Betrothed To The Alpha

CHAPTER 55

Collins' hands seize me with a suddenness that steals my breath away, his fingers like talons digging into the fragile fabric of my dress with a desperate, drunken ferocity. Panic grips me like a vice, constricting my throat and sending my heart into a frantic race against my ribcage.

Just as I'm about to give in to the despair threatening to consume me, the door bursts open with a loud crack, nearly torn from its hinges by the sheer force of the blow. I gasp, my head whipping around to see who could possibly have come to my rescue.

A figure moves across the room in a blur, grabbing Collins by the collar and ripping him away from me with a strength born of pure, unadulterated rage. Collins caught off guard and hindered by his intoxicated state, is no match for the newcomer's fury. Blow after blow rains down upon him, each sickening crunch of fist against flesh punctuated by a guttural growl that shakes me to my core.

"You fucking touched what's mine!" The words are barely human, more animal than man, and suddenly, I know exactly who my savior is.

"Alex," I breathe, his name a prayer on my lips as relief crashes over me in waves.

But he doesn't hear me, too lost in the throes of his wrath, to register anything beyond the need to make Collins pay for his transgressions. I watch in a mix of horror and awe as Alex unleashes hell upon the man who dared to lay a hand on me, his fists painting a gruesome canvas of blood and broken flesh.

It's only when I begin to fear that Alex might actually kill him that I snap out of my daze, lurching forward to grab his arm before he can strike again.

"Alex, that's enough," I plead, my voice trembling with barely contained emotion.

He freezes, his fist raised in midair, chest heaving with the force of his rage. His eyes, wild and feral, remain locked on Collins' battered form, taking in the ruin he's wrought. It's a sight that turns my stomach, bile rising in my throat as I take in the extent of the damage.

"I'm okay, you can let him go," I murmur, gently prying his fingers from Collins' collar. I reach up to cup his face, my touch a soothing balm against the storm raging within him. "Look at me, Alex. Please."

Slowly, his gaze meets mine, the fury in his eyes giving way to a profound sense of anguish and regret. "I'm so sorry," he whispers, his voice raw with emotion as he pulls me into a crushing embrace.

I cling to him, burying my face in his chest as the tears I've been holding back finally break free. "It's not your fault," I assure him, my words muffled against his shirt. "You saved me."