The Curse Of The Alpha

17

Word Count: 1624

~Meara

I tap my foot impatiently against the ground, chewing on my fingernail.

It's been hours. In fact, an entire night has passed and I haven't heard anything. Not once have I moved from this spot, sitting in Carran's living room as if I belong here, waiting for news on what has happened to Sire.

I'm convinced he is going to find a way out of this. He's angry, he wants revenge. That's more motivation to succeed than Carran will ever have.

But he was cursed once. It can happen again.

I hear footsteps first, and then Carran comes through the archway and into the living room.

Whether he was successful or not is a question that is answered the moment I see the glint in his eye, the way his shoulders are straight back and proud.

A cold, guilty laden feeling creeps along my skin.

"It's done." He claps his hands together, the sound making me wince.

"That easy?"

"That easy."

I close my eyes for a moment, nausea rolling through my stomach like waves in a storm. This is the right thing to do, even if it hurts - even if I know I may never see Sire again.

"Did he put up a fight?" I ask hoarsely. I immediately regret it, as the thought of him suffering, of being fearful as he is being dragged under ground again makes me ready to throw up on the polished marble floor.

"The witches are strong. I've had them trained for this event for a very long time," Carran exclaims, strolling back and forth as he basks in his victory.

I sigh, wanting to get out of here. "Right. Okay."

Carran steps toward me before I can stand up, sitting on the edge of the coffee table so he can look me straight in the eyes. I press into the back of the couch, wanting to shrink away into nothingness.

"I want to take you home, Meara. But first, I need to trust that you will never wake him again," he tells me, expression shifting to seriousness in an uncanny amount of time.

"I won't. Why would I?" I brought Sire to Carran. I am the reason this worked so well.

He narrows his eyes. "If the curse is not resolve from this action?"

"Sire is trying to demolish this Pack. I live here, and so do many I love. There is no chance I'll wake him," I tell him, gritting my teeth. He is trying to intimidate me.

Would I wake Sire, though? I promised him he would, and I want to mean it. Yet at the same time, I fear that waking him will cast a whole different kind of terror down upon the people of this Pack.

But I'm not going to keep Sire in the ground just because Carran told me I have to.

"And what about the mate bond?" He presses. I roll my eyes. As if Carran knows anything about the mate bond. He's been a bachelor since he took over the role as Alpha from his father.

"It doesn't matter. I never felt connected to him. He's a monster," I snap, wrapping my arms around myself.

Carran grins, nodding. "I'm glad we agree."

"So I can go home?"

"Of course." He stands swiftly, holding a hand out to me. I reluctantly take it, not wanting any more hassle from him.

He yanks me closer, until his face is mere inches away from mine. "But I warn you, if you wake him, you will pay."

His cold, dark tone makes me shudder, and for the first time since him and I met, I'm scared. Carran will hurt me if he has to, because Sire is currently the only risk to his reign, and nothing will get in the way of keeping him underground.