Rejected, Abused, I Fall for the Forbidden Alpha (by Riley Scott) novel Chapter 226

Chapter 226

Damien POV

It’s been a long, torturous week. Every time I close my eyes, I see her face, the tears dripping down her face, and most importantly, the sound of her voice as she begs me to believe her. The longer I spend away from her, trying not to think of how I put my own mate in the dungeon, the harder it is.

“You’ve been distracted lately,” Aaron’s voice cuts through my distraction, and I blink, glaring at him.

“I’ve been working,” I corrected moodily.

“The gala is tomorrow,” he reminded me, “you need to have your head screwed on straight. Do you think being distracted right now is beneficial to anyone? Don’t tell me you’re hung up on that girl, your mate,” he said cruelly “in the dungeon still. She deserved what she got.”

“Shut your mouth,” I snarled, slamming my hands on my desk as he stared at me, “and don’t talk about her like that.”

He sighed and shook his head.

“The gala is important, Damien. You already promised to take Alice, remember? Besides,” he scoffed, “as long as your mate stays in the dungeon, no harm is going to come to her.”

“You think I don’t know that?” I snapped, “I put an extra guard on duty down there to ensure her safety. I’m conflicted about what to do,” I added, running a hand through my hair and mussing it up. “On one hand I want her because of the mate bond, but on the other hand, I’m not sure I can forgive her for harming Alice like that.”

“The pack should be your priority,” he began, and then I felt it.

The subtle sense that something was wrong. My chest tightened painfully, my breathing grew labored and my wolf grew distressed.

“Something’s wrong,” I jumped to my feet in haste and ran for the dungeon, ignoring Aaron’s shouts behind me.

I slammed the door open. Frowned. No guards. I almost jumped down the stairs and rushed towards her cell. I stopped in my tracks. She was hanging from the hook in the ceiling, her face ashen, her body limp. For a moment, it felt like time stood still, and then I reacted.

I opened the door, grabbed her, ripping the sheet from around her neck, and laid her down. She wasn’t breathing. Any minute now, the mate bond would be severed if she were dead. I put both hands on her chest and began to perform CPR feeling sickened. I’d let this happen. She was going to die because of me.

“Come on,” I shouted, my voice growing desperate as I continued to do compressions, “don’t you dare die on me! Not now! I won’t let you,” I roared.

I’d already mind-linked Aaron to get a doctor down here asap.

I was a fool. Why hadn’t I anticipated she might try something like this? Why had I let my pride get in the way? What was it about this girl that had me twisted in knots and unable to focus properly.

All I knew was that I would never forgive myself if she died. My wolf would never forgive me.

“Hold on, Marissa. Don’t give up now. I swear, if you wake up, I’ll do anything in my power to make this right. I didn’t want you to die, I just wanted you to learn a lesson,” I thundered, breathing air into her lungs and restarting cpr as footsteps sounded behind me.

1/2

+15 Banya

“Alpha, I need you to move,” a doctor shoved me aside.

I let that slide for now as he put pads on her chest and started the defibrillator.

“Clear,” the doctor shouted, and I watched in horror as she was zapped.

Nothing. The doctor recharged the machine. I watched, the blood draining from my face.

“Shit,” Aaron muttered behind me.

I didn’t turn around, my hands clenching into fists.

“Clear,” the doctor barked.

Another zap. The doctor seemed to be holding his breath. I could barely breathe. All I could do was stare at the woman who had been desperate enough to commit suicide.

“Come on, come on,” the doctor mumbled.

Another zap. Her whole body seized. Then I saw it. The doctor leaned forward, put his fingers on her neck and listened intently.

“She has a pulse,” he shouted, “and she’s breathing shallowly. We need to get her up to the hospital now,” he

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