Word Count: 1918
~Meara
I wander down the street, a heavy burden weighing on my shoulders.
People sweep around me as I walk, wary about contracting the sickness that continues to plague the Pack. Little do they know, the sickness comes from the curse, and not from each other.
Sire, Hazel and I have been trying to find a way to end this curse for over a week now, and we have found nothing.
And considering how tense Hazel is, there may not be one.
Swallowing thickly, I push my way into the bar, guilt swarming in the pit of my stomach.
I have to do this. It might be the wrong thing to do, but there is a chance this is the only way that the curse will end. Even Hazel admitted it's possible, which is the closest we have been to an answer yet.
Sitting at the bar, head lowered to avoid drawing attention, sits Alpha Carran.
I need to do this. The fate of this Pack could be relying on this.
"I'm grateful you have met with today," Carran greets as I slide into the seat next to him.
"We need to make this short. He thinks I'm at work," I mutter lowly.
I glance over my shoulder, worried Sire will suddenly appear and see who I am with. It's likely it may happen, as even though I told him to leave me alone for the day, he has come to my work before, and when he sees I'm not there, he will come looking for me.
"If he finds you are speaking to me, he won't be very happy," Carran states, only adding to my anxiety.
He will be beyond unhappy. Carran is his enemy, and we are currently plotting to put Sire back underground in hopes that it will end the curse.
What Carran doesn't know is that I plan to continue finding a way to ensure the curse never comes back, so I can eventually bring Sire back...
"I don't want to have to do this. But I don't think I have any other choice," I admit, turning to look at him.
Carran has always creeped me out.
It's not because of the way he looks, because many regard him as handsome. It is because of the way he carries himself, the way he makes me feel just by being in his presence.
"You're trembling," he notes, reaching out to touch my hand.
I pull it back immediately. "Don't touch me."
He frowns. I doubt an Alpha is used to being rejected so ardently, but thankfully he doesn't seem too offended.
"I'm sorry. What is going on?"
"People are dying from the curse. I've tried to find a way to end it, but I haven't been successful," I say, resting my palms against the surface of the bar.
The deaths are so bad, this bar is entirely empty except for Carran and I, and the bartender looks reluctant to come take our order. That suits me just fine, because it's not as if I can drink right now.
"Yes. People are dying very quickly," Carran mutters, rolling his shoulders, tense from this situation.
I've seen his broadcasts, and he has been telling the public that this sickness will be contained shortly, although has avoided mentioning where it has come from.
No one wants to hear that an ancient Alpha has escaped his tomb and unleashed a deadly curse...
"I know. And I'm scared my friend and I will be next," I tell him. "I don't want anyone else to die."
He smiles, wide and broad. "So you've agreed to work with me."
I shudder. I wish he wouldn't say it like that...
"What do I need to do to save these people?" I question. I know the answer, and yet I want to see if there is another plan Carran has devised recently.
I doubt it though. Getting Sire back underground benefits him in many ways.
"We need to reset the curse. I have many witches who can do the job," he explains, putting his hand up to get the bartender's attention.
"He won't go back into that tomb," I remind him quietly. If Sire even heard a whisper about this plan, havoc would surely ensue.
The bartender gets Carran a whisky then quickly puts as much space between us as possible.
"He doesn't need to. He just needs to get to my estate, where I have a cell that has been spelled that should be strong enough to contain him," he tells me, draining his glass in one swift movement.
I stare at him, deadpan. "And you need me to lure him there."
"He will sense something is off if I try to get him here without reason. He will come if he thinks you're in danger," he tells me.
He looks so triumphant in his plan, I suddenly want to help Sire get his revenge. Unfortunately, revenge isn't what is important right now, and neither is trying to prove the Alpha wrong.
"What are you going to do?" I ask warily.
He wipes his mouth, still grinning. "I'm going to pretend to kidnap you."
My eyes widen. Kidnap me? I expected him to maybe threaten me publicly or something to that effect, but not to kidnap me...
"Seriously?"
"If this goes well, you will be able to move on with your life. You can be normal," he assures me, finally wiping the smile off his face as if he can sense how much it's creeping me out.
I wrap my arms around my face, shuddering. "This feels so wrong."
