Bonded to My Ex's Alpha Brother Chapter 62

Erin's POV

"Get out. Now." His voice hit me like ice water. Low, dangerous, each word vibrating with barely controlled anger. "I don't want you in that house for one more second."

I nearly dropped my phone. That commanding tone could only belong to Derek Stone.

My heart rate accelerated dramatically as I stood frozen in the corner of Tomas's mother's living room. The warm atmosphere of the birthday celebration instantly dimmed. The laughing guests, the soft music, even Tomas's mother proudly showing off her homemade blueberry cream cake—everything became background noise as my attention focused entirely on the voice on the other end of the line.

"Alpha?" I whispered, my throat suddenly dry.

"Twenty minutes, Erin," Derek continued, his voice dropping even lower, "that's how long you have to leave, or I will come in and get you myself."

The wolf inside me immediately went on alert, whimpering anxiously. Through our Soul Bond, I could almost feel his fury coming through the phone line. Even from a distance, my skin prickled with awareness of him.

"I'm coming out now," I ended the call, my fingers trembling so badly I almost dropped the phone.

"Erin? What's wrong?" Tomas came to my side, his eyes widening at my suddenly pale face. The champagne in my hand wobbled dangerously, and I quickly set it down to avoid spilling it.

"I—" My voice caught. How could I explain that the Pack Alpha was outside, apparently furious at finding me here? "I'm sorry, I have to leave right now."

Tomas's mother approached with an elegantly decorated plate holding a large slice of cake, her smile fading as she took in my expression. "What? Leaving so soon? I called Elena earlier, and she said you could stay as long as you liked."

I checked my phone screen and felt my stomach sink. His text message glowed coldly: [Countdown restarted: fifteen minutes. Don't keep me waiting, little Omega.]

My fingers started trembling uncontrollably. I forced what was probably the fakest smile of my life onto my face for Tomas's mother. "I'm so sorry, but something urgent came up. The party was wonderful, and your cake looks delicious."

"But you haven't even tried it," she protested, disappointment written across her face.

My phone lit up again, causing my heart to accelerate.

[Fourteen minutes.]

"Erin, what's going on?" Tomas squeezed my shoulder, his eyes searching my face. "You look terrified."

"The Alpha is outside," I whispered, just loud enough for him to hear, my eyes nervously scanning the windows, half-expecting to see Derek's tall figure appear at any moment.

Tomas's eyes widened. "What? The Alpha came personally? But why would he—"

"I have to go now," I said, quickly stuffing the small silver gift box into my purse. "He's waiting for me, and his patience is extremely limited."

"Is he angry?" Tomas frowned, unconsciously moving closer to me in a protective gesture that would have been sweet if it weren't completely futile against someone like Derek.

I tried to smile, probably looking more like I was grimacing. "Just urgent work. You know how the Stones are about business. Being the Alpha's secretary means being on call 24/7."

Tomas followed closely behind me as I hurried toward the front door. "Let me walk you out," he offered, his brow furrowed with concern.

Outside, the night air felt cool against my heated skin. I scanned the street for Derek's signature black car but saw nothing. My heart pounded painfully in my chest as I took a few uncertain steps forward.

"I don't see him," Tomas said, looking up and down the quiet residential street.

Just then, a car parked half a block away flashed its headlights once. I recognized the elegant silhouette of Derek's vehicle and immediately held my breath.

"He's there," I whispered, clutching my purse tightly. "I should go."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Tomas asked one last time, "If there's anything I can do..."

I shook my head. "I'll be fine. Thank you for tonight, and please tell your mother again that I'm sorry for leaving early."

Before Tomas could say more, I started walking toward Derek's car, my heels rhythmically tapping against the sidewalk. Each step felt like walking toward my own execution as my mind raced, wondering why Derek was so angry, why he would come personally to get me instead of simply calling or sending his driver.

As I approached his car, the passenger door opened automatically. I hesitated for just a moment before sliding into the luxurious leather seat, the door closing softly but firmly behind me.

---

Derek sat behind the wheel, not even glancing my way. I couldn't help but notice his attire—instead of his perfectly tailored business suit, he wore dark gray casual clothes that somehow made him look even more dangerous. The faint scent of cigarettes clung to him.

