The Alpha's Shatter Zone ✔️

|3|

Hey everyone! I hope you're all having a good Christmas and are surviving crazy relatives LOL 😵😆
Enjoy this chapter 😊
____

Shadows danced across the ceiling, the trees outside her window swaying in the breeze as the moon shone light on the movement. Chesca stared at them, wishing she would fall asleep. For the tenth time this hour, she rolled over again, finding it impossible to find a comfy position.

Why couldn't she just fall asleep? Her body was tired, she could feel it aching for rest, but her mind just couldn't seem to settle. Or was it the other way around? Was her mind trying too desperately to forget a certain fact, while her body could just sense her mate—her mate—sleeping a few dozen yards away in another room? Her wolf just wouldn't settle down but it seemed every time Chesca came close to dropping off, her wolf would poke her between the eyes and tell her how stupid she was being.

Just shut it and let me sleep! She shouted in her mind.

10 minutes later she rolled over onto her stomach and put her head under the pillow. She couldn't get a certain pair of brown eyes out of her head. They kept dancing in her vision, taunting her, daring her, smirking as if they knew something she didn't.
She screamed into the mattress and kicked her legs like a spoilt little girl. She hated this weird emotion and didn't know what to do with it.

Chesca eventually jumped out of bed and paced the carpet, aware of the bedside clock reading 2am. Her feet carried her to the door but she quickly turned before her hand reached the knob. She hurried to the window and scolded herself. Staring out at the softly falling snowflakes, she tried to formulate a plan. How could one man affect her like this? Muddling her brain and making her so confused? She could guess the answer on one hand but refused to admit it.
Maaaate...

She squeezed her eyes shut before looking back out at the forest that normally calmed her. Whenever she had an important pack decision to make, or when she was stressed out, or frustrated at her guards, she'd go for a run through the woods and pound out her pent up emotions. She wondered what it would be like running with her mate, and if he'd be able to keep up with her—
Gah! She was still thinking about him!

Sagging her shoulders in a show of surrender, she plodded to her door and softly opened it. She'd just check on him, make sure he'd found his room ok and was safe. Like anything here could be dangerous for a big tough Alpha male, she reasoned with herself. Still, maybe he was cold? And needed an extra blanket?

Whatever, something was drawing her to him and she knew she wouldn't sleep until she'd at least checked on him.

Rounding the last corner, she saw his door was open slightly and tiptoed up to it. Peering through, she saw his messy bed, but he was nowhere in sight. She could smell him though, a mixture of freshly cut grass and earthy tones, with a hint of pine needles? She shook her head, amused at her own ridiculousness.

Stepping into the room, she finally spotted him standing by the window, looking out, his back to her. His bare back. He turned slightly, and she saw the moonlight play against his toned chest. His abs were flawless, and she couldn't help the gasp that escaped her lips.
He looked over and spied her before she stumbled from the room, her cheeks heating up.

She was halfway down the hall when he called out softly.
"Chesca?"

She screwed up her face in embarrassment before turning, calmness and steely indifference once more on her face. "Yes? I-I was just..."

"You came to see me?" he slowly walked towards her.

"I couldn't sleep and just- just wanted to make sure you were ok ...that's all."