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Word Count: 1955
~Dawn
"Let's make a deal," I say firmly, planting my hands on the table in front of him.
Rylan looks up at me in surprise, clearly not expecting me to come down here at this time of night. The last time I saw him, we had been sitting on the bed talking about how he may not be a very good Alpha. Moments later, I must have fallen into slumber, since I can't remember a thing after that. Well, aside from the dream.
His silvery blue eyes glint in the lamp light. "A deal?"
"Yes," I breathe. "A deal."
His mouth twists slightly as he mulls over my words, then he motions over to the seat in front of him, careful not to spill the dark liquid in his glass. I take a moment before I back up, sinking into the seat without taking my eyes off his.
"You should be in bed," he says, raising a dark eyebrow. I shrug carelessly, trying to act as if crawling out of bed at midnight to find him wasn't difficult.
I'm still sick, however, he doesn't get the pleasure of knowing that.
"I'm fine," I tell him carefully.
He takes a sip of his drink, and I wonder what it is. Alcohol? I didn't think Purity Pack members were allowed to indulge in something that might tempt them into doing something...Sinful. I don't ask him though, as he sits forward. "You're not fine."
"You don't know me," I respond firmly.
"You act as though you aren't sitting in front of your mate right now," he comments, throwing back the rest of the drink before sliding the glass onto the table in front of me. Whatever is in that cup, it doesn't seem to faze him.
I grind my teeth together to keep myself calm. "That's what this deal is all about. If it can really be classified as one."
Rylan's eyes narrow. He's an Alpha who knows what he wants, and it will take a lot to sway him. There is no way he is going to agree to the idea I came up with when I first woke up. We are both as stubborn as each other, so I can assume there will be a lot of arguing in our future.
"Humour me, Dawn."
"I'm going to summon Fate, and he's going to change who my mate is," I say confidently.
Rylan is on his feet in a second. For the Alpha of Purity, I would have expected a fleeting moment of anger, before he righted himself and went over what I was proposing. However, Rylan picked up his empty glass, sized it up for a moment and threw it over my head, where it smashed against the wall behind me.
I gasp, turning around to see the glass shatter and fall to the ground in a mass of glistening crystal. When I twist around, Rylan has his back to me, his hands dug deep into his hair.
"What happened to you?" I question breathlessly.
I'm not looking at my mate. I'm looking at a changed man. I stand abruptly when he doesn't answer. "Was it Kaden? Did he turn you into this?"
"No Dawn," he muttered gruffly, turning around so I get a glimpse at the feral look in his eyes. "You did this to me."
I flinch, taking a few steps back. When I ran away for the year, I thought I had it worse off. I had no idea I would turn Rylan into someone completely unrecognisable. Does his Pack know about this? Of course they do, he's been terrorising them to get to me. A titanic amount of guilt I've been trying to fight off settles on my shoulders.
"That's exactly why I'm going to summon Fate," I tell him securely, straightening my shoulders so I wouldn't seen at all intimidated by his sudden change in attitude.
He shakes his head at me, eyes darkening. "Not happening."
"This is my decision. I'll make a deal with him, I'll do anything," I proclaim, "for a new mate."
Rylan sighed, before he started taking small, taunting steps toward me. I found myself scrambling until my back was pressed against the wall, the hard wood keeping grounded to the situation. The look in his eyes is something I would describe as typically Alpha. Not just any Alpha, though. An Alpha of Vengeance, perhaps?
"You know you belong to me, right?" he questions, his head tilting in crazed way. I'm tempted to slap him, as if it would bring some sense into him.
"As if," I growl. "God, what happened to you? You're a different person."
Rylan hands move to either side of my head, pressing against the wood so hard I hear it creak. I can still see the same male there, expect he is hiding behind a veil he had been forced to bring up after I left.
"That's what happens when your mate runs away from you like you're some kind of disease," he mutters. "How have you not gone into your heat yet? Being away from me does more to you than make you a little weak."
"I'm fully aware of that, Alpha. I'm stronger than you think," I growl.
Rylan brings his finger's up, completely bare of any gloves. I watch them, nervous as he brings them close my face, tracing my jawline without even touching me. "I'm not doubting how strong you are. But I'm still surprised."
Then he touches me. The tip of his index finger brushes the skin of my cheek, and my back instinctively arches off the wall. I see then enjoyment, the victory that dances in his eyes. He knows how the sparks control, how my body bows to them without any authority. They are the one thing I have been trying to avoid.
