Alpha's Regret After Her Rebirth

"Oh, but I am," Drake said, leaning forward on his elbows. "It sounds exciting, and besides, you know what they say about a good scare-it gets the blood positively pumping." At that last word, he slid his gaze over to Zoe. Her cheeks reddened and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. A beat of silence passed as we all traded uncertain looks, clearly thrown by this curveball of a proposition.

"I don't know, Drake..." I began hesitantly. I'm tired, and I'm sure Noah..."

"Well, it sounds terribly exciting to me," Zoe interjected, speaking up for the first time all evening as dabbed at the comers of her mouth with her napkin. "I haven't visited the Emily house since... well..."

H

she

Her voice trailed off, and beside me, I noticed the tips of Noah's ears turn pink. I quickly looked away, clenching my jaw. I could already imagine the two of them going on all kinds of dates when they were together, and the Emily House had likely been one of their favorite haunts... no pun intended.

Drake's face lit up like a kid on Solstice morning at Zoe's words, and he quickly looked over at Noah. Well? What do you say, Alpha? Shall we give it a go?"

For a long moment, Noah simply stared at Drake, his expression utterly unreadable. Then, with a barely perceptible shake of his head, his features settled into a mask of grim resignation. 1 don't see t that is."

that we have much choice," he ground out. "Not if we want to impress our esteemed guest,

Drake beamed, clapping his hands together once. "Splendid! Then it's settled-we'll take in your haunted. house after we've settled the check here. And don't worry, dinner is on me."

I found myself inching cautiously through the dark, strobe-lit corridors of Nightcrest's haunted house, trailing behind the others with my arms wrapped protectively around my middle.

Somewhere ahead of me, a shrill scream rang out, quickly swallowed up by the eerie sounds of chains rattling and ominous groans. My heart leapt into my throat as my head whipped around, searching the shadowy recesses for any sign of danger.

This had seemed like such a stupid idea from the start-why had I let Drake talk me into this insanity? I was too old and jaded for these childish fear tactics to work on me anymore.

And yet, as the sound of heavy, thudding footsteps began resonating from somewhere behind me, I could feel my pulse quickening in spite of myself.

Then, without any warning whatsoever, a hulking, masked figure burst through a doorway off to my right, harsh spotlights illuminating the whirring blade of a chainsaw as it roared to life mere feet away from me.

I must have screamed, because the next thing I knew, I was stumbling backward, gasping for air as my heart thundered in my ears. My hands clutched uselessly at the humid air, searching for anything solid to anchor myself.

But I found nothing-nothing except the disorienting blur of strobe lights and the stomp of heavy boots drawing nearer and nearer.

"Noahl" Leriod out bef

Just as quickly as the terror had overtaken me, it dissipated again. Strong arms encircled me from behind, dragging me flush against a solid chest as a masculine scent overwhelmed my senses.

I whimpered, the sound high and pitiful as tears sprang to my eyes. "Noah..."

"Shh..." a low, soothing murmur breathed against the curve of my neck. "You're safe now, darling. I've got you."NôvelDrama.Org content.

My eyes shot open. It was Drake's voice, not Noah's, that met my ears. For the briefest of moments, I froze, confusion swirling through me.

Then, just as quickly, a commanding shout sliced through the darkness from somewhere in the distance, making my head whip around.

"Stop the show! Now!"

Noah's voice, gruff and authoritative, rang out mere seconds before the house's lighting transitioned from ominous reds and purples to the warm, amber glow of overhead lights and standing lamps. I squinted against the sudden light, blinking as I pulled back from Drake. And there, across the room, I could just make out Noah's tall silhouette as his arm curled around another figure-one that seemed to be cowering against his side. Zoe.