Five

Alec

Sleep was impossible. I lay in bed for hours, staring at the ceiling. Before leaving, I had sniffed the sheets at the healing chamber, inhaling Vanessa's scent. A primal urge descended on me, until I realized what I'd done.

I punched my Beta for the daughter of my pack’s greatest enemy.

A part of me felt grim satisfaction. I had warned Lucas not to touch her. The punch was deserved.

But another part of me knew Lucas was right. The girl was a threat. I felt sorry for my actions and didn’t feel sorry at the same time.

I couldn't bring myself to formally reject her. But at the same time, I didn’t want her. I couldn’t want her.

My duty, my family’s legacy, everything stood between us. I needed to pick a side.

You're a fool, my wolf, Jaxon, laughed inside my head.

And you're coming down with me, I shot back. We’re going to suffer through this together.

I left the healing chamber and made my way upstairs. I spotted a few servants still lingering in the hallways. The moment they saw me, they scattered like rats running to their quarters.

It was only a matter of time before the whole pack found out about Vanessa.

I sat on the edge of the bed in the dark. If anyone had asked me a week ago to guess how my life would look today, I would never have come up with this.

I needed guidance. I needed to speak with the priestess, Olga. She was one of the most potent seers in the region, a woman who could read prophecies in the flames and offer solutions from the moon.

When I woke, my first command was to send for her. We met in my private sitting room upstairs. The words felt too heavy in my mouth. I didn’t know where to begin.

Before I could speak, she did.

"A prophecy came to me last night, Alpha. It came through flame and moonlight."

She paused, her dark eyes meeting mine.

"But this is a prophecy that must be told in the presence of a servant girl. Her name is Vanessa."

My heart skipped a beat.

Damn it.

The moon had already revealed it to her. It made her seem even more powerful.

I pretended not to be afraid. I was the Alpha. I feared no one.

"Does she have to be here?" I asked, my voice tight.

Olga nodded.

With a flick of my wrist, I sent a guard to fetch her.

When she walked into the room, the bond slammed into me. The sudden pull was so strong it almost made me gasp. I looked at her. She appeared even more desirable than last night.

Her face was a blank mask. She showed no emotion, no fear, nothing.

The priestess continued.

"You are bound to this slave, Alpha. Not by chance, but by divine will. And this bond comes with a price."

I remained silent, waiting.

"Whether you keep her alive or not," Olga said slowly, "both choices have grave consequences."

"I have the right to end her," I said, my voice cold. "I don’t care about a slave with cursed blood."

Olga smiled, a sad, knowing smile that irritated me.

"If you do that, Alpha, it will spell ruin for you. Despair. Loneliness. The broken bond will destroy you from the inside. Your wolf will go mad from grief."

I glanced at Vanessa. She was staring at a spot on the wall, nonchalant, as if we were discussing the weather. Her indifference annoyed me more than anything.

"Get out," I snapped.

She didn’t flinch or bow. She turned and walked away.

I was alone with Olga again as Vanessa’s footsteps faded down the hallway. My gaze stayed fixed on the sway of her hips as she left. She walked with an Alpha’s confidence, impossible to ignore.

Each subtle movement of her body beneath that plain brown servant dress stirred a heat deep in my belly. My arousal built with every step she took away from me. I struggled to keep my face neutral, painfully aware of how close I was to losing control.

Olga smiled knowingly, and I realized how foolish I must have looked.

To shift the focus, I leaned forward.

"What about the prophecy?" I demanded. "What happens if I spare her life?"

Olga sighed.

"I do not have all the answers, Alpha. The girl must be kept alive. That much is clear. Hatred and desire are both strong forces. Accepting the bond could lead to ruin. Rejecting it will also lead to ruin. For now, we must wait for more guidance from the moon. In the meantime," she looked me directly in the eye, "you must practice restraint. You must maintain absolute control."

I rose slowly from my chair. It was easy for her to preach control. She wasn’t the one being consumed by it.

Don’t kill her.

Don’t touch her.

Don’t mark her.

The commands echoed in my head like the rattling of chains.

I left without saying goodbye and returned to my chambers.

My solitude was short-lived. The door slammed open and Lucas stormed in without knocking.

"Have you lost your mind? Do you need a psychiatrist?"

I didn’t look up from the blade I was sharpening.

"Leave."

"No," he snapped, pacing furiously. "We’re talking about last night. You punched me. In front of her."

