The Alpha’s Regret: My Secret Siphon Heirs

Chapter 8: The Negotiation- part 1

POV: Elena

The silence that followed my demand was not empty; it was heavy, pressurized by the sheer force of Cassian’s presence.

He stood in the center of my clinic like a storm cloud tethered to the floorboards. The scent of cedarwood and lightning, once the scent of my home, now the scent of my executioner, seemed to thicken, swirling around the room as if trying to find a c***k in my composure.

I didn't give him one. I remained behind my counter, my hands resting lightly on the polished wood, my amethyst-ringed gaze locked onto his silver one. I could feel the Siphon hunger within me pulsing in time with the thrum of his Alpha aura.

To a Siphon, a High Alpha wasn't just a man; he was a sun, a blinding reservoir of raw, edible energy. My skin itched with the urge to reach out and simply take.

"A King's ransom?" Cassian finally spoke, his voice a low, dangerous rumble that vibrated through the floorboards.

He took a slow step toward the counter, his eyes narrowing as they searched the intricate lace of my mask.

"You speak to a King as if you have the power to bankrupt him, Healer. Do you have any idea how many people would kill for the chance to even stand in the presence of the Silver Moon Alpha?"

"I am not 'many people,' Alpha," I replied, the mask distorting my voice into a cool, metallic hum. "And I am quite certain the 'presence' of the Silver Moon is exactly what brought that rot into Silas’s veins. Your power is a beacon. It attracts things that want to feed. Right now, I am the only thing standing between your Beta and a very agonizing grave. So, do not talk to me of status. Talk to me of payment."

Cassian paused, his nostrils flaring. He was close enough now that I could see the faint stubble along his jaw, the exhaustion etched into the corners of his eyes. He was captivated, I could see it in the way his pupils blown wide. He wasn't used to being spoken to this way. He wasn't used to a woman who looked at his crown and saw only a debt.

"Gold," he said, his voice dropping an octave. "You'll have enough to pave the streets of Oakhaven. I will send a caravan of silver-root, mountain sage, and every rare reagent your clinic requires. But I want the curse gone. Completely."

"The gold is only the beginning," I said, leaning forward slightly. The violet light in my eyes flared, reflecting off the glass vials behind me. "I want total anonymity. When I enter your territory, I am a ghost. No one is to see my face. No one is to ask for my name. My 'assistants' are to be treated with the same level of untouchability as a Royal guest. If a single member of your pack so much as tries to lift a corner of my veil, the deal is void and I leave your Beta to turn to ash."

I saw the flicker of frustration in his silver eyes. He wanted to know who I was. The Alpha in him was screaming to unmask the mystery, to solve the puzzle of the woman who didn't tremble in his wake.

"You demand a lot for a rogue," he murmured.

"I demand exactly what I am worth," I countered. "You are not paying for a healer, Cassian. You are paying for an equalizer. I have to take that rot into my own body to neutralize it. I have to risk my own core to save a man who, frankly, means nothing to me. If that isn't worth a ransom, then perhaps Silas isn't as valuable to you as you claim."

The air in the room grew cold as Cassian’s temper flared. He slammed a hand onto the counter, the wood groaned, but I didn't flinch.

"Do not question my loyalty to my men," he hissed. "Silas is my brother in all but blood. I would burn this forest to the ground to keep him breathing."

"Then stop posturing and start signing," I said, sliding a piece of enchanted parchment across the counter. "This is a blood-contract. It ensures you keep your word on the anonymity. Once the ink is dry, I will begin the preparations."

Cassian looked at the parchment, then back at me. There was a strange look in his eyes, a mixture of suspicion and a deep, haunting curiosity. He reached for the quill, but he didn't pick it up immediately. Instead, he let his fingers brush against mine.

The contact was electric.

A jolt of pure Alpha magic surged through the touch, and for a split second, the Siphon in me screamed in delight. I felt the heat of him, the raw, untamed power of the Blackwood line. And for a terrifying heartbeat, I felt the phantom pull of the mate bond, the shredded, jagged edges of the link I had tried so hard to cauterize.

I jerked my hand back as if burned, my breath catching behind the mask.

Cassian froze, his eyes widening. He felt it too, the spark, the impossible familiarity. He leaned in closer, his scent of cedarwood and lightning suddenly overwhelming.