The Alpha's Melded Mate

The One With the Betrayal

I sat at the dining table rubbing my wrists where the cuffs had been not long before. My mom sat a glass of water in front of me and sat in the chair next to me. She placed her hand over mine. Neal stood near the back door in the kitchen, arms crossed, just feet away. 

Abbi didn't bother knocking when she arrived, she rushed right in. 

"Cyn!"

"Over here, hon," my mom said, directing my friend to the dining room. 

Abbi quickly came to us, her eyes catching Neal's by the door as she entered the area.

I stood up and Abbi rushed at me, hugging me tight. "What in the world happened?" She looked between my mom and me. 

My mother shook her head, just as confused as my friend. 

"I wanted to wait until you were here. We had... a development," I started. 

"What do you mean? What in the world happened?"

"After you left, Neal and I... talked. But his father showed up. Things weren't good." I looked down at the table. It was hard to look at either of them. Pieces of what happened flashed in my mind. 

They both gasped, and I realized I had inadvertently projected those images into their minds. I locked my mind down tight, reeling in my abilities. Everything in me had been heightened since the cuffs came off. 

"Honey," my mom whispered. Her hand squeezed my own. 

I cleared my throat. "Neal challenged his father to save my life."

"You what?" Abbi's jaw dropped. "What happened?" She paused for a moment, "wait, that's a stupid question."

My mom's eyes kept shifting toward Neal. I could feel the tension in her hand. "What do you want, honey?"

"What do you really want?" Abbi echoed.

I looked toward Neal; he was absolutely still. I couldn't even tell if he was breathing. He had risked everything for me back there. He had patched himself up before we came back to my house, but the claw marks on his arm were still visible. 

It was the million dollar question; what did I want? I had been standing on a ledge ever since the night I realized Neal was my mate. I had been toeing a line between giving in or giving up. We had both been faced with a similar dilemma. 

Neal had taken his leap. He gave up security. He gave up an amicable relationship with his father. He took the pack from his father and decided to potentially put the pack at risk, all for me. 

I had been ready to walk away. I had effectively left the pack, but was that what I had wanted. 

My eyes never left Neal's. It was time to make that same leap.

"I want to be with him."

I could see Neal's chest fall with the exhale. He slowly closed his eyes for just a moment. 

"When Ophelia's father finds out Neal is backing out of the union, things might get bad. I want to make sure you're both safe."

"What about you," my mom asked. 

"What about me? Mom, you know I'm the best shot the pack has against the Red Pine pack."

"Are you sure?"

"She's good, Ms. Lawrence. She's really good," Abbi said. 

I smiled, "thanks, Abs."

"You've been awfully quiet... Alpha," my mother said. She looked toward Neal.