks through me, the ache in my chest intensifying. I still can't believe that she believes I still love Lola. Can you imagine that? Yet can I blame her for believing that I didn't want her because I still loved Lola?

I know there were rumors about me and Lola three years ago. I do admit that I mated Lola during her heat; that is true. what is not true is the intensity of it. It wasn't so intense. It wasn't anything but normal.

That should have been another sign that something was wrong. That She wasn't who I thought she was. That she wasn't my mate.

that I ignored so many red flags about her and our so-called relationship. With Sadie, everything is a thousand

have been so stupid? How could I allow myself to drown so much in a woman that I ended up hurting my true mate?

fist against the tile, the impact jarring up my arm. Pain explodes through my knuckles, sharp and welcome, grounding me in something other than the desire tearing me apart. I drop my

really were dumb," Knox

know," I whisper,

didn't know what to expect," Knox says. "We thought everything was

I murmur. "Or deep down we knew but we chose to

I turn off the shower, water streaming down my face as I stand there, head bowed, heart thundering. It takes everything in me to pull myself together, to force

waist. My reflection in the mirror is a stranger- wild

not bothering to dry off. The wet fabric clings

in the bed, tangled in the sheets, her brow furrowed even in sleep. My heart twists painfully. She's

move toward her, climbing into bed and pulling her against me. She makes a soft sound, instinctively burrowing into my chest, her face pressing into the crook of my neck. The feel of her, warm and soft and fragile against me, is

her head, inhaling her scent, letting it seep into my veins. The need to mate her is a living, breathing

can't take her, not when I know deep down this isn't what she wants. When

that if it weren't for the heat, she wouldn't want

reach out to him, my voice

heavy, frustrated weight

"How's Nyx?"

is low, strained. "Not good. She's

squeeze my eyes shut, my hold on Sadie tightening. I want

is quiet for a moment before he says, "Nyx is feeling the brunt of it. Their heat is amplified through her, and she's bearing most of

throat tight. "When Sadie wakes up,

Maybe that'll help. Maybe

through the bond. "Thank

natural sweetness. She's shaking slightly, even in sleep, and