Cold ✔

:::::Chapter 50:::::

When Matt and I get inside our pack house, I find Joshua waiting for me.

"Hello, cousin," he says with a smirk.

I roll my eyes. "Why are you here, Joshua?" I ask.

"Can't I be here to ask about my darling cousin's well-being?" He asks innocently.

"Since when did you start caring about me?"

"Chriselda, I've always cared for you."

"Yeah, right. Tell me why you're here before you get kicked out," I say seriously.

"Relax, cousin," he says calmly. "I'm just here to congratulate you."

"Congratulate me for what?"

"For finding your mate," he replies. "You must be here to pack your things, right? After all, you'll be living in your mate's pack."

I cross my arms and say, "I'm not going anywhere, Joshua."

"Why? You happen to be Alpha Alarick's mate and you're supposed to live with him in his pack."

"Not in my case," I say. I know what he's trying to do. "I'm going to stay here whether you like it or not."

"Chriselda, you no longer belong to this pack. Since you're Alpha Alarick's mate, you now belong to the Dawnfall Depths Pack as their Luna."

"She's a part of this pack as much as I am," Matt says.

"But she can't be the Beta of this pack and the Luna of the Dawnfall Depths at the same time!" Joshua argues.

"I've chosen my position as the Beta over the position of the Luna," I tell him. His face falters. "Joshua, you won't be able to get rid of me that easily."

"We'll see," he says and leaves the pack house.

"If he would've stayed here for another minute then I would've broken his jaw," Matt says.

"Don't spoil your mood over him," I say.

"It's so evident that he wants you to take the Luna's position so that the Beta's position is available for him to take. If he becomes the Beta of this pack then he will lead us to our doom."

"I won't let that happen, Matt."

● ● ● ● ●

After a week of rest, I resume my responsibilities. Since people know that Alarick is my mate, they are wondering why I have returned to my pack. They are wondering why I'm not staying with him. I don't know what to tell them. I can't tell them the truth. Even if I do, they won't understand because they don't know what I've been through.

I'm sitting at the doorsteps of my pack house, looking at the stars in the sky. Matt sits beside me and asks, "Are you okay?"

"I don't know," I say. "I thought that Alarick couldn't hurt me anymore but I was wrong. Do you know that he and I are still mates? That he told Samara to manipulate my mind into thinking that our bond is broken?"

"Yes, Chris. I know. He had told me everything when you were in coma," Matt tells me.

"So, you do know about his past?" I say as I turn my head towards him.

"Yes, I know along with Darius and your Mom," he informs me.

"Matt, what should I do?" I ask as I bury my face in my hands.

"I admit that Alarick's actions were wrong but his intentions behind them weren't. I know how hurt you were every time he pushed you away from him but he just wanted you to be safe. I'm not going to tell you what you should do. I'm just going to tell you to listen to your heart. Do what your hearts wants."

"It will be so hard for me to forgive him," I say.

"I'm not telling you to forgive him in a single day. It will surely take time for you to forgive him since forgiving is not an easy thing to do. But once you forgive him, you'll feel as if a burden has been lifted off your chest." I nod slowly as I ponder over his words. I knew I would forgive Alarick eventually but before I could convince my heart to forgive him, I had to do certain things.

The next day, I head for the Dawnfall Depths Pack. Right now, I'm standing in front of Samara's house. I knock at the front door. She answers. "I need to talk to you," I say. She welcomes me inside her house. When we're in the living room, I turn to her, "I know that you manipulated my mind into thinking that my bond is broken with Alarick."

"I hadn't meant to do that but Alpha Alarick made me. I'm sorry," she says sincerely.

"Can you undo the process?"

She nods. "Close your eyes." After closing my eyes, she places her hands on my temples and slowly I feel the blankets of loneliness and emptiness being lifted off from me. When she removes her hands from my temples, I open my eyes. I bid her farewell as I return to my pack.

● ● ● ● ●

As weeks pass by, I find myself returning to the way I was before I met Alarick. Presently, Darius and I are cracking lame jokes together while Matt shakes his head at us. He is able to escape from our lame jokes as he heads towards his study to answer a phone call. After a while, he returns with the news that the Silver Moonstone Pack is organizing The Socials to introduce Kurt's sister, Lucy, as the new Alpha of the pack. Three days later, we head towards the Silver Moonstone pack for The Socials. All the leaders are assembled in the living room of the pack house. Beta Derek introduces his new Alpha with pride. All the leaders welcome the first female Alpha Lucy with a round of applause. Then, Alpha Lucy starts meeting all the leaders.

Matt, Darius and I are engaged in a conversation about women empowerment before we get interrupted by Alarick. "Hey. Can I talk to you for a moment?" He asks me. I nod. He leads me out of the pack house and we walk deeper into the forest. "So, how are you?" He starts the conversation.

"I'm good," I reply.

"During these weeks I've been thinking about what you said to me and I totally understand that I was wrong in pushing you away. There were better ways to protect you and I chose the worst way possible. I'm truly sorry for all the things that I've said and done," he says sincerely. "Will you ever be able to forgive me?"

"I've already forgiven you," I tell him. He looks at me and tries to give me a half-smile. "Alarick, I want to know. Where do we stand now? Will we be able to live like other mates?" I ask the inevitable.

"If we try, we can Chriselda," he says with hope. I look at him and the sudden urge to hug him overwhelms me. He is taken aback when I embrace him but soon I find his arms around me.

We continue to stand like this for a few minutes. At that moment I realize that time will surely bridge the distance between us. All we have to do is be patient with it.

THERE IS A SEQUEL.

I have starting working on the sequel. I have published it. The sequel's title is Warmth and you can check it out on my profile page. If anyone is interested in making a cover for that story can make it. 

You can PM me the covers. If you want to know about me and my life then you can follow me on my Instagram Account: @ivanka_natali

THE AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Thank you so much for selecting this book to read! Thank you so much for your votes and comments! This story wouldn't be a success if it weren't for the support that you guys gave me. Don't forget to check out my other works! :)

I love you all!

Take care! <3