Alpha Noah

¬Abella

Stace returned me back to the mortal realm the next day.

Noah came with, but agreed to stay in his manor while I went to meet Cian. Him and I agreed to meet at my old apartment, which seems oddly significant considering I first met him when I lived there. I’m about to tell him that I don’t want to be mated to him anymore, and that I’ve chosen Noah. I’m not sure what his reaction is going to be, but knowing him, I doubt it will be very pleasant.

Pacing back and forth across my old apartments living room, I consider my next move, what words I’m going to say to him. He wouldn’t try to hurt me, would he? I bleed the colour of a species he hates more than anything.

Now that he has no reason to protect me, he may just act out.

In a suddenly flicker of light followed by the softest mist tinted gold, Cian appears. My stomach hollows out, the sight of him consuming me with guilt. I’m standing before him, happy with Noah, knowing I’m about to break his heart and let him down.

“Abella… You’re safe,” he murmurs, stalking across the room to reach out to me. I let him wrap his arms around me, pulling me to his chest. Loosening a breath, I rest my head on him, breathing in the scent of him, his magic. Part of me wants to cry, to change my mind and put the decision off for longer, even if I know I can’t.

“Of course I’m safe. Is everything okay?” I ask him softly, examining the frightened look on his face, as he searches mine back, looking for any sign of damage.

“You were missing for days. I was looking everywhere for you,” he exclaims, only accelerating my guilt. I should have told him before I agreed to go with Stace. “His scent is all over you.”

I wince. “Can I explain a few things?”

Cian nods, pressing his lips together. I can already predict what he is going to say, what he is thinking. I can’t blame him for it, and just hearing it out of his mouth makes me infinitely more guilty for what happened only last night.

“You let him fuck you, didn’t you?” he says harshly, making me flinch. I back up a few steps, sitting down on the old dusty couch that has been left behind. Cian doesn’t join me, instead standing staunchly before me, something dark and sinister swirling around in his eyes that I can’t blame him for. He has every right to be angry at me, to feel betrayed.

“Cian, let’s not let it get to that. We didn’t… confirm the mating bond, if that’s what you mean,” I breathe, not wanting to go into the dull details of last night with him.

“Then why do you smell like him?”he questions, looking me up and down as if that’s going to give him the answer.

“I went to the Daemon realm with Stace. I needed to see where I came from, what my origin is. I don’t regret any of it,” I tell him firmly, in case he decides to reprimand me for my decision. He would have tried to convince me out of it, to say that Stace and Noah can’t be trusted. All because of what we are, that he despises so deeply.

His brows raise. “And you didn’t tell me?”

“It was in the moment that I decided,” I admit. I don’t mention to him that I wanted to get away in the first place to figure out for myself who I wanted as my mate. “And I knew you wouldn’t want me to, considering how you feel about my kind.”

Cian’s face turns solemn, a shadow settling over him. “Has Noah or Stace told you about why all the pure-bloods want them gone, dead?”

“Remember that I’m one of them, before you say anything you’ll regret,” I warn him. What I’ve seen of the other realm from where I came from, it is one of the most beautiful places that exists. I may not have seen much, but it didn’t seem like a place that any normal person would want to destroy. I’m not sure why immortals would find it helpful to not allow others who are not like them to live in this realm.

Cian finally comes to sit next to me, although I’m suddenly the one wanting space. “They wanted our positions as pure-blood immortals. We had to eliminate them to keep us safe.”

“Even the ones who weren’t a threat to you?” I question nervously.

“We had to make sure there were no threats,” he tells me firmly, the look in his eyes makes me shiver. It’s a look he would give me before he would kill me, if we were not mates. It’s frightening to think about his siblings, who if they knew what I was, they would kill me, regardless of being Cian’s mate.

“So if we weren’t mates, you would kill me without a second thought?” I can’t help but ask. It’s a dangerous question, to know what could be, especially when I tell him who I have chosen. Despite the danger, I’m not going to force myself to be with him just because not doing so puts me at risk. They wouldn’t be fair to either of us.

He falters.

My heart jumps into my throat, but I refuse to visibly show my disgust. “Just what I thought.”

“But we are mates, which changes everything,” he tells me gently, grabbing for my hands, but I pull them away, not allowing myself to be too concerned with the hurt expression on his face that follows.

“And if I were to reject you?”

“I would never hurt you, Abella.” He almost sounds offended that I would even ask, until he seems to realise why, confusion and a slight amount of anger consuming his dark eyes. “But please don’t tell me this is you choosing Noah over me.”

For a moment I don’t know what to say, until I realise it’s finally time to be honest. “I didn’t want it to be like this. If I could, I would take myself out of this situation so you could both be happy, I would do that.”

Getting to my feet, I allow some space between us while giving myself room to pace. If I don’t keep myself occupied, I’m going to get emotional. Choosing one mate over another is not something a normal person has to go through, so I can’t imagine why I have to. It’s not like I have anyone else to talk to about this.

“I saw this coming, you know,” he whispers, eyes focusing past me, looking into nothingness. I wince at the painful tug at my heart, knowing how painful it must be to lose a mate. His pain must be heightened, considering it is my choice.

“Cian, I’m sorry, I truly am.”

“He just does it better than me, I guess,” he shrugs. He doesn’t cry, but I see the pain in his eyes, the way he tries to hide it as he sweeps his hair back, the golden roots catching the light beautifully, another show of his immortality. “I should have never interfered with your life. I should have met you organically, and maybe you would have chosen me.”

“There’s been a lot to think about, but I don’t regret my decision,” I tell him firmly, confirming it more to myself than him.

“Of course you don’t… he’s the perfect Alpha, and I’m the Sin. The one no one cares about, and never will.” Something gives me the feeling that it comes from a place of insecurity, and in reality, this isn’t about me. He’s been alive for a very long time, so I can imagine how many past lovers he has had, and how many times he has been burnt.

I shake my head. “It’s not like that.”

“Then what is it? Why choose him over me?” he questions, the desperation in his eyes so real and raw is has my stomach swirling uneasily.

“It felt right, being that we come from the same place, have a similar story… and we just get on so well,” I say uneasily, picking my words carefully. The last thing I want to do now is to upset him. I want this to go as peacefully, and as smoothly as possible.

“That’s it?”

I close my eyes, bracing my arm on an accent table pressed against the wall, “And it doesn’t feel like you’re ready to commit to me, to truly and utterly be mine.”

“Of course I am. I would give my life for you,” he says desperately, grabbing for me. I let him grasp my shoulders, maybe to steady us both. “But you’re only saying that because I’m Greed. That doesn’t mean I’m damaged to the core.”

“I really am sorry.”

“I don’t know what I was thinking. That I deserve happiness,” he mutters, shaking his head. I want to hug him, to hold him and make all the pain go away, the doubt. But I know I can’t, otherwise I will give him the wrong idea. Instead, I gently run my hands up and down his arms, feeling the slight sparks that follow, a silent reminder of what I’m doing.

“You will find another mate Cian, you know that,” I tell him, even if I know that he may be waiting for a very long time.

Cian’s expression is solemn, as he looks over me slowly.

“I don’t want another mate, Abella,” he murmurs. “I want you.”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Before I have a chance to react, he grabs for me, his fingertips brushing against my skin as the world starts to dissolve around me. That’s when I realise what he is doing.

He’s taking me to the immortal realm.