Chapter 85

Words : 969 Updated : May 20th, 2025

"What about the warrior? I know I charged Micah with them, but have they arrived?" I ask Jason as we walk side by side. I fist my hand in an attempt to suppress the pull of the bond. Every fiber of my being is against leaving Sadie. "No, but it won't be much longer. An hour or so," Jason answers before stopping. I halt in my steps and turn to look at him, wondering why he stopped. "Is something wrong?" he asks, his eyes looking at me in worry. "You seem tense." I grit my teeth against the need and pull to turn around and go back to Sadie's room. I honestly don't understand why this is happening. Why is it becoming so hard? Is it because we are in close proximity? The need to be around her has gotten stronger since we came back here. It feels like my entire being is being consumed by this need—as if she's the very air I breathe. "Nothing; let's just go," I tell him and begin walking once again. Every step away from her feels heavy, like my feet have been filled with lead. My body is screaming against leaving, especially when my mate is in a delicate state. It's as if the very fabric of my being is fighting against me—against walking away from this hospital. We get outside, and I rush to escape the suffocating atmosphere. I quicken my steps, hoping that the need to stay will ease if I can just put some distance between me and Sadie. "Will you slow down?" Jason pants, trying to catch up with me. I don't stop, though. He can either hurry up or stay behind. Right now, it's none of my f**g business. Within minutes, I push the door to the pack house open. Nothing and no one registers in my head as I make my way toward my office. I open the door to my office only to find Piper seated in one of my chairs. "Alec!" she breathes in a relieved tone. She jumps on me, hugging me tightly as if we hadn't seen each other in years. I hug her back before stepping away. I round my desk and drop into my chair. It isn't even mid-morning, and I'm already exhausted. Is this how it's going to be? Constantly fighting against the mate bond? It's tiring and frustrating. I honestly don't know how long I can keep this up. "Hi, Piper. How was your trip?" I lean against my chair just as Jason walks in. The pull is still there, but it has dulled. It isn't as strong as it was back in the hospital. The mate bond is still buzzing, though. Its energy is hard to explain; it's like every cell in my body is buzzing with an electric current. I never felt this way with Lola. Sure, I could feel the bond, but it wasn't this all-consuming. I never once felt like my entire being was being lit up. "Alec?" Her voice interrupts my thoughts. I shake my head to bring my focus back to the present. My mind is consumed with thoughts of my mate. Damn, this is so different from what I experienced with Lola. I have alpha friends who found their mates long before I did. They used to talk about how it felt to find their fated ones. I found it odd that I didn't feel the same with Lola, but I was so in love with her that I pushed those doubts away. Looking back now, I realize that it's because of that love that I made excuses and believed in them. Aside from being in love with Lola, I was in desperate need of the cure to the curse. I made myself believe that once we marked each other, the bond would grow stronger. "Alec, is there really a need for Calvin to stay in the dungeon?" Piper's voice pulls me from my thoughts once again. "You know I can't," I reply, taking a deep breath. "He plotted against me; that's a crime that can't go unpunished." "But what he did led you to your true mate and stopped you from taking an impostor as a mate. That has to mean something," she tries to reason, desperation clear in her eyes. "It doesn't work that way, Piper. He conspired against an Alpha, and his actions led to a sequence of events that nearly destroyed Sadie's life. Imagine if Sadie had actually died three years ago." Her eyes fill with tears. She's my sister, and I know her. Despite the truth of my words, she's determined to save her mate. "Please, Alec. You have your mate, and you know how strong the bond is. It's stronger for me because Calvin has already marked me. I can't see him suffer. I just can't." My heart constricts at the pain in her eyes, but there is nothing I can do. Calvin connived with another to drug an alpha. That isn't a small crime. Besides, Sadie deserves justice. I know it's not enough to undo everything I did to her, and Calvin isn't wholly to blame for the torture I put her through, but at least she deserves some form of justice. "I know, Piper, but I can't and won't allow it," I tell her with authority. "Calvin has to pay for his crimes. Should Sadie go scot-free for a crime she didn't commit? Do you think it'll be fair to her to let Calvin?" She goes to say something, but I interrupt her.

Chapter 85

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