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Prologue: Rise With You By My Side
~ALPHA ASHER~
“Selene.”
The pit of my stomach was going wild — the riling anxiety that sprung into a tousled mess all thanks to Zedekiah’s unexpected arrival would leave me fucked up if I let an ounce of it touch the essence of my magic.
My nervousness unmeasurable in comparison to what was brewing in the depths of my mate’s mind, and I was praying to Mother Moon herself that I’d be given the golden opportunity to prove my actions were