His Lover, My Mate

Twenty-Six: Fiona

THANK YOU strawberrymuncher for these covers! You're so freaking talented and deserve a million hugs and kisses! <3

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*Aletha*

She hadn't slept very well that night. Nothing was particularly different about the room--it was cold, empty, dark, and only she occupied it. He never slept beside her. Sirka had once mentioned that he never preferred to sleep, so his bed went unused for the most part. But then Aletha began to ponder that there must still be a reason a bed was here.

Then she realized he was the Alpha of Seduction. Of erotic fantasies and endless pleasures. Of course he had a bed. How else would he bed females?

She felt dirty. She was sleeping on the bed that endless females were taken on, where they released, where he did dirty things to them. She slammed a pillow over her face and tried to stop thinking. What he did to other females was none of her business. She shouldn't care that he'd been seen naked, that he'd been touched boldly by other females...that he'd been so close to someone who wasn't her.

She growled and threw back the covers. Rage shout through her veins. She wasn't usually possessive--no, she was never possessive before Rush. But now she felt her claws protruding out and her throat growing dry. She shot out of bed at once and poured water into a glass. Then she gulped it down quickly.

Breathe, she told herself silently. But it was hard to feel anything but restlessness. It was hard to breath normally. Her blood was rushing ferociously across her arms and face. She'd only had an hour of sleep, and she didn't think she was getting any more. So she decided to dress and head out the castle to find Sirka. Although Sirka was a bit harsh with her words, Aletha was the most comfortable with her around.

Her guards followed behind her. They always did. They never left her alone ever since the day she was brought back by Rush. They never talked to her either, unless they had something urgent to tell her, but usually Sirka covered that before they did.

She was heading for the barracks, but she'd never walked such a long way by herself before. Suddenly, the vastness of his territory grew on her, taunting her. The darkness swirled around the trees, the soft summer breeze, and the faint nocturnal sounds in the distance. She felt it watching her, trying to gnaw on her like it did with anyone sane. Although it was fainter than the darkness she'd battled with when she first ran away from home, she could still feel it shifting with hunger.

Her fists clenched. She wasn't scared as she thought she would be, but instead, she was surprised to find that she was angry. After all of these years running from the darkness, here it was, still watching her. She never escaped it. No one in the Darklands could escape it. And she was fed up with it. She would not fall victim to it again.

She was halfway to the barracks when she heard a rustle nearby. She froze, looking around. Her guards were also looking around, eyes narrowed lethally. There shouldn't be anyone out at this time of the day--the sun was still out. Sunset was still an hour away.

One of her guards started to growl. "Luna, go to the barracks. I'll handle her."

Her? She opened her mouth to say something, but then she saw the silhouette of a female by the trees. And as the female came closer, Aletha recognized her. It was that female who'd been glaring at her at the throne room.

Her laughter ran through the air. It was low and amused as she stepped forward. "Why do you want to send the Luna away? She's the one I want."

"Luna," the other guard began, grabbing her arm. "Let's go."