Chapter 25

Lauren's POV

I didn’t expect him. Not tonight, not like this.

Alexander.

I hadn’t seen him like this, drunk and desperate, in… well, ever. His dark hair was messy, falling just enough to frame his sharp jawline, and his face was tense, the familiar brooding look I once loved now mixed with something raw.

His eyes were bloodshot, too intense to meet mine for more than a second before they flickered away, his gaze distant and angry.

“Lauren…” His voice was low, rough with something—desperation? Pain? “I need to talk to you.”

I blinked, stunned, barely processing his words.

“I need answers,” he muttered, his voice thick, almost pleading.

I opened my mouth to respond, but the words didn’t come. What could I say?

“How—” I stammered, my hands hovering unsure over his chest. “How did you even get here? Please tell me you didn’t drive.”

“You—” He cut me off, stepping forward with an unsteady but purposeful movement, his broad chest brushing mine as he entered the threshold. “Why didn’t you tell me, Lauren? About the pregnancy? Why didn’t you let me in?”

His words hit me like a slap, catching me completely off guard. I took a step back.

“I—” I stammered, the words too soft, too weak. I tried! I wanted t say. “It was none of your busniness—”

“Don’t lie to me.” His voice was sharp now, the edge of frustration as he pushed past me into the hallway, leaning over the hallway table. “You think I wouldn’t have wanted to be there for you? What are you even doing, Lauren—”

“Ava,” I corrected sharp, which only left to a cruel, cold piercing looking my way over his shoulder.

“How long are you going to run with that?” he snarled.

I tiled my chin. “Till you get it through your thick skull, Alpha Alexander. Now, will you please leave.”

The heat between our silence was thickening the air.

He slowly stood tall, made his way back torwards me. I shrunk as he slapped the door shut behind me, his hand slamming next to my head pinning me, his whiskey breath brushing my skin.

“It’s always a dance with you, Lauren. The truth. Now.”

I swallowed, trying to steady myself, my palm flat to the door behind me, his height like a mountain over me. “You had enough to deal with.”

“I had you to deal with,” he snapped, stepping even closer, his chest brushing against mine again. The contact made my breath catch, my pulse quicken. “I wanted to deal with you. With us.”

I froze, caught in his gaze. What? Then why divorce me?! The tension between us was so thick I could almost taste it. His hand reached up, his fingers trembling as he touched my cheek, his thumb brushing over my skin.

I couldn’t breathe.

The air between us crackled. Everything in me wanted to reach out, but I was terrified of what would happen if I did. But his curel words, actions kept me in check.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” His voice was a whisper now, his forehead pressed against mine. “I would’ve been there, Lauren. I would’ve.”

I closed my eyes, the ache in my chest spreading. I couldn’t look at him. Not when everything in me wanted to crumble under his touch, under the weight of the words we hadn’t spoken.

“Please,” I whispered, trying to push him away. “You need to leave.” My hand reached for my phone, going to call a Beta for help, to come get there drunk Alpha.

But he wasn’t having it.

Before I could react, his hand shot out, grabbing my phone. He yanked it from my hand, and throwing it across the room. It crashed against the wall, the screen shattering on impact.

“Don’t fucking run from this, Lauren,” he growled, his voice low and filled with something primal. “You think you can just push me away? You think you can shut me out and forget everything we were? Move on with, what, Liam? What a joke.”

I was furious now, my heart pounding right out my chest. He had no right. No right to demand answers, no right to come here and tear down everything I’d built to protect myself. Protect myself from him.

“Alexander,” I hissed, my voice shaking. “You need to leave. Right now.”

Instead, he stepped closer, his broad frame towering over me, his body radiating heat that I could feel even with the small distance left between us. His breath was warm against my skin, carrying the faint scent of whiskey, and I gasped, my chest tightening.

He was too close, invading every part of me. His hands found my waist, firm but not rough, pulling me into him like I was the life line he desperately needed.

My back hit the wall, and I felt trapped—not by force, but by the sheer intensity of him.

“I can’t leave, Lauren,” he murmured, his voice thick with something raw, almost broken. “Not when I still feel this… this need for you.”

His words ignited a storm inside me. I opened my mouth to protest, to push him away, but before I could speak, his lips were on mine.

The kiss was urgent, desperate—an explosion. His lips were hot and demanding.

A gasp escaped me before I could stop it, and he seized on the sound, his lips slanting over mine with a hunger that left me dizzy. His hands moved up my hips, pulling me flush against him. The heat of his body burned through my thin robe, the hard lines of his chest pressed against me in a way that made my heart race.

I wanted to push him away. I needed to. But my body refused to cooperate. Every fiber of me was drawn to him, to the way he touched me like I was the only thing holding him together, to the way his kiss consumed me.

“Alexander,” I whispered against his lips, trying to break the spell. But he only pulled me closer, his grip tightening as his lips claimed mine again. A shiver ran down my spine, and I hated the way my body responded, arching into him instead of pulling away.

And then, as suddenly as it had started, he pulled back. His breathing was ragged, his chest heaving as he looked at me with wild, dark eyes. His gaze searched mine, filled with something that left me trembling.

“I can’t walk away,” he said, his voice low and hoarse. “I won’t walk away. Not now. Not when I still need you like this.”

My brain finally seemed to reboot and my hand reacted before my mind could catch up. The sound of my palm connecting with his face echoed in the small space, sharp and jarring.

“You’re drunk!” I snarled, my voice shaking with pure rage. “Get out of my house! Now!”

He didn’t move. His eyes, dark and stormy, locked onto mine, and for a moment, I thought he might argue again.

But then his legs buckled, and he collapsed against me. His weight was sudden, heavy, and unsteady, and I let out a startled yelp as I struggled to keep his massive frame upright.

“Alexander?!” I gasped, my arms instinctively wrapping around his waist to steady him. His head fell against my shoulder, his breath shallow and warm against my neck. “What are you doing? Hey!”

But he didn’t answer. His body was limp, his strength completely gone, and I could feel the heat of him, the weight of everything he had said pressing down on me.

I slumped against the doorframe, letting out a shaky breath as I adjusted his weight against me. “This jerk,” I muttered under my breath, my voice filled with equal parts exasperation and worry. “How does he always end up being my problem?”

Even as I said it, my hand betrayed me, brushing the damp hair from his forehead. His skin was warm, his expression slack and vulnerable in a way that made my heart clench.

“Idiot,” I whispered, my voice soft now, almost tender. My fingers lingered for a moment before I pulled them back, steeling myself against the wave of emotions threatening to drown me under him.