CHAPTER 99: CHAPTER 99

I didn’t remember how I left the Alpha’s quarters.

All I remembered was his eyes silver and unreadable staring into mine like he could peel back every secret I’d ever buried. His voice, both spoken and unspoken, still echoed through my skull as I stumbled down the long corridor.

Why does she tremble every time I look at her?

Why does it make me want to touch her again?

The words weren’t real. They couldn’t be. But they were there, whispering in my head, curling through me like smoke.

By the time I stepped outside, the evening air hit my face, cold and damp, but it did nothing to steady me. My legs moved on their own, carrying me down the path toward the omega quarters. Gravel crunched under my bare feet, and the moon hung low, spilling silver across the trees.

I was talking to myself without realizing it. The words just slipped out between my shaky breaths.

"What is wrong with me...? Why can I hear him? Why—" My voice cracked. "It’s not possible. It’s not. I’m losing my mind."

The sound of my own voice made me flinch. I looked around quickly, afraid someone might have heard me. The forest around the packhouse was quiet, too quiet, like it was holding its breath. Even the wind had stilled.

My fingers brushed the mark on my neck the one that hadn’t been there before.

It wasn’t a bite mark, not exactly. It was faint, almost like a bruise, but it pulsed with heat when I touched it, as if responding to his name in my thoughts. Zach.

I whispered it before I could stop myself, and instantly, I heard it.

Ellie. I froze.

That voice low, smooth, and frighteningly intimate wasn’t around me. It was inside me. Again.

I spun around, scanning the empty path, but there was no one there. The trees loomed tall and silent, the shadows thick with the scent of pine and damp earth. My breath hitched.

"No," I whispered. "No, you’re not real. You’re not—"

"Inner Voice: You’re trembling again.

I clutched my head and stumbled backward until I hit the trunk of a tree. "Stop—stop talking to me!"

"Inner voice: You came to me first.

The voice was calm, almost teasing.

"Inner voice: You walked into my space, little omega. You listened when you shouldn’t have. Now you hear what’s inside me.

By the time I reached the omega quarters, my body was numb. Joan and Elara were sitting outside, talking in hushed voices, but when they saw me, they went still.

Joan was the first to stand. "Ellie? What happened to you? You look—" Her eyes widened. "—you look like you’ve seen a ghost."

I tried to laugh, but it came out as a broken sound. "Maybe I have."

Elara frowned and reached for my arm. "What did he do? Did the Alpha... hurt you?"

"No." The word fell from my lips before I even thought. "He didn’t touch me. Not like that."

They exchanged a look the kind that carried questions they were too afraid to ask aloud.

Joan bit her lip. "Then why do you look so shaken?"

Because I can hear him. Because the Psycho Alpha’s voice is inside my head. Because I’m terrified that something inside me wants to hear it.

But I couldn’t say that. They’d think I’d lost my mind. Maybe I already had.

"I just..." I whispered, lowering my head. "I just need to lie down."

I brushed past them and stepped into the dim room. The faint smell of herbs and old wood filled my nose. My bed looked small and safe an illusion. Nothing felt safe anymore.

I collapsed onto it and pressed my palms over my eyes. His voice didn’t come again, but the echo of it stayed. The way he’d looked at me. The way his thoughts had wrapped around me like invisible fingers.

Why does she look like that? Like something fragile I shouldn’t break.

Why do I want to break her anyway? I squeezed my eyes shut until spots danced behind them.

"Stop," I whispered. "Please stop."

But the more I tried to block it out, the clearer it became his voice, his heartbeat, his thoughts threading through mine like a tether. The witch’s words came back, sharp and cruel.

"Stay close to him, little omega Stay close or you will be stuck in this place forever.

I didn’t understand.

How could staying close to a monster be the key to survival?

How could the man who made me shake with fear also be the one whose presence pulled at something deep inside me? When I finally fell asleep, my dreams weren’t my own. I stood in the Alpha’s quarters again, moonlight pouring through the window. He was there, sitting in that same chair, his eyes half-shadowed, his expression unreadable. I could feel the tension in the air thick, heavy, dangerous.bHe didn’t speak.

He just looked at me.

