Word Count: 2178

~Evelin

Aesira pulls me with an extraordinary amount of strength through the throngs of people.

I've never seen her like this. So...elated. I can't stop looking at her, at the happiness split across her face as she pulls me flush against her.

She really shouldn't be dancing on her sore leg, even if she makes it look effortless. She twirls and twists around me, the ribbon in her hand tangling around her body.

I don't do much dancing myself. I just watch her, unable to help myself.

Firelight licks up the damp column of her neck as she tilts her head back, feeling the undulating music move through her. Her fingers run through her tangled knot of dark hair, strands flying loosely around her face.

This is the Aesira I have wanted to see since I met her. One entirely free of the shackles her father placed upon her. Free from the fear that someone might see what is really going on beneath the indifferent façade she hides behind.

"You are stunning," I whisper, my hand loosely holding hers as she flits about without a single inhibition following her.

She doesn't hear me. She bumps into me, giggling, face flushed red beneath the violet paint someone smeared across her skin. I try to grasp her, wanting to hold her close, but she pulls away, nudging into someone else before she turns in a circle.

"This is so much fun!" She laughs, looking up to the starry sky.

I can feel people snagging my clothing, trying to pull my attention, but nothing can break my focus on Aesira. I can't take my eyes on her, even for a moment.

Eventually I get my hands on her again, and she lets me hold her close.

"You're incredibly drunk." I grip her chin, tilting her head up so her eyes meet mine. They are so blue tonight, like rich pools of sapphire edged with moonlight.

I can't believe I ever looked at these and thought they looked like her father's. She is nothing like him.

She tilts her head. "According to who?"

"Come on, you've had your dance." I slip my hand into hers. "Let me get some food and drink into you."

She lets me tug her along through the crowd, who part for us with ease. I sit her down on a picnic table that is half laden with platters of fruit, facing her.


"More wine?" She asks hopefully.

"No, water," I hum, reaching for a pitcher at the end of the table. I pour her a glass, which she reluctantly takes into her hand.

"The goddess will not appreciate your lack of amusement." She takes a sip, just as a droplet of sweat carves a path down the line of her throat.

I watch it move, hypnotised, my fingers clenching into a fist below the table.

"She can take it up with you," I murmur, reluctantly turning my attention to the platters next to us. "Here, eat this bread and fruit, and drink all that water."

I slide the platter in front of her, choosing it for a very specific reason.

"I am hungry." She lifts one shoulder in a shrug, picking up a piece of crusty bread. Crumbs go flying as she tears a chunk off, popping it into her mouth.

Drunk she may be, but at least she is cooperative. I don't really want her to come down from all this joy she is experiencing, but the longer she dances, the more pain she will be in come tomorrow.

"How did you end up here?" I ask. This village is very secluded.

"I heard music." She peers down at what I've just picked up from the platter, holding it out to her. "What kind of fruit is that?"

"Just eat it," I insist. "Peel back the layers and eat the flesh."

Her eyes narrow, but she takes it anyway. It's a fruit native to this area, with a thick green skin that reveals a pink tinged interior. It plays a significant part in the traditions of this place, and ensures the revelry doesn't get out of hand.

Aesira pulls off a segment and chews it thoughtfully. A moment later, her face screws up.

"Ugh, it's sour," she groans, shuddering.

"The fruit is quite marvellous. When fermented, it makes an incredible wine. Just a sip and you'll be euphoric for hours," I explain steadily, smiling softly at her reaction. "The fruit itself acts as an antidote for this, though. One bite of it, and you'll sober from the wine's effects almost immediately."

Aesira swallows before she hears her words. Then, her mouth pops open.

"Hey...no fun," she grumbles.  Already, the drunken glee is melting from her eyes.

"Trust me, it's for the best."

She sweeps her hair off her face, looking around as clarity returns to her. People still dance animatedly, not bothered by the fact that dawn isn't too far away.

Her attention returns to me, a little frown between her brows. "How did you lift the curse?"

"There was no curse. It is townsfolk lore," I say simply. "I think it helps them perceive of the horrors of the past easier."

Horrors they are better off not remembering. Horrors, that while written record keeps evidence of, are one's these people don't return to.

"What was wrong here?" She asks.

I look away, jaw tightening.

I'm not sure how much to say to her. I never am. This time, it's not because I think she'll use the information against me, but because I don't want her to have to hear it. I don't want to poison her mind against her father.

I want her to come to the conclusion that he is a monster on her own.

She presses her hands against the table, leaning forward. "You can tell me. I know my father had something to do with it."

I sigh through my nose. Aesira isn't the kind of person to let something go. If she doesn't find it out from me, she'll hunt elsewhere.

"This land once belonged to your father, when he first began his reign," I begin.

She waves her hand. "So like, forever ago."

