The Alpha Assassin novel Chapter 23

I blinked. I had never been so caught off guard, not even when he sat silently on my window, outright accusing me of poisoning him. To his credit, he wasn’t wrong.

What did I live for? For the vengeance, for their deaths, for some sort of peace after the turmoil that was my recent life.

I opened my mouth to say something; Ezra’s gaze was fixated on my mouth.

“What do you live for?” I asked. I couldn’t think of one decent answer that he would find acceptable to his answer, and I knew better than to lie to him. I knew I couldn’t lie to him.

One side of his lip twitched up, but he wasn’t amused. “I asked you first. No family, no pack.” He swallowed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I was just asking.”

“It’s true, I don’t have any of that. I’m a prisoner,” I whispered.

Ezra took a step towards me, his hand twitched as he lifted it, but then he dropped it again. I followed the movements, a crease between my brows.

“After it’s all over, then what?” he asked. I averted my gaze. I didn’t want to say anything that would be admitting to his accusations. “I’m just trying to understand. You can deny it all you want, but I haven’t said anything to anyone, not even my brothers. You can trust me.”

My gaze snapped to him. “Trust you?” I almost laughed. The word felt so foreign.

He looked taken aback, and I almost felt bad, but he was still the enemy. I had to remember that. He came here for a purpose. To find me. This could just be some of his elaborate ploy.

I think we can trust him - Aksala said.

I jumped, not used to her being around still - How?

I think he has a good heart. His wolf seems good. The man must be too.

But if he’s not, this one is on you - I retorted.

She huffed a laugh - I’ll take that deal.

“Okay,” I said, letting out a long breath. “I guess I have to trust you.”

“Have I given you a reason not to?” he asked, a dark brow shooting up, bunching another faint scar.

“No,” I admitted.

“So, what’s next?” he asked.

I swallowed and toed the worn rug. A shiver ran through me despite the warmth of the fire behind me. I hadn’t thought about what that actually entailed. It always seemed like a far-off plan. But I realized my ending could be weeks away too.

“Simone?” I looked back up at him. He reached out a hand again, but this time he didn’t drop it. He brushed a warm, calloused hand against my cheek, and my entire essence seemed to react to his featherlight touch. Without meaning to, without realizing what I was doing, I leaned into his palm and savored the human contact that I had been so long without.

“It’s okay,” he promised. “You can tell me.”

I closed my eyes tighter and finally admitted, “I wasn’t going to live long enough to find a new purpose.” The words rattled through me, sliced me open, and I knew if I opened my mouth again, I would choke on a sob.