Alec’s

I get out of the car the moment the driver parks it in front of the pack house. I stop and just stare at the huge mansion. I don’t why, but I expected things to have changed, but it’s still the same.

I feel Alec’s presence behind me, but I ignore him. I just focus on the house as memories upon memories invade my head.

This had once been my dream. To be Alec’s Luna. To rule by his side. I always imagined our children running around inside, playing, while I baked and tried to avoid crashing into them.

I imagined the pack house filled with their love, laughter and joy. Yes, we would have had our own house, but most of our days would be spent here because this is where the Alpha and Luna offices are.

It had been hard to let go of those dreams. It had been sad to watch them die in that room underground. It had crashed me, realizing that I’d built fairy tales around Alec, not realizing what a monster he was.

Now here I was, I had his child, and we were mates, but our life was nothing like I’d imagined it would be. Instead, I hated him, and I was only here because we both wanted something from each other.

“Are you okay?”

If he asks me that one more time, I swear I’m going to punch him. I wasn’t okay and I doubt I’ll ever be.

“Let’s just get this over and done with,” I reply and start walking.

I knew this place like the back of my hands. Piper and I spent countless hours exploring the inside of the pack house and outside. I didn’t really need him to guide me or anything.

I feel his hear behind. I quicken my steps so that I can put some distance between us. I didn’t like him near me. His presence affects me and not in any good way.

When we get inside, it’s the same. The décor, the furniture, everything is still the same. Maybe had mated Lola, she would have done a touch up and changed a few

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things. He didn’t get to mark and mate her so the pack house remained the same.

“Could you please assign a room for Aspen?” I ask once I’m done surveying the place. “She needs to be put down.”

We had left early, so it was around eleven in the morning. Usually, there wouldn’t be a lot of pack members around, given there is school and work, but today it was emptier than I remember. Maybe it’s because many of them were wounded, and the rest were probably resting after the attack.

He calls one of the passing omegas. Her eyes round into two huge saucers when she sees me. She’s shocked, and her mouth keeps opening and closing like a fish out of water.

“Are the guestrooms ready?” Alec’s voice makes her turn.

I would have taken it as disrespect for the way she stared directly into my eyes, bu I wasn’t in the mood to scold her or put her in her place.

“Yes, Alpha. Elder Martin had us prepare them,” she answers looking at her feet.

“Will you be sharing a bedroom with Aspen? I had them prepare a bedroom for her, but she can sleep with you if that’s what you want.” Alec turns and addresses me, just as the rest come in.

“I’d prefer she sleeps with m,e” I answer, before turning to Martha. “Please take her. Once I’m done, I’ll come find you.”

Martha gently takes Aspen from me. That kid can sleep like a log. With a nod, she follows the Omega. I watch them as they climb the stairs before they disappear.

“First thing is first, we need to fill the Elders in. I’ve already called a meeting, and they’ll be here in a couple of minutes,” Alec announces. “This way.”

“Don’t touch me,” I grind through my teeth when he goes to place his hand on my lower back.

Like I said, I didn’t want him anywhere near me. I didn’t want his heat, or his touch. It wasn’t because I was avoiding the mate bond, but it was because his touch left a lasting memory. I always wanted him to touch me, but the many times he did, he brought me nothing but pain.

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He clenches his jaw, but says nothing. Instead, he goes ahead of me and leads the way. Minutes later, I realize that we were headed to the conference room. We get there and minutes later, the other Elders arrive.

“What is she doing here? And how is she alive?” one of them asks in shock.

They were all surprised to see me. Surprised that I was still alive. I guess it’s not every day that someone you thought died, rises from the dead.

There wasn’t any malice in their gaze. Not like there was three years back. All I could see now was surprise and curiosity. I guess learning that Lola wasn’t really Alec’s true mate dampened their hate for me.

“I know you all remember who Sadie is,” Alec asks, pinning them with his intense

gaze.

They all nod their head, but don’t say anything.

“Well, I’m just going to come out and say it, she’s my mate.”

Is it possible for a room to become even more silent than it was? It was deathly quiet as they all stared between Alec and me, their eyes conveying a number of

emotions.

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“Is this what you meant by new development? And are you absolutely sure?” Elder/ Martin asks him.

A muscle ticks in Alec’s jaw, but he nods. “Yes. We confirmed it. She does have the mark.”

“Can we see it?” another elder asks.

Swiping my hair from my shoulder, I show them the mark. I just wanted this whole conversation to be over so that I can go and collect my thoughts.

“This is an amazing development. Now we have hope,” I think his name is Richard, says in pure joy.

There were twelve Elders, and I never really bothered to know all their names. I always thought that would happen later, after Alec and I mated.

+5Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

“This is the goddess’s doing,” a brown-haired elder says. “Don’t you see, she knew that Lola was an impostor. What happened that night between Sadie and Alec was the goddess’s way of stopping Alec from making a mistake. A mistake that would have cost us had he gone through with marking and mating Lola”

“S**t” Micah whispers, but because of werewolf hearing, his voice is clear. “He is right. Had Alec mated Lola, we would have been doomed. Unknowingly, he would have forever destroyed the bond between him and Sadie.”

They were both right, but I didn’t want to think about it. If Alec had marked Lola like it had been planned, it would have ensured the death of our bond. Meaning even after I turned twenty-one, I wouldn’t have been able to sense him and vice

versa.

The curse would have destroyed them and they wouldn’t have been able to figure out why.

“That isn’t important,” I cut in, shaking those thoughts away. “How am I supposed to help break the curse? Alec told me that my presence alone would be enough to help strengthen the pack and heal them, but what about permanently breaking the curse?”

This was the reason why I was here. It wasn’t to talk about how everything happened for a reason. Or how fate did her thing and stopped Alec from making a mistake.

They all shift uncomfortably and stare at each other.

Elder Martin steps forward, looking unsure. “We don’t really know how to break the curse.”

“What are you saying?” Raven asks,

“Exactly. We don’t know how to break the curse. All we know is what is written. That the Alpha’s mate has the power to destroy the curse, but there is no text telling us exactly how you are supposed to do it.”

“You’re kidding me, right?” I ask, trying to push down the panic.

“I wish I were, but I am not. No one has any idea of how to break this d**n curse. It’s been plaguing this pack for years.”

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I thought it would be easy. I’d come, do some ceremony or some s**t like that, be done with it then be on my way back home. I thought it would take maybe a maximum of five days. Now it seems that won’t be the case and I have to stay until it’s broken.

D**n it! Can things get any harder?