"Yes." I clear my throat, lowering my voice so those around us don't overhear. "A sickness kept returning here, removing over half the population each time it struck. Seeing no further value here, your father abandoned the land and its people here, offering them no sanctuary in his pack."

She flinches, the eagerness to learn taking a sudden blow.

"Really?"

"The land was claimed by neither your father or my own as they ruled. My mother loved this area, and built a home here. She wanted this land to be claimed because she believed the people's sickness could be cured and their productivity returned," I tell her. "When I became Alpha, I claimed the land for myself and resolved the issue. Now, it flourishes."

This place is so devoid of the past, it's a wonder. In a matter of a few years, people have pulled their lives back, teaching the young here about a reality that isn't true.

To them, I am their saviour, a curse-breaker. They choose to believe that.

"Wow..." Aesira whispers, her face slack.

"Don't give me any credit," I add quickly. "This was all my mother's idea. I just wanted to honour it."

My mother was so good, so kind. She saw potential everywhere she looked, including in my father, even though there was none. He loved her, but to her detriment. He sucked the life out of her whenever he could.

But he can't take away places like this. Places that represent my mother's goodness. Not anymore.

A sullenness suddenly appears on Aesira's face, although it's fleeting. I know she is thinking about her father's part in this. What he could have done to her.

"These people are incredibly grateful to you," she says softly.

I smile tightly. "I want to be worthy of being their 'king'."

"It's cute that they call you that." The corner of her mouth lifts. "Although I think you should stick to Alpha, lest your head explodes."

I laugh under my breath.

"Then I will."

We don't speak for a moment. We just watch the dancing, the happy people. Then, slowly, my attention drifts back to Aesira, as it always does. I am powerless in her presence, unable to focus on anything but her at every making moment.

It frightens me. How have I allowed myself to get so attached to her?

"How did the pack address go?" She asks suddenly.

"You're safe to return tomorrow," I tell her, watching the relief tremble through her.

Her eyes widen. "Already?"

"I made my point that I chose my wife, and that you can be trusted. I reminded my people that we do not judge someone for actions that are not their own, nor do we kill them for it," I say. "There hasn't been any further riots at the gate, and dissenting voices have lessened."

It's not a permanent solution, but it will work for now. My people trust me, more, I hope, than they distrust Aesira and her father.

Aesira watches me sceptically. "That doesn't mean I'm completely safe though, right?"

She's too smart for me to try assure her that she has nothing to worry about. But I meant what I said when I told her I would protect her, that I wouldn't let anyone hurt her.

Not again.

"No, there will always be those who don't deem you worthy of being my wife." I pause, finding myself irritated just saying it. "But you are not my mate, so they cannot be too mad."

Her brows rise. I know she doesn't believe the mate bond is as important as I do, but she knows the severity of what I'm saying.

"Imagine if I were." She snorts, shaking her head at the absurdity of it.

I do, often.

It didn't take long after she arrived in my pack that I consider the possibility that she might be my mate. It felt too much like a coincidence, to have someone so beautiful, so frustrating and yet somehow so perfect walk into my life in the way she did.

Once the thought came to mind, I pushed it away. It couldn't be true — a mate bond between us would complicate everything. Plus, she doesn't want me. Why would she? She has her secret lovers and her hidden agenda.

It hurts too much to consider it, so I haven't.

"That wouldn't go down very well," I admit carefully.

"With you, or with them?"

"With them." I know she probably doesn't want to hear it, but I have to be honest with her. "If you were my mate, I would accept you for who you are, regardless of your father, or your true intentions for being here. I would give you all of me."

I would even let her run my pack, be my Luna. I would give her everything she wanted.

She doesn't seem startled. She seems intensely curious. "You would love me? Trust me?"

"With every ounce of my being." I don't stutter over my words. Every one of them. "Even if it killed me."

She draws in a sharp breath, her fingers curling into the butter yellow tablecloth.

"You males in this pack are utterly delusional," she says eventually, looking away.

She isn't ready to confront the possibility that we might be mates. After the other night, where I watched her come apart beneath me, I thought it even more likely.

But she clearly hasn't.

Someone suddenly appears at the edge of our table before I can get another word out. It's a female, who breathes heavily, a giddy smile on her face.

"King Everin, my friend would very much like a dance with you." She points through the crowd, at another female who gives me a tentative wave.

Aesira tracks the movement, then looks at me with heavy eyes.

"Go, she is very beautiful," she prompts softly.

I look up at the awaiting female, offering her an easy smile. "Tell her I appreciate the offer, but I must escort my wife home now."

She gasps, looking at a reddening Aesira. Then, she offers us her congratulations and bounds off back to her friend, who doesn't look the least bit offended. Everyone here wants me to be happy.

"Everin." Aesira seems surprised that I would turn down the offer, as if there is anyone I would want to spend this night with night with other than her.

I rise from my seat, holding my hand out to her.

"Come now, wife. It's time to get you home."

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