"Kiss me," I snap, the unyielding tone in my voice starting to waver, "you think you have so much control over me? Then show me how the Alpha of Purity can resist his mate."
He growls. This is my playing card.When he first dragged me in I managed to figure out that he has still clung to his morals, not wanting to get dragged away from his religion. I'm pressing him so I can figure out why exactly he doesn't want any intimacy.
I'm not complaining...I'm just curious.
His thumb comes up to my lip, brushing it slightly. I see where his gaze is directed. He's not fooling me. However, he resists, clenching his jaw tightly as if a slip of a single word would send him over the edge.
"What is it? You have to marry me before you can touch me?" I question, a slight smile tugging away at my lips. "Remind me, since I'm not really a part of your Pack."
Rylan sighed deeply in an act of irritation. "There's a ceremony. It happens on the full moon in the month of June, when the Moon Goddess supposedly looks down to witness and grant permission to mates. Everybody waits until this time to mark their mates. Part of my religion suggests I can't...be with you until that night."
I take a deep breath, completely understanding his words. "That's a month from now."
"Stop. Tempting. Me."
I push at his chest, ducking under his outstretched arms while tucking my own around my chest. It all made sense now. His foolish belief in the Moon Goddess has gotten him to this point. Almost everyone knows she backed down from her power. She doesn't decide things anymore. The megalomaniac Fate does.
I'm not going to bother explaining it to Rylan, though. His entire Pack worships the Goddess.
"Listen," I say softly, turning back around to face him. "I'm going to see Fate, and I'm going to change the mate bond."
He shakes his head me. "Even if I let you, you're sure it's even possible?"
Fate is a cruel man; at least that's what I've heard. However, he is willing to strike a deal with whoever may present one. I'm sure if I can bargain something, he will take away the mate bond and give Rylan a better mate. Someone who lost theirs to death and deserves someone as sweet and kind as the Alpha. Someone who doesn't mind living under all his rules.
"Positive."
Rylan leans back against the wall, watching me with a brooding expression on his face. Clearly, he's thinking this over. Thinking of a way to keep me from breaking another one of his rules.
"Alright, you want a deal, we can make a deal," he says suddenly. My eyebrows quirk up in surprise. This is unexpected.
"Go on."
"Give me a month to prove to you that I can be the mate you want," he says slowly, almost as if I wouldn't catch it. "You can make your decision on the night of the Moon Ceremony. If you want to be with me, I'll mark you. If not, you can go to Fate."
I narrow my eyes at him. "Okay, I like that. One thing though..."
He nods at me for to continue.
"My sister can leave whenever she please. You will not require her to believe in anything about your special little Goddess, and you will not send her away to any boarding facility. This is between you and me, and you will not use her at all to get to me," I say, laying my rules out before him.
"I thought a lot of that was a given," he notes, then shrugs. "Alright, I can agree to that. Your sister will have nothing to do with this deal, unless of course, you say so."
A weight seemed to be lifted off my chest at that. I had to make sure she was safe.
"Anything on your part?" I ask.
"All I ask for is to you to at least try," he says gently. "Just a little."
Sighing deeply, I nod. "Okay, deal."
Rylan smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes. He looks grim, and something tells me it had to do with him nearly losing it when I mentioned Fate. He doesn't think I'm willing to figure out how he turned into that.
He grabs my hand, and gently kisses it.
"Let the fun begin. Am I right?"
❤️••❤️
Want more and don't want to wait!? More of Rylan is available now on Radish!
Also, feel free to check out Asher on Radish too if you're interested (:
🌹••🌹
Over the past few months, I've had a hard time explaining to my family that my writing is a real job.
I make more money than my older brother who's a banker, and my mum still reckons I should work at the supermarket after schools.
My mother is supportive and all. She's the kind of mum who lets me do what I want now that I'm older, like letting me get as many tattoos as I please and doing what I want to at school. But her ideas on jobs cracks me up.
Like...the internet doesn't exist on my mother's spectrum of jobs, and she won't be satisfied until I actually publish my work.
Speaking of, a copy of Kaden has just been sent to me (it will take forever to get here considering shipping) but I'm so excited!!
When you guys have your copies of the book, I really want you all to send me pictures of you with them!!
Snapchat: midikacrane
Radish: midika
Facebook: authormidikacrane
~Midika 💜🐼