An Alpha's Longing

Chapter 3

MALEK'S POV

Back to the present.

The couch was possibly the most uncomfortable sleeping surface I'd ever encountered, and that included the

time I'd been forced to sleep on a pile of rocks during military training. The strange flat cushions provided no

real support, and every time I shifted position, the entire contraption creaked ominously like it might collapse.

But it wasn't the couch keeping me awake - it was the sounds. This realm never seemed to quiet down. Even

deep into the night, I could hear the rumbling of those metal beasts Alyssa called cars, distant shouts from the

street, and a constant humming that seemed to come from the walls themselves.

I'd finally managed to drift off when the most unholy screeching pierced the air, jolting me upright with my hand instinctively reaching for my sword. The noise came again - sharp, repetitive beeps that sounded like some kind of alarm.

"Shut up," came Alyssa's muffled voice from the other room, followed by a loud thunk.

The screeching stopped, and I heard her moving around. A few minutes later, she emerged wearing loose clothing that looked like sleepwear, her dark hair sticking up at odd angles.

"Morning, Your Majesty," she said with obvious sarcasm. "Sleep well on your royal throne?"

"That thing you call a couch is clearly designed to torture prisoners," I replied, rubbing a crick in my neck. "In my realm, even the servants have better accommodations."

She snorted, heading toward what appeared to be a small kitchen area. "Right, your realm. Almost forgot about that." She began doing something with a strange black machine that started making gurgling sounds. "So tell me again why you're really here? And don't give me that mate-finding story."

I stood up, attempting to restore some dignity to my wrinkled clothing. "It's not a story. I am Prince Malek of the Moonstone Pack, heir to the werewolf throne, and I'm here to fulfill an ancient blood pact with my destined mate."

Alyssa paused in whatever she was doing and turned to stare at me. For a long moment, neither of us spoke. Then she started laughing - not just a chuckle, but full-blown, tears-in-her-eyes laughter that went on for nearly a full minute.

"Oh my god," she gasped, wiping her eyes. "That's the best thing I've heard all year. Werewolf prince! Did you practice that in the mirror?"

Heat rose in my cheeks. "I am not jesting."

"Sure you're not." She turned back to her machine, which had finished making its strange sounds. She poured dark liquid into a cup and took a sip. "Let me guess - you can transform into a wolf at will, you have super strength, and you're probably immortal too?"

"Actually, my wolf hasn't emerged yet, which is precisely why I'm in this situation. And I'm not immortal, though we do live considerably longer than humans."

She was grinning now, clearly enjoying what she thought was an elaborate joke. "This keeps getting better. So

you're a werewolf prince without a werewolf. That's like being a vampire who's afraid of blood."

"It's more complicated than that-"

"I'm sure it is." She opened a tall white box and pulled out several items. "Look, whatever your real story is, you

can't stay here indefinitely. My best friends is coming over tomorrow and she's not as tolerant of strays as I am."

"Strays?"

"Random people who show up in costume claiming to be supernatural royalty." She began doing something

with bread and what looked like preserved meats. "You need a job."

I stared at her. "A what?"

"Job. Work. Employment. How do you think you're going to survive here without money?"

"I'm royalty. Royalty doesn't work."

"Well, Your Majesty, hate to break it to you, but in this realm, everybody works. Even crazy people who think

they're werewolf princes."

The very suggestion was absurd. "I have never performed manual labor in my life. I was trained in warfare,

politics, and leadership - not whatever menial tasks you're suggesting."

"Good news then," she said, taking another sip of her dark beverage. “I own a bakery and I'm looking for help,

there's a perfect entry-level job for someone with no experience in the real world like you."

"A bakery?" I couldn't hide my disgust. "You want me to... bake bread?"

"Among other things, yeah. and I'm not gonna pry on your fantasy delusion, just show up and do the work."

"This is preposterous. I am a prince!"

"And I'm the Queen of England, but I still have to pay rent." She finished preparing what looked like a meal and

handed it to me on a flat ceramic disc. "Eat this. You look like you haven't had a decent meal in days."

