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~Sinful

Alaya hasn't changed one bit.

She's still unremarkable, aside from that rather mortal flare of beauty that is typically unique among them. She has a naïve nature too, which as a mortal, can be found cute. If she was a pureblood immortal, however, she would survive less than a few moments before someone swallowed her whole. Maybe that's why this experience has been so...fun.

It was over a year ago when I met her. She came into my life to trick me, but instead, I tricked her. After a night to ensure the plan came together, she left my life thinking she was pregnant. With my child. Now that Fate and I have stopped colluding, I'm here to finally clear the air.

"Finally come to gloat?" she asks flatly.

"Where's Asher?" I question, strolling in through her home brazenly. She's not going to kick me out of this...rather beautiful home. It's small, though. "Did I scare him away?"

"It all scared him away. I couldn't lie to him, and you knew that," Alaya says distastefully. "So, he left. He left me here, in all my lies. So, you won."

I look down at her, stopping short on the plush rug beneath my feet. She looks sad. Genuinely, painfully sad that she has lost her mate, the burden that he may never return to love her again weighing on her shoulders. It's a familiar feeling that I'll admit, makes me feel sorry for her. Empathy, however, is not what she deserves after trying to trick me. To kill me.

I grab an empty picture frame from a shelf nearby. "I did win, didn't I?"

"Make it quick would you," Alaya drones. The way her shoulders are slumped, the way her tawny hair is pulled up into a ponytail suggests the extent of damage this has caused her. She's almost completely given up on maintaining herself.

"I actually came to explain myself," I tell her honestly, deciding I've had enough of teasing her. It's just too easy to get into her head.  "And apologise."

She eyes me. "I'm listening."

"You're not pregnant, clearly. And you never were. It's been a few months and nothing came of it, and of course you were confused. Anyone would be. I'm sorry about that, by the way," I say uneasily. I'm not the best with apologies, since I'm not particularly bothered by what anyone thinks of me. I never really have to...do that.

"Can I ask why? I mean, I've spent a long time wondering," Alaya asks, although she doesn't seem desperate. The way she has just given up is rather sad. I thought she was better than this. "I've assumed you did it to get Asher away from me, who didn't believe me when I told him it was all your fault. Am I right?"

I swallow a lump in my throat, that I'm irritated at having formed. Asher, her mate worked for me, or at least I assumed he did at the time, despite my suspicions. Consequently, she got in the way, and had to be dealt with accordingly.

"Kind of."

"But why Fate? Why did he lie to me?" Alaya asks me. No one likes to be betrayed by someone you think of as a friend, but mortals should learn the friendship to immortals loses it's meaning very quickly. Especially when a better option arises.

"Fate owes me a lot of favours," I explain. "I just needed to assure that you and Asher weren't together for a while. I mean, you two really aren't that good together."

"So what, you wanted Asher all to yourself? You broke us a part for that reason, by getting me pregnant them magically ensuring it all goes away? That's a lot of effort, even for you," she mutters, leaning back into the couch until is practically swallows her whole. She's such a small, negligible creature. I wonder how she ever got my attention...even if it was fleeting.

Maybe I'm jaded, now that I've been exposed to the raw, powerful beauty that is my mate again. Simply being in her presence has already altered my perception of the world. Now it's time to tie these loose ends, which includes Alaya's perception of me.

"You were never pregnant," I tell her flatly, almost in complete disbelief that she hadn't realised that yet, although I don't show it. "It was an illusion."

I watch her swallow. "An illusion?"

"Do you really think I would impregnate you? Do you really ever think I would let anyone other than my mate carry my child?" I question. Maybe I'm just that good at manipulating those I wish to, that I hadn't even noticed how much I convinced her. Or maybe she thinks low enough of me, that she thinks I would accidently get her pregnant.

"I-" she seems completely lost for words, drawing off as she scrambles for an excuse that won't embarrass herself. "I don't know."

I'm almost in as much disbelief as she is. I don't want to be mean to her, which is a change of attitude from the last time I saw her, but I've turned over a new rock...as cliché as that may sound. But recent events have changed my mind.

What is wrong with me?

"It was easy. One suggestion can conjure up an entire conscious experience. You believed it enough and Asher left you," I say simply. Alaya looks down at her hands which are clasped together. She's deep in thought, so I move to sit down next her own the couch. From here, I can practically smell the scent of the night we were together.

I still hate myself for that night...I made a promise long ago I would commit myself to Millicent only, and that despite my Sin, I would wait for her to grave me with her presence down within my realm. Instead, I let myself get involved in a power imbalance that caused me to settle the playing field by sleeping with Alaya, Asher's mate.

Alaya turns to look at me. "How, I don't understand?"

"It was simple. You don't think. You think you're ahead of me, Alaya, but you're not. The only thing you're ahead of is yourself," I tell her firmly, although my tone is soft.

Despite everything, I don't actually hate Alaya. Yes, her naivety bothers me, but she's a mortal, what can I expect? She was collateral damage, in the simplest terms. Maybe now she will learn not to trust someone who shows her affection, kindness. At the time, I read right into her vulnerability and used it, especially in her mate's absence.

I would never do that with Millicent, though...I love Millicent. Gaining her trust takes gentle coaxing and a great amount of time.

"You're sick. You got your wish, Asher left me and I have no hope of getting him back," Alaya mutters, her eyes hurt, tone spiteful. She shifts away a space on the couch, visibly showing her distain, while still keeping her ground.

At least she's smart about one thing...No longer trusting me.

"Regardless, I will send him a message and right things. I have nothing against either of you anymore," I tell her, leaning back into the plushness of her couch. She watches me with narrowed eyes, the proximity of me clearly bothering her. The last time we were any closer, this entire problem started.

"So that's is? You come here and ruin my entire life for nothing?" she mutters rhetorically. She wouldn't be the first life I've ruined.

"I did you a favour. He's not a good man, and you know it," I remind her, to which she frowns at me pointedly, offended as if Asher hasn't already left her over this. "Yet I'm still sitting here, trying to convince you to take him back."

No one is as good at being that callous and unmoving without having a darker side. Asher refuses to embrace his, which is his entire problem. He should be like me, and accept that he's no good, and hope maybe someone see past that, instead of expecting his mate to pretend there isn't another side to him that isn't lurking beneath his skin.

"Why? If he's such a bad man, why should I take him back?"

"Because I'm over being the spiteful guy I was back then. If you kiss and make up, then my biggest concern will be in order," I explain to her.

I'll admit, now that there is a chance Millicent will finally fulfill the moment I have been waiting most of my immortal life for, I have to ensure all my loose ends are tied up. Everything has to be perfect for her. This isn't about me. Alaya could ruin Millicent's experience here, and I really can't have that. I'll do anything to ensure that doesn't occur.

The gears in Alaya's mind finally click into place. "This is about Millicent, isn't it?"

"It's about you knowing I never got you pregnant, and this was all a mistake," I say, reaching out to grab her hand, to make sure she understands, but she pulls away from me quickly, as if my touch might poison her skin. "And that I'm going to ensure Asher returns to you and all is happily ever after."

"So, a deal, then? I keep my mouth shut and I get my mate back?" Alaya questions.

A smile reaches my lips. "See, a deal sounds so sinister."

Her bottom lip quivers slightly as she considers what I'm proposing. She doesn't really have any other choice. She wants her mate back, and I want mine to trust me. It's the perfect deal.

"It's a deal Sinful," she tells me, wrapping her shawl around herself. "I hope you and your mate can be happy together."

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~Midika 💜🐼