100 Compromises
The next morning, bright and early, we headed over to Tanya's place.
Yesterday, just before I was dragged off to a luxurious bathroom—where a certain someone suddenly decided to prove his love tirelessly—I managed to sneak in a call to my sister to let her know I wouldn’t be home that night.
I’ll admit, I’m still not used to hearing sweet confessions from an alpha, or seeing tenderness in his eyes instead of the usual anger and disapproval directed at me. It often leaves me stunned. But I’d be lying if I said it didn’t melt into a pleasant warmth that spreads through my whole body.
It’s just scary to believe in it all too quickly and end up hurt again. That’s why I’m going to take things slow. And I truly hope Wayland doesn’t betray the trust I’m cautiously offering him. One thing’s for sure—being with me won’t be a walk in the park for him. I’m not one of those little lapdogs who grovel at his feet, eager to please, submitting without a fight. If he wants to be with me, he better be ready to work for it—and to be patient.
I can tell that Wayland won’t let me go on his own. And honestly… I don’t want him to. I don’t want to be let go. But if he screws up again, he won’t get another chance. I’ll walk away for good, even if it rips me apart. I’ll vanish from his life forever. What I’d do afterward? I have no idea. Maybe I’ll become a crazy cat lady, living in solitude and slowly wasting away. But I won’t tolerate being treated the way I was before. And I’ve made that crystal clear to him.
When I walked into the apartment Tanya and I share, with the alpha right behind me, my sister totally freaked out and panicked. She refused to go back with him. In the end, we agreed that she would stay under Aiden’s care. It clearly annoyed Wayland and went against his controlling instincts, but he had no choice. All it took was one firm look from me, and he gave in.
I’m starting to like this new power I have.
After making sure my sister was getting better and we had sorted everything out, we headed home.
Speaking of home…
“We’ll need to stop by the supermarket—buy me some food and a few essentials for the apartment,” I said, gazing out the window of the massive, tinted vehicle. Alpha was sitting next to me, typing something one-handed on his laptop while holding my hand with the other.
“The house has everything,” he replied without looking up, fingers flying across the keyboard.
“What do you mean, everything?” I turned to him, frowning. “Tanya and I haven’t been there for six months.”
With a heavy sigh, Wayland closed his laptop and set it aside, tightening his grip on my hand.
“You don’t live there anymore,” he said calmly.
That made my blood start to boil.
“What do you mean I don’t live there anymore?! We’ve been paying rent this whole time!”
“Everything you owned in that apartment is already at my place. Someone else lives there now.”
I was absolutely livid. I yanked my hand from the werewolf’s grip and glared at him.
“That’s it. There’s no way this is going to work between us,” I said, trying to distance myself from him, pushing away his annoyingly persistent hands. “We can’t go a day without fighting! You make all the decisions for me and I can’t stand it!”
“My little one, I’m willing to do a lot for you—but not give in on this,” he murmured, sliding his arms around me and pulling me onto his lap, his gaze suddenly serious. “You’re my woman. And by the laws of the pack, that makes you my wife. The Luna of the pack. So you’re living with me.”
“Oh, how grand those words sound! ‘Wife.’ ‘Luna!’ I don’t recall any wedding!” I shot back, narrowing my eyes, trying to slide off his lap. His closeness was messing with my head—and I was in the middle of starting a proper fight!
“You already carry my full mark! You’re my wife by pack tradition.”
“Oh, is that so?! Then why didn’t you tell me that when you first bit me? Promising something doesn’t mean we’re married! And in case you forgot—I’m human! Your barbaric customs don’t mean much to me!”
“Alina, I’m sorry for what happened back then,” the werewolf looked at me with genuine remorse. “I… panicked and said a lot of things out of emotion. But the bite—both the first and the second—I don’t regret them for a second. I’ve never been good at apologizing… I’ve never really had to. But for you, I’m willing to say sorry every single day, if that’s what it takes. As long as it means you stay by my side.”
His voice dropped into a sinful whisper near my ear, and I noticed the divider between us and the driver slowly slide shut.
Wayland’s hands slid under my tank top, and he leaned in, licking the mark on my neck. A wave of heat shot through my body, making me moan softly and squirm on his lap. I realized I needed to be smarter about this—find some compromise if I wanted to survive this relationship with at least some sense of sanity.
“Fine. I’ll stay in your house,” I whispered against Wayland’s lips. “But I’m having my own separate room!” I added firmly.
“Next to mine,” he grinned, licking my lips and pinching one of my nipples between his fingers, making my breath catch and my eyes roll back from the sensation.
“With a lock on the door,” I arched into his touch, already slipping my hands under his T-shirt, tracing the lines of his insanely hot torso.
“If you think that’s going to save you somehow…” Wayland chuckled darkly, lowering me onto the seat and kissing me deeply.