Chained By the Alpha (Cleo and Zayn) novel Chapter 28

• Zayn •

I pull up to the gates of Alpha Joseph’s territory, unable to focus on a conversation with Vance until this is settled. The guards stiffen at the sound, their posture betraying them, ready for a fight they hope to avoid when they recognize my car. They know who I am, what I’m capable of, and the power that thrums within me, knowing they are no match.

“Open the gate,” I tell them, and they glance at each other.

“We can’t do that, you’re not permitted here,” Beta Mitchel says, and I roll my eyes, climbing out the car, they instantly back up.

One guard hesitates, his eyes darting to his companion in uncertainty. Impatience flares hot in my veins. I don’t have time to watch them piss their pants while they debate letting me in or not.

Without waiting another second, I walk over and snatch the gate controller from the nearest guard’s hand. His fingers barely brush against mine, as he reaches for it. A quick press of the button, and the gates groan open like the maw of some rusty old beast. With a flick of my wrist, I toss the controller back to the guard who gapes at me then at his Beta looking for direction. I raise an eyebrow at the Beta daring him to stop me. His eyes glaze over, and I know he is mindlinking Joseph.

I can feel their eyes on me as I slide back into the driver’s seat, my movements deliberate and full of purpose. As I drive through the gates, I sense Zarek, pacing restlessly beneath my skin, eager for confrontation, ready to protect what’s ours.

Gravel crunches under the tires as I bring my car to a halt in front of the packhouse. The moment is charged, the stillness before a storm. I’m out of the car in an instant, my senses heightened, every muscle coiled and ready.

Before I can even slam the door shut, Alpha Joseph erupts from the entrance like a force of nature, his powerful frame radiating fury. “You’ve got some balls, waltzing into my pack unannounced,” he roars, closing the distance between us with purposeful strides.

I stand my ground, feeling Zarek stir beneath my skin, eager for a confrontation. “Not your lands. They belong to my mate, not you. And I will prove it. But for now, I’m here to collect her things,” I counter, my voice steady, laced with a dangerous edge.

His nostrils flare, and his eyes are ablaze with anger, the air thick with the promise of aggression. He’s inches from me now, close enough I can see the veins throbbing at his temples, showing his barely restrained wrath.

My proximity draws out a deep, guttural growl from his chest, and I can almost taste the bitterness of his defeat.

“Why are you here, if you’re looking for Cleo she is—”

“At my place,” I answer, shoving past him and his shocked face. I walk up the few steps into the house, letting myself in. He doesn’t stop me, though I can tell he wants to. The reminder of our last run in and how he had his ass handed to him must still be fresh on his mind.

“Your arrogance will be your downfall, Zayn,” he hisses, trailing after me as I head toward the staircase.

“Arrogance is thinking you can keep me from what’s mine,” I shoot back over my shoulder.

“Where’s your proof, then? Show me this so-called claim you have!” Joseph bellows, a desperate edge creeping into his voice. “I want to speak to my daughter!”

“She has a phone, call her and confirm it,” I tell him.

My boots thud against the polished floor, each step an echo in the vast foyer. Alpha Joseph’s veins bulge with fury, his aura darkening the air around us. “You can’t just walk into my house,” he snarls as I make a beeline for the staircase.

“Where is my daughter? Did you kidnap her again?” His accusation bites at my heels, but it’s nothing compared to the fire inside me.

“Kidnap?” I spin around, facing him halfway up the stairs. My eyes narrow, drilling into his. His words are like spurs digging into my side, igniting an anger that roils beneath my skin.

Zarek stirs, ready to pounce at any provocation. I clench my fists, feeling my nails dig into my palms while my heart beats a wild rhythm, eager for the clash.

“Let’s get one thing straight, Joseph,” I growl, the words laced with venom. “I don’t need to take anyone by force. Cleo is mine, and she came to me willingly. I’ve never forced your daughter into anything. Unlike you, I actually give a shit about her.”

His eyes flash, a father’s concern mingling with his rage. I see through it—all of it. It’s control he fears losing, power slipping from his grasp like grains of sand. He’s desperate, cornered, and dangerous. But so am I.

“You think you’re worthy of her?” he challenges, chest heaving with every heavy breath.

“More than you ever were,” I shoot back, each word a hammer strike to his ego.

“Watch yourself,” he warns, a low threat that vibrates through the space between us.

“Or what?” I take a step down, closing the distance, our faces inches apart. “Because you’ll lose more than just your pride today if you test me.” He knows he’s outmatched, still his stubbornness roots him in place.

“Go ahead, Alpha. Make your move.”

He doesn’t move. Instead, he swallows hard, the sound loud in the tense silence. At that moment, I know I have him. Not just because I’m stronger, but because I know nothing he says will convince her to go back to him now.

With a smirk, I turn away from Joseph, climbing the stairs two at a time, the battle lines drawn. This house may hold memories for Cleo, yet it’s no longer her home. Her future lies elsewhere, with me, far from her father’s tyranny.

