Chapter 56 - The Alpha King and His Second Chance

Abby

I sat at the dinner table by myself, pushing my food around the plate for the last half hour. It's been two months and things have been...messy with my mate and I. War was at our doorstep, anticipated to happen in the next few weeks apparently, by some witches' prediction. Everyone was reaching their breaking point. I hadn't had anyone to talk to about Seth, except my wolf. I felt like my mate was bipolar at times. Some days he was sweet and we could talk for hours, others he was completely dismissive and I couldn't find him. Our sex life was...rough. And infrequent. The few times that I did let him touch me, on more than one occasion he would leave immediately after and I would cry myself to sleep. I wanted his love and approval so badly I was willing to put up with his aggressive side. He was my mate after all, and the moon goddess doesn't make mistakes. But some days, a lot of days, this felt like one. I wish just once he would make love to me and not fuck me like I owed him money.

"Hey, what are you doing here all by yourself?" Sierra asked, claiming the seat next to me.

"Just...thinking."

"Well, I'm good at listening, lay it on me." She said, grabbing a roll off the table.

"I doubt you want to hear it, its about your brother." I sighed.

"And you are my sister and, with everything going on, I have neglected our relationship, which I'm sorry for. But I haven't been busy enough to notice you don't seem yourself lately. So spill." She said, taking a bite of her roll.

"Its just....its like he is invested in our relationship one minute and gone the next. And we are...intimate....but there is no intimacy, at least not on my end." I admitted, setting my fork down.

"Have you confronted him about this?" Sierra asked, her face scrunched up.

"Kinda... I don't know. It's like I tell him what I want or don't want, but it's as if he doesn't hear me. Like I tell him I want more intimacy, but he doesn't seem to understand. Or I tell him I want to spend time with him and he suddenly disappears."

"So how do we get the boy to listen to what you are actually saying..." Sierra paraphrased, mulling something over in her head.

"I guess. I trust the moon goddess, but I don't know how much more of him I can handle. I get it, he has probably been through some hard stuff, but how can I be helpful and understanding if he won't tell me what's going on?"

"It took me some time to fully open up to Edward, be patient with him. I'm sure he will open up when he is ready. But, as for getting him to hear you. I have a thought." She said, grabbing another piece of bread. "Our mom used to do this with us, worked every time. Its extremely annoying, but effective. I use it on my pups now."

"What is it?"

"If I tell them not to do something, or if I need them to really hear me, I ask them to repeat it and then ask them to tell me what that means. So if I have told Xander to get off the table, and he doesn't, I ask him to repeat what I just told him, which these days he knows better and listens the first time, but if he doesn't, I ask him to tell me why I asked him to get off the table. His responses are 'because its not safe', 'because its rude', 'because we don't live in a zoo'. I know it sounds childish but it works." She shrugged.

"Huh....maybe. I guess its worth a shot. Thanks." I gave a weak smile.

"Anytime, now if you'll excuse me, I am off to a meeting with King Jesse." Sierra said, standing to leave. Her bump getting quite large, a visual reminder that war would be soon.

"Another meeting with him?" I asked, preplexed.

"As many as it takes to get his alliance." She said, waddling away.

"Good luck!"

"Thanks, you too!"

I got up from the table, a new found fire in me. I needed to find my mate. I checked a few places on my way to his room, on the chance that he was somewhere else. I knocked on his door and could hear rustling. The lock clicked and the door swung open, my hot mate standing there, a confused look on his face.

"Hey, whats up?" He asked.

"We need to talk." I said, barging my way in. It was the first time I had been in his room. It looked very...impersonal, empty even.

"About what?" He asked, closing the door behind me.

"Us." I said, sitting at his kitchen table that had just enough room for two. "Sit." I said, my arms crossed.

"Alright." He clicked his tongue. As soon as he was seated, I began.

"Do you believe in the moon goddess?" I asked.

"Of course, more than anything," he answered.

"She made us mates for a reason, Seth. You have not been a great mate to me and that needs to change."

"Look, I'm just going through some stuff-"

"Stop with the excuses. I am a person, I am your mate. You need to treat me better if not for one title, than for the other. I want us to work out, but I need more effort from you."

"Like what?"

