Five

Alec

Alone with Olga, Vanessa's footsteps retreated. I couldn't stop staring at her hips. She carried them well, like she knew the power they had. Without meaning to, the jiggle of her ass was giving me a hard-on.

The sick part of my head imagined what she'd look like beneath that ugly brown servant dress. My wolf begged me to fuck her, and I was so close to losing my mind.

Olga was smiling, and I realized I must have looked like a damn fool.

“This prophecy of yours is vague,” I said, leaning forward. “What happens next if I decide to spare her life? Is that the most important thing?”

She sighed. “I honestly don't have answers to all your questions. All I know is that she must be kept alive. And as for the Bond…” she paused and looked up. “I smell doom.”

My frown deepened.

“The hatred and desire run deep. Whether you accept or reject the bond, neither choice is better. We must wait for further instructions from the goddess. In the meantime, I advise restraint and absolute self-control.”

I got up slowly. It was easier for her to say because she was not in my shoes.

Don't kill her, don't fuck her, don't mark her.

How sweet.

I walked away without a goodbye, heading to my chambers.

But even peace there didn't last. An angry Lucas slammed the door without knocking.

"If you’ve lost your damn mind, just say it out loud so I can send for the psychiatrist."

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

"Get out."

"No. Not until we explain what the hell that was last night."

He paced like a rabid dog, chest puffed, pride bleeding.

"You punched me in front of that servant girl!"

My jaw tightened. "Stop whining, Luc. I warned you not to kill her."

"And why should I listen to you? She's a traitor's spawn. We should’ve gotten her the moment the bond snapped into place. You think you can hide her? This isn’t about your feelings. It's about what the Kingdom sees."

"Stop it," I said flatly. "You’re beginning to sound like a broken record. I have a mind of my own."

"Then use it," he snapped. "You’re showing weakness. This isn’t the Alpha I know. I’ll remind you every damn minute if it stops you from ruining your life."

I shot him a sharp look. "I hope you haven’t told your loudmouth wife anything. I’ll rip your throat out myself."

He glared at me, then mumbled, "I haven’t." His voice returned to normal. "But trust me, I’m so close to telling her, because maybe that’ll help you get back to your senses."

The door opened. Lucas stopped talking. My gamma, Gary, stepped in, followed by his wife, Nina.

My mood worsened. Nina’s presence still hit a nerve.

She was my first love. When we were children, we had promised never to let anyone separate us until the damn mating bond with Gary took her away from me.

Gary looked between us. "We heard yelling. Should we come back?"

"No," Lucas said casually. "In fact, you might want to hear this juicy news. Alec found his mate."

Gary blinked. "Wait, what?"

Nina squealed in excitement.

"Congratulations, Alec!"

"No, no, not yet," Lucas said, raising a hand. "He’s mated to Valen Hunter’s daughter. Can the congratulations roll in now?”

Gary went pale. I didn’t speak. Nina stepped forward, watching me.

"I don’t think you should fight the bond," she said softly, looking at me like she used to, like she saw the things I didn’t say.

My feelings for her had faded. And now that my chance of finally experiencing the bond, the very one that made her break up with me and be with Gary, was here, it felt like a curse.

Lucas choked in anger. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? You’re siding with the enemy?"

"I’m not," Nina said calmly. "I’m saying fate doesn’t care about bloodlines or wars. It chooses for us."

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

"Don’t even go there," Nina cut in sharply. "You don’t get to use my gender to dismiss my experience. I know what a bond feels like. It tore me from Alec and gave me to Gary. I didn’t want it at first, but it was stronger than my hesitations."

Her voice softened as she looked at her husband, and I almost rolled my eyes, sick of their constant display.

Four years married, and still they acted like the world revolved around them.

Nina looked at me again, pleading.

"I know a part of you still hates what I did. But I didn’t stop loving you. Only the love changed. That’s what the bond does. It makes your mate your entire world. It makes you feel things you never imagined possible."

I clenched my fists. "Would you still love Gary if his father had slaughtered yours? If his pack had destroyed your legacy?”

She hesitated.

"I thought as much," I muttered, looking away.

"Her father is dead," she said. "Her pack is under a stronghold. We won. She has no title, no protection. She’s just a servant girl."

"She’s not just a girl," Lucas snapped. "She’s a symbol. The pack would revolt the moment they learned the truth."

The door opened. Maya swept in, and beside her was Lucas’s wife, Isabella. They were best friends. And the biggest gossip in this palace. With Isabella, news spread faster through her than any media.

"Finally, the whole friend group is here," Maya whined, crossing her arms. "Can you all beg Alec for me? He keeps avoiding me like I have the plague."

I could hear Nina’s not-so-subtle sigh. Nina and I had things to fix, but I’d choose her a million times over Maya.

The icing on the cake? Nina didn’t like Maya one bit.

"Alpha Alec, I think you should listen to Maya," Isabella said. "Don’t forget she’s carrying your child. Pregnancy isn’t a walk in the park," she added sweetly.

I turned to face Maya. "The only reason you’re here is because you’re carrying that baby, and I know this was a carefully thought-out plan between you and your father to trap me."

Her eyes narrowed. "So now it’s my fault? You didn’t stop me that night. You let it happen. You wanted it too!"

"I can’t remember a thing," I said, slightly amused. "You’re dressing up a nonexistent fling like it was a real relationship."

"That was out of line," Lucas said to me.

Maya was so spoiled that she clung to any support she got. She burst into tears.

"Is there someone else? Is that why he’s rejecting me?"

Lucas and Isabella rushed to console her.

"He’s Alpha. He can have whoever he wants. Doesn’t your father have his own harem of women in his house?" Nina said.

That hit hard. The hatred between Nina and Maya was mutual. Maya glared at Nina.

"Oh, shut up,” Maya barked. “I wouldn’t even be surprised if you’re the one preventing me from enjoying my man."

"Trust me, honey, if I wanted to, I would have," Nina said. Her husband nudged her.

"I’ll find out who she is," Maya hissed. "And if I ever do, she’s dead."

She stormed out, Isabella right behind her. I scoffed and poured myself a shot of tequila.

"It’s going to get worse," Lucas said to me. "Kill her before she burns down everything you’ve built.”