Alpha Xander's Undoing Chasing my Unknown Mate Back novel Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Chapter 34

*Rory*

…

The silence between us was suffocating.

46

55 Vouchers

Xander’s eyes bore into me, blazing with barely contained rage. His chest rose and fell in heavy, measured breaths, his fists clenched at his sides as if he was using every ounce of control not to explode.

But I could feel it–the storm brewing inside him. It wasn’t just fury. It was betrayal. Hurt. Shock.

Then, his voice cut through the thick tension like a blade.

“How the fuck could you keep this from me?”

The words weren’t just angry. They were shattered glass–sharp, unforgiving, and aimed to cut.

I barely had time to react before he was moving, pacing like a caged animal, like he didn’t trust himself to stay still. His shoulders were rigid, his jaw ticking, his entire presence vibrating with barely contained fury.

I could only watch, frozen, as the reality of the situation sank in.

He knew.

Xander finally knew.

And he was furious.

I swallowed hard, my pulse hammering. “Xander-”

“How long?” he snapped, cutting me off. His eyes were like ice, piercing, demanding. “How long have you known that we were mates?”

I stiffened, gripping the sheets beneath me as I tried to steady myself. His words shouldn’t have sent a rush of panic through me, but they did. Not because I feared him, but because I knew that no matter what I said, it wouldn’t be enough.

“Xander-”

“How. Long?”

My jaw clenched. I was shaking now, not from fear, but from the audacity of it all.

How long had I known?

How long had he ignored it?

How many times had I felt the sting of his distance and convinced myself I was imagining things?

My nails dug into my palms as frustration bubbled to the surface.

13:39 Tue, Sep 16 N

Chapter 34

46

55 vouchers

“Since I first met Zerina.” My voice was clipped, barely above a whisper, but it was enough. “My wolf told me the second she awakened that you were my mate. Months ago.”

Xander’s entire body locked up.

His nostrils flared, his fists clenched tighter, his breathing turning harsher.

His next words were deadly quiet.

“And you just–what? Decided to keep it a fucking secret?”

That was it.

That was my breaking point.

I shot up from the bed, rage flooding my veins, my entire body trembling.

“Are you kidding me right now?” My voice came out sharper than I expected, but I didn’t care. “You never even cared enough to consider it!”

Xander’s eyes narrowed into slits. “The fuck does that mean?”

I laughed–sharp, bitter, furious. “It means your wolf knew. You’ve always known.” I stepped closer, my heart pounding against my ribs. “But you never wanted to think about it. Never wanted to accept it. So don’t stand here and act like I’m the only one who kept something from you!”

Something flickered in his gaze.

It was quick–so quick I might’ve missed it if I hadn’t been watching him so closely. It wasn’t fury. Not anymore. It was something raw. Something fractured. I expected more rage, more biting words or accusations–but instead, I saw the truth.

Guilt.

For a split second, his armor cracked. His jaw twitched, his eyes glinted with something haunted, and his chest rose like he couldn’t quite catch his breath.

And that was when I knew.

He wasn’t just mad at me.

He was mad at himself.

At everything.

He was angry at the way this had unfolded, at the things left unsaid, at the war raging between his wolf and his own twisted sense of duty. He was angry at fate for tying him to someone like me. And maybe—just maybe— he was angry at the part of himself that wanted me anyway.

Xander turned away from me, dragging a hand over his face as if it could wipe the emotion away. He braced both palms against the dresser, the muscles in his arms flexing with tension. His shoulders were taut beneath

13:39 Tue, Sep 16 N

Chapter 34

46

EX 55 vouchers

his shirt, every inch of him a coiled spring. His head bowed low, and for a moment, I thought he might actually break something. Maybe the dresser. Maybe himself.

But he didn’t. He just stood there, silent, breathing like he was trying to hold everything inside from spilling

out.

I took a tentative step forward, the heat between us shifting, softening just slightly.

“Xander.” My voice was quieter now, hesitant, almost small in the heavy stillness of the room. “Why did you never want to get close to me?”

He didn’t flinch, but I saw it–the stiffening in his spine, the tension in his neck. He heard me. And it hit something deep.

Still, he said nothing. Didn’t look at me.

So I asked again, barely above a whisper. “Why did you think it was better that way?”

He exhaled sharply, but it wasn’t relief. It was pain–quiet and laced with regret.

And I waited. Even if it tore me apart, I waited.

His back stiffened. But he didn’t answer.

“Why did you think it was better that way?” I pressed, watching his shoulders rise and fall.

He shook his head, jaw clenched, still facing away.

He was realizing it wouldn’t be that simple anymore.

That this pull between us–this fire–wasn’t something he could just shove aside.

“You don’t get to be angry at me for hiding it,” I said softly. “Not when you’ve been hiding from it this whole time.”

When he finally turned back around, his face was unreadable.

“What happens now?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

His expression hardened again. “You don’t need to worry about that.”

“But-”

“It’s handled.”

I exhaled sharply, clenching my fists.

There was no use arguing with him when he was like this.

I nodded slowly, swallowing down the lump in my throat.

13:39 Tue, Sep 16

Chapter 34

Then, I asked the one question that had been gnawing at me from the second he confronted me.

“What does this mean for us?”

The moment the words left my lips, the room felt smaller.

Xander’s gaze flickered with something unreadable, something dangerous.

His throat bobbed, his hands flexing at his sides.

Then, finally, he sighed.

“I have to mark you.”

AD

85 vasichern

Comment