My jaw clenched.

"I warned you not to harm her."

"Why should I listen?" he shouted. "She should have been eliminated the moment we knew. Your feelings are clouding your judgment, Alec. The entire kingdom is watching you."

"You sound like a broken record," I replied flatly. "I can make my own decisions."

"You’re being weak," he hissed. "You’re destroying everything we built. I will keep pushing if it means stopping you from making this mistake."

I finally looked up.

"Don’t you dare tell your wife anything. If you do, I’ll hurt you."

Lucas glared at me.

"I haven’t said a word," he admitted. His tone softened slightly. "But I’m close to it. Maybe it would knock some sense into you."

The door opened again. Gary, my Gamma, entered, followed by his wife, Nina.

My mood sank even further.

Nina’s presence always stirred something in me.

She was my first love. We had made all those foolish childhood promises to never be separated, promises broken the day her bond to Gary snapped into place.

"Should we come back later?" Gary asked, sensing the tension.

"You might as well stay," Lucas muttered bitterly. He turned to Gary.

"Alec found his mate."

Gary looked stunned. Nina, however, squealed.

"Alec! Congratulations!"

Lucas raised a hand.

"His mate is Valen Hunter’s daughter," he added, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Do the congratulations still stand?"

Gary went pale. I said nothing.

Nina stepped closer, her eyes locked on mine.

"Don’t fight it, Alec," she said softly.

My feelings for her were long gone, but the irony stung. I had once longed for a bond. Now that it was here, it felt like punishment.

"Are you siding with the enemy?" Lucas snapped, looking at Nina with disbelief.

"I’m not choosing sides," Nina said calmly. "Fate doesn’t care about bloodlines or wars. It makes its own decisions."

"You don’t understand what’s at stake," Lucas scoffed. "You’re a woman."

"Do not dismiss me," Nina said sharply. "You have no right. I’ve experienced the bond firsthand. It tore me away from Alec and forced me into a life I didn’t choose at first. The bond changes everything. It makes your mate the center of your world."

Her voice softened as she looked at Gary, who smiled back at her. I felt my usual irritation rise. Four years of marriage hadn’t stopped them from constantly reminding everyone of their perfect connection.

Nina looked back at me, her tone pleading.

"A part of you probably still hates me for what happened," she said. "But I never stopped loving you, Alec. The nature of my love just changed. That’s what the bond does."

I clenched my fists.

"Would you still love Gary if his father had slaughtered your mother?"

She hesitated. That was all the answer I needed. I turned away.

"Her father is dead, Alec," Nina said. "Her pack is gone. She’s a slave with no power, no protection."

"She’s not just a slave," Lucas growled. "She’s a symbol. The pack will revolt the moment they learn the truth."

The door opened again. This time, it was Maya, sweeping in with Lucas’s wife, Isabella, trailing behind her. My patience was gone.

"Someone needs to beg Alec on my behalf," Maya complained loudly. "He’s avoiding me like I have a disease."

Nina groaned. Despite our history, I would choose Nina’s company over Maya’s any day. Nina didn’t hide her dislike either.

"Maya is carrying your child," Isabella chimed in sweetly. "Pregnancy isn’t easy."

I turned to Maya.

"The only reason you are still here is because of that baby," I told her coldly. "You and your father schemed to trap me."

Maya’s eyes narrowed.

"Oh please. You didn’t stop me that night. You wanted it just as much as I did."

I responded with detached amusement.

"I don’t even remember it. You turned a meaningless night into something it wasn’t."

"That’s out of line, Alec," Lucas said.

Maya burst into tears, clinging to whatever sympathy she could find.

"Is there someone else?"

Lucas and Isabella rushed to comfort her.

Nina responded sharply.

"Alec can have whoever he wants. You have no right to pretend otherwise. Your own father has a harem of women. Why should Alec be any different?"

The insult landed hard. Maya turned on Nina.

"You despicable bitch. I see you have feelings for Alec, don’t you?"

Nina scoffed.

"If I truly wanted to interfere, I would have done it already."

Gary placed a calming hand on her arm.

"I will find out who she is," Maya hissed at me, her face blotchy from crying. "And when I do, she will die."

She stormed out. Isabella ran after her.

I poured myself a shot of tequila and drank it in one gulp.

"Things are only going to get worse," Lucas warned.

"Kill the girl, Alec. Before she brings us all down with her."