LISA
Emily was kissing Ink while his brother sat on the bed, scrolling through his phone, completely unbothered.
Was that also part of their tradition? They stopped immediately when they noticed me standing there.
"We'll be in the guest room. Get some sleep, love," Ink said, kissing her forehead before walking out with his brother, Ark.
I probably got their names mixed up. "I'm sorry for interrupting your moment. It felt awkward downstairs. And do you know, for a second, I actually thought you were kissing your mate's brother."
I was smiling... but she wasn't. Emily pulled me down to sit with her, gripping my hands so tightly it almost hurt.
"Lisa, just listen to me."
"The person you saw me kissing isn't Ark, but his younger brother, Ink. This might sound crazy, but it has always been him. The calls, the gifts, the giggles, but I lied about his name."
"I was betrothed to Ark when I was a child, but I grew up and fell in love with his brother. And the feeling is mutual. Lisa, I love Ink so much. I can't picture my life without him."
I tried hard not to show my shock, but my face betrayed me. My eyes kept blinking fast. My mind was racing, and from what I saw, Ark was clearly aware of the situationship.
"Then marry Ink. You shouldn't have let it get this far, Emily. Thank goodness Ark isn't angry about it. Cancel everything immediately."
She didn't move, which made me worry more. She slowly released my hands, knelt in front of me, and clasped her hands together.
"It's not that easy, Lisa. Breaking the first bond isn't simple. But Ark and I checked the sacred book. The initiation between us can be cancelled if he violates one rule."
She didn't pause. My heart was pounding. I was too stunned to tell her to stand up. Emily leaned close and whispered the condition in my ear.
"Please, Lisa. You're the only hope we have. We found out just yesterday. We would have gotten someone else if we had time. Please... just do this for us."
Desperation truly makes people ask for the unimaginable. This was too much.
I slowly moved away from her and left the room. I needed to think. Anywhere else but here.
*****
ZAYNE
I watched her from my window. Lisa paced by the terrace, biting her nails, clearly worried about something.
Could it be because of the man who betrayed her?
I sensed someone behind me, someone who had no right to enter my room without permission.
"If I didn't know you better, I'd think you were checking her out. But I know you, Zayne. You don't chase," Mellisa said.
I stepped away from the window and faced her.
Mellisa is the daughter of another powerful Alpha, though her father is still beneath me in ranking.
She bent to pick up whatever she had deliberately dropped. One of her tactics to get me to look at her. She's beautiful, yes, but it takes more than beauty to impress me.
I closed the distance between us. She rose on her toes, probably expecting something foolish.
"I'll say this once: never enter my room uninvited. Ever, are we clear, Mellisa?"
"Y... yes. Your mum said I'd find you here."
That was all I needed, fear in her eyes. Before I could say anything else, she ran out.
My fingers twitched again, that familiar rush of heat in my blood. Twenty years, and I still hadn't found a cure for the rage that lived in me.
I went to Emily's room and found her sitting on the floor with her head buried in her knees.
"Someone will miss her dad," I said softly.
"Dad, you're here."
She stood and hugged me tightly.
"Are you okay, princess? You know you can tell me anything."
"I'm fine. Sit with me."
Holding her hands reminded me that my little girl wasn't so little anymore.
It had always been the two of us. And soon, this room would be empty again, this time, for much longer.
What would Elena have said right now?
Before Emily was born, she planned everything, first birthday, eighteenth, mating ceremony...
"Why didn't you marry my mum?" She finally asked. "You said you loved her more than life. But you two never got married."
I didn't expect that question. She never asked in all these years.
"Yes, I loved her. Too much. So much that I didn't want us to end up like my parents."
"They fell out of love while still married. It became a duty, not a bond. I didn't want that for us. I thought if we stayed unmarried, things would be different."
I scoffed at the memory. I was young and naive.
"Get some rest. Tomorrow is a big day. Daddy will be here at every step. I love you, princess."
"Love you too, Daddy."
*****
The next morning, I sat behind Emily as the seer threw coins across the mat, part of the initiation ritual.
The intending couple must walk around the coins six times before the question is asked, and the ropes are tied to the sacred tree.
With each round they completed, tension settled in. Emily's steps trembled. She was terrified. She looked at me, and I gave her a reassuring smile.
"Alpha Zayne, do you fully accept this union?" the seer asked.
"Yes."
The rope was brought out, and both stepped into the circled line. Emily hesitated, but she moved.
Then...
"Wait... they can't get married. I... slept with him. Ink!"
Lisa's voice.
My blood froze.
Was she trying to die?