My eyes caught the unfamiliar platinum watch on his wrist, gleaming in the dim light. He had actually changed clothes to come find me?

Silence filled the car, broken only by the soft purr of the engine. I sat motionless, afraid to speak or move. His knuckles were white where he gripped the steering wheel, and the muscles in his jaw worked as he clenched and unclenched his teeth.

"Alpha?" I finally whispered, my voice sounding ridiculously small.

Derek didn't speak, just started the car and pulled away from the curb with terrifying smoothness. We drove in complete silence, the tension in the air making it almost impossible to breathe. I couldn't help stealing glances at his profile—the sharp line of his jaw, his perfect nose, how the passing streetlights cast shadows across his face, emphasizing each hard angle.

My pulse quickened when he suddenly turned onto a secluded uphill road. He drove to a lookout point that offered a panoramic view of the entire city, lights spread out below us like fallen stars.

He killed the engine, leaving us in darkness broken only by the soft blue glow from the dashboard. When he finally turned to look at me, I had to bite my lip to keep from gasping. His eyes seemed to pierce straight through to my soul—they remained their normal stormy gray, but something wild and dangerous lurked beneath the surface. My wolf immediately responded, restlessly turning within me.

"Alpha?" I tried again, my gaze falling on his long fingers as they tapped a steady, threatening rhythm on the steering wheel.

Without a word, Derek took a photo from the center console and thrust it at me. In the dim light, I could make out a clear image of Tomas and me in the department store, our heads close together as we examined jewelry at the counter. The photo had clearly been taken without our knowledge.

"Explain this," he said, his voice unnervingly calm. "What is my personal secretary doing with another man after hours?"

I stared at the photo in shock, then looked up at Derek. "You had someone follow me?"

A flash of gold passed through his eyes, his wolf close to the surface. "That's what you're concerned about? Not why you're shopping with him?"

"We were buying his mother a birthday gift," I explained, trying to keep my voice steady despite the anger growing inside me. "I was just helping him choose something appropriate."

Derek's expression remained cold and skeptical. "And that required you to stay at his house until midnight?"

"It was her birthday celebration," I said, feeling increasingly defensive. "Tomas asked me to help organize the party, and since our mothers are friends, I—"

I noticed Derek was no longer looking at me. His gaze had locked onto the small box that had fallen from my purse. While I'd been distracted by his anger, he'd already picked it up and opened it, revealing the delicate crystal necklace inside—the gift I'd selected for my mother.

His expression darkened. His jaw clenched so tightly I could see the muscles jumping beneath his skin.

"So this is the 'gift' you were shopping for with him?" he said in a dangerously soft voice, turning the box in his fingers.

"That's for my mother," I explained quickly, reaching for the box.

Derek moved it away from my grasp, removing the necklace to examine it in the dim light. "How... ordinary. So this is your price?"

"What?" I stared at him in shock, momentarily not understanding his meaning.

"As my personal secretary, I would have expected better taste," he said coldly, his fingers tracing the crystal pendant. "Or does Tomas know you prefer simple things? He knows you that well already?"

"How dare you," I whispered, my voice trembling with emotion. "Tomas and I are just friends!"

The corner of Derek's mouth turned up in a cold, humorless smile. "Friends... of course. That explains why you stayed at his home until midnight? You did all this for a necklace."

"It was his mother's birthday party!" I cried, tears of anger and hurt stinging my eyes. "How could you imagine that I would—that we would—"

Before I could say more, my phone rang again. Derek grabbed it before I could react, checking the caller ID.

"It's Tomas. Let's hear what your 'friend' has to say, shall we?" He answered the call and immediately put it on speaker. "Tomas. This is Alpha Derek Stone."

There was a moment of shocked silence on the other end, then Tomas's voice came through, noticeably more formal than usual. "Alpha Stone. I... is Erin with you? Is she okay?"

"She's fine," Derek answered curtly. "What do you want?"

"I... I just wanted to make sure she got home safely," Tomas said, sounding uncomfortable. "And to thank her again for helping with my mother's birthday. Her decorations were amazing, and Mom hasn't stopped showing them off to all the guests. And thank you for letting her help me choose my mother's gift. I would have been completely lost without her advice. Mom loves the gold bracelet we picked out."

I watched Derek's face, slowly registering the gold rising in his eyes.