We reach the top of the stairs, and I pause for a moment, letting my gaze sweep over him as I try to figure out which one is her room. In this charged silence, the raw power of my Alpha presence fills the space, a reminder of the beast within that’s ready to bare its teeth.

“Her room. Now,” I demand.

Joseph’s jaw clenches, his eyes narrowing into slits. “That one.” He points to the last door in the hall, and I move toward it while he pulls his phone from his pocket.

I enter Cleo’s room. Her scent envelops me, a mixture of jasmine and something uniquely her, intoxicatingly sweet, making my mouth water.

I begin to gather her things, each item a piece of the life she’s leaving behind— and the life we’re about to build together. Joseph paces behind me, his phone to his ear as he waits for her to answer. She does and he places the phone on loudspeaker.

“Hey, Dad,” she answers, and I smirk hearing her voice.

“Where are you? Why is Zayn saying you’re at his place? What about Boyd!” he demands, not even bothering to say hello, and I growl at his tone.

We both wait for her answer. She is quiet for a second.

“Because I am, Dad,” she finally says, her voice echoing in the silent room.

The phone slips from Joseph’s hand, landing on the carpet with a muted thud. His face pales, the lines of his face seeming sharper in his shock. The world seems to hold its breath.

A moment of heavy silence follows that announcement. You could hear a pin drop. Then Joseph fumbles for the phone again, scrambling to pick it up from where it lies forgotten on the floor.

“Boyd… You are supposed to marry—” he stammers into the phone.

“He isn’t my mate, Dad,” Cleo responds firmly. “Zayn is.”

There’s a finality in her tone that has Joseph reeling back as if slapped. He looks at me then, betrayal etched across his features. But there is also a grudging acceptance there; an understanding that there is no denying a mate bond.

“Cleo,” Joseph starts again and she cuts him off this time.

His gaze finally meets mine, and there’s a flicker of the old defiance.

“Your little secret almost cost my brother’s life. My father would have killed him if I didn’t get there in time.” The rage in my voice is palpable, a living thing that fills the room and paints it in shades of red.

“Your mother was foolish thinking she could keep him a secret.”

I barely register the movement of my own body, instinct and rage propelling me forward. Before I even know it, my hand is outstretched, clutching his throat with an iron grip.

“Say that again,” I hiss, my fingers tightening just enough to see the fear flicker in his eyes.

Joseph’s arms remain defiantly folded, but his voice wavers, betraying the confidence of his stance. “I told her to get rid of him when she realized your father was her mate.”

The air around us crackles with tension, every muscle in my body coiled and ready to strike. The disdain in his voice, the cold dismissal of his own flesh and blood—it ignites something primal within me. My wolf snarls at the surface, eager to leap out and defend our family honor.

“You bastard,” I growl, my voice laced with venom as I squeeze tighter, asserting my dominance and my wrath. “He is your blood!”

My grip tightens slightly more, feeling the pulse of his deceit throb beneath my fingers. Joseph’s eyes, those of a man who has forsaken his own blood, harden like ice as he spits out the venomous truth.

“He may be my blood, but he isn’t my son!” His defiance echoes off the walls, a chilling testament to his betrayal.

The fury in me roars like an inferno, when the thought of her, my mate—his daughter—douses the flames. I can’t let my rage consume me, not when it would burn her as well. With a snarl that rumbles from deep within my chest, I release him, shoving him back.

“If you weren’t my mate’s father, I would have killed you by now, but I’d only be hurting her,” I growl, the words ripping from my throat. His body hits the wall with a dull thud, and he gasps like a fish out of water. “So, I’m giving you one more chance to tell me if that is all Dane has over you.”

Joseph steadies himself, rubbing at the red imprint my hand left on his neck.

“Is that it?” I press closer, towering over him. My presence alone is a heavy promise of violence, a beast barely caged by the need for answers. “Or does Dane hold more than just your past mistakes over your head?”

He doesn’t answer until I turn to leave, his next words freeze me mid-step, “If she doesn’t marry Boyd, she’ll lose the pack.”

The threat slices through the tense atmosphere like a claw through flesh. I don’t bother to turn around as I shoot back, “No, she won’t. You will.” My voice is a low growl.

“Dane already owns it; her marrying Boyd ensures our family still has some control over what happens to it.”

“Then I guess I’ll just have to get it back for her. Choice is yours, Joseph, you better pick the right side, my mate is not marrying Boyd. And she is not losing her pack, either.”

“Exactly how do you plan on getting it back?” Joseph demands.

“By proving it was never yours to begin with. And if I can’t, I’ll take it back by force,” I tell him. He growls back menacingly, and I close the gap between us.

“If you try to manipulate her further, if you even think of coercing her… Once I’m done tearing Dane apart, rest assured, I’ll be coming for you.”

His lips part, but no sound escapes. There’s a desperation in his gaze, one that might have elicited pity from me had he not been such a venomous snake threatening to take my mate in the first place.

With a final piercing look, I retrieve Cleo’s bag, sling it over my shoulder, and leave.