Alpha Nathan
"I'm afraid you would have to lie close enough to her. That way, you'll be able…"
"What? There's no way I'm doing that. There has to be another option."
I shot back at Maxwell, my voice sharp with resistance.
"Then you would rather she bleeds out on your bed, in your own manor?"
"Anything, anything but that. How exactly do you expect me to lie next to her?"
"Then I'm afraid there's nothing else that can be done. There's no clinic at a summit like this, and surely you don't expect our mate to die in our arms?"
I shook my head, my gaze falling back on her. She was still curled up on the bed, her fingers loosely clutching the duvet as though it was the only thing anchoring her to life. Her skin had grown pale, far too pale, and the blood was still gushing out. She didn't even look like she was a werewolf with abilities other than a human.
"Fine," I hissed under my breath. "But I'm only doing this because she's helpless, and there's no other choice." I said to Maxwell and to myself. I stood there for a moment, weighing everything, steadying my thoughts, forcing myself into control. It was nothing. Just lying beside her. Nothing more.
At least, that's what I told myself.
But was I wrong?
Because the moment my arms slipped around her, everything shifted.
Her body softened instantly, instinctively curling closer, fitting into me like she belonged there. And then it hit me, that pull, that sharp, electric awareness that ran beneath my skin, tightening something deep inside me.
I forced myself to breathe, to stay grounded.
I told myself to hold onto control. I had never slipped out of control. Not once, and I'm not starting now.
But why then is my large member getting hardened and picking at the fabrics of my panties, pleading to be let loose?
Why did her scent, sweet, like fresh honey, wrap around me so completely, clouding my thoughts, making it harder to think, harder to resist?
Harder to pull away.
"That's because she's our mate," Maxwell murmured, his tone filled with amazement as he reveled in my struggle.
"Fine," I muttered, jaw tightening as I slowly pulled away, ignoring the quiet protest in my chest, ignoring him.
My eyes dropped to her wounds again. They looked… better. Not healed, not fully, but better than before. My warmth, my wolf, it had done something. Enough to stop the worst of it.
At least it worked.
"I need to check the schedules for this year's summit," I said, already turning away. "We can't afford to fall behind."
"At least wait until she wakes up before you leave," Maxwell pressed.
"What difference would that make?"
"She might get scared by the time she wakes up in this unfamiliar space."
I paused. He wasn't wrong. But I needed to go check on the schedules so I wouldn't be left out of events.
"I won't be gone long. I'll return," I said, stealing one last glance at her. She looked… peaceful now. Too peaceful. Like someone untouched by pain, untouched by everything she had just endured.
"You might be right," Maxwell said quietly. "But I still think we should stay. Just look at her… she's fragile. And yet… calm."
"Don't get so comfortable, Max." I cut in sharply. "You know I can't drag her into our curse. Whatever just happened had only happened because there's no other option,"
Maxwell scoffed softly, but there was no real argument left in him.
"Fine."
Still, as I stepped out of the room, something felt… off.
Like I was leaving something behind.
Something I wasn't meant to walk away from.
What was that feeling?
*****
Rivers
Darkness, total darkness, combined my sight, coupled with severe pains that radiated through me in waves. I tried to pull away from it slowly, but it was difficult somehow until I felt something warm, something soothing, calming clung around me, mixed with a scent difficult not to have recognized.
I leaned into the warmth, feeling my body relax in ways that didn't just register as the pain slowly faded. And something in me cherished every bit of that moment, wishing it never ended, until finally I felt it withdrawn, and I whimpered silently at the loss. I wanted to pull it more to myself.
But then, I felt a stir in my subconscious.
"You might have to open your eyes."
I heard someone talking to me from within me, and it made me squirm.
"Please, who are you?"
"I'm your wolf," she said to me, and I didn't even realize when a tear slipped down my cheeks.
"My wolf?"
"Yes, it's me, and I'm pleased to have you as mine," she said with an extreme tone as I couldn't contain the waves of emotions that crashed down on me.
"So I now have a wolf? That means I'm not useless and worthless, right?"
My wolf hissed, curling herself around me. "You are never useless and worthless," she advised as she continued, "and I have always been here with you, just held back by a barrier," she said to me as tears continued to stream down my eyes.
"I can't believe this," I whispered, my chest tightening. "I finally have you…"
She was about to speak again, but excitement rushed through me first.
"Can I call you Bella?"
A pause, then the warmth.
"Yes, you could, as long as you are comfortable with it," she said, and something in me eased before she added gently, "you might want to open your eyes already."
The words snapped at me, and I wiped my eyes open to light. It flooded in too quickly, too brightly, forcing my eyes shut before I could adjust. I blinked repeatedly until the blur settled, until shapes began to form around me.
A room.
No… not just a room.
A massive space stretched out before me, far larger than anything I was used to. The bed beneath me was soft, layered with a thick, flowered duvet. My body felt… light. Too light.
Wrong.
I pushed myself up too quickly, my breath catching as I took everything in, the tall bookshelf near the window, packed tight with books. The reading table. The chair. The space was too big. And then too unfamiliar.
"Where… are we?" I whispered.
"Think back," Bella said gently. "Try to remember."
I gasped as memories flooded me instantly, making me curl up inwardly. I could still remember when my mate had left coldly, how I stood there dejected until strong arms clamped around me, the two guards from earlier.
Fear had gripped me for what I knew awaited me. I had wanted to plead and really explain myself, but it turned out Alpha Anthony and Luna Cassandra, Fiona, were already in that room waiting impatiently. And then my eyes had flown to the strong, towering figure of Alpha…
Sadly enough, the powerful Alpha I had accidentally tripped into his strong chest, was none other than Alpha King Benjamin.
He stood unyielding, unmoving, as Alpha Anthony had instructed the guards to drag me to lie on that bench as a reminder not to ever disobey orders.
I pleaded, cried, begged, but no one was willing to give me listening ears until I felt the sound of tearing fabrics, and when I looked through the corner of my eyes, a satisfied smirk filled the eyes of Lady Cassandra as the whips started coming on my bare skin.
"That's what's right for one as disobedient as you," Alpha Anthony had said to me, but Alpha King Benjamin had remained still and didn't even say a word.
His arms curled to his sides, but he didn't move from where he had stood, and his eyes, those grey orbs, never left me. And just then I had wished my life was something different, with a mate who could do more. With my wolf, and then my full Alpha strength.
Just then, the door burst open, and my mate, the same man, appeared, and it terrified me as the blood of those guards filled the ground.
I don't know for sure what transpired after that as I was carried by my mate. I whimpered slightly as he secured me to his grip, mindful of my wounds.
"How can someone be so cold… and still come back for me?" I whispered.
"Some things happen for a reason, Rivers," Bella murmured.
I swallowed hard, my thoughts racing.
"That wasn't a dream… was it?"
"No. I've always been with you."
My chest tightened again, and my eyes watered slightly as thoughts flooded me instantly. "Does that mean I'm no longer weak? I can now shift?"
Silence followed. Heavy and unease, and when she finally spoke, her voice dripped sadly.
"I'm sorry… not yet. But you will understand when the time is right."