The Curse Of The Alpha

34

Word Count: 2651

~Meara

I shift into the room uncomfortably, my cheeks stained with a semi-permenant blush.

The weight of what is supposed to happen tonight hangs between Sire and I. He's transported us from the ceremony site to a tense dinner with Hazel, and back here again, to his manor.

Now we stand in my room. Well, I stand in the centre of it, and he lingers apprehensively in the doorway.

"How are you feeling?" He asks gently.

He has never seemed more uncomfortable than in this moment.

"I'm fine," I mumble, rubbing the back of my neck.

We stand in silence for a few long, painful moments. My skin feels hot, my eyes unable to meet his intense stare. I'm afraid that if I look at him, and how tall and imposing her looks, I'll panic and try to take back the whole ceremony.

I mean, how can I have sex with this man when I can't even look into his eyes right now?

"Do you need something to eat?" He questions, rubbing a hand through his hair.

"No...no I'm fine."

"Alright." He clears his throat, looking more uncomfortable than I thought a powerful Alpha like him could be capable of. "Let me know if you need anything."

He backs off, looking ready to depart back to his room.

I tense. I'm not certain what I want to do with him, but I know for sure that I don't want him to leave yet.

"Wait..."

He pauses, slowly turn back around. The look he gives me is raw and vulnerable, letting me know everything from now on is up to me, that he is willing to back off if required.

"We have to do this, right?" I say uneasily. The welfare of the entire Pack is contingent on us coming together tonight, and that terrifies me.

Sire sighs, stepping into the room again.

"We don't have to do anything you aren't comfortable with," he assures me gently, calmly. He says it as if there isn't so much pressure, as if there isn't an entire Pack relying on us. If he wants to build his own Pack, he's going to need them alive.

"But we do. We have to end this curse-"

He grabs my shoulders, his grip tight, the heat from his hands seeping through my clothing. His eyes burn with anger, with frustration. He doesn't want this moment clouded by our obligations.

"Forget about that," he admonishes, shaking his head. "In this moment, right now, do you want to do this?"

I sink back into his mind to consider his proposal. I'm scared about being with him because he's unpredictable, he's intimidating and he wants me, badly. Having that much attention from someone as powerful as him is unsettling.

Yet, every part of me wants him despite that. I'm scared of that deeper connection with him, yet I constantly crave it.

And I'm painfully attracted to him. How could I not be? He's the most attractive person I've ever seen in my life.

"I...I don't know," I force out.

He bows his head. "I'm not going to do this if you're not ready for this."

"I'm scared of what is going to change between us if we do," I assure him. I want to tell him it's nothing to do with him, with the real him that is hidden beneath layers of revenge.