My One

Lana stares at me incredulously, her gaze betrays the thoughts in her mind even before she can say them out loud. She does not think it is possible that Alaric and I are genuinely together.

She's right. But I have no intentions of letting her see that.

"Kyra... the Alpha Supreme is not the man you think he is. He is a terrifying and dangerous man. You wouldn't know because you've been living as a human this long, you're not familiar with pack dynamics." Lana says slowly like she is speaking to a toddler. "You won't understand these things so I need you to trust me, he is not someone you want to be with. You need to come back home while you still can."

"You don't need to worry about me. I think I know him well enough..." I reply. "And it is not that I want to be with him, it is that I am already with him... and have been for a while."

"Little K, you really need to come to your senses. The games will be over in a few days and this might be the only chance I have to take you away from here." Lana insisted seriously.

I sigh, already tired of this conversation. Lana speaks like she has my best interest in mind and I really wish that was it, that she truly wants to protect me from Alaric. But I know better now. Just like Mikos, Lana wants me back to the Everdale Pack so the rumours about Alpha Rich will go away.

But I have no intentions of helping the Landry's hold onto their power and prestige. 

"If I go with you, do you think Alaric will not come after me? There is nowhere you can take me that he will not find me. Are you sure you want to take that risk? Put Uncle Carroway and Everdale in the middle of the crossfire?" I ask her.

Lana falls quiet for a long moment before she finally speaks again. "If he knows you've found your mate, he won't have any justification to pursue you. The other packs won't support him either and the council can't back him in taking another man's mate."

My brows furrow. I recall clearly that Tyler is the only one I told I have a mate and who exactly my mate is. Lana and I never did get to have that conversation before the fire happened. Tyler wouldn't have told Lana about it if he kept the fire and the truth behind Alpha Rich's death to himself. Yes, there were rumours but Lana is the same person ridiculing those rumours that they cannot be believed.

So how then can Lana say with such certainty that I have a mate and he's not Alaric?

"Of course, we can't mention Mikos's name." Lana continues. "That would just complicate matters and reveal that your mate didn't want to be with you and chose to ignore the bond."

The more Lana speaks, the more I'm convinced that Lana knows everything. She knows that Mikos is my mate and that he did not acknowledge our bond, even Tyler does not know it so clearly because we did not get enough time to talk.

The only way Lana can know all this is if... she always knew from the start.

Just like Hailey said. Lana always knew about our mate bond.

"Lana... I'm not leaving Alaric." I finally speak, interrupting her before she could say anything more than she has. My heart is already shattered, I cannot take much more.

Lana does not seem to realise what she has just let slip and I do not plan to draw her attention to it. Mikos and I are not meant to be, this is a fact I have accepted and I do not loathe it.

"Alaric is who he is to everyone else. To me...he is my one." I say with finality.

"Kyra, this is so unlike you!" Lana exclaims. "You can't sincerely believe that the Alpha Supreme loves you! You're just another conquest to him, and he'll get tired of you soon and move on to the next...why can't you see that?!"

"Do you even know what they say about him? That he killed his own mate?!" She exclaimed. "Do you want to end up dead like her?!"

Rage surges within my veins at Lana's accusations. Yes, Alaric is cruel and dangerous and he can be a handful. But he is no killer, and I know better than anyone else how much he loves the Luna Supreme, she is all he cares about even now. He practically idolises her!

"Alaric is many things, but he is not a killer. And if Mikos had any say in it, I wouldn't be alive right now. Alaric saved my life...he took me in when Everdale wanted me dead. So no, Lana... I won't leave him." I make it clear.

"I believe that is enough said, Luna of Everdale." Alaric's voice interrupts the conversation and puts an end to anything else Lana has to say.

I glance over my shoulder in surprise, I did not realise Alaric was leaning against a tree a short distance away from us. For how long he has been there, I'm not so sure and I can't even begin to imagine how much he has heard. I wonder how this would have played out if my reaction was the opposite and I agreed with Lana.

"S... supreme." Lana stutters in surprise, lowering her head to a bow.

"Luna of Everdale, I believe you understand what a restricted area means." Alaric continued. He walks over to me and takes my hand.

"I prioritise my privacy and I do not want any outsider anywhere around my place and my woman. I hope this does not repeat itself again, or you will find out just how dangerous... I can be." He finishes, his tone chilling cold.

My heart drops to the pit of my stomach and Lana gulps audibly, Alaric...he heard everything.