Loving The Alpha I Once Bullied

03 - Lightheaded

Ciara Raven didn’t want to be a werewolf again. It was a statement lofty enough to incite disaster upon the speaker from the Moon Goddess herself.

“What do you mean you don’t want to be a werewolf again? Are you prepared to die? Your life force is barely coping as it is. I can feel it about to die off completely, and yet, you’re reluctant to regain your wolf?”

Though his words were serious, Ashton was not yelling. His pitch was subtle yet impactful.

“Then let it die.” Ciara bit out.

Ashton cradled his face in his palms. How could she say something like that? How could someone be so unafraid of the nightmare that was death?

Ciara was clearly tired of living. It was as obvious as daylight to anyone who looked upon her exhausted being. But Ashton was too selfish to give her the unreal peace death brought.

Even if it was a tiny thread keeping her alive, he would hold onto it tightly and prevent her from leaving the land of the living.

“We just became mates and you’re speaking of death? I’m afraid that wish of yours will never be granted by me. Get up, the bath is running cold.” Ashton pulled Ciara up from the bed and led her to his bathroom.

He helped her settle inside the bathtub, and even went as far as to clean her up himself. There was not a word of protest from Ciara’s mouth as Ashton gently washed her.

It was as though she couldn’t care less about what he was doing to her. After the bath, he told her to stay put and went to the kitchen to bring her food to eat.

While Ashton’s heart was elated that he had reunited with Ciara and would take care of her well, Ciara’s heart was filled with doubts and bitterness.

‘Why is he doing all of this? What does he stand to gain from treating me this way? Doesn’t he know that I have absolutely nothing to offer?’

Questions like that spun inside Ciara’s head. Ashton didn’t want to sleep with her. He didn’t want to kill her either. Did he want to give her a taste of hope, then utterly destroy it, just like she had done to him in the past?

Was all his actions part of a grand scheme of revenge?

Ashton returned at that moment with a food tray in his hand and a bright smile on his lips.

“I know that you’re hungry. Eat this and rest for tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll talk about the mate bond, and I’ll tell my family about you.”

Ciara’s blood ran cold. He was going to tell his family about her? What about her? That he had bought her from an auction event and discovered they were mates? That he had forgotten about the past and was willing to move forward with her?

Why? Just why?

“Don’t think too much. Just eat.” Ashton settled down beside Ciara and began to feed her.

Ciara was close to spilling tears.

‘You’re supposed to hate me. Why are you being nice to me?’

She wanted to scream those words out loud, but she couldn’t. Instead, she let Ashton feed her till the plate became empty. She let him lie down beside her on his large bed.

She let him hold her hand and transfer calming energy to her so she could feel better and sleep with ease.

Though Ciara knew that nothing good could ever come from receiving kindness without giving anything in return, she couldn’t stop herself from appreciating the fact that after a long time, someone was actually being good to her.

***

The next day, Ciara had woken up next to a man who was watching her sleep with a smile on his lips.

Black hair disheveled, honey brown eyes roofed with long lashes, and a face that could soothe one’s heart upon looking at it. How had she ended up in bed with an angel?

She suddenly remembered the outrageous events that had transpired the previous night. The auction, the mate bond…

The sides of Ciara’s lips curved downwards.

“Do you normally wake up with a smile on your lips, then frown immediately afterwards?” Ashton questioned, his tone laced with amusement.

“Good morning,” Ciara looked away from him and got up from the bed, only to realize that she was miserably weak and fell back.

Ashton caught her and held her in his arms.

“Are you alright?” His sincerity was blinding.

Ciara disentangled herself from him as she said, “I am fine. I just get lightheaded sometimes.”

Ashton wanted to ask what the term ‘lightheaded’ meant in this context. But he knew it was because of her weak life force and the fact that her wolf was sealed.

Right now, Ciara’s state was like a half empty bottle of water punched with several holes and leaking. Any sudden hit to the bottle and all the water would spill out at once.

How could she still say that she was fine?

He moved past that because he realized Ciara wasn’t ready to open up to him yet. Afterwards, the two of them freshened up and went downstairs to have breakfast and talk with Ashton’s family.

“Good morning, everyone,” Ashton greeted as he stepped into the dining room.

His parents, Jeanette and Graham Smith, were already seated on the long dining table. His older brother, Colton, and his mate, Kyra, walked into the dining room at that moment.

“Brother. Sister-in-law,” he acknowledged the two of them.

Colton was about to respond when Jeanette’s voice tore through the air as she stood up from her chair.

“What is she doing here!?” Her tone was laced with disgust and rage. Her eyes were fixed on Ciara who was standing beside Ashton with her head hanging low.

After Jeanette’s outburst, the rest of the Smith family noticed Ciara and flinched with surprise.

“Ashton…?” Colton was at a loss for words, confused.

“I see that you all remember Ciara. Well, she’s my mate now, so I’d like you all to treat her well.” Ashton said with a closed-mouth smile.

The Smiths were stunned. Ciara’s stomach churned with shame and discomfort.

“Mate? What are you talking about? Get rid of that girl right now! I will not have her stand comfortably in this house!” Graham boomed, rising from his chair.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, father. Ciara is my mate. She will stay here.” Ashton countered with a firm tone, not raising his voice.

“When did she become your mate? Have you- have you been in contact with her all these years? Ashton, I thought you were over—”

Colton’s sentence was cut off as Ashton casually said, “The two of us met last night. A bond was formed. I brought her here.”

Ashton hid the fact that he had bought her from an auction. With good reason too. What would the Smiths think of Ciara if they found out that she had been used like a rag doll for years?

“Ashton, are you sure of what you’re talking about?” Kyra suddenly asked. She was known to be a soft-spoken person with a kind heart, but even she couldn't accept the fact that Ashton was mated to such a… vile person.

“Are you two really mates? Why all of sudden? Why did you bring her here? Have you forgotten about everything?” Kyra continued speaking.

Ashton shook his head as he responded, “We truly are mates. I brought her here because of that unchanging fact. I have not forgotten anything either. So please, like I said earlier, treat Ciara nicely. She is my mate—”

“Never! I will never accept the fact that my son is mated to this wicked she-devil!” Jeanette shouted.

Ciara flinched. It had been a long time since someone called her a devil. She had begun to forget how hurtful it felt.

“S-she’s not like that anymore,” Ashton whispered in such a tone that made one think that he, himself, didn’t believe in his own words.

In that moment, Graham finally noticed what the rest hadn’t perceived during all the back and forth.

He came forward and asked, “Why has her wolf been sealed?”