I examined the offering suspiciously. It appeared to be bread with various items layered between two pieces.

"What is it?"

"A sandwich. Bread, meat, cheese. Basic human food."

I took a cautious bite and was surprised to find it quite pleasant, if simple. "This is... adequate."

"High praise from royalty." She sat across from me with her own sandwich. "So this mate of yours - what's she

like?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know? How can you not know what your own mate is like?"

I swallowed another bite before answering. "The situation is... complex. I've never actually met her."

"Let me get this straight." Alyssa leaned back in her chair. "You traveled to another realm to find a mate you've

never met, don't know what she looks like, have no idea where she lives, and you expect her to just... what? Fall

madly in love with you and abandon her entire life?"

When she put it like that, it did sound rather unreasonable. "There's a connection between us. A bond that

transcends normal understanding."

"Uh-huh." Her expression was growing more concerned and less amused. "And what happens if she doesn't

want to come with you?"

The memory of Gideon's whispered words in the portal chamber made my stomach clench. "That's not an

option."

"It's always an option, Malek. Women aren't property you can just claim."

"It's not like that-"

"Then what is it like? Because from where I'm sitting, it sounds like you're planning to kidnap some poor girl

who has no idea you exist."

"I would never force her to do anything against her will." The words came out more defensively than I'd

intended. "The bond between mates is sacred. Once we meet, she'll understand."

Alyssa was quiet for a long moment, studying my face with an expression I couldn't read. Finally, she spoke, and

her voice was gentler than before.

"Malek, I think you need help. Professional help."

"I'm not sick."

"You believe you're a werewolf prince from another dimension, searching for a mate you've never met based on some ancient prophecy. That's... that's not normal thinking."

Before I could respond, she stood up and began gathering the empty plates. "Look, I'm going to be late for work. Don't leave the apartment - this neighborhood isn't exactly friendly to people who stand out. And please, for the love of all that's holy, don't touch anything important."

She disappeared into another room, and I heard water running. When she emerged a few minutes later, she was dressed in different clothes and her hair was pulled back neatly.

"I'll be back around six," she said, grabbing keys and a small bag from near the door. "We'll figure out what to do with you then."

And with that, she was gone, leaving me alone in the strange apartment.

* * *

I spent the morning exploring the small space, fascinated despite myself by the various contraptions Alyssa owned. The kitchen contained devices I couldn't even begin to understand - boxes that kept food cold, others that seemed designed to heat it, and numerous smaller tools whose purposes were mysteries.

By midday, I was growing restless. The apartment felt like a cage, and I couldn't shake the feeling that I was wasting precious time. Every moment spent here was a moment not spent searching for my mate.

I decided to make myself useful by cleaning the space. Surely even royalty could manage such a simple task.

I started with the kitchen, attempting to organize the various items scattered across the surfaces. Unfortunately, my efforts to improve the arrangement of her belongings resulted in several broken pieces of what appeared to be decorative pottery. The water vessel I'd been trying to clean somehow became detached from the wall and began spraying water everywhere before I managed to make it stop.

Moving to the main living area, I tried to improve the positioning of the furniture, reasoning that the room would be more pleasant with better arrangement. However, the large viewing screen mounted on the wall

became dislodged during my efforts to move the cabinet beneath it, and it crashed to the floor with an impressive

amount of noise.

By the time I heard footsteps in the hallway outside, the apartment looked considerably worse than when I'd

started. Water had soaked into several pieces of fabric furniture, broken pottery was scattered across the kitchen

floor, and the viewing screen lay in several pieces near the wall.

The key turned in the lock, and I heard Alyssa's voice.

"Malek, I brought someone to meet you. This is my best friend..-"

The door opened, and instead of Alyssa, a tall woman with bright blonde hair stepped into the apartment. Her

eyes swept over the destruction I'd caused, then landed on me with an expression of pure fury.

"Who the hell are you," she said in a voice that could have frozen fire, "and why are you Alyssa's apartment