Alec’s

"How long have I been out?" I asked after downing the whole glass.

"Three hours, give or take."

"Is everything okay?" I muttered. "I hope I didn't do too much damage and that no one got hurt."

"Don't worry about that. Apart from the trees, no one got hurt," he teased. I had to blink twice to make sure that I wasn't dreaming and that Alec, of all people, was teasing me.

I nodded robotically, my mind still having a hard time catching up. Silence descended on the room while I started fidgeting in response to his intense stare.

His eyes searched mine. I'm not sure what exactly he was looking for or if he even found it.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

He takes the glass from my hands and then places it on the bedside table. He then leans in closer.

"I've been thinking," he starts, his voice a little lower than I am used to. It was almost like he wasn't sure of what he was about to do or say.

For a moment, I get panicked, my mind in knots as I wonder what he's about to unleash on me. The last time he was in deep thought, he revealed there was a connection between the woman making hybrids and Nyx's twin sister. That revelation didn't end well.

I stayed quiet and allowed him to finish what he was going to say.

He takes a deep breath. "I've been thinking that maybe you should go back to your pack."

I'm caught off-guard. My eyes widened as I stared at him in disbelief.

"I think I heard you wrong."

He sighs, his features contorting in fatigue. "You didn't... I want you to go back. We can find another solution to things with Kaden, but you have to leave."

"Are you out of your mind!" I quickly sat up on the bed seething.

"For the first time in a long time, I'm actually thinking clearly."

"No. I'm not going to go back."

"You are, Sadie."

"I'm NOT," I fumed. "You don't get to tell me what to do or make decisions for me. You want me to go back. What about your pack? The prophecy clearly said that I am the one to undo the curse, so why the hell would you want me to leave?"

He remains silent for a while and that just pisses me off even more. What the hell is he thinking?

"You should leave. Raven can stay. She can help us, but you don't have to be here. You shouldn't be here."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!"

"Please, Sadie."

"No!" this time I yelled the words. "I am not leaving. Not until we have dealt with Kaden. Not until I have helped this pack."

"You can't stay," he growls, his voice deeper than before.

I could tell he was getting pissed off by my stubbornness, but I didn't give a fuck. He asked for help, and I wasn't leaving here until I'd do what I promised I would.

"We are going round and round in circles. The fact remains, I am not leaving."

"Yes, you are."

"I am not."

"Sadie, I swear to the goddess..." he snapped, fire and anger burning behind those green eyes.

"What will you do?” I mock. “You won't do anything. You can't do anything. And short of drugging me and taking me back, which I'll hate you for, by the way. I am staying."

He was seething. If this were a cartoon, fumes would be coming out of his ears right now. "Why can't you just do what you are told?"

"Because I am not a fucking dog," I retorted. "And besides, why would you want me to leave when you clearly need my help?"

He stays quiet.

"Why don't you want me to stay, Alec?" I pushed, hoping he would answer, but he didn't.noveldrama

He still remains quiet. His eyes avoided mine.

He is a stubborn alpha male, so I know this approach wouldn't work with him. Instead, I switched tactics.

"I swear I won't talk to you ever again if you don't answer me." childish, yes, but it

was going to get me what I wanted, especially after I saw a shift in his eyes.

His shoulders dropped. Sadness and worry filled his eyes. It was almost as if he was in physical pain.

"Because it looks like there will be a war and don't want to lose you. His voice is rugged with a bit of vulnerability in it. "I don't want to lose you, Sadie. Not when I just found you."