"I want us to move in together. I want passionate lovemaking. Not just a rough fuck fest. I need you to care about me, talk to me more. You can't disappear without telling me anymore either. I'm tired of searching for you like a lost pup."

"Okay." He nodded.

"No, not okay. I have expressed this to you before. Tell me what I just said." I practically barked, taking Sierra's advice.

"Make love, talk, tell you where I'm going." He listed off.

"Do you think you can do that?" I pleaded.

"I can...im sorry." He said, looking me in the eyes.

"Okay." I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, my hands shaking from the adrenaline rush that came with having a serious talk with my mate. Had this gone any other way, I would have probably rejected him on the spot and asked him to go back to where he came from.

"Come here." Seth said.

I hesitantly got up and rounded the table, sitting on Seth's lap. He tucked a loose strand of hair behind my hair, staring thoughtfully at it. "You are so beautiful." He said just above a whisper. I wanted to cry. My emotions were on a roller coaster today. Seth gently cupped my face, his lips meeting mine in a soft kiss. I melted into him, returning his kiss, my hands caressing his chest and neck. He picked me up bridal style and placed me on his bed, climbing on top of me and deepening our kisses. His fingers played with the waistband of my jeans before popping the button open, sliding my pants and panties off, and settling himself between my legs. He surprised me and licked my already wet slit, making me moan with pleasure. This was the first time he had given me oral and Goddess was it overdue. His tongue worked its wonderful magic, hitting every right spot. He slipped a thick digit into my core, then another, working me up to a climax.

"Seth!" I cried out his name, coming hard over his fingers. He pulled out, licking his fingers on the way back up, while I stripped out of my top and bra.

"So sweet." He hummed in appreciation. He dropped his pants and boxers to the ground, his cock hard and ready to go. He climbed back on the bed, ready to progress, when I stopped him with my foot on his chest.

"Loose the shirt." I breathed heavily, still coming down from my orgasm. Seth stared at me for a moment, his eyes almost pleading with me not to make him do it. But I wasn't letting this go. "I want you for you, I don't care what you look like." I reassured him.

He let out a heavy sigh, but began pulling off his black t-shirt, his eyes never leaving mine. My eyes, on the other hand, immediately darted to the abnormality.

"What...what is that? What happened?" I sat up, taking a closer look at his pecks. On his chest there was some raised tissue, going from his heart, over his shoulder to his back. It looked like a wire. There was something bigger underneath his skin too. It had a green light that illuminated through his tissue.

"You cant tell anyone, promise?" he pleaded.

"Of course." I nodded.

"I lied when I said I escaped the Purebred Guardians. Some Lycans did take my mother, that part is true. But I never got away that day. When the Lycans attacked, the Purebreds moved me to a different vheical and continued on their way." He sighed, staring at the green light.

"To their lab?" I asked.

"Yeah. I was their gunniepig for a while. This device prevents me from freely using my magic. Thus making me not a hybrid anymore."

"Oh Goddess..." I said, carefully touching his skin. "Does it hurt?"

"Like hell. Running helps distract me from it, hence the disappearances."

"Can you have it removed?" I frowned.

"I don't think so, not without it killing me. They wrapped it around my heart, they told me if I tried to remove it, the device would kill me before it even left my body. It has sensors that, when removed, will 'self destruct'."

"Seth....I didn't know." I apologized.

"Well, now you do." He smiled sadly.

"Maybe we could have one of our doctors look at you. They are cutting edge. Or maybe Sierra could use her magic and make it disappear or something." I began blabbering off ideas.

"Abby, you can't say anything about this. I don't want any unwanted attention. If you tell Sierra or your brother they will question the hell out of me, asking me things I cant answer. I just got my family back, I don't want to loose it because they don't trust me." He pleaded.

"Alright....for now." I pointed a finger at him. "When all this is over I want second opinions."

"Deal." He said, kissing my pointed finger.

He worked his way up my arm, kissing every few inches until he reached my neck, licking and sucking it gently. I laid back down, spreading my legs open, inviting him in. He broke from my neck, only for a moment, slowly slipping himself inside of me. He laid back on top of me, putting most of his weight on his arms.

