Chapter 85

Alexander

I didn’t know why I bothered running. Running through the woods, as the sharp scents of pine and earth filled my senses, my claws pounding against the ground in time with my heart, I couldn’t outrun the fury inside me. But I tried. I tried like it might clear my head, or at least cool down the fire burning in my veins.

I was pissed.

Pissed at Lauren, pissed at myself, pissed at the world.

She was at dinner with him. Liam. The guy who had tricked her.

My jaw clenched, and I ran harder, pushing myself faster as if outrunning the thought of them together might somehow make it go away. But the image wouldn't fade—her laughing, smiling, wearing that damn green dress that made her look like she owned the world, and him. Him. Sitting across from her like he had some right to be there.

I could practically hear her voice in my head, “It’s just dinner, Alexander. Just dinner. I’ll handle it.”

I growled low, the sound vibrating through my chest, my claws digging deeper into the earth with every step. I hated that I couldn’t trust her. I hated that she hadn’t told me. I hated how I couldn’t even pin point what she hadn’t told me. I hated that she thought it was okay to be with Liam, especially after everything. After the damn pills she took—the ones that I could have warned her about.

The memory of her legs around me nearly faulted my volt over a log.

I shoved the thought away, the bile back down my throat, forcing my focus onto the run. My mind kept spiraling, the anger lashing out with every step. But the more I ran, the more it burned—rage and hurt, all tangled together, eating me alive from the inside.

How could she? How could she just… not tell me? I cared. I cared too much, and I couldn’t stand it. Didn’t she see that? Was it just never enough?

I felt the change coming as the forest gave way to the edge of the city. My body snapped back into human form without hesitation, seamlessly shifting, muscles rippling as the fur melted away, leaving me running in jeans and a open hoodie fat too fast for a normal human.

My arms pumped, and some people yelped as I zipped past, some stared in awe. But I barely noticed. I was too busy running, weaving through the streets, going too fast for them to even get out of my way. I moved like lightning—too fast for the human eye to catch, too fast for any of them to see the storm inside me.

I ran for miles, past buildings, through alleyways, across streets, until my lungs were burning and my legs were on the verge of collapsing beneath me. But I didn’t stop. Couldn’t stop.

Finally, my body gave out enough for me to slow, and I ended up outside a bar—one I hadn’t set foot in since I was a teenager. The neon sign buzzed faintly in the night, a flickering reminder of what I used to be, of who I used to be.

I pushed open the door, stepping inside, feeling the stale air of the place settle into my lungs. The low hum of chatter and clinking glass filled the room, but it barely registered. I slumped onto a barstool, leaning my elbows on the counter as I motioned to the bartender for whiskey.

The familiar burn of alcohol slid down my throat, but it didn’t help. The fire inside me still blazed, just as strong as it had been when I first started running.

I needed to forget.

But then I heard a voice. One that felt more like a knife to the back.

“Alexander?”

I froze, the whiskey glass halfway to my lips, and I turned, my heart skipping a beat before sinking with realization. There, sitting next to me, was Sophia. My manipulative, murderous ex. The last person I wanted to see right now.

She was holding a drink, looking at me with eyes as shocked as mine. Those eyes I used to know made my blood boil. I couldn’t believe it. Of all the damn bars in the city, she had to be here.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I growled, my tone low and dangerous.

She shrugged, unfazed by my obvious aggression. “Getting a drink.”

I clenched my jaw, trying to force down the urge to throw my glass across the room. “Can’t you go anyway else? You’re banished, remember?”

She rolled her eyes, swishign her drink. “Please, the bar we met at isn’t off limits.”

A low growel escaped my throat. This wasn’t the night.

My fist slammed the counter before pushing through my lock. “Will you just get out. Leave. Now.”

Sophia raised an eyebrow, completely unfazed, pressing her red lips to her glass. “You’ve got quite a temper tonight. Not sure I’ve ever seen you this worked up in while.”

My head snapped her way, my grip tightening on my drink. “You need to leave, Sophie. You are banished. I don’t need to remind you what happens when you break those rules. Get out of the city before I k—”

Before I could finish, her voice cut through the tension, steady and cold. “She’s with Liam, isn’t she?”

I froze, the words hitting me like a punch to the gut—my eyes narrowing in anger. “What the hell do you care?”

Her lips curled into a knowing smirk as she took a slow sip from her glass. “You’ll never gain her trust again, Alexander. That’s why you’re so pissed right? You finally realized all your efforts are useless.”

Her words hit like a fist to my chest, knocking the wind out of me. I could feel my heart pounding, my chest tightening. Sophia’s words were laced with something darker, something I hadn’t wanted to hear but couldn’t ignore.

I was losing her again. I could feel it slipping away, everything I had worked for, everything I had fought for with Lauren. It was slipping, and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it.

I took a swig of my drink, my voice low and harsh. “And who’s fault is that.”

Sophia set her drink down with a clink, not looking at me, but speaking anyway. “It’s not my fault. It’s yours.” She glanced at me finally, eyes sharp. “You never had her, Alexander. You just trapped her.”

I wanted to snap, wanted to yell at her, but something inside me broke instead. The walls I’d built, the armor I’d wrapped around myself, cracked. And suddenly, all I could hear was the sound of her voice, cold and indifferent, stabbing at me, reminding me of everything I had lost.

I had lost her.

And it wasn’t recently, it was because I never had her to begin with.

I stood up abruptly, the chair squeetching over the wood as I loomed over Sophia.

I wanted to make her feel the anger that was ripping through me, the fury that I couldn’t control. But as I stepped toward her, I stopped. My hand balled into a fist at my side, my nails digging into my palm. I could feel my heartbeat in my ears, pounding so loud I couldn’t think straight.

I spun on my heel, my rage bubbling over. Without thinking, I grabbed the nearest chair, lifting it above my head and throwing it across the room. It crashed into the wall, splintering into pieces. The sound of shattering wood filled the air, and the room fell into stunned silence.

Everyone in the bar stared at me, wide-eyed, their breaths held. But Sophie—Sophie just smirked. She didn’t flinch, didn’t even move.

“If I catch you in this city again, it’s your head,” I spat, my voice rough with anger as I stormed out of the bar, my mind a whirlwind of thoughts and fury. Sophia’s words followed me, echoing in my head. I was losing her. Losing Lauren.

And I wasn’t sure I could survive the reality of it.