Fallen 33

Fallen 33 Summary

Meadow faces intense tension with Alaric after a phone call with Tyler. Although Alaric didn’t hear the conversation, he senses its significance and his anger quickly turns into a deep, simmering rage. Meadow feels guilty despite not breaking any rules, and Alaric’s cold, threatening demeanor makes it clear he is prepared to take violent action against Tyler.

 

Alaric confronts Meadow about the call, accusing Tyler of tormenting her and nearly assaulting her. He reveals his readiness to kill Tyler within the hour, demanding a reason not to. Meadow struggles with conflicting emotions—knowing Tyler’s actions were unforgivable, yet still feeling a need to protect him and her sister Juniper, who was involved in the traumatic incident.

 

The conversation grows more heated as Meadow defends her sister, insisting that locking Juniper away isn’t justice, while Alaric calls her a monster and remains ruthless in his stance. Despite his threats and cruelty, Meadow senses a complex mixture of anger and care from Alaric, especially when he physically connects with her, showing a softer side beneath his harsh exterior.

 

In a vulnerable moment, Meadow offers herself as an outlet for Alaric’s anger, pleading with him not to kill Tyler. This gesture reveals her willingness to bear pain for the sake of peace and to protect those she cares about, even as the tension between her, Alaric, and the dangerous situation with Tyler remains unresolved. The chapter ends with Meadow’s quiet, desperate plea for Alaric to punish her instead.

CHAPTER 0033

Meadow’s Perspective:

Alaric’s gaze never wavered from me as he finally pressed the ‘end call’ button on the phone. For a fleeting moment, I wondered if he had somehow overheard the conversation, but the phone wasn’t on speaker, so there was no way he could have caught every word Tyler had said. Still, the expression on Alaric’s face told me he had pieced together enough from my side of the call to know exactly who I’d been speaking with.

His jaw twitched, and his fingers clenched and unclenched at his sides. His eyes dropped to the phone still held tightly in his palm. The look on his face wasn’t just anger—it was something far deeper, far more intense. Rage, raw and simmering beneath the surface. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen him like this before.

I swallowed hard, instinctively stepping backward until my back pressed against the edge of the desk. If I moved any further, I felt like I might just sink right through the wood. “Alaric…” I whispered, my voice trembling slightly.

I hadn’t broken any rules—he hadn’t forbidden me from talking to Tyler. Yet despite that, I felt a heavy weight of guilt pressing down on me, as if I’d done something unforgivable.

“Who were you talking to?” His voice was low, calm, and eerily quiet—so quiet it sent a chill crawling down my spine.

He already knew the answer, but I sensed he wanted me to say it aloud. “Tyler,” I admitted softly.

Alaric remained frozen, his eyes locked on mine, jaw clenched as if he was fighting to keep himself composed.

“I didn’t want to,” I hurried to explain. “He just… kept calling, and I didn’t want to seem—” I cut myself off, squeezing my eyes shut, instantly regretting even mentioning it. My words sounded feeble, utterly pathetic.

His voice dropped lower, and under the dim glow of the room’s light, he looked… dangerous. But I wasn’t the one in danger here. Tyler was.

“You didn’t want to seem what?” he asked sharply.

“I don’t know,” I confessed, voice barely above a whisper. “I wasn’t thinking straight. I just… I needed to hear what he wanted.”

Alaric’s nostrils flared, and he gave a single, curt nod, remaining silent.

Then, without warning, he slammed my phone down on the desk so forcefully that I jumped, a startled gasp escaping my lips.

The silence that followed was heavier, louder even, than the sound of the crash. Alaric balled his fists on the table, his broad shoulders slumping as his head dipped forward.

I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to steady my nerves. “He called about Juniper,” I said quietly. “He thinks I know where she is. That’s why he reached out.”

Still, no response came from him.

I closed my eyes briefly, gathering the courage to continue. “I didn’t tell him it was you. I swear. He doesn’t even know that you and I are married. I just—”

“He said something to you,” Alaric interrupted, his gaze fixed on the table as if it held all the answers. “Something that made you cry.”

My heart skipped a beat. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words formed. Not a single one.

“I could see you from the doorway, Meadow. You were shaking. You looked so distressed.” He scoffed, bitterness lacing his tone. “He didn’t call just to ask about your sister, did he? No, he called to torment you.”

“Alaric…” I could only say his name. Words failed me completely.

