My Alpha Mate

To Love or Be Left

*Edited: February 28th, 2022

Warning: NSFW Content

Chapter 14: To Love or Be Left.

{Valerie}

"I should've finished what I started when I had the chance." My eyes dart to the left, seeing a disfigured form of a man. A sheen of sweat coated his body, so much that it dripped down his arms, all the way to the ends of his sharp claws, where it eventually pooled beneath him.

"It was a mistake to let my mate out of my sight, but I won't be faulted to do the same with you. You'll never escape me. You should've been mine." Fur slowly begins to sprout from the body of the man before me, his piercing gaze settling on me, a shiver running up my spine as I seem to tread backwards in slow motion. Tanner stalked forward, his long strides would ensure he'd reach me in no time, and as hard as I willed my legs to take me anywhere but here, I could only reach a slow walk. My legs shook beneath me as I met his eyes, filled with deadly promise, and his teeth, glistening as my future demise.

"Please, Tanner you don't have to do this. It's not too late for you." I wanted to look so much stronger than I sounded, but failed as a loud scream tore the silence, the same time he brought his claws across my face.

The sound of my beating heart, and the moon light pouring into my guest bedroom is what finally roused me from my sleep. My body felt fatigued, but I couldn't bring myself to fall back asleep chancing another nightmare, so I silently untangled myself from the sheets, my feet finding the cold hardwood floor and I sigh.

Life had finally felt still.

Once Greyson, Michael, the guards and I came back from our outing, I didn't do much. Greyson accompanied the council to the packs prison that held Tanner, successfully retrieving him from Greyson's land as of yesterday.

Part of me wanted to be there, close up and personal. To look into his eyes as they took him away. To say something, maybe, I don't know. But I couldn't bring myself to get any closer than the tree line that bordered the prison.

I hated Tanner for what he did to me, for how he shamelessly lied to me throughout the years, for what he built the story of our love on. I wanted to be mad at him forever, but as I watched from a distance, hidden by the safety of the trees I only felt pain in my heart.

I watched him thrash against chains, fighting tooth and nail against the collar and cuffs that decorated his body as council guards bent his will into the intimidating trailer that would carry him to either his salvation or demise. The part of me that had once cared so deeply for him wanted to soothe his fright, to relieve his pain and promise him sweet nothings that had an unlikely chance of ever being true.

In the end the sting of betrayal and loathing won me over. I didn't go to his aide.

This ordeal took about twenty minutes, where I analyzed every movement and action down to the way the council guards regarded the previous Alpha in distaste, but one thing didn't go without notice.

Well, one person.

I hadn't previously noticed her, I told myself I would do my best to ensure the safety of everyone around to not acknowledge her. She was hidden much closer to the prison than I was, behind the safety of brush, fields of flowers and bushes.

However, this felt like the first time I'd truly ever seen her. Maybe she was like me, and couldn't bear to see her mate militated up close, or maybe she didn't want anyone to see that she simply couldn't care less, but as I took her in a realized how wrong I'd been.

Crystal's wild fiery hair whipped around her as the wind howled, her piercing gaze focused on the men escorting Tanner into the trailer. Each time they were too rough I could see her muscles slightly twitch, as if calling her to action, but each time it happened it disappeared as quick as it went. At one point they had forced him onto the ground, as it was the only way to escape his clashing canines and snarls. By now I was convinced she would intervene, as I'm sure she was too. Crystal had stood to her full height, her jaw tightly clenched, and determination clear as day etched into her features.