The Alpha King’s Forbidden Mate

[Skylar's POV]

A unfamiliar feminine voice woke me.

It didn't sound like it was outside my window, rustling through the late-night breeze. It was definitely in my room and it was close to my ears but it also sounded like it was right inside my head, vibrating against my mind like a bow dragged across a tightly pulled string. Not sure how possible that was.

'Wake up, sleepyhead. Finally! I'm fully awake.' a feminine voice said cheering in joy.

My eyes snapped open, as my throat tightened as a cold wave of panic rushed down my spine. I sat up in bed, my heart thudding violently against my ribs like a trapped bird. The darkness of my bedroom felt suffocating, illuminated only by the faint green glow of the digital clock on my nightstand.

12:30 AM.

Midnight. I gasped. It's my.....

'Happy eighteenth birthday to us!' a feminine voice sang cheerfully, bouncing around inside my head as I fully became aware of my surroundings. It didn't sound like a memory or a passing thought. It was loud, vibrant, and distinctly other.

I clamped my hands tightly over my ears, pressing my palms against my temples as if I could physically block it out. I was pretty sure that no one else was present apart from myself.

"Who's there?" I whispered into the quiet room.

I held my breath, scanning the shadows lingering near my closet and the dark corners by my window. It felt like someone was standing in the dark, watching me. But deep down, a terrifying realization was beginning to form. It did sound way closer to me. It was echoed from the inside out.

'Oh, come on, don't be like that! I've been waiting eighteen whole years for you to finally acknowledge me, and that's the greeting I get?'

I stiffened, my fingers digging into my hair.

"Huh? Who's there?" I managed to choke out, swinging my legs over the edge of the mattress and standing up slowly. My knees felt unnaturally weak, trembling under a sudden, strange heat surging through my veins. It felt as though my blood had been replaced with hot sparklers, buzzing under my skin.

Before I could spiral into full-blown panic, the sharp, piercing ring of my phone cut through the silence.

"Jesus Christ!!" I screamed out as I jumped startled. Holding my chest to calm my racing heart.

'Not Jesus Christ. Moon Goddess"i heard the voice say as it sounded a bit stern.

The screen of my phone lit up brightly against the dark table stand, displaying an overseas caller ID and a familiar contact label: Big Bro.

Relief washed over me so fast that my hands shook as I grabbed the device. I swiped the screen to answer and pressed the cool glass directly against my burning ear.

"Max?" I breathed out my voice sounding a bit shaky as I leaned heavily against the bedpost.

"Happy birthday, little sis!" my brother's warm, familiar voice boomed through the speaker, cutting right through the eerie atmosphere as my face pit up into a wide smile. "I've been trying to call you for the past twenty minutes. What happened? Were you sleeping?" His tone sounded completely shocked, laced with disbelief.

"Yeah. But ... I... it's nothing," I stammered, dragging the edge of the blanket up to my chest with my free hand.

"Just... tired." I said hoping he doesn't detect anything.

I could understand his reaction. Me, fast asleep before 12:00 AM on a weekend? Very rare. Usually, I was up late reading, studying, or watching movie marathons to while away time. But tonight, a strange, bone-deep exhaustion had dragged me under hours ago, almost as if my body had been preparing for an impact.

'Tired? On our birthday? Absolutely not!' the voice chimed in again, practically bouncing with hyperactive energy. 'We need to go outside and run! Let's run! Can we run? Please? I want to stretch my legs!'

I froze, squeezing my eyes shut. The voice wasn't stopping. It was pure chatterbox energy, bouncing around behind my eyes like a pinball. A dull, throb began to pulse behind my forehead, spreading quickly across my brow. I was definitely going to have a massive headache.

I raised a hand to cradle my forehead, already feeling dizzy as the world tilted slightly beneath my feet.

"Skylar?" Max's tone shifted abruptly. The casual, brotherly teasing vanished in an instant, replaced by a sharp, protective concern. "Are you listening to me?"

I had already forgotten I was on a call, my attention completely shattered by the chatter or whatever was inside my skull.

'Whatever? I am...' the voice continued blabbing in a lighthearted, offended tone, as if arguing with my internal panic.

I tried desperately to block it out and focus on my brother's voice, but the pounding in my skull was growing unbearable.