Sire doesn't deserve to be lied to. I wish I could trust that he would do the right thing, but there is no chance he would willingly go back under when he doesn't know if he will ever be brought back up again.
"It's not wrong. The longer he is out, walking these streets, the more people that are going to die," Carran reminds me softly.
I let out a long breath. "You're right."
"This will be hard on you, considering the mate bond. It's why you cannot have any contact with him. Instead, we will make it clear to him that you have been kidnapped," he explains.
I frown. "How?"
"Hopefully he can sense your distress. It's not beyond his powers, I assume," he muses.
So all of this is based off of an assumption? I mean, I don't doubt Sire has some kind of power to sense where I am, considering his uncanny ability to show up places where I am, but I'm not sure if he is able to sense any distress that I'm in...
"All this is running on a hope?" I question sceptically.
"A well educated one," he smiles. "It's a place to start, isn't it?"
No option feels like the right one. When weighing up which one causes the most harm, I'm just going to have to side with Carran, even if it's killing me.
"What do I have to do?" I concede.
"I'm going to have my men grab you and take you to the prisons where you will be tied up and until Sire is caught," he says smoothly, casually.
I gape at him. "What?"
"It's a wonder how weak a mate bond can make a person," he says to himself, rejoicing in his oncoming success. "Anyways, you need to actually feel some distress for this to work."
"You've got to be kidding me-"
My rant is cut off suddenly by a hand slapping over my mouth, another pulling my arms back behind me.
I scream, kicking out in front of me, nearly hitting the Alpha who dodges out of the way. I'm dragged back, falling off my chair.
The bartender takes one look at Carran and turns away. He's not getting involved.
My mind is too consumed with panic to care that Carran probably didn't care about any arrangement and was going to do this anyway, considering how prepared he is. He's not the kind of man to make a deal with, but it's too late to care about that now.
I'm dragged by two men from the bar and thrown into the back of a car.
True to Carran's plan, the terror within me is very real, and remains so as I'm driven to Carran's estate.
Despite knowing that this is the plan, I don't feel entirely safe. Carran can't be entirely trusted, so there is a chance, however small, that I'm going to be locked away forever.
Once we reach the estate, the men blindfold me and drag me down to the lowest level before chaining me into one of the cells.
Then, I'm left alone.
I manage to get the blindfold off, although there is no moving around in these biting cuffs.
Time passes slowly. Very slowly.
Hours tick by. Eventually I fall asleep, slumped against the concrete wall, having no idea what is going on outside.
Has Carran been successful? Has Sire fallen into the trap? There are no sounds from above, as night passes on and on to morning. The only way I can tell is from the watery light that starts to seep through the barred window on the other side of the room.
Guilt, like poison, burns within me. Sire could be gone by now...Maybe I'll never see him again.
Maybe I'll never see my mate again.
The large metal door to the cell room scrapes open, and in walks Carran. I can already tell it worked by the confidence in his stride, by the smug look on his face.
"I was in there far too long for my liking," I grumble as he unlocks the cuff. I rub my wrists, looking down at the marks that won't fade for days.
"You will be pleased to know that it all went smoothly," he tells me, helping me up to standing position.
"Really? I don't feel pleased," I mutter.
I've been stewing in my thoughts for hours now, so I'm not exactly feeling very uplifted by Carran's success.
"Whatever strange connection is felt between mates brought him here. He was easy to apprehend after that." He grins, so pleased it makes my stomach turn.
This better work in removing the curse...
"It's not the mate bond. It's him and his uncanny ability to sense things," I mutter.
He shrugs, sliding his hands into his pockets. "Well, it doesn't matter now."
"Where is he?"
He points behind him. "In the cells back there, tied up with enchanted chains."
I blink. He's that close? Just through the wall, my mate is tied down, thinking about how I betrayed him, knowing what his fate is going to be.
"I should see him."
Carran waves his hands around, shaking his head. "I can't allow that. He may talk you out of this."
"It's not about me. It's about the people dying in this Pack. People I care about," I assure him. Sire won't be able to convince me out of this...as guilty as I feel, this is something I have to do.
He examines my face, before finally nodding.
"Fine. A few words, but that's it."
I look toward the door, where Sire is tied up beyond. I should be happy, this went how we planned it.
I just can't seem to shake the feeling that this all felt a little too easy.
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~Midika 💜🐼