Alpha Alec's Redemption - Chapter 157: Chapter 157

The first thing I notice when I open my eyes is the quiet. The silence is almost startling, like the world is holding its breath.
For the first time in three days, I can take a breath without feeling like my skin is too tight, without the ache deep in my bones and without the relentless, burning heat consuming every inch of me.
I feel… reborn. Exhausted but lighter, as though a storm has passed, and all that’s left is the calm aftermath.
The bed is empty beside me, and the space where Alec had been is cool to the touch. I shift slowly, my muscles aching with the remnants of the heat cycle. My legs feel like jelly, and when I try to stand, the room tilts slightly.
I grab one of Alec’s shirts from the floor, his scent enveloping me as I slip it over my head. It’s oversized, the hem brushing against my thighs as I make my way to the door.
I hear movement from the kitchen, soft and rhythmic—a familiar sound. Pans clinking. The sizzling of something frying. I pad slowly down the hallway, using the wall for support until I reach the kitchen doorway.
Alec is there. Half-naked with only a pair of sweatpants hanging low on his hips and an apron tied around his waist. His hair is still damp, droplets trailing down the curve of his spine. He’s frying bacon while simultaneously keeping an eye on a toaster, moving with an ease that makes something warm and unsettling twist low in my belly.
For a moment my heart stops. This! This is one of the many things I’ve always dreamed of. Always wished for. Always wanted. Always craved. Seeing him in the kitchen, in sweatpants and bare-chested, is like watching a long-forgotten dream come alive.
I blink several times, hoping that I’m dreaming. Hoping that I’m still delirious from heat, but nothing changes. The image is still the same.
He turns around, and when he sees me, his face softens, his smile spreading slow and warm like the sun breaking through clouds. And just like that, my heart starts again and the pounding is deafening.
“You’re up,” he says, his voice gentle but carrying a hint of relief. He sets down the spatula and walks toward me.
“I am,” I reply, my voice raspy.
Before I can say anything else, he reaches for me, his hands gentle as he takes mine, his thumbs brushing over my knuckles. The simple touch sends a shiver through me, and I hate how my body reacts—how it always reacts to him.
He studies me closely, his brows knitting together. “You okay?”
I nod, even though the truth is more complicated than that. “I feel… better. Weak, but better.”
Alec’s shoulders relax, and the tension that had been pinching his features eases. “Good,” he says softly. He tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers lingering at my cheek. “I was worried about you.”
I swallow, unable to look away from him. There’s a softness in his eyes, a warmth that makes my throat tighten. Those green eyes pull me in like a moth to a flame. Fuck it! The moon heat is already over, yet my desire for him isn’t. I thought it would fade, but it’s still there and the worst part is that I don’t have the moon heat to blame it on.
“I made breakfast,” he says, his hand sliding down to the small of my back. “Come sit.”
He leads me to the small wooden table, pulling out a chair and easing me down. When he steps away, the absence of his touch leaves me cold.
Alec moves around the kitchen, pulling open the fridge, retrieving butter, and pouring coffee. The muscles in his back ripple with each movement, and despite the full moon being over, despite the heat being gone, I can’t stop my eyes from tracing the lines of his body.
I shouldn’t still feel this way.
But I do, and that scares the crap out of me.
“Here,” He says, setting a steaming cup of coffee in front of me. He slides a plate of toast, scrambled eggs, and bacon toward me. “Something light. I wasn’t sure what you’d be up for.”
I nod, my gaze dropping to the food. “Thanks,” I murmur. “For… everything.”
He sits across from me, his eyes locked on mine. “You don’t have to thank me, Sadie.”
“I do.” I push a crumb around on my plate with the edge of my fork. “You stayed with me. Took care of me.”
“It’s what a mate does,” he says simply, his voice steady. “And it’s what I wanted to do.”
I meet his gaze, and the sincerity there steals my breath. For a moment, neither of us speaks. The air feels heavy, weighted with words neither of us seems ready to say.
I can't even begin to express how I am feeling or how I have felt these past few days. He has been there, both Knox and him. They helped us in ways I can't be able to understand. They didn't run. They didn't force their need on us. Instead they were patient and stayed by our side. That is something I can't get over.
Finally, Alec breaks the silence. “You slept for a while,” he says, picking up his coffee and taking a slow sip. “How are you really feeling?”
I exhale, pressing my palm to my forehead. “Like I was hit by a truck. But… I don’t feel like my insides are burning anymore, so that's a plus.”
He nods, his jaw tightening. “I hated seeing you like that,” he admits, his voice rough. “Knowing you were in pain and not being able to do anything about it…” He drags a hand through his hair, the tension returning to his shoulders. He didn't finish the sentence, but I got what he was saying.
Seeing your mate suffer and not being able to do anything about it must be a different kind of torture. Especially for an Alpha male like Alec.
I stare at him, something heavy pressing down on my chest. There’s a vulnerability in him I haven’t seen before, and it makes something inside me crack open.
“What about you?” I ask, my voice soft. “Are you… okay?”
Alec looks at me like I’ve surprised him, like he wasn’t expecting me to ask. He leans back in his chair, his fingers tapping against the table. “I’m fine,” he says, but it’s too quick, too tight.
I tilt my head, studying him. “Really?”
Alec’s jaw works, and for a moment, I think he’s going to brush me off. But then he sighs, running a hand over his face. “Honestly? It was… hard. Harder than I expected.”
I had been so focused on me and my pain, that I didn't pay attention to him. Instead I just took all the strength from him without wondering how this was for him. Now, it made me feel like a complete asshole.
A lump forms in my throat. “Why didn’t you say anything? Why would you let yourself suffer alone?”
Alec leans forward, his elbows resting on the table. “Because it wasn’t about me, Sadie. It was about you. You were the one in pain. You were the one hurting. I couldn’t… I couldn’t add to that.”
“But you were hurting too,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper.
Alec reaches across the table, his fingers grazing mine. “I wasn’t hurting in the way you were,” he says, his thumb brushing over my knuckles. “It was more of a case of blue balls.”
He was trying to make things light with his last statement, but there’s something raw in his eyes, something that makes me feel like I’m standing on the edge of a cliff. Before I can say anything, Alec gives me a small, lopsided smile.
“Besides,” he says, his tone lighter now, “seeing you in my shirt kind of makes it all worth it.”
I roll my eyes, but I can’t stop the heat from rising to my cheeks. “It’s the only thing I could find.”
“Keep it,” he says, leaning back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest. “Looks better on you anyway.”
I take another bite of toast, chewing slowly, my heart still racing from his words. I can tell he meant every word, and that made me blush, given I had nothing on except the shirt. Then again, why the hell was I being shy when he has already seen every single inch of my body?
Alec watches me, his gaze soft but intense, as if he’s searching for something, something he hasn’t found yet.
I drop my eyes to my plate, my fingers tightening around the fork. Maybe it’s time I stop pretending I don’t care. Maybe it’s time to admit that something has shifted between us.
Because it has.
And now, I don’t know what to do about it.