"Skylar!" Max called out sternly, his voice raising a notch.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm here," I managed to say, though my vision blurred slightly as the sensation in my head intensified. It wasn't just a headache anymore; it felt like a warm, rhythmic pulse beneath my skin, expanding outward, pushing gently against my bones.

'Ooh, is that Maxwell? Tell him I said hi! Wait, can he hear me? No, he can't hear me yet. But he will! Soon!'

"Omg. Shut up!!!!" I barked out, my frustration snapping as the pain spiked across my temples. I let out an agitated hiss, pulling the phone an inch away from my cheek.

I didn't care at that moment if my brother thought I was going crazy. I just needed the noise to stop. But before Max could demand to know who I was screaming at, a softer, feminine voice filtered through the line, accompanied by a slight rustle of movement.

"Hey, let me speak to her!" Rosetta's gentle voice cut through the line. "Happy birthday, Skylar, sweetie! We wish we could be there with you today."

I forced a breath in through my nose, willing the tension in my shoulders to relax. I forced a warm smile into my tone, desperately trying to mask the chaos raging inside my brain. "Thanks, Rosetta. I miss you guys so much."

"We miss you too, honey," Rosetta said warmly, a soft chuckle bubbling from her end. "We'll be back before you know it. I'll pass the phone back to your brother before he loses his mind. He's pacing around the living room like a caged animal all evening."

I let out a faint laugh, matching her lighthearted mood. "Yeah, he can be a lot dramatic."

The phone clicked back as Max reclaimed it. On his end, the distant sound of the television and Rosetta's footsteps quieted down. When he spoke again, his tone was low, measured, and dangerously focused, the exact voice he used whenever he was analyzing a high-stakes situation.

"Skylar," Max said carefully, pronouncing each syllable with deliberate weight. "I need you to answer me honestly."

My pulse spiked instantly, the heat beneath my skin flaring up again. "About what?" I asked, gripping the phone a little tighter. Hope it isn't anything serious.

"Have you... experienced anything weird today?" Max asked softly. His tone wasn't teasing; it was laced with heavy anticipation. "Anything unusual? Strange thoughts, heat under your skin, hearing things... anything at all?"

My heart hammered against my ribs like a sledgehammer.

Is it what's happening to me right now?

Panic flickered in my stomach. Could Max know something? Was it possible he had experienced something like this? I pushed the thought away as quickly as it came. No, that was ridiculous. It was probably just severe sleep deprivation or a fever. My mind was playing tricks on me.

'Don't tell him!' the voice in my head chimed in once more, dropping into a dramatic whisper. 'It's a secret! Well, not really a secret, but it's way more dramatic if we keep it to ourselves for some time. Trust me on this!'

I'm definitely going crazy. I'll just back to sleep and everything will be fine.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "No," I lied through my teeth, clutching the phone so hard my knuckles turned white. "Nothing weird. Why would you ask that?" There was a long, excruciating silence on the line.

"I just..." Max sighed, a heavy, weighed-down sound that carried all the anxiety of the thousands of miles separating us. "It's nothing. Just be careful, Sky. Things are changing, and.. " A loud, violent burst of static suddenly roared through the receiver, drowning out his voice entirely.

"Max? Max, I can't hear you!" I yelled over the sharp crackle.

"Sky... if anything... call me.... "

Click.

The line went completely dead. I slowly pulled the phone away from my ear, staring down at the dark, lifeless screen in disbelief.

"Well... that was weird," I voiced out loud to the empty room, my breath coming in short, uneven hitches.

What had he been trying to say? If anything happens? What could possibly happen to me in my own apartment? Max was always like this, overprotective, overly cautious, worrying about scenarios that didn't exist.

I swiped my thumb across the screen to redial his number, but a red notification flashed back instantly: Call Failed.

"Must be the network," I mumbled to myself, letting out a tired breath as I tossed the phone onto the nightstand. "I'll try him later. Time to sleep." I yawned out too tired than I've ever been.

I turned, intending to slip back under the covers and bury my head in the pillows until morning. But the moment my weight hit the mattress, the voice in my head chimed in again, only this time, it sounded closer, clearer, and far more settled, resting right behind my eyes.

I let out a groan of pure frustration, burying my face in my hands.

'Already tired of me? That quick?' the voice purred trailing off into a laugh as it sounded entirely amused by me. 'Too bad, sweetie. You can't get rid of me so easily. We're bound for life! '