Still gripping the desk tightly, he finally lifted his gaze to meet mine.

And instead of my heart racing, it slowed.

He looked at me as if his decision was already made.

“Give me one reason, Meadow,” he said, his voice cold and indifferent. “Just one reason why I shouldn’t have Tyler Cross killed within the next thirty minutes.”

My breath caught in my throat.

There was something in the way he said it that left no doubt—it wasn’t an empty threat. Alaric meant every word.

“What?” I whispered, stunned.

“I dare you to make me say it again, Meadow,” he growled, straightening to his full height. “One call. That’s all it’ll take before his brains are splattered all over his own bed.”

“Alaric,” I pushed back from the desk, ignoring the sharp ache in the soles of my feet as I stood on my own now. “What are you saying? You can’t—”

“Sorry, Meadow. Did I ever give you the impression that you get to decide what I can or cannot do?” His step forward made him tower over me, the tattoos winding up his arm suddenly looking far more menacing than usual.

“No,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “But it’s Tyler. You can’t… you can’t kill him, Alaric. He—”

“Nearly assaulted you,” he finished flatly.

I stumbled back, my hands gripping the desk’s edge for support.

“If Trip and I hadn’t shown up, he would have raped you. And your sister would have watched it happen with a sick smile on her face. And as if that wasn’t enough, he called just to taunt you about it.” His eyes narrowed as he leaned in slightly. “Need I say more?”

I had no words. How could I respond to that?

Everything he said was true. Tyler had almost violated me. Juniper had been there, holding me down. Yet, despite it all, a part of me still wanted to protect them. Especially my sister.

And I hated myself for it.

“I know what they did,” my voice trembled. “But that doesn’t justify killing him or locking her away in some padded cell, Alaric. Treating her like she’s a monster—”

“She IS a monster,” he growled, his words cutting through me like a blade.

A knot tightened in my stomach, and frustration bubbled up, making my voice rise. “She doesn’t even know who put her there!”

Alaric’s jaw clenched tighter. “Just like your ex-boyfriend won’t know who put a bullet in his head if you don’t give me a reason not to.”

I flinched, a strange mix of relief and horror twisting inside me. Part of me was grateful that Alaric was willing to go to such lengths for me. But another part despised him—for being so ruthless toward my sister, for speaking so openly about murder.

Yet when his large hand settled on my waist beneath his shirt, warmth fluttered low in my belly.

Without warning, Alaric lifted me effortlessly onto the desk. “You’re not supposed to be standing on that foot,” he murmured.

I held my breath as he leaned in close. “Still waiting for my reason, Meadow,” he whispered, his eyes flicking down to my parted lips for a brief second before locking back onto mine. “Don’t make me ask again.”

I started to look away, but he caught my jaw firmly and forced me to meet his gaze. I swallowed hard.

I needed to give him a reason not to kill the man I once loved. But my mind was blank. No words came.

“Please, Alaric. Please don’t kill him.” My voice shook, my heart pounding fiercely against my ribs.

“And let my sister—”

“I can’t let her go, Meadow,” he hissed, voice low and fierce. “Don’t you get it? She’s not good for you, and you want—”

“She’s my sister, Alaric,” I shot back, pulling my face away from his grip. “I want peace. And I won’t find it by pretending that locking her up like that is justice.”

Alaric brushed his thumb along his jaw, ignoring my words. “Last chance to save Tyler.” His eyes locked onto mine again. “Just one reason, Meadow. That’s all I’m asking.”

But there was nothing I could say. No reason I could give that would stop him from doing what he intended. I saw it in his eyes. And though I didn’t know him well, I wasn’t sure I wanted to test his resolve.

“I can’t give you a reason,” I whispered, voice barely audible. “But I can give you an outlet.”

Alaric said nothing. His eyes narrowed to slits. When my hand reached out to rest on his chest, his muscles tensed beneath my touch.

“You’re angry, Alaric,” I said softly, my hands moving slowly upward. “Right now, you want to punish Tyler. But you don’t have to. I can be that outlet for your anger. Just… don’t punish him like that.”

My hands paused on his broad shoulders. I swallowed hard.

I wasn’t sure if I’d regret these words. Or maybe I wouldn’t.

Either way, I had to say something.

Our eyes met—his fierce, mine vulnerable—as I finally whispered the words I’d been holding back.

“Punish me instead.”