Word Count: 2012

~Meara

Case has been my boyfriend for quite a few years now.

In the beginning everything was good. It was my first experience with love, so I didn't become aware of difficulties until later in our relationship.

When he cheated on me, I didn't think I would be able to get through it. After a few months we bumped back into each other, and stupidly I decided to forgive him.

Now that I've found my mate, how I feel about that decision has suddenly changed drastically.

Now, my mate faces down my boyfriend.

"Holy fuck, who are you?" Case questions, clearly horrified at the man before him.

I don't blame him for being terrified. Sire towers over him, and the expression on his face suggests he hasn't opened the door to greet Case.

"Case...what are you doing here?" I ask frantically.

He's not meant to be here. We are meant to meet up for lunch tomorrow. Usually he is good at giving me space...sometimes too good. And now, he's here, confused as to why there is a tall, intimidating man lingering in my house.

Explaining the situation to him isn't going to be easy.

Case pushes past Sire. "I was looking everywhere for you, Hazel is terrified."

Sire blinks, as if the audacity of my boyfriend has come as a surprise. He seems to have forgotten that people here don't know who he is, that he is an Alpha. And if he is looking for respect, he isn't going to find it from Case.

"Leave, or I kill you," Sire orders, holding the door open.

"You leave..." Case snaps back.

I grab his shoulders, turning his attention to me. "I promise we will talk, but I need time with my friend here."

Case looks between Sire and I, trying to make sense of what he is witnessing. I feel bad for pushing him away, but it's not as if I can explain what is going on just yet. It will only worsen this already complicated situation.

"So what, you're done with me?"

"Yes she is," Sire cuts in.

"I need time to deal with a situation," I assure him. No man in his right mind would willingly leave his girlfriend with a strange man with freakish blue eyes and otherworldly tattoo's, but he has no other choice.

Case looks over Sire, scoffing, although I can sense his wariness. "She's dating me, you know."

"And she will be fucking-"

"Okay everyone, I think we all need to stop talking, and Case needs to go," I cut in before Sire dig this trench any deeper.

With little force, I gently push Case toward the door. I don't want him to be mean, but the longer he lingers here, the more tense Sire is getting and I can't anticipate what the once slumbering Alpha will do.

"Why can't he go?" Case motions to him.

"It's a long story," I sigh, still pushing at him.

"Meara is my mate. She is mine now. Goodbye," Sire exclaims finally, grabbing Case himself, shoving him unceremoniously out onto my front porch.

He goes to slam the door shut in his face, but Case reaches out, stopping him. Whether he's mustered that strength from is beyond me...

"I'm not just going to let this happen," Case growls back.

It's taken the threat of another man coming into my life for Case to decide he wants to fight for me. He never considered that an option when he was seduced by a beautiful woman.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you," Sire seethes. He's warning Case to get out of here while he can, although I don't think my boyfriend has ever been very perceptive.

Case takes a step closer. "You wouldn't."

"Wrong answer," Sire mutters.

In a movement so fast I almost don't detect it, Sire grabs the side of Case's head and slams it into the doorframe.

"Sire!" I yell, watching as Case's body slumps, falling to the floor with a sickening thud.

"Much better," Sire muses, brushing his hands together.

Stooping down, I grab Case's shoulder, twisting him over. The impact was strong, although he doesn't seem to be bleeding too heavily.

"Did you kill him?" I'm horrified as I tightly clutch Case, wishing he would gasp awake with nothing more than a little headache.

I never expected Sire to lash out like that...

"I'm sure he will wake up." He nudges Case with his foot, no trace of remorse seen anywhere on his face.

"You can't do that!" I snap angrily, scrambling to my feet. I'm going to need to get help, but first, I need to get rid of Sire. He doesn't understand why this is wrong, which has made me furious beyond belief.

"I don't appreciate someone trying to make a claim to you, when you are my mate." He frowns, looking down at Case's unconscious form as if he is imaging hitting him all over again. "Beside, from what I can tell, he deserved it."

A couple months ago I would have agreed. Case does deserve some payback for what he did to me.

But Sire shouldn't be the one to dish it out.

"If this is going to work, you cannot hurt people," I tell him, trying to keep my voice calm, although it's impossible to keep my voice from shaking with frustration.

He looks genuinely confused. "But he deserves it. And he's not even dead."

A press my palm against my face, exhaling slowly. "This can't happen again."

His eyes search my face, his confusion melting away. I can see him fighting with who he was before he was cursed. He's not used to being condemned by anyone, but he's faced with me now, I'm not going to let him get away with anything.

"Alright," he concedes, stepping back.

I sweep my hands through my hair, looking down at Case. Thankfully I can see the slow rise and fall of his chest. He's alive. That's all that matters.

"When will I make a term for this relationship?" Sire asks. It's the first hint of playfulness I've detected from him so far.

"Well...I freed you from your curse. You owe me," I remind him pointedly.

"Fair enough."

"Give me a day, at least, then we can talk again." A day would give me a chance to make sure Case is okay. If he wakes up, I'll explain who Sire is. Despite everything, I don't think he deserves to be lied to about my mate.

Sire frowns. "A day?"

"Yes. You go and meditate or whatever it is you do...just don't go anywhere, or hurt anyone," I instruct.

I can just envisage him going around trying to find the Alpha of this Pack. There is a lot of history he has to acknowledge, but this world isn't meant for him anymore. He doesn't rule, people don't respect him, or even know who he is.

He's going to have to tread very carefully, otherwise people will turn on him, and he will retaliate in a cataphoric way that I know he is capable of.

"I need to get revenge."

I guide him out of the cabin and onto the porch. "We will talk about this tomorrow, okay?"

His jaw tenses as he considers my words. His eyes suggest a fear that if he leaves, I may not be here. He's proven before, however, that he is capable of tracking me, even if I used this time to flee far away.

It would be no use though. My leaving would put people in danger, and as much as I hate to admit it, Sire is my mate. I'm going to have to do something about that.

"I will return here tomorrow," he says eventually.

I try not to convey how relieved I am that he is backing off. "Thank you Sire."

He takes a few steps back, holding my gaze. The moment I blink, he gone, having vanished into the air miraculously.

As I stoop down, a pained groan comes from Case.

I help him into sitting position as he cradles the side of his head tenderly, blinking back into conciousness. He allows me to guide him to the couch without much process.

"Who was that?" He asks irritably, watching me bring an icepack to him from my kitchen.

"My mate."

He holds the pack against his head, wincing. "Seriously?"

"I know...It's not easy to understand, but he's come into my life and now I have to make sense of everything," I admit, rubbing the back of my neck.

The problem with entering into a normal relationship is that there is always a chance that one partner will find their mate. At that point, most people forgo their original relationships because there is nothing better than a matebond.

In hindsight, I should have never entered into a relationship with Case to begin with.

"We have worked too hard on our relationship to give up on it," Case breathes.

"I know. But you need to give me time." I need to ensure Sire isn't volatile before deciding how to proceed. Case is right, but I'm not sure now that I have a mate I can continue to be with him.

"Time for you to fall in love with him?" His tone is bitter and cold. I can't blame him.

I squeeze my eyes shut. "No...time for me to figure out what is going on."

"He hit me." He lifts the icepack as a visceral reminder of what Sire is capable of.

"Yeah, his mind is still stuck in the time he came from, where he was a feared Alpha and didn't care about anyone or anything," I mutter. "I'm not sure what's going on in his head, but he sees you as the bad guy, and that's it."

"He might hurt you."

"He won't. That much I'm sure of." I stare down at my hands, wishing I could close my eyes and when I open them, find out this has all been a horrible dream.

A loud knock on the door steals my attention away from Case.

"That better not be him..." I growl, getting up to throw the door open.

It's not Sire. Instead, it's a group of three, tell people who stare me down with vicious gazes. A chill immediately skates a long my skin.

This isn't good...

"Your presence has officially be requested by Alpha Carran. You are required to join us to his estate," a man states, his expression so serious it's unnerving.

"What? Why?"

Carran isn't very present in our Pack. It's such a large one it would be impossible for him to be seen in person by everyone, including me. He does live relatively close by, but I've always avoided public events involving him.

It's not that I hate him...I've just never found him to be a very kind, thoughtful Alpha.

"Please, follow me," the man orders.

"No way!" I stumble back a few steps, glancing back at Case. He looks confused, if not a little dazed. He can't defend me...not in his state.

Two of them step inside, grabbing me before I know what to do with myself. Their grips are strong, impossible to fight my way out of.

"I'm afraid we are not asking," one growls in my ear before something sharp pokes the side of my neck.

Gritting my teeth, I fling my limbs about, trying to shake myself from their grasps. Case just sits on the couch, watching on with fright.

I want to be angry at his inaction, but the edges of my vision are already turning black.

Those bastards drugged me.

They drag me out onto the porch and toward their car, mercilessly tossing me into the back. The moment my head hits the seat, I'm whisked away into unconsciousness.

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Hey guys! Thank you so much for reading (: I hope you all enjoy this story, and if you want to read ten chapters ahead you can on Radish!

Thanks for reading (:

~Midika 💜🐼