Alpha Xander's Undoing Chasing my Unknown Mate Back novel Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Chapter 32

*Rory*

Warmth surrounded me.

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It was the first thing I registered, a heavy, comforting heat that made me sink deeper into the soft mattress beneath me. My body ached–not painfully, but with a deep soreness that lingered between my legs, a reminder of what had happened the night before.

A reminder of him.

Xander.

I blinked, my eyes adjusting to the dim light filtering in through the curtains. I wasn’t in my dorm. I wasn’t even in my bed.

I was still in his.

My breath hitched as I turned my head, my heart lurching at the sight beside me. Xander lay on his back, his face relaxed, his features soft in sleep. The usual hardness in his jaw, the tension in his brow–it was gone.

For once, he didn’t look like the ruthless, brooding Alpha who spent every waking moment glaring at me. He just looked… peaceful.

The sight sent a strange pang through my chest.

It would’ve been so easy to reach out, to trace the sharp lines of his cheekbones, to let my fingers graze the lips that had been on every inch of my body last night.

But I didn’t.

Because I knew better.

I knew that when he woke up, that peace would disappear. That the walls would snap back into place.

And that this–whatever the hell this was–would mean nothing to him.

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to focus on something else. But as I shifted slightly, preparing to slip out of bed, something strange happened.

The water glass on the nightstand trembled.

I frowned, my pulse stuttering as I stared at it.

It wasn’t much–just a small ripple across the surface, like someone had lightly tapped the table,

Except no one had.

The room was still. Everything was still.

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Chapter 32

Except the water.

:.

:

It trembled again, the liquid shifting, tiny waves forming in the glass.

A shiver ran down my spine.

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Something inside me stirred, a slow, coiling sensation that wasn’t Zerina but wasn’t entirely me either. It was… something else.

Something new.

Before I could dwell on it, Xander shifted.

A low, sleepy sound rumbled from his chest as his arm tightened around me, his fingers flexing against my waist as if reaching for me.

Then, suddenly, his body tensed.

His grip loosened, his breathing changed, and then his eyes snapped open.

For a long, heavy moment, he just stared at me.

I couldn’t move.

The consequence of last night settled thick between us, and for a brief second, I thought he might say something.

But he didn’t.

Instead, his jaw clenched.

Without a word, he shoved the covers off, grabbed his pants from the floor, and disappeared into the bathroom, not looking back.

I was left lying there, staring at the ceiling, feeling something in me crack.

He regretted it.

And that hurt more than it should.

I exhaled shakily, forcing myself upright, wincing at the dull ache in my muscles. I felt… different. Like something was buzzing beneath my skin, alive and restless.

But I didn’t think about it. I couldn’t.

He had called me his. He had claimed me in body and soul. Didn’t he remember that?

I was stupid. I was too stupid. He gave me multiple chances to push him away and say no, but I didn’t. I have in, and now I was hurting.

I had to get out of here.

13:38 Tue, Sep 16 N

Chapter 32

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I grabbed my clothes, pulling them on quickly, willing my heart to stop pounding. This was fine. It was what I’d expected.

But then–why did my chest feel so damn tight?

I turned for the door, my fingers curling around the handle, and then a hand caught my wrist.

“Aurora.”

Xander’s voice was rough, hoarse, like he’d barely gotten the words out.

I swallowed, my breath catching as I turned to face him.

His jaw was tight, his eyes stormy.

“Last night…” he started, but the words died in his throat.

I held my breath, waiting. He would even break me or make me the happiest girl on campus. But I bet my money on the former.

He exhaled sharply.

“It can’t happen again.”

The air left my lungs too fast.

“I know you will see me as an asshole,” he added softly. “But it’s for your own good. We’ll do it again when it’s time to have pups but while we’re still in school…”

I ripped my wrist away, my heart pounding.

“Noted.” That was all I could manage. My voice was steady, but my hands were shaking.

I didn’t look back as I walked out the door.

And Xander let me go.

I barely made it five steps before my vision blurred.

The world tilted, and my limbs felt heavy, my body burning up from the inside.

Something was wrong.

Heat coiled in my stomach, spreading outward, creeping under my skin like wildfire,

Then–agony.

A searing, crushing pain ripped through me, like my bones were shattering, melting, reforming all at once.

A sharp cry tore from my lips as my knees buckled.

13:38 Tue, Sep 16 N

Chapter 32

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I barely registered Xander’s frantic voice before darkness swallowed me whole and my knees hit the ground of the great hallways. My hands flew up to cover my ears, as if that would help.

“Rory!”

His hands caught me before I hit the floor, his voice raw, desperate.

“Fuck–what’s happening?” Xander demanded, cradling my head in his hands. His frantic eyes almost leveled me as I dared to think that he cared. But I had to tell myself that he didn’t. This was just an alliance for him, remember? Nothing more.

“Rory! Speak to me!”

I tried to answer, but I couldn’t.

I couldn’t breathe, let alone speak.

My skin was on fire, my veins boiling, burning, breaking.

Xander’s hand pressed against my forehead. “You’re burning up. Shit-”

His face lit with what looked like realization, before it twisted into panic. I screamed as my leg contorted on its own, snapping out of place and breaking into a form I didn’t recognize.

“Your wolf is forcing a shift,” Xander said, frantic. “Azrien says it can kill you.”

Just as how she was trying to kill me in my dream. But how was she coming in control so often lately? She hadn’t been able to do that since I got her at sixteen. What had changed? “Xander, I’m scared,” I cried as another distorted scream tore from my lips.

Claws forced their way through my fingernails, and my gum ached as the sharp feeling of fangs protruded from them.

My left leg broke now, and I screamed again, not being able to take it. Sweat dripped from my body like a river, and I could see Xander’s thoughts working. Yet, it was evident that he had no idea what to do, either. He looked like he was arguing with his wolf, while mine was trying to kill me.

“I know, Rory, just fight it, okay? I’ll figure out-”

Before he could finish, I felt my eyes shifting, and I was no longer looking from my eyes, anymore. Everything was less vivid, yet… sharper. Zerina. These were her eyes.

And for the first time in my entire live, I saw genuine fear on Xander’s face as he stared into my eyes.

“What?” I managed through a sob as he cradled my head better. “Your eyes,” he whispered, “They’re―”

Then his eyes snapped to something behind me, and something akin to relief took over his features.

“Hurry the fuck up!” he barked.

A shadow moved, and that’s when I realized that someone was coming.

13:38 Tue, Sep 16 N

Chapter 32

But it was too late.

Because I wasn’t alone in my body anymore.

:

A growl rumbled from my throat–low, primal, not my own.

Xander went completely still.

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