Word Count: 1543

~Meara

I push away from Sire, whirling around to face him.

My cheeks are flushed with shame, knowing I've been caught in a lie that I'm not going to be able to escape from. Sire wouldn't have brought me back here so promptly if he didn't know something was going on.

"Why don't you sit down." He motions into the other room, his stare ice cold.

"Take me back, Sire," I growl.

He brushes past me, shaking his head. "You're not going anywhere."

My jaw tightens as I narrow my eyes at his back, contemplating ways to get out of this conversation. He won't understand, even if what I'm trying to do is for his benefit. He would rather kill Carran now then continue hiding.

"I just needed a break..." I exclaim, following him into the sitting room.

Sire waves his hand in the direction of the double glass doors. They swing open, a warm breeze flowing in, contrasting against the chill that has seized my insides.

"I know you were with Carran," he mutters, falling into his brown leather seat, letting out a long sigh. "Are you in love with him?"

The thought is so disturbing, so left-field that I almost laugh.

"Absolutely not," I splutter. "I went there to see if he wanted to align with me. But not for love."

To Sire's credit, he is remarkably calm, although the depth of rage buried in his eyes conveys the real truth. He is furious, and I don't blame him.

"Did he?" His voice is deceptively calm.

"He agreed," I say quickly, tensing as I anticipate his reaction. He taps his fingers against the arm of the chair, the consistent rhythm disconcerting.

"It's not happening."

I steel myself, knowing I need to get this out. "What is the alternative? If he sees the curse has ended, he may ask one of his witches how. If they figure it out, he will know you're alive, that you're not trapped in the tomb anymore, and he will use all his force to come after you."

Carran won't underestimate either of us if we force his hand. He will harm my mate, which is a thought I cannot bear, regardless of how I feel about him.

And he will come for me...Any chance at a normal life will be taken from me.

"That's no problem for me. I'm going to kill him anyways," he says. I roll my eyes, expecting that exact reaction.

"Sire. Be serious."

"We can't hide it from him much longer," he reminds me coolly. "As soon as the curse is lifted, I will be working out how to regain my Pack. He will learn of me eventually."

"But-"

He holds his hand up, silencing me. "I am far stronger than him. I can keep us both safe."

I sigh through my nose. His powers allow him to kill everyone on the face of this earth without mercy, without any struggle from him. That isn't what I want, though. We need to balance our survival with everyone else.

"I just don't want any harm to come to you," I breathe, stepping toward him.

"It won't," he assures me. He stands swiftly, closing the gap between us. "Please do this with me, Meara. I should have asked the first time, I just assumed it was obvious."

I close my eyes. Either way, there is a risk. What it comes down to is who I would rather have this connection with.

All I know is it's definitely not Carran...

"It is obvious," I finally admit. "We can do it."

Sire immediately smiles, the tension melting from his face. After what I did, I don't think he thought me saying yes to aligning with him was a guarantee, unlike the mate bond.

"Are you ready to be connected to me like that?" He asks, raising a curious brow.

I rub the back of my neck. That part I'm nervous about, but I will get used to it. I'm sure it isn't much different from the mate bond.

"I basically am connected to you like that now. You know everywhere I go," I remind him, laughing a little. The fact that he was able to track me down so quickly is both disturbing and fascinating.

"It's part of my power," he explains casually, shrugging. "How does tomorrow sound?"

"Works for me," I tell him tightly.

The sooner the better, for the fate of everyone. Plus, Carran should be too busy thinking I'm going to be aligning with him to notice anything being out of the ordinary.

"So, you're not angry?" I ask tentatively, remembering the quiet rage when he first brought me back here.

He frowns, looking out across the room and through the window, where the tree's wave gently in the breeze. He lets out a long, slow breath, forcing himself to be calm.

"The thought of Carran touching you like he would have if you went through with the ceremony fills me with more rage than I care to admit," he says carefully, the dark shadows beneath his eyes seeming to intensify despite the lightness in the room.

"It's not happening now," I remind him, painting on a smile before it fades at the reminder of why going through with this isn't so simple. "But there is still the issue of you killing him."

"I'm starting to realise I've been paying attention to the wrong things," he murmurs. "I need to make you mine, and if that means holding off, I'll do it."

My brows raise. I had expected some more resistance, or for him to blatantly tell me he is going to kill Carran the moment the curse has ended.

"Holding off, huh?" I say lightly, feeling the need to be humorous to get past my shock.

He wants to make me his. The thought is thrilling, my heart thundering against my ribs, but it's also terrifying.

The corner of his mouth curves upward. "For a bit, at least."

I step toward him, grabbing both his hands in mine. "Thank you."

His gaze softens and he squeezes my hand. For the first time since I met him, I feel ready to take the plunge into the unknown with him. I'm just hoping he keeps his end of the bargain with Carran, and actually holds off long enough for us to come up with a non-invasive answer to our problem.

Because regardless of any way I feel, I know Sire would be a good Alpha. He needs to be Alpha again.

"What do you think it's going to feel like to be aligned?" I ask him.

"Incredible. It will be a feeling I've waited for forever," he says earnestly. My skin warms. I've wanted a mate forever, and now I'm getting a mate bond, and even more...I should be jumping up and down in celebration.

"Can you tell me more about what life was like before you were cursed?" I ask, trying to steer the conversation in a different direction before I get too caught up in thinking about tomorrow.

Regardless of my decision to go through with this, I'm still nervous.

Sire's expression grows grave before he brushes past me, walking toward the glass doors. "It was lonely, mostly. I loved my Pack, but many feared me."

"I'm sorry." I follow him out onto the balcony, letting the warm breeze glide over my skin.

Sire looks down at me, the light brightening the depths of his ocean blue eyes. "I dreamt of my mate. Every day, even when I was being threatened."

"I hope I'm enough for you." I swallow past a thick lump in my throat.

It hasn't gone unnoticed by me that Sire's power is remarkable, and I am just a girl who was destined to live a normal, mundane life. In many ways I don't feel like an equal to him, like I deserve to be a mated to him, let alone be a Luna of a Pack one day.

"You are everything I've ever wanted," he insists gently, looking down at me like I'm crazy for even bringing that up.

All the thoughts breeze out of my head as I stare up at him, my gaze slowly drifting down to my lips. I don't want to live in doubt anymore, I just want to drown in him.

"Kiss me," I breathe.

He doesn't hesitate, but he takes his time, dipping his head down slowly to press his lips against mine.

I melt into the feeling of his hands as they hold the side of my face. His kiss doesn't push me, and doesn't go beyond something gentle and sweet, even if I want it to.

Tomorrow we will be aligned, and more than a sweet kiss will be needed to complete the ceremony.

And even though I'm afraid, I'm ready.

🤍••🤍

Want more?? This story is available 10 chapters ahead on Goodnovel! (:



Thanks for reading (:

Check out The Alpha's Prize on Wattpad now!!

"...I've never had an orgasm before!" I blurt out, backing away a few steps.

He sits up, dark hair ruffled and messy from the fingers I ran through it. His eyes, once wide, slowly darken.

"You what?" He breathes.



~Midika 💜🐼