Shattered by the Alpha Stronger Than Ever novel Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The next day was a team–building hike, and I was feeling off, my body dragging like it was made of lead.

The sun blazed down, harsh and unrelenting

I trailed at the back of the group, cold sweat soaking through my shirt, my vision starting to blur with dark spots.

When my knees buckled, hitting the gravel path, gasps and shouts erupted around me.

By evening, I woke up in the hospital.

The waiting area was deserted, except for one figure slouched in the comer.

“Talia?”

Evander looked up, his eyes catching the sterile fluorescent light, bright as polished steel.

His kripe was wrapped in thick bandages.

“What happened to you?” I frowned, nodding at his leg

He glanced down, then flashed a grin “No biggie. Got rear–ended today.

His tone was so casual, like he was tallding about grabbing a coffee.

Anurse pushed a medcart by, muttering under her breath, “Eight stitches in his knee, and he calls it nothing.”

Evander’s ears turned pink, and he quickly changed the subject “You look pale. Low blood sugar again?”

He pulled a strawberry hard candy from his jacket pocket like a magician. “Heard it’s your favorite.”

I couldn’t say no, so I nodded and took it, feeling my cheeks warm,

Over the next few days, we kept running into each other at the hospital–him for bandage changes, me for blood sugar checkups.

On rainy days, he’d limp beside me to the parking lot, holding an umbrella over us both.

Weird thing is, this guy who’d once shredded opponents on the debate stage turned out to be stupidly gentle offstage

One afternoon, the hospital hallway was bathed in golden sunlight. Evander sat on the exam bed in the dressing room, his ears red as he fidgeted with the bandage threads on his knee.

“Hey, Talia,” he said, his voice soft, almost nervous. I think we’d be good together. My wolf’s got a serious thing for you. Wanna give me a shot?” The medical report in my hand hit the floor with a slap.

“I-I’m sorry, I

“No rush to answer.” He bent to pick up the paper, not even flinching when the movement tugged at his stitches. “I’m a patient guy.” A week later, Evander started showing up outside Ashveil Enterprises.

Monday, he brought pink tulips, dew still clinging to the petals, claiming, “Saw these at the florist and thought they screamed you” Wednesday, he rolled up with a limited–edition strawberry cake, grinning. “Buy one, get one free- can’t let it go to waste, right? By Friday, he’d bought coffee for my entire team.

རེ ཚེ ཚེ དེ

Most ridiculous of all? My desk neighbor, Lisa, gave up her seat with a smirk, winking at me. “Talla, Exander says he’s here to ‘talk business‘.” The break room gossip was getting out of hand.

During lunch, my work bestle cornered me in the bathroom. “Olay, spill. Evader’s got an eight–pack, right? True or false?”

“L.. don’t know,” I mumbled.

“Llar!” She shook my shoulders, laughing “Amy at the front desk swears she saw his abs when he carried those flowers yesterday–his shirt popped open!”

Outside the glass door, Evander was crouched, fixing my jammed desk drawer.

His tailored shirt hitched up, flashing a glimpse of his lean, chiseled waist. Damn it

This guy was definitely doing it on purpose.

The break room chatter was in full swing when she leaned in, voice low. “Real talk, those abs… they look rock–hard, right? How many? Spill the teal”

1 bit my straw, my mind flashing to a summer afternoon years ago. Evander, fresh off a tennis championship, lifting his shirt to wipe sweat, his toned abs gleaming like honey in the sun…

“Eight, I think,” I said, barely audible. “Caught a glimpse once.”

“Talia, you’re living the dream!” she squealed, so loud I scrambled to shush her.

Right then, a sharp crash of shattering glass echoed from the office.

Kael stood in a sea of broken shards, blood dripping, from his fingertips, staining the papers below with dark red splotches.

Riley reached for him with a tissue, but he showed her away, hard.

“Don’t touch me!*

His voice was raw, jagged, his eyes locked on me with a look that could’ve shattered stone.

Sunlight streamed through the floor–to–ceiling windows, bleaching his face ghostly pale, like he’d just watched his world collapse.

Evander appeared behind me, his warm hand resting lightly on my shoulder. “Hey, Talia,” he said, loud enough for the whole office to hear, “I booked us dinner. Wanna head out after world?”

Kael bent to pick up the glass shards, not even flinching as they sliced his palm.

Blood tricked down his wrist, soaking his watch, leaving a snaking red trail on the beige carpet.

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