Ice Alpha's Sick Obsession

V:

you're having the time of your lif

The air in the penthouse was a pressurized chamber of bass, expensive gin, and sweat. My heart wasn

t tight, as if a pair of invisible hands were slowly cl

lt and clean linen, a stark, refreshing contrast to the dark, suffocating musk that usually haunte

s tracing the line of my jaw. "You look like

I took a sip of my drink, the liquid

ly stepping out of the MVP's shadow. My skin felt electric, a thousand tiny sparks dancing under the surface. It w

for you," Leo whispe

of lead beneath my hair. It was a relief so sharp it almost brought tears to my eyes. I

ge. "I want him to see. I want him to know that

Leo reached out, his thumb

with the sheer, terrifying realization of what I was doing. I was playing wit

f being afra

t of dread forming in the pit of my gut. My ears began to ring, a high

vibratio

requency that hummed through the soles of my feet, crawling up my calves and settling

ure straightening, his eyes darting tow

it," I w

one-heavy, oppressive, and violent-ripped through the aroma of the party. It was

were thrown back with such force the ha

stood

st his way in a neon wasteland. His eyes were glowing, two embers of ambe

: JA

er before I tear them

lawing at my chest since the moment I realized she had left the house. My blood was a river o

like water before a shark. I didn't see the

d

to my chest and squeezed my heart until it bruised. The mark on my neck was no longer burning;

voice wavered. He stepped in front of her, a

a what belongs t

broken glass, each breath a sharp, biting reminder of the distance between us. I cou

o burn the buildi

anded. My voice was a jagged

d there, her small frame framed by the city

she

topping my momentum. The silence that followed was deaf

dropping to a whisper that made the pe

s the ice I lived on. "I'm not your lucky charm. I'

wn. I felt the shock ripple through me, a cold drenching of my rage. She kne

talking about," I hissed,

ing, cutting through the heavy atmosphere. "I know that there is no blood between us. Which make

ose I could see the pulse jumping in the hollow of her throat. She was so c

ne, Jaxson?" she challenged. "Are you going to s

claim, to mark. But I stayed my hand. The power was sh

naged to say, my jaw aching f

," she snapped. "And

ed her b

her back

shook my very foundation. The world turned red. The scent of Leo

V:

f lead. My heart was a frantic drum, a chaotic rhythm that made my

ind me didn't m

hove or a pull; it was a total claim. Jaxson swung me around with a grace that was t

n said, his eyes n

t even look at him. He just threw a backhand tha

you again,"

ne. I could feel the individual buttons of his shirt pressing into my chest. The sce

g his forearms. His muscles were like cords of steel, vibrat

moments ago. The mate-mark was winning. It was pulsing a rh

me," he c

o me my entire life. I looked into the eyes of the man who

like him,"

w, velvet promise. He reached up, his hand moving slowly, d

calloused hand sli

fingers splayed across the back of my neck, covering the burning mark with his pa

wn until his lips were a hair's breadth from mine. "I can sm

longer a spark; it was a localized lightning storm. I could feel the hair on my arms standin

out, though the lie was s

he whi

ongue flicked out, tasting the air between us. I felt a shiver cascad

w I was his. The world around us-the party, the music, the gasping guests-

voice vibrating through my skull. "Did you think I'd let

right," I m

rop of blood in your body knows who you belo

razing the corner of my mouth. I

d once we're behind those doors, I'm going to scrub ev

eyes searching mine. I saw the ob

me, something over my shoulder. His grip on my throat tig

spered, my heart le

at the elevator across the

ed out, holding a black leather case. He didn't loo

the room. "The board has made their decision. Given the... recent rev

, the god of the ice, had jus

d toward the man, his face a mask of cold fury

me with us. Your real father ju