Alpha Knight’s Cursed Mate

KNIGHT

“Oh, you’re awake.” Kailin pretended to be surprised. I was pretty sure she heard me talking to Nirvana.

“How are you feeling, son?” There was still a worry in Case’s eyes. “You should know that she didn’t know what she was doing.”

“I’m good, Case. I deserved it after what I did to her. It’s all good.”

“I was mad, terrified, and immensely shocked. Everything just dropped on me, and he is fine. You don’t have to defend me, Grandpa.” Her laugh dried in her throat. “And I see what’s going on here. You’re more concerned about his well-being than your own granddaughter.”

“He’s the alpha, Nirvana-the leader of the pack. Your grandfather is just showing him respect,” Zarah said.

“It’s fine. Really. Thank you.”

“So what? People bow for him, kill for him?”

“Yes,” Kailin answered confidently. “And he will do anything to protect his pack, give up his life for us.”

She slowly turned to me, both shocked and amused. “So he wants me to submit to him? Not gonna happen. Besides, I’m not one of you. I’m not a member of your cult.”

“Vana,” Case chided her. “We’re not a cult. The pack is how we live to survive and live in the shadows because if we draw attention and show ourselves, chaos may arise, or we can rule the world. We’re more powerful than you can ever imagine. And whether you like it or not, you are now bound to be by his side.”

“And respect goes both ways. He will worship you, take care of you, and make you happy.”

“Yeah? He’s doing a bang-up job so far.” She rolled her eyes at Kailin. She probably thought mate was absurd. “I’m good with how human relationships work. Thank you very much.”

I was still trying to get used to the fact that I now had a mate. “What she means to say is we don’t have divorce or annulment in our world. We stuck together through eternity.”

She rose a brow as she pointed at me and herself. “You and me through eternity? We can’t even stand each other in one room for five minutes, let alone a day.”

“Well, I can’t stay here longer. You can squabble all yourself, but I have to go back to Italy.”

“Zarah, about the text I sent you,” I reminded her.

“May I see your birthmark?” she asked Nirvana politely. She probably knew what it could do to anyone who touched it.

“I don’t have one.” Confused, she said to Zarah and turned to Kailin. “Do I have a birthmark on the back of my neck?”

“I don’t think so,” Kailin replied, wearing the same confusion on her face.

“Because only he can see it,” Zarah told her.

“Don’t tell me it has something to do with that mate thing again, or I’m really going to curse myself.” I felt her irritation. We hadn’t gone through the mating process, but I already felt how strong her emotions were. “I’m starting to get annoyed with the whole exclusivity thing.”

“Get used to it,” I muttered under my breath, but she still heard it and threw me a glare.

Kailin looked amused as she patted her best friend’s shoulder. “That’s exactly what it is.”

“God.” She rolled her eyes. “So, now my life depends on him? I don’t think I can live like that.”

“The him you are talking about is right here, Nirvana. I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to.” Her rudeness and disrespect started to get on my nerves. I should learn how to control my emotions because I got the feeling that it may take a while for her to adjust to the new life she just dove into.

“Good because you can’t force me,” she said, showing Zarah the back of her neck. “I don’t have, do I? He’s just hallucinating, or this mate thing gets into his head quickly.”

“He’s not hallucinating. It was just concealed by a powerful spell,” Zarah confirmed as she swiped her palm above the hidden mark. I saw the mark glow again.

“I don’t see anything,” Kailin said.

“So do I,” her grandpa seconded. “I raised this kid her whole life. I should have seen it if there was something behind her neck.”

“How did you do it, Zarah?” she asked inquisitively.

“I unveiled it.”

“What else can you do?” She looked over her shoulder

“The right question is what she can’t do,” Kailin said in awe.

“Are witches immortal?”

“We’re not immortals, Nirvana, but we live longer than humans.”

“So, how old are you?” Kailin asked, chuckling.

“It’s rude to ask a woman’s age,” she said, making Kailin laugh.

“But what does my birthmark mean?”

“It’s not a birthmark, so to say. It’s an oracle mark, like a brand, a trademark of your ancestors.”

“Like a coat of arms for royals?”

“Yes. So when someone of your kind sees it, they will know you’re one of them.”

“I’m not exactly one of anyone’s kind, Zarah. I’m human.”

“At least, not yet.” Kailin always knew what to say, trying so hard to convince her best friend.

“What does it do? Why it burned me when I touched it?” I asked Zarah.

“Wait. It burned you?” Nirvana asked in confusion and amusement.

I looked down at her but couldn’t reply. The mating bond was getting into my head so fast. Maybe it wasn’t just the effect of the mating bond. I was just so attracted to her. And when those beautiful, big, sky-blue eyes stared at me, I instantly got lost in those depths.