"Seth.." I moaned, wrapping my arms and legs around him. He slowly made love to me and I savored every minute of it. He kept the pace slow and deep, my moaning uncontrollable. I could feel my canines extending as we neared our peaks. I was just about to come, and I could tell so was he. Without thinking, I sank my teeth into him, marking him without asking. He stilled for a moment, his body trembling. My eyes were wide in horror. I retracted my teeth and licked his wound, sealing it with my saliva. "I'm so sorry-" But before I could finish my apology, I felt his teeth pierce my skin, sending me over the edge. I saw spots and came harder than I ever had before, and from what I could feel, so did Seth. "That..was...amazing." I heaved for air, my eyes still seeing black spots from the overwhelming pain and pleasure accompanied with marking. Seth pulled out after a minute of catching his own breath, wrapping his arm around me and pulling me flush against him, my back to his front. We stayed like that in silence, sleep eventually taking the wheel.

- - - - - - - - -

Seth

I climbed out of bed as soon as Abby fell asleep, retreating to the bathroom to check my neck. Low and behold, there on my soft tissue, sat two puncture wounds courtesy of my mate. Shit. This wasn't good. Goddess, why couldn't she have just rejected me? I have tried everything to get her to hate me! This wasn't how things were supposed to go! I should have just stuck my ground and kept being a dick. So what if she rejected me? I'm sure Sierra wouldn't kick me out over a mate bond rejection. I don't need this right now. This wasn't supposed to happen! But how could it not? As much as I wanted to say that I hated her, the trust was, Abby was the light of my life. Goddess, the things I would do for her. I wish I could spend a lifetime worshiping her. But this isn't a fairy tale and I'm not prince charming. I needed to get out of here. This room was stifling. I quickly threw on some clothes and headed outside in the dead of night. I took big gulps of the crisp night air, thankful for the reprieve.

"Hey, what are you doing out here?" Sierra asked. She was sitting cross-legged, floating a few inches off the grass.

"Needed some air. You?"

"Needed some clarity." She sighed, returning to the ground.

"How did you do that?" I asked, perplexed.

"Levitate? Lots of practice." She shrugged.

"What else can you do?"

"Come with me and I'll show you." She said, opening a portal.

We stepped into a massive gym. It oozed magic. There must be a spell over the building, just like there is one on the castle. The gym was completely empty, minus a few yoga mats on the side of the room.

"What is this place?" I asked while I took everything in.

"This is where I practice my magic. Watch this." She smiled, throwing her hand up, a bolt of light shooting out of her hand, a firework exploding in the airspace above us.

"Wow, that's incredible." I whistled.

"I can teach you." She offered.

"Not for me, thanks." I dismissed her offer.

"My offer will stand." Sierra added. She showed me a few party tricks she had, the small display an indication of how powerful she really was, even in her very pregnant state.

"So does your magic have any limits?" I asked.

"Not really. The more I practice, the better I get. As long as I'm not angry, my magic stays in check. Or delivering a pup, my magic falters during birth". She shrugged, waddling over to grab a bottle of water. She tossed me one too, even though I had only been standing and watching.

"And if you are angry?" I asked, cracking the bottle open.

"I'm more of a time bomb." She deadpanned. "Unpredictable and dangerous."

"So what you just showed me, that wasn't dangerous?" I laughed uncomfortably, my eyebrows raised in shock.

Sierra shrugged while she gulped down her water. "All depends on how I direct it."

"Interesting."

"Okay, your turn, what is going on between you and Abby?"

"Why, did she say something?"

"She was very upset at dinner tonight. Seth, you can't string her along, you need to mark her or reject her and put her out of her misery, its not fair to play with her emotions." Sierra chastised.

"Well, actually, we just marked each other." I sighed.

"Shouldnt that be a good thing?" Sierra laughed uncomfortably. "Why does it sound so grim coming from you?"

"I wasn't expecting it, I guess I just don't feel ready." I shrugged. "Can we go back? I need to go for a run."

"Sure." She nodded and opened a portal. "Seth, I'm here if you ever need to talk. I don't know what you have been through, and I'm not asking you to share if your not ready, but I have been there, dad too. Life after our pack was attacked wasn't all hearts and flowers. I understand the cruelty life sometimes offers."

"You wouldn't understand me." I shook my head. I turned to run, but not before catching Sierras' disappointed, pitying look.