Chapter 40 - Evil Eye
Brent's POV:
I awoke with a jolt, sitting upright when I heard screaming and quickly realized it was my mate. I attempted to hold her, but she fought me and pushed me away from her, continuing to scream in panic. I got up from the bed and ran around to her side, pleading with her to calm down as I tried multiple ways to soothe her.
"Alyssa!" I finally yelled, in an attempt to catch her attention, and thank the Moon Goddess it worked because she stopped and stared at me, eyes as big as dinner plates as she took me in. I wanted to reach out and hold her, but I was scared to make a move as she continued to sit there in her stunned state.
"Is this real, you're really here?" She whispered, breaking our tense stand-off.
Her eyes welled with tears as I nodded, silently answering her question. Still too afraid to speak in fear that it would set her off again. After a moment I took a single step toward her and when she didn't react I closed the gap and pulled her into my arms. She cried softly into my bare chest as I kissed the top of her head. I held her for several minutes, letting her adjust to her surroundings. I had a feeling this would be hard, but I can't say I was prepared for the screaming and thrashing that ended moments ago. It broke my heart to see her this way.
She pulled away from me, wiping her face on the back of her hand as I turned around to the tissue box on the bedside table and handed her one.
"Where's Tenley?" she asked anxiously as she attempted to get up from the bed, but I quickly stopped her.
"Tenley is perfectly fine and is with your mom and Caitlin, she will be released later and will immediately come here as long as you're feeling up to it. In the meantime, you need to rest." She thankfully agreed and settled back into the bed, propped up against the pillows I fluffed up behind her.
I pulled the blankets back over her and sat on the edge of the bed and softly rubbed her cheek, "you're safe now, all three of you are," I firmly told her, needing her to believe she was okay.
At my words she reached down and pulled the covers back down, pulling her gown up, revealing her stomach as she rubbed her hands over her barely scarred skin, emotion coating her words once more.
"I can't believe he's okay," her tone was awestruck, "how did I heal so quickly?" She asked looking up at me, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"Dr. Greer and Emily said that due to your pregnancy and the state you were in, it was unlikely you would heal from your wounds so they took some of my blood and transfused you with it so that you would get the benefit of my healing abilities," I explained.
Her mouth forming into an "oh" in response as she looked back down at her stomach, once again rubbing at the skin that had been laid open and bleeding not even 24 hours ago. My heart ached and my wolf bristled with fury at all Dalton had done to her...
"Did Dalton, did he," I sighed trying to get the words out, did he force himself on you?" I finally choked out, immediately regretting my lack of self-control when her eyes met mine. The last thing she needed right now was to be questioned.
"Baby, I am so sorry, I shouldn't -" but she cut me off before I could finish my apology.
"No," she wildly shook her head, "he never touched me sexually."
My whole body relaxed with her words and I let out a deep, slow breath, pulling her into my arms once more. I buried my face in her neck, taking in her precious scent, and pouring all of my feelings into our bond. Trying to make up for the last few days of being apart, knowing that would never be possible.
Her stomach growled loudly, making both of us laugh at the loud rumble and easing the emotional atmosphere. I picked up the call light to alert the staff to come to the room. Not only did she need breakfast, but she also needed to be assessed now that she was awake.
"Come in, Anderson," I called out.
"You and that damn nose," he said, shaking his head as he walked in the door.
Anderson smiled brightly and turned his attention toward Alyssa, "it's so good to see you, Luna."
Alyssa smiled back, "it's good to see you, too, Anderson."
"Is there a reason you're here?" I pointed my question at Anderson after speaking to the staff that came to take mine and Alyssa's breakfast order.
"Brent!" Alyssa exclaimed, "don't be rude."
I shrugged, "I'm not being rude. It's 8 o'clock in the morning. I'm only questioning the urgency for such an early visit."
"I actually did come for a reason," Anderson said, clearing his throat.
Anderson proving me right only made me smirk in her direction causing her to roll her eyes at me in amusement. Damn it I was so grateful she was back.
"If y'all would stop making googly eyes at each other, I'd really like to get on with what I came here for..." Anderson interjected with fake annoyance.
I outstretched my arm in his direction, "Proceed."
"Alyssa's uncle is at the gate and wishes to speak with you, Alpha," he said as I scrubbed my hands down my face.
"Tell him he will have to come another time," I responded after a short moment of thought, there was no way I was leaving this room.
Alyssa scoffed, "you can't send my uncle away?" She looked at me full of confusion.
"My love, I am not leaving you for even one second, and if you thought I would for any reason, you might need a mental evaluation," I had almost lost her, the last thing I was going to do was leave her for a meeting with an interim Alpha. Especially one that wasn't even in my region. I had no obligation to take this meeting.
She grabbed my hand, "I am not asking you to leave. Let him come here to speak to you. I'd like to see him."
I shook my head, "absolutely not. You do not need to be entertaining guests in your condition, it's far too soon. "
She pushed back, "Brent, thanks in large part to your blood," she reminded me, "I feel fine."
"The physical part is not what concerns me, you've been through hell and back and the conversation I am needing to have with him will not be an easy one. You need rest."
"No, I don't, I can handle it," she argued back. I was silent, trying to process what to say. I didn't want to piss her off, but I really wasn't sure about this.
"Sooooo, do I tell him to come in or?" Anderson interjected.
"Yes."
"No."
We spoke in unison, making Alyssa glare at me.
"Brent, please. I am fine and I want to see my uncle. Whatever it is you two need to discuss can be said in front of me." Switching her gaze from me to Anderson, she continued, "let him in."
Alyssa's POV:
Anderson left shortly after my breakfast tray came, heading to get my uncle. Brent easily gave in to me. The mere sight of the food made me drool with hunger. I had never eaten so fast in my life, the bacon literally made me moan.
"You doing okay over there?" Brent playfully asked, looking up from his phone.
I nodded, "you tend to enjoy food a little more when you haven't had it for two days," I said matter of factly.
He stared at the ground for a moment and then cleared his throat, "I would guess so. "
I wasn't trying to be crass. There was just no use in wallowing over what happened to me. It happened, but myself and my pups were safe and healthy and would all get the resources needed to fully heal from this. I had too much to be grateful for.
"So, what's this all important conversation with my uncle about?" I asked him, taking a sip of my iced coffee. As if by some miracle it was actually not making me sick today. It was like my little peanut just knew mommy needed this. Sadly the mere thought of a breakfast burrito still made me want to vomit every last bite I just inhaled.
Brent sighed heavily, "I have had my doubts and suspicions about my mateship with Maci for a long time and those only grew when you came into my life, which you are aware of, but I now finally have proof that Maci was never supposed to be my mate."
I felt as though my eyes were going to pop out of my head. I stared at him as if he had suddenly sprouted an extra eyeball. Slowly placing my coffee back on the tray table, I struggled to find the words to say.
"I-I don't understand. I know you and I have both had our moments of suspicion, but how is that even possible?" I finally stammered out.
"At Christmas when we spoke with your uncle, and aunt," he leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees, "I became more curious about the original prophecy your aunt had told you and wanted to know more about it as my suspicions were heavily mounting. So much so that it had started keeping me up at night, hence the long hours I was in the office," he removed his gaze from the floor and looked up at me, "I became obsessed with trying to figure this out, especially once you told me you were pregnant and so quickly at that. My mateship with her made even less sense and it drove me insane. "
He took a sip of water and continued, "I pulled them both aside before they left and asked her to explain her prophecy to me. This is when she told me that you were always supposed to mate to an Alpha and that she was absolutely sure of that. She also saw your first child being a male, but when you were mated to Dalton and you came to her in confusion she told you that futures were fickle and plans could be derailed for one reason or another, even though no matter what we always reach our destiny in the end."
My heart clutched at his words because I would truly go through it all again, knowing he was my end result. I swallowed back the tears fighting to release and focused back on what he was saying.
"I then asked her if she'd ever heard of mateships being manipulated and she got pretty flustered but did eventually tell me that she'd only ever heard of that happening once, and it had horrible consequences."
"Like what?" I whispered, taking in all that he was telling me.
"Like cursing the true mate into mateship with what is basically the polar opposite of what a mate is. Making the bond weak and causing one, or both, of the wolves to have no desire to complete the bond. Unfortunately, I felt the pull to Maci, but even after we," I shot daggers at him, daring him to finish that sentence, not wanting to hear of any intimacy between the two. I couldn't stand the thought anyway, but these pregnancy hormones got me hot and bothered in a hurry.
Thankfully he took the hint, "after the completion," he safely chose his words, "she felt empty and became resentful of me."
I clenched my jaw, and took a deep breath, "so like me being mated to Dalton and him hating me for no reason... "
I nodded slowly, "unfortunately, yes."
"And you have proof of this?" I asked incredulously.
"I do," his tone clipped.
"Show me," I curtly responded. It wasn't that I didn't trust or believe him, but I needed to see it for myself. I was simply having a hard time wrapping my head around it all.
"Well, it's a recording, I kinda learned from the best," he winked at me.
I smirked at the memory of when I recorded Dalton as he fiddled with his phone for a moment and pressed play.
(Narration of the recording)
"Why did you do it?" Brent's deep voice filled the silent room.
"Do what?" I heard Maci scoff, making me roll my eyes.
After a pause, the recording continued.
"My sister got the Alpha. My sister got the babies, and the recognition. She's always been everyone's favorite and just once, I wanted to be recognized in that way, too."
Oh, please, I thought to myself.
"I had just turned 24 and was still mateless so when I heard you and your men would be visiting our pack I just knew you would be my mate. I just knew that you, a Regional Alpha, would be my way to showing my family I was just as good, if not better than her."
I couldn't help but roll my eyes once more. This woman was a fucking joke, however, the joke was on me because I was in no way prepared for what she said next .
"But imagine my surprise and disappointment when you showed up and nothing, not a single flicker of a spark. So I got desperate and called my friend who knew a black magic witch and she helped concoct a mixture that would make you my mate and reroute our destinies."
_______________
End of recording
"Turn it off," I announced suddenly, wiping the stray tear from my cheek. Brent pressed the screen and got up from the chair and came to sit on the edge of the bed and grabbed my hand.
The thought of black magic being used against me so easily, changing my entire destiny, and me having no clue it had even occurred, made me sick to my stomach. My breakfast threatened to land in my lap as I gripped my stomach with the hand Brent wasn't holding.
"If I had any clue of what she was up to I swear to you I would've put a stop to it. I never fully questioned it until you because I had nothing else to compare it to, I'm sorry..." he whispered.
"Don't," I shook my head, "don't be sorry, she did this to you, too."
My mind was reeling and my heart was in my throat. I was fuming with anger and sadness. I had lived so long under Dalton's thumb. So long under the impression that my aunt's prophecy over my life had somehow been a mistake, or that I'd somehow messed up in some way for the Moon Goddess to punish me. So many years wasted with self hatred.
Wait, I thought, "so Dalton had his fate changed, too?" The thought left my mouth as fast as it entered my mind, not allowing me to think clearly as my empathetic ways took over and made me wonder if all Dalton had done was because of the curse. My suspicions leaked into the bond.
"Don't," Brent growled, "he gets zero passes here. He did not earn the right to use and abuse you in the ways that he did just because he didn't feel a full bond toward you. You and I both had our fates ripped from us as well and we never stooped to their level. His hurting you is because he is a fucking lunatic, not because of some curse. I know what your kind heart is thinking, but he doesn't deserve your sympathy." He was gentle with his words, but they were firm. Concrete and unbending.
I quietly nodded in agreement, he was right. He was absolutely right. He didn't deserve my sympathy.
"Brent?" I questioned.
His hand came to cup my chin as he stared into my eyes, "yes my love?"
"Kill him."