Chapter 309: Chapter 309 Longing for You (1)
"And what if she’s the one, how is that your business?" Alaric couldn’t understand why she cared so much about what he was thinking about.
"It is not my business. Why are you here?" Her voice was sharp, yet it faltered halfway through. She looked away, biting her lip as though trying to keep her emotions in check. The familiar ache in her chest returned, one that had haunted her since the first time their eyes met and the bond sparked to life.
The invisible thread between them pulsed, faint but undeniable.
Alaric felt it too. The way her presence tugged at something deep inside him, the instinct to move closer, to hold her, to breathe her in. But the reminder of who they were... what they were... rose like a wall between them.
A witch and a werewolf, enemies by blood, yet bound by fate.
"I bring good news," Alaric finally said, breaking the silence.
Seraphina turned back to him, her brows arching slightly. "You mean besides the fact that you’ve mastered the art of ignoring people?"
He ignored the jab. "Alpha Damon has agreed to the alliance."
Her lips parted slightly, her sarcasm fading for a moment. "He... agreed?"
"Yes," he said, his voice calm but distant. "Since the Bloodmoon pack is working with the corrupted witches, the alpha realized we can’t fight them alone."
A shadow passed over her face. "So this is it. The beginning of a fragile peace." She let out a soft, humorless laugh. "I never thought I’d see the day."
"Neither did I."
Their eyes met for a fleeting moment, a silent understanding passing between them. It should have been a victory, something worth celebrating. Yet it only reminded them of everything they couldn’t have.
Seraphina took a step closer, the faint scent of wild roses and burnt sage surrounding her. "You look... troubled."
Alaric let out a quiet breath. "It’s nothing."
"I bet it must be related to the so-called Aeris, don’t tell me you have feelings for her?"
Alaric rolled his eyes inwardly, he couldn’t figure out how her brain was wired. Why would she think he was interested in Aeris? Except maybe he wants his limbs ripped apart and his head rolling on the ground.
"Why are you so concerned about Aeris? The last time I checked you are not my lover or my mate." Alaric snapped at her.
"Oh, I see." She exaggerated a bit. "I thought werewolves go crazy when they are around their fated mates, especially one they haven’t marked yet. But why are you not going crazy over me?" She changed the direction of the conversation not wanting to sound like she cared, but unknowingly gave herself away.
Alaric’s eyes burned, before he shoved the burning sensation in his chest down. He was also surprised by the fact that Midnight wasn’t trying to gain control or desire for her.
He could feel the attraction between them, and maybe Midnight knew he couldn’t resist her, and that was why he had retreated to the farthest corner of his mind.
"That will be all." Alaric turned around to walk away, but he stopped midway when he heard her voice.
"So you are going to walk away like a coward?" Her voice rang out, carrying a trace of disappointment and frustration.
"Isn’t this what you always wanted?" Alaric turned around to face, maybe it was because he wanted to see her one last time even though he won’t admit it.
"Don’t forget how you tried to kill my friends, especially my best friend. Even when I tried to talk to you, you refused claiming we are meant to be enemies, and you would only accept me if I killed one of my friends. At that moment, you sounded evil, and I’ve been thinking whether we were meant to be."
Seraphina let out a shaky breath. She didn’t understand why she was adamant about talking to him. She wasn’t supposed to be the one to meet with the werewolves today, but she thought she had a slim chance of seeing him, and took the place of the messenger.
She had wanted nothing to do with him, but lately her emotions had become a whirlwind, and she couldn’t stop herself from thinking about him.
She knew she was cruel back then, but what could she do? She did what she had to do to save her kind, to save her Queen.
Anyone in her shoes would do the same. And as a witch, of course, she had to be heartless, if she were soft and kind, she would only end up dead before she knew it.
And as one of the candidates to be the future Queen of the witches, she had to be crueler. Fate wasn’t kind to her, she had learnt the hard way since she was young that those with power always ended up winning, and the weak ones ended up being their stepping stone.
Alaric’s words hung in the air, thick and cutting, like the last note of a song that refused to fade. Seraphina’s lips parted slightly, but no words came out. The sharp retort that usually danced on her tongue had vanished, replaced by a silence that screamed louder than anything she could have said.
He was right, every single word of his was right.
Her heart twisted painfully inside her chest as she replayed that night, the moment she had told him she could only accept him if he betrayed his own. It had been a cruel thing to say, but cruelty was the only language she had been taught to survive in.
Her nails dug into her palms, leaving small crescents on her skin. "You think I wanted any of that?" she asked softly, almost to herself. "You think I wanted to be this person?"
Alaric’s gaze softened, but only for a second. He had built too many walls around himself to let pity seep in. "You made your choice," he said quietly.