The One The Alpha Hates The Most.
1203 Words
I leaned back against the doorway and slowly slid down until I was sitting on the cold floor. My mind was spinning. What am I supposed to do? I can’t reject them, and I can’t accept them. What kind of choice is that? Would it be easier to die than live like this? I can’t handle that many alphas. At least Zyraeth gets to reject me. Seventeen of them remain.
I closed my eyes, feeling weak and dazed. I could hear Nero and Elandor arguing somewhere nearby, but I didn’t have the energy to focus on their words. Even using my wolf's hearing felt exhausting.
A slow heat began spreading through my body, and I sighed in frustration. My heat will start in a few days. I was supposed to spend that time with my mate. Isn't it? But now I have multiple mates. How am I supposed to handle that? Does that mean I’ll have to face it alone?
I’ve heard it becomes painful if you don’t complete the bond once you’ve found your mate. The body doesn’t simply ignore it.
I don’t know how to fix this. My life feels completely out of control. I need to talk to Mom and Dad before everything falls apart even more.
I pulled my knees to my chest and rested my forehead against them, trying to steady my breathing. Talking to Rhydian earlier had left me strangely unsettled.
He said nothing wrong. It was just… the way he spoke to me.
The awkwardness between us, or was it just me?
I sighed.
A wave of dizziness washed over me. Someone tapped my shoulder. I lifted my head slowly and found Nero crouched in front of me, his expression soft with concern.
“You shouldn’t sleep here,” he breathed. “Aren’t you cold?”
I rubbed my face and yawned, stretching my arms over my head before shaking it. “I’m not cold.”
“That’s good.” He stood and offered me his hand. “Dinner’s ready. Come, eat.”
I took it, letting him pull me to my feet.
“I can’t believe I fell asleep,” I murmured, glancing toward the darkening sky beyond the window. “It was as bright as a second ago.”
“Time runs fast,” he replied quietly.
He kept hold of my hand as we walked downstairs at an unhurried pace. The house felt unusually still. When we reached the dining table, he pulled out a chair for me before taking his own seat.
He uncovered several dishes, the scent of warm food filling the dining room.
I reached for a plate and began serving myself while he did the same.
“Where are Mom and Dad?” I asked, noticing the empty seats around us.
“They’re at Elandor’s house.”
“Oh,” I nodded. At least they’re safe.
Nero poured himself a glass of water. “I don’t want you worrying about anything. Just eat well and get some rest tonight.”
“As if it were that easy,” I muttered. “My whole body aches. I keep hearing voices inside my head. Like whispers. It stops and continues. I don’t even know why.”
“It’s probably because of your mates,” he said carefully, reaching across the table for a piece of chicken. “Eat properly so you can take your doses. We’ve already booked tickets to Los Angeles. We’re flying in three days. Which means we are not using Rhydian's private plane.”
I paused mid-bite. “Los Angeles?”
“Yeah. At snow hill.”
“Is that where Myrel is?”
“It is. That’s where he’s based.”
Myrel. It sounds familiar.
“How long will it take to get there from Hawthorne Vale?”
“Five, maybe six hours,” he said after a moment’s thought. “We leave at noon.”
I nodded slowly and continued eating, trying to process everything. After a moment, I looked back up at him.
“So… who is he? Is he a Kaelith?”
“Yes.”
My fork froze halfway to my mouth. “What? Does that mean he’s—”
“No,” Nero cut in firmly. “I don’t think so. He wasn’t present during the mating ceremony.”
I exhaled, unsure whether that reassured me or not.
“But I’ve been meaning to ask something,” I said hesitantly. “Why is Elthryn’s blood poisonous? Because he’s a hybrid? And why do I have to take Myrel’s blood to get cured?”
Nero went quiet for a second.
“Elthryn didn’t give you his blood,” he said at last. “He injected his venom into you.”
I stared at him in shock.
“Vampires and werewolves don't work together. He was trying to sever your bonds,” Nero continued. “All of them. Including mine. That’s why you’ve been aching. We’ve only been suppressing the poison to keep it from spreading further.”
“Sever the bonds? Between me and…” I was confused. "But I haven't bonded with—”
“In the core of your werewolf, all the alphas bond to it.” He looked closely at me. “We just have to be accepted by you to complete the transition of the bond.”
“Why didn’t you say that before?” My voice came out smaller than I meant it to.
He sighed. “I didn’t want to overwhelm you. But that’s the truth. The Alpha already decided he wants you dead. The plan was to let the venom consume you slowly and make it look like your body couldn’t handle having too many mates.”
The room felt colder.
My God.
“Myrel is different,” Nero said more quietly.
I swallowed. “Different how?”
“People call him the Swan,” he said. “Myrel comes from the first wolves of our clan, the original bloodline. He isn’t like Elthryn. He’s a pureblood. The last of the first-line werewolves.”
“The First-Line?”
“Yes. His ancestors never mixed their blood with other packs. They kept their lineage for generations. Myrel is the last of them. If he dies, that bloodline disappears completely. The power in his blood dies with him. That’s why his blood can cure you.”
I stared down at my plate, appetite fading.
“But what if he refuses to help me?”
“Myrel won’t,” Nero said immediately. “He has a kind heart. He’ll make sure you’re safe.”
Too bad he isn’t your mate.
He didn’t say it, but I heard it anyway.
The Swan.
A pure first-line werewolf.
I didn’t even know such a bloodline still existed.
How is it that everyone else knows so much more than I do? We live in the same pack. The same territory. However, I feel as if I arrived in this world.
A second ago.
Maybe Zyraeth was right. Maybe I really am sheltered.
“And we need Zyraeth,” Nero added suddenly.
I looked up. “Why?”
“He’s the one the Alpha hates the most.”
My heart skipped. “What? Why?”
- Writer