“You are maybe her mate, but she doesn’t trust you. So, it protects itself.”

Kailin grinned. I thought she had something funny to ask. “So if he, like, touches without her consent, the mark will protect her?”

“Yes,” Zarah confirmed my theory last night. I didn’t have any bad intentions. It was just out of curiosity, but it still protected Nirvana.

“Well, shit.” Kailin had a lot of fun learning about her best friend.

“With bad intentions,” Nirvana added with little emphasis on the word bad.

“Then we’ll put it to a test.”

“No!” Zarah, Case, and I said in unison to Kailin.

“Don’t even try, Kailin,” I warned her. “We don’t know what this mark is capable of or the extent of its power.”

“But it didn’t happen before.” Nirvana shrugged.

“Because no one has ever tried to hurt you,” I told her.

“Yeah, I guess so.” She rubbed the site of the mark on her neck.

“So you’ll gonna have another mark soon, then.”

Fuck. I hadn’t entirely thought about that. I just wished Kailin would shut up for a moment. Nirvana wasn’t ready to hear about the mating process.

“What another mark, K?” Fuck. I heard the curiosity in her voice. I knew she wouldn’t stop asking until she knew.

Kailin and I shared a look.

“Don’t ever fucking tell her about the mating rituals,” I warned her through our link.

“What’s with that look?”

“We can talk to each other in our heads,” Kailin told her. “It’s called a pack link.”

“What?” She couldn’t help but smile. “What is it like?”

“I can hear his voice, so I just talk in my head if I want to say something. Since he’s the alpha, he can block me or send messages to all his pack members all at once.”

“Like a group message or group chat?”

“Yes.”

“Wow. Cool. What else can he do?”

“He will do a ritual for you to join a pack,” Zarah explained. “It’s a ceremony called a blood pact.”Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

“But I won’t drink blood, will I?”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. I expected her to go nuts the moment she saw Gage shift, but so far, she was handling it pretty well than I initially expected. She was strong, and I knew she would handle her newfound life just right.

“No,” Kailin said. “We don’t do that anymore. He will just make a small cut in your palm, in his palm, chant the pack pact invocation. Then tada.”

“What if I don’t want to be a part of it?”

Shit. What if she didn’t want anything to do with me?

“Nirvana, it keeps you safe if you are a pack member, even if you’re not a werewolf. Learn about them, and then you can decide, but it’s best if you are a part of your mate’s pack.”

I was grateful Zarah was around to help me because, honestly, this was new to me, too.

“I’ve never heard or met someone like her. What is your advice, Zarah?”

“So I’m rare?” I smiled when I saw something in her eyes like pride and mischief. Our bond was somehow helping us.

“Are you kidding me? Maybe there are ten or less of your kind, Nirvana.”

“Stop saying my kind, Zarah. I’m just human.”

“The last seer I met was your mother. Maybe there are a few out there, but they choose to hide their identity to protect themselves from the abuse of powerful leaders or organizations. That’s why you have to go with Knight. The moment he touched your mark, it triggered a beacon and sent a message to all oracles, sibyls, and even witches that a power of one of their kind just activated.”

“You’re scaring her,” I told her when Nirvana’s heartbeat began racing.

“I can’t sugarcoat it, Knight. She needs to be protected. First, she said it herself, she’s just human. Can she protect herself?” She turned to Case.

“Hey. Don’t blame my grandfather. He just wanted to raise me as a normal kid. And I’m glad he did.”

“I know one day, the true you will prevail. I just didn’t know it was too soon, and I never wanted you to carry the burden of our family secrets. The responsibility of a seer is just too big for a young woman like you. This kind of gift cannot be abused, no matter what. I witnessed how my wife struggled, and my daughter balanced her gift and her married life. I didn’t want you to experience that.”

“I understand, Grandpa. What do you want me to do?”

“I can’t decide for you anymore, honey. You’re an adult. You’re free to decide on your own, but you also have to consider him.” He stole a glance at me. “He needs you. His wolf needs you. The pack needs you.”

She nodded before she talked to Zarah. “I might need you more than I’d like to admit. Can I call you sometimes?”

“Alpha Knight has my number. If you feel something, even if how irrelevant it is if you feel it in your gut, call me. And Nirvana, always trust your instinct.”

“Thank you.” She threw herself at Zarah.

I felt the same. I had a feeling that we could trust her with our secrets and with who Nirvana would become.

“Just trust your mate. Whatever he does, it’s for your own good.”

She smiled in mischief. “I make no promises.”

Fuck me.