Page 60 of Alpha's Forbidden Bond

“So what?” She laughed. “The threats we’re up against are novel, too, aren’t they? If humans are going to use their advances against us, then maybe it’s time we start making some changes as well. Screw these ancient traditions—they don’t make any sense in this modern world. My people understand what’s at stake, and I truly believe they will be willing to forgo formalities to keep everyone safe and happy. We’ll draw up new contracts and make it official that we are one unified pack, but the two of us will be free to do whatever we want outside of our professional union.”

I thought about what she was saying. Could that really work? Or was I going to get my hopes up for nothing?

“What’s the alternative, Andreas?” she asked me. “You stop seeing Diana and marry me? We have an unhappy life, we resent one another, and therefore we will end up making piss-poor pack leaders anyway. Honestly, I think if we were to force a marriage now, we would end up leading our merged pack straight into the ground. But if we allow ourselves to be happy, to honor our own needs while also taking care of the masses—we could make something really great.”

She reached for me. I gave her my hand.

“Where is she?”

“Where is who?”

She rolled her eyes. “You know who.”

“Like I told you, I sent her away,” I said quietly, shamefully. “I was worried what might happen if she was here when everyone woke up the morning after the attack.”

“Go to her.”

I pulled my hand back and stood up. “I can’t. You’ve made some very compelling arguments, and I think you might be right about our marriage being a mistake, but none of that changes the fact that Diana’s a human. As long as I’m still the leader of a werewolf pack, having her around is a liability. She already brought not one, but two, humans onto the compound with her—albeit not on purpose. Not to mention, she could’ve been hurt or killed that night as well. Bringing her into this world will only end in heartbreak for one or both of us. Why would I subject us to that?”

“Because you love her.”

I started at the sound of my brother’s voice. He was standing in the doorway with his arms folded. “How long have you been there?”

“Long enough,” he said. He waltzed inside and smiled at Sarafina. “It’s good to see you awake and well, Miss Morena. Would you like me to go find one of the doctors?”

“Yes, but not before you help me convince your brother that he’s being a complete fool,” she said. “Mikeal is right—you love Diana, and so you should be with her. It’s as simple as that.”

“I disagree,” I said. “I think you two are simplifying this to something far more black and white than it actually is.”

“Let me ask you this,” Mikeal said. “What do you think would be more painful—having Diana in your life and losing her or never seeing her again?” He winked at Sarafina. “Pretty sure Shakespeare said that.”

“It definitely wasn’t Shakespeare,” she said. “But nonetheless, I want to know the answer to this question as well.”

“I don’t see why it matters which one would hurt me more. If I made my decision based purely on what I wanted, that would be selfish.”

“That's why I’m asking you here, where Diana can’t hear your answer.” Mikeal smiled. “You’re allowed to be selfish when we’re talking about a hypothetical situation. So let me ask you again: Would you rather have Diana back in your life, knowing that she is at a somewhat greater risk of running into trouble? Or would you rather never see her again?”

I eyed him. I knew he was up to something, but I was still too sleep-deprived to follow his train of thought to its next station. “I guess I would rather take the risk.”

“Okay then.” He clapped his hands together. “Now it’s time to ask Diana the same question. Oh, Diana!” He called in a sing-song voice. I whipped around, my heartbeat racing, expecting to see the love of my life suddenly appear in the hallway outside the room. Nobody was there. Mikeal laughed. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. No, Diana’s not here. That would’ve been way too difficult to arrange. But, I say the two of us jump into the truck and head into town to go find her! We’ll ask Diana what I just asked you, and she can decide what she wants. If you happen to both want the same thing, then viola! Problem solved.”

“Absolutely not,” I said, letting a bit of my wolf growl slip into my tone. “This is ridiculous, Mikeal. Not to mention, it’s none of your business. I know what Diana will say, but she would be wrong. I can’t even give her the option, it’ll?—”

Sarafina cleared her throat. Both of us looked over at her. “As the only woman in the room, I feel I have to stick up for Diana’s rights and her ability to know what’s best for herself. I’ve had plenty of men try to tell me what was best for me throughout my lifetime, and I can say with complete surety that they were all one hundred percent off-base. To the point that it’s almost comical.” She smiled softly at me. “You know how it feels to have someone else make decisions for you, to feel like your opinion or your wants don’t matter. You were asked to sacrifice a lot when you became the youngest pack leader in Vilks’ history, but now you have a chance to take something back. To make a choice for yourself. Are you really going to deny that same chance from Diana?”

I stared at her, no convincing response coming to mind. I wanted to continue arguing my side. I wanted to show her and my brother just how naive they were for believing Diana and I had a chance at happiness. But the longer I stared into her eyes, the more I started to see just how confident she was. There wasn’t even a hint of doubt in her expression. Suddenly, I recalled something our mom used to tell us about the time she spent with her grandfather when Mikeal and I were mere toddlers.

“Our mother used to say that people who had faced death were the ones who we should listen to,” I said quietly, speaking barely above a whisper. “Her grandfather had suffered a heart attack and was declared dead on the table before they brought him back. She used to go to him for advice and do whatever he told her, no matter how insane it sounded.”

“It’s true,” Mikeal assured me. He must have picked up on my mood shift because he was smiling from ear to ear. “He’s the reason she left Dad, and thank God she did. Who knows what he might’ve done to her if she hadn’t walked away when she did?”

I nodded. “Sarafina, you woke up with an epiphany. You knew exactly what you wanted to do with your life since you had been given a second chance to live it. You’re seeing the world through lenses that I can’t borrow from you, so I guess I have to do the next best thing—I have to do what you think is right.”

She grinned. “Then what the fuck are you still doing here?” she said. “Go find Diana and win her back.”

I looked at Mikael.

“Go. We’re good here,” he said. “I’ll tell Sarafina’s family she’s awake and hold down the fort while you’re gone.”

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