And then the dream shifted I wasn’t standing anymore. I was on the floor, close to his knees, and his fingers were tangled in my hair. He tilted my chin up with a touch that was both cruel and careful.

"Look at me.

I obeyed, trembling. His face was so close I could see the faint scar near his jaw, the sharp line of his throat, the pulse beating there steady, strong.

"You shouldn’t be afraid of me, Ellie.

"Inner Voice: You should be afraid of what happens when I stop trying to control myself.

When he leaned down, his breath brushed my ear, and I jolted awake.

My whole body was shaking, my nightdress clinging to my skin. The room was dark except for the faint silver glow of the moon through the window. Joan was asleep, her soft snore the only sound.

But I wasn’t alone. I felt it.

That pull again that invisible thread that tied me to him. My chest hurt from it.

And then, faintly, inside my mind, his voice came again.

"Inner Voice: I can’t sleep either.

My eyes flew open.

The first thing I saw was him.

He was standing right by my bedside, tall and motionless, his shadow spilling over my blanket. The faint silver light from the window traced the outline of his face those sharp cheekbones, that cold gaze. His expression was unreadable, but his presence alone made my breath freeze in my throat.

For a heartbeat, I couldn’t move. Couldn’t think. My whole body locked in place as his voice that low, dangerous tone whispered through the dark.

"You can’t run from me, Ellie."

A strangled scream tore from my chest before I even realized it. I stumbled backward, kicking off the blanket, my heart pounding so violently it hurt.

And then... he was gone.

The room was empty.

Only the sound of my ragged breathing filled the silence.

I blinked hard, trying to focus, my mind spinning. My chest rose and fell rapidly, and I clutched the edge of the bed, feeling sweat drip down my temple.

It was a dream. Just a dream.

But it had felt so real.

The scent of pine and smoke still clung to the air, just like when he was near. My skin still tingled, every nerve on edge.

"Ellie!" Joan’s voice burst through the door, followed by hurried footsteps. "Ellie, what happened?"

Elara rushed in right behind her, holding a lantern that flickered wildly in her shaking hands. "We heard you scream!"

I tried to speak, but my voice broke. "I—I saw him."

Joan froze mid-step. "Who?"

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. "The Alpha. He was standing right there. Watching me."

Elara’s eyes darted around the small room, her brows knitting together. "There’s no one here, Ellie. Look."

She held up the lantern, letting the dim light sweep across the walls, the floor, the corners. Empty. All of it empty.

My pulse thudded painfully against my ribs. "But he was here. I saw him."

Joan sat on the edge of my bed, her expression softening. "You were dreaming again, weren’t you?"

Dreaming. The word sounded fragile, almost mocking.

I pressed my hands to my face. "It felt real, Joan. So real I could smell him. Hear him. He... he said my name."

Elara placed the lantern down and crouched beside me. "You’ve been pushing yourself too hard lately. The Alpha’s presence... it’s affecting you."

I shook my head violently. "No, you don’t understand. He was in my dream, but it wasn’t just a dream. I could feel him. Like he was really here."

Joan exchanged a glance with Elara. The kind of glance people share when they don’t want to say something aloud. Pity. Fear.

Joan reached for my hand. "Ellie... maybe you should rest. Stay away from him for a few days."

Stay away. If only it were that simple.

The witch’s words echoed in my memory that haunting voice from the forest.

"Stay close to him, little wolf. If you drift too far, your bond will kill you both.

I closed my eyes and whispered, "I can’t."

Elara frowned. "Can’t what?"

"I can’t stay away," I murmured, my voice barely audible. "He’s inside my head. Even when I sleep."

Joan drew back slightly, confusion flickering in her eyes. "Inside your head? Ellie, you’re scaring me."

Tears welled in my eyes before I could stop them. "You don’t understand. I can hear him, Joan. His voice — his thoughts. Sometimes when he looks at me, I can hear what he’s thinking. And now... even in my dreams, he’s there."

The room went quiet. Only the faint crackle of the lantern filled the space.

Elara finally stood up, crossing her arms tightly. "That’s impossible. You must be imagining it."

"Then why can I tell when he’s near?" I asked, my voice shaking. "Why does the air change before he even enters a room? Why can I still hear him whisper my name when he’s nowhere around?"