Alethea
The past few weeks have been some of the best of my life. For the first time, I truly understand what it feels like to be happy.
Most mornings, I wake up to breakfast in bed, the scent of warm pastries and fresh coffee in the air.
Sometimes, I find a heartfelt note beside my plate, Asher’s words lifting my spirit and making me smile like a lovestruck fool for the rest of the day.
Other times, it’s flowers-a bouquet that brightens my morning and reminds me just how much he cares.
The tension when I returned to the pack slowly faded. People around me now acknowledge me with nods and smiles. It’s a small but meaningful shift, one I don’t take for granted.
But despite this progress, Asher has been careful about making our bond public. The threats surrounding us haven’t disappeared, and until it’s safe, he refuses to draw unnecessary attention to me.
Asher constantly complains about us not sharing a room, but I refuse-for now. Not because I don’t want to, but because I know I can’t keep up with his insatiable desires.
My body still hasn’t fully recovered, and the exhaustion is more than I care to admit.
I confided in Selena about it, expecting her to share my worries, but she brushed it off with a laugh.
“It’s nothing serious,” she said. “You just need to stop overthinking and give yourself time.”
Her reassurance brings some relief, but deep down, I know I need more answers. If my strength doesn’t return soon, I may have to look elsewhere for a solution.
Perhaps a witch could help me.
“You’re glowing, Ally,” Kayla’s voice breaks through my thoughts.
I turn to her, as my heart swells with warmth. She has been upset with me for a while that I kept Asher’s condition from her after he was attacked. I explained it to her over and over, apologizing each time.
Still, she is here. “Thank you, Kayla, for always being there for me,” I say, reaching for her hand.
But as I look into her eyes, something feels off. There’s a distance in them, a weight she carries that I haven’t noticed before.
I feel guilty. What kind of friend am I if I haven’t even seen this?
“Are you okay?” I ask, studying her face.
She fidgets with her fingers, this act only makes my concern grow.
“Talk to me, Kayla. Whatever it is, let’s share the burden. Even if it’s just a little, it’ll help,” I urge gently.
She lets out a long sigh, her shoulders slump as if she has been holding this in for too long.
“It’s Ryder,” she says, with a small voice but you can tell that it’s heavy.
I waited, hoping she would continue, but she didn’t say a word afterward.
When she doesn’t say anything more, I know I need to push.
“What about Ryder?” I ask.
She glances around, her body tensed, and my heart tells me that whatever she is about to say is serious.
“He says I’m his mate,” she finally whispers, her eyes meeting mine.
I freeze, in confusion. “He said you’re his mate? But, Kayla, you have a wolf. Why don’t you feel it?”
She lets out a shaky breath. “That’s the problem, Ally. I do have a wolf. And I am attracted to him-so much that it terrifies me. I feel things for him that I have never felt for anyone before. But I can’t feel the bond. Not the way everyone else describes it.”
I frown, as I think back to the first time I met Asher. I didn’t have a wolf then, but I heard that unmistakable voice in my head saying, mate.
“So what do you think is the problem, Kayla? Why can’t you feel it?”
Her lips tremble slightly before she whispers, “Maybe I’m cursed, Ally.”
My eyes shoot up in shock. “Don’t say that, Kayla! Goddess, how can you even think that?”
“It’s possible, Ally. You know I’m not from here. And no one here can give me the answers I need because I don’t know my birth parents.”
“But Asher’s parents know, right?”
“I guess so, but they never talked about it, and I never thought to question it. They never gave me a reason to.”
I nod slowly, understanding but I can tell there’s more.
“Is there anything else bothering you?” I ask gently, as I watch her closely.
“Yes, Ryder has been arranged to mate with someone else,” she admits. “And every time I think about it, Ally, my heart aches in a way I can barely contain. It clenches so hard like it’s going to be ripped away.”
I can feel her pain; it’s raw, as her emotions spill into every word. “It’s painful, Ally, that I can’t be with someone my heart beats for. Ryder is that perfect guy. He has his flaws, but so far, he has been nothing short of perfect. He never stops telling me how much he loves me, and with each passing day, it only gets stronger.”
I exhale softly. “I know that feeling, Kayla. You, of all people, know how I watched from the sidelines while Asher was with Maya.”
She nods, with her lips quivering, before she asks, “Why can’t he just tell his family that he has found his mate?”
“He says that the marriage is important to strengthen the bond between the two families. Their parents already sealed the agreement to merge their businesses.”
I struggle to find the right words to soothe her aching heart, but one thing I know for sure is that their love is meant to prevail.
“You and Ryder are destined by the Moon Goddess, Kayla. No matter what, fate will find a way.”
Her eyes lift to mine, I can see that it’s filled with hope.
“Are you sure, Ally?” she groans, running a hand through her hair. “I don’t know why I believe you so much, maybe because you went through the same thing before.”
I smile gently. “Let that trust be your guiding light, Kayla.”
She tilts her head slightly, as her gaze drifts far away. A faint blush spreads across her cheeks, and for the first time since our conversation started, I see something else in her expression-excitement.
Gosh, what could have earned such a reaction from her?
I follow her gaze, and then I see him.
Ryder.
Dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt, his dark locks pulled back into a tight knot, he stands like a force that demands attention.
He is effortlessly good-looking-the kind of man who draws people in without even trying. Anyone would fall into his trap at first glance.
But he isn’t looking at just anyone.
His eyes are locked on Kayla.
From across, he watches her like she is the only thing that matters. Like he would rather be anywhere in the world than here-around Liam. I don’t blame him.
He raises a hand and waves.
Kayla and I wave back, and then I see it-that broad smile, the one meant only for her.
Then-
In the blink of an eye-
A piercing sound shatters the moment.
My head snaps toward the source, as my heart hammers in my chest.
And then-
I see it.
My breath catches.
My eyes widened in shock.
Oh, Goddess-
This can’t be real.