Word Count: 1733

~Kezziah

Nerves bubble up inside me as we approach the house.

It feels forbidden to be stepping inside Alden's safe house. He keeps this from the eyes of the public for a reason. I may be his mate, yet it seems so strange to be stepping into his personal life like this. I only know him as the Alpha. The professional man whose only objectives have been in the name of science.

Alden unlocks the door, holding it open for me to go inside first. Immediately I'm hit with some kind of warmth, that doesn't seem physical. Maybe it's the aura of this place, or the intimacy that surrounds it. Either way, I like it.

It's smaller than I expected for a home belonging to an Alpha. Actually, I would say it's perfect size. Quaint, but still rather roomy.

"How often do you come here?" I ask.

It doesn't look recently lived in. There seems to be a fine shimmer of dust on every surface I pass by. Regardless, the inside of the house is furnished nicely. He's gone for a very minimalist look. A pale grey chaise lounge, thick fluffy rug and a sleek television that looks as though it's been created in the Wisdom Pack for sure.

"Not often enough. Especially not recently," Alden mutters, drawing a finger across the surface of a low table. He draws back a layer of dust, which he looks disgustingly at. I can't help but chuckle.

"I like it," I tell him honestly, wandering around to the kitchen. It's simple, like I would have expected. It's very grey, with hints of blue every now and again. Once I come back to the lounge after looking at the dining area, I see Alden lounging on the couch.

"I'm glad you like it. Because this is going to be your home for some time," Alden reminds me."If that's okay with you, of course."

I breathe in deeply.

The reality of this has hit me, however, I'm not scared of living here. Living with Alden for the most part doesn't seem as daunting as maybe it should be. I suppose we are mates, and I am excited to find out more about him. He's still intriguing with how little I know about him. I can't wait to find out more.

"As long as Time can't find me, I definitely like it here," I tell him, pulling at a curtain that had falling back with time. It reveals a patio area outside and an unkempt garden past it. I make note to maybe explore it if I have time.

"As my mate, nothing is off limits in this place. Feel free to explore as you will," Alden tells me, noticing the way I look at the garden with interest.

Nothing off limits. Perfect.

Suddenly my gaze notices a cluster of things placed on the dresser beside Alden. I approach them, curious to see whether or not it is going to reveal anything about him that I don't know. I decide to pick up a picture frame containing a photograph portrait of a woman who looks vaguely familiar.

"Is this your mother?" I ask. Without him confirming it, I can already tell it is. She has the same navy eyes as Alden, and the same thick dark hair like pure obsidian. Even the way she looks at the camera is like Alden.

"It is," he confirms, coming to look over my shoulder.

"She's beautiful," I admit, looking at smooth skin and petite features. I don't remember seeing her when she was the Luna of the Wisdom Pack, however, I have no doubt she was a good and kind leader. "You definitely took after her."

Alden takes the photograph from my hands, rubbing the dust off the glass. I can see him admire it with a sad look in his eye for a moment before he blinks it away.

"She was beautiful at that time wasn't she. That was before she got sick. Before my father got sick too," he tells me as he sets the photograph back down. A lump in my throat forms as I remember the fatal sickness his family caught. Having lost my parents myself, I know how it feels.

"Right. The sickness," I say, dryness forming in my mouth. "I'm so sorry."

"It's fine. We are working on the cure for that specific kind of sickness along side the one for Time's branding. And the bond, of course," Alden reminds me, to which I nod, remembering him telling me earlier. I wonder how many labs are working for all these cures.

I can't help but ask. "What does the sickness do?"

"It's a dangerous sickness. Like none other we have ever recorded. It can be contagious, but only to specific people. It can also be passed on genetically, and even through the mate bond. We have never dealt with such an extreme sickness like that before," Alden explains.

"It sounds horrific," I say, the dryness in my mouth only increasing. Being diagnosed with that is like a life sentence.

"It is. It eats at the brain, taking away specific personality traits until you're a shell of a person. It leaves you to suffer. We take the lives of those sufferers in the safest way possible. There is no life for them after the sickness is done with them," he informs me.

As solemn as he must be about this affecting his family, he doesn't show it. He approached it cool and calm, completely professional. He must have learnt how to deal with it at a young age. I just shove my emotions with my parents passing into the back of my mind to be dealt with later.

"I'm sorry you had to watch your family go through that. I truly am," I tell him honestly, grabbing his hand and squeezing it.

"Me too," he mutters, before he appears to brighten. "Now, do you want to see your room?"

Nodding, I let him lead me to what will be my bedroom. Part of me is mildly disappointed Alden doesn't expect us to sleep with each other right away. Naturally, he is being a gentleman and I would surely be too nervous anyway.

"You had it made up already," I note, as we walk into an already made up room with a double bed in the centre and a vanity on the right wall. On the left, a glass door that leads out onto the patio.

Alden rubs the back of his neck. "It's always been this way. In case a guest ever came over. It's never happened until now. I hope you like it."

"It's perfect. I haven't had my own room like this in a long time," I admit, coming to sit down on the edge of the bed. Alden joins me, much to my interest. We haven't been this close in awhile. Now that I know where are mates, it changes everything.

"I'm sorry for what I put you through in the past," Alden murmurs. "Your defiance intrigued me. I wanted to know what you were hiding. I guess we can thank Fate for bringing us together."

We can thank Fate for a lot of things.

"Don't worry. I was living a bad lifestyle," I remind him. All the running away and moving around was something I doubt I could have done for much longer. I had no friends, no family aside from Avia. Now I have so much more, aside from all the problems with Time. "I'm glad I'm here right now."

"I am too. I couldn't ask for any more," Alden says gently, looking at me with a look in his eyes I can only describe as admiration and affection.

I've never been looked at like this by anyone before. So my immediate reaction, without even being able to control myself, is to lurch forward and kiss him. The force almost knocks him backward onto the bed, but he manages to control himself last minute.
For some reason, I expected him to break away from the kiss and scold me, however, he doesn't, kissing me back with more vigour than I expected.

Instead of sitting there in disbelief, I concentrate on the feeling of his lips on mine, and the way his gentle touch moves from where he cradled my face to down my side, resting on my hips. It alights my body into a euphoric state, excitement surging through me.

I run my fingers through his hair, feeling the silken strands. My entire body burns with a need I have never felt before. And Alden must be feeling the same way, reading my mind as he quickly pulls off his own shirt.

I smile into the kiss, running my hands down the ridges of his back muscle, feeling how smooth, yet so hard it is.

Then, all of a sudden he pulls away from me as if I touched him with fire.

"Is everything okay?" I question, as he stands back a few feet, looking at me with an expression I can't decipher on his face.

"I'm sorry, I haven't been completely honest with you," he tells me.

I sit up properly, unsure of why we went from such a heated moment like that to Alden freaking out like I've never seen him do before. Brushing my hair back from my face, I take a deep breath.

"What do you mean?" I question.

He swallows, as if he is trying to gather his thoughts. "I truly hope this doesn't scare you away..."

"What are you saying?" I ask nervously. His sudden change is making me anxious. I want to grab him and make sure everything is okay, however, I don't want to approach him when he seems so anxious. Maybe he is going to tell me he doesn't want to be with me because of the bond with Time...

"The same sickness my parents died for, I also have," he says in one breath.

My mouth falls open. "You what?"

He clenches his jaw. "I'm dying. I need the cure."

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If you guys want more of Alden, the rest of available now on Radish (:

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Sinful's own story is up now on Radish! I wanted to make it apart of the Seven Sins series (which will have stories involving Cian and other characters you've seen before)

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Instagram: Sophie_Midika

~Midika 💜🐼