The Cursed Alpha’s Mate by Moon Flood
Chapter 85 (VALENS)
“Did you know she is a witch?” Avalon von Stein asked, her legs crossed before her.
“Yes,” I answered, flipping through a file Jabari just sent my way.
My Beta wasn’t functioning at full capacity at this point which put more workload on me. It was a good thing my Luna was picking up more and more work these days. There was no way I could do all this alone.
“How do you feel about that?” The historian asked, making me pause. “She’s my Luna,” I said offhandedly. In truth, the thought of having a mate with magic was hard to digest. Her sudden magical abilities left me wondering and a lot of times, I would admit it made me recoil. I did not like magic and she must have noticed because she
had fewer magical accidents around me. I imagined she was getting used to her new abilities or she was hiding them from me. I didn’t want her to hide any part of herself from me. Never again.
“Does it bother you?” She asked. I shook my head, unwilling to say more than that. Jabari mostly handled Avalon but he wasn’t in the right state of mind to work these days so I had to do it
It bothered me that there was a person documenting everything that went on in my life to share with the next generation. My conquests, my mistakes, everything about my life was being documented for the whole world. Even the stupid things I had done as a teenager were on record and who knew what else.
“I am not a liar, I can tell you that it is something I am working on getting to understand and accept. I love my mate as she is even if I hate magic. I have to come to terms with it,” I told her. “And how are you coming to terms with it?” She raised a slender brow.
My strategy had been to pretend she didn’t have magic. I pretended not to see that she glowed differently these days and not a glow of happiness. An ethereal glow that had magic written all over it. I tried not to remember what magic had cost me and when I perceived that scent on her – the sharp stench of magic, I calmed my wolf and reminded him it was now the smell of our mate.
“I love her. I am focusing on that love.” That was as much truth as I could tell the world. “You know this isn’t an interview. In a more traditional setup, I would not have to sit in the Alpha’s office to question him. The royal historian’s duty is crucial. I should not ask to know how your administration works. If I fail to document the past, the future suffers
I didn’t want to tell her she thought too highly of her position. Things had changed. What use was a royal historian when the monarchy had been destroyed a hundred years ago? “For example, if there was no one to document the failures of King Cassius, your grandfather could have very well repeated his mistakes.” It was the classic example she never failed to give. My grandfather had two true mates and banished one to avoid the dilemma of the kingdom after the first King Cassius’ demise.
“I am not the king. You don’t have to be so concerned about my affairs.” I dismissed her but Avalon was not so easily dismissed.
“You should be the king. You have had a mate for months now but you are still here. Why are you still in Redville, Prince Valens?” No one called me with that title anymore. Jabari sometimes called me prince when he was being snarky but I’d become Alpha Valens over the years.
“I have business to settle in Redville. What is it you want today, Avalon?” I closed the files which I had been flipping through without reading anything.
“I am very interested in your mate.” My brows rose and my wolf finally stopped pacing long enough for her to have my undivided attention. “She is eager to stand beside you as your Luna but what about your queen?”
“I am just the prince,” I cut her off. “I am not the king yet.” She rolled her eyes in a manner uncharacteristic of her.
“You will be king soon. You should be king already. Why are you delaying? Why have you not held a Ceremony yet?” She fired off a string of questions, none of which I wanted to answer. Yet, I was required to if I wanted to keep what was left of our culture alive.
“I cannot be king without completing the Ceremony as you know and I am not delaying. We lost a child, in case you have forgotten. I am giving my mate time before I bring up the Ceremony again.”
“It does not excuse your being in Redville till now. The people back home are waiting with batted breaths for your return since they heard you found your Luna. But it doesn’t seem like you have plans to return home soon.” She didn’t bring out a pen and paper to write anything down but I could almost see the gears in her head turning as she spoke and captured everything I said.
“This is the first time in a century that I’ve ever truly felt at peace. Why do you think I will want to leave that and return to a home I have I cut myself off.
This was one of the reasons I did not like to speak to Avalon. Everything I said would be heard by everyone else, leaving them free to create their opinion of the kind of man I was. My people at home no longer felt like my people. I had not seen them in over a century. They were always at the back of my mind but now I barely gave them much thought. It was not an Alpha-like thing to do so I could not admit that to Avalon else the world would add another stain to a name I was trying to clean. “Perhaps we will return soon but I have crucial business in Redville. It must be completed before we leave.”
“Is it revenge?” She asked.
“It certainly is,” I responded without pause.
“Prince Valens, I am not your adviser but I am recognized as a pillar of wisdom. Your mate will not thrive here even if this land feels like your peace. It is not hers and the earlier you realize this, the better. There are also no resources here to help her. All she has is the little books I carried with me to teach her when she could be learning from her surroundings.” She stood, picking up her bag. “Il is my humble opinion.”
“Right. Thank you.” I dismissed her. My mate ran into the office once she was out.
“Did she mention anything about me slacking off?” She asked, breathing heavily. “I haven’t been able to complete the sections she wants me to read but I swear, I am not being lazy. The names and dates are all so confusing. I’ve read about three Alpha Cassius and I’m not sure I can tell them apart.”
“If my father wasn’t more obsessed with my mother than he was himself, I would have been the fourth Thomas in a line of Thomases.” She brightened, about to say something but I continued, “Do you want to leave Redville?” I asked, leaning back into my seat.
“Like a vacation? Where?” She came over and took a seat.
“Not like a vacation. Back home. The Alpha Pack.”
“Yea- I mean no?” She stopped herself but I could hear the answer loud and clear. “What do you think? Do you miss home?”
I’d been gone for too long. The land my original pack occupied did not feel like home anymore. Redville was the only place I ever felt at home in for over a century now. Why would I want to go back to the place that started all this? I never expected to ever feel like this. I used to think that once my curse was broken, I would go back home to be the Alpha King.
“I like Redville.” She looked shocked to hear that. “Why are you surprised? It’s the land I found peace after years of distress.” Her expression softened. “I like Redville but I am the prince. I cannot stay here much longer.” And like that, it felt like time was running out, as if something crucial would slip through my grasp if I didn’t hurry.
“Redville isn’t your curse breaker; I am.” She pushed a f*inger into her chest. “I am your peace and I will go anywhere with you.” I smiled at the fervor in her voice. But it’s fine if you want to stay here, though,” she smiled sheepishly. ‘
She had never told me she loved me. I said it at least five times every day but she never said it back. I only got smiles in response. The more I said it without hearing it in return, the more anxious I got that things were lacking. But now and then, she said things that let me know that she loved me even if she never said the exact words.
“You are right. You are the one that makes Redville special. Let’s deal with Skylar and go back home.” She beamed at me.
Redville may be my peace but I could tell she had no love to give this land.