Alec’s

I was pissed off by this new development. In fact, I was way past pissed off. I was downright furious.

"Did you know this?" I turn to Alec with a glare. "Did you know that they had no idea about how to break the curse?"

The thought of staying in this pack for more than a week was making my skin crawl. After everything they did to me, I just don't see myself comfortably staying here. The memories still haunt me, even now, while we were in this room.

His jaw locks, and he stares at me with intense green eyes that were so similar to my daughter's.

"Did you fucking know, Alec?" I repeat the question.

My hands fist and the overwhelming need to bang on the table washes over me. I was pissed off and I was frustrated.

"Yes," the answer seems to be forced out of his lips.

"And you didn't think to tell me this before we got on your private jet to come here?"

Maybe I would have changed my mind had I known that I would be required to stay more than a few days. Maybe we would have reached some kind of compromise.

There are a lot of maybes, but I know for damn sure that a little heads up would have been welcomed. Instead, he kept quiet and chose to blindside me.

"Well, it looks like we are done here," I fume, standing up. "My family and I will be leaving on the next available flight."

Quicker than I can move, he grabs my hand in a tight hold. I try shaking him off, but he holds on.

"Let go of me before I lose my fucking control," I snap.

I could feel the tell-tale signs of my power rising to the surface. With everything that has happened in the last few days, I haven't been able to train with Nyx. I did realize though, that I mainly lose control when I'm feeling pissed or scared.

"I'm not letting you go, we had a fucking deal, Sadie," he fires back, his eyes now blazing.

Rolling my eyes, I face him. "Yes, but then you didn't give me all the details to make an informed decision, did you? I came here thinking I wouldn't stay more than a week, but that isn't the case."

It pissed me off that he stood there with that unreadable mask on his face, with an air of arrogance acting like I owed him. I didn't. In fact, he needed me more than I needed him.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

I could get rid of the bond by marking someone else. I should do that, but then I don't want to. My life is already messy without adding more complications to it. The day I mark and let a man mark me will be out of love for each other. Not because I was trying to get rid of my bond with my fated mate.

"It doesn't matter, you promised to help and right now my pack needs your help. Your presence here will be what helps them recover. We can figure out what to do with the curse later."

I could read between the lines. As an Alpha, right now, the curse didn't matter as much as the survival of his people. As long as they were in danger of losing their lives, nothing else will take top priority. "Were there any children hurt?" I sigh.

Like I said, I have a soft spot for kids. Always have and probably always will.

"Yes, it was an ambush, so we didn't manage to get them all to safety in time." someone speaks, but my attention is on Alec.

"I'm only doing this for them," I stare directly into his green orbs. "If it wasn't for them, I would have let all of you crumble and watched you die for what you did to me. Now let go of my hand."

That tick in his jaw hardens more at my words. He doesn't say anything, but he does let go of my hand.

With a tired breath, I take my seat once again and face the elders.

"Have you ever come across anything that might help? Anything at all," I ask, my voice pleading for a ray of light.

"No. As you were informed, this curse has been there since Alec's grandfather was the Alpha. We believe that a witch placed the curse on us, but we are not sure why, if that's the case. With each year that went by, the curse kept sucking the life out of the pack and our members. It's only recently that things have really gone downhill fast."