The Alpha's Gamble - Chapter 9: Chapter 9

This party turned into a zoo the second that the first twenty bottles disappeared. I know it sounds like a lot, but it really wasn’t, the Reeds had stocked up with eighty bottles of booze, not to mention the stuff that everyone brought with them. Everywhere I looked, couples were eating each other up. Two guys had shifted into their wolves and were fighting on the field beside the pool, crashing into everything in their way and breaking it in half. Someone screamed from over by the pool, he gulped the last drops from a vodka bottle and lunged from the ground, shifting mid-air and joining the fight.
Their snarls and howls erupted a cheer, and a poll was going around about who would win.
I tightened my fingers around the red cup and gulped down the tequila mix. Shit, I’ve mixed too much tonight and could feel it all blending in a bubbling potion in my gut. One deep breath, choke it down, and get another. That had been my night. Swallowing nausea and pouring myself drink after drink, cautiously avoiding Landon and staying away from their group. Tilly was off somewhere doing God knows what, and I stood by the broken top of the table they’d put the liquor on, picking up bottles from the ground trying not to get slashed by the shards.
“There you are!” Landon’s fingers dug into my waist, and he pulled me back. My skin felt on fire, a heat I wish he’d burn on and I felt the bones in my body tensing under his touch.
“Thought I’d lost you there for a second,” he nuzzled his face in my neck and nibbled on my skin where he was sure his mark would go one day.
If it ever did, I’d peel it off with a cheese grater.
“I’m not so lucky,” I said and investigated the cup as I filled it to the brim. This time I wasn’t mixing the tequila with anything. The voices and screeches had been reduced to whispers, but they were still there and by the time I went to bed I wanted quiet.
I bit down on the plastic rim, my eyes squeezing shut at the sting on my neck and I looked at Landon’s face when he pulled back.
His bottom lip was crimson, and I felt the blood from his nick trickling down my shoulder.
“You bit me?” fucking ass.
Yep, there was blood and I looked at my stained fingertips, but Landon smiled behind my hand.
“You taste good,” he dragged a finger over his lip and sucked on the blood. The witch blend in my stomach wasn’t staying down anymore. The taste of blood swirled on my tongue even though it wasn’t I who had tasted it, but it was there, the taste lingered on my gums, and I leaned over. Everything came up in three rounds; Landon’s feet were covered in the night’s excess and the drain couldn’t be plugged. When I was done heaving, my throat burning from the acidic contents, I leaned against the table and wiped my mouth.
“Sorry about that,” I groaned behind my hand.
I felt a pair of eyes burning at the back of my head and could imagine everyone was staring right now. When I turned around to glower at the fucker who was watching me, I noticed that nobody was. Everyone was busy partying, throwing money at the three wolves who were getting dangerously close to the house, and throwing each other in the pool for a swim. Three seconds later, there were two wolves left; the third one took a swim after he fell under the water.
But if they weren’t looking then who the hell was? Someone’s eyes were on me, I felt them, the hair on my neck stood straight and I was still warm on my neck.
I looked toward the lounge and saw him, Noah Reed, leaning back on the couch with a drink in his hand and his eyes fixed on mine.
“I’m-I’m going to take a shower,” Landon groaned, but I couldn’t hear him. My blurry vision was fighting with its last remaining focus to keep a steady gaze on the Alpha, his yellow eyes burning the second Landon left. Noah put his hand on his knee and rose from the couch. Was he coming over here? Oh no. He rolled back his shoulders and strode through the grass. Oh fuck.
I turned around, a little too fast; everything turned and wobbled in my field, but I tried to take a step. It went well- let’s take one more, I had to get out of here.
The second step was harder, and it felt like it took me an hour to make it, on my third one however, it didn’t feel like I was getting anywhere.
“Don’t move.” Noah’s demanding tone dug holes under my feet, and I was stuck.
“Turn around.”
“No thank you,” I slurred and looked at the trees overlapping by the small bridge. I cocked my head. It looked peaceful over there, no people, why didn’t I go there to drink? So many regrets, so little time. Even my thoughts were slurring, but hey, at least the voices shut up.
“Maddie,” his tone softened, and he spun me around gently to face him.
“Yes, my Liege?” I dragged out the words. My eyes flickered down to where his fingers circled my wrist like a bracelet and I was desperate to close my eyes when the silence washed over me but I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t let him know the power he had on my broken mind.
His face fell and his eyes hardened at the sarcasm, but that was the thing about getting drunk: you stop giving a shit.
Noah searched my face, his brows pressed together, and his hand shot out, he ripped the cup from my hand and threw it on the ground, an offended scoff blurred past my lips.
“What was that for?” I screeched.
“You’re done.”
The audacity of this man. Wasn’t one deal enough? He already had my soul; he did not get to put his hands on my coping mechanisms as well.
“No,” I said and stepped closer, swaying on the spot. “you’re done.” I poked his chest with my fingers and saw the flicker of amusement pass in his eyes. This wasn’t a game; he shouldn’t be having fun.
The amusement was long gone but it was there for a moment.
He looked around and squatted as he grabbed the back of my legs.
“Alright, let’s go.” Noah bent down and circled his arms on my legs, I was heaved over his shoulder like a sack and though I was desperate to argue with him, this position was making me about ten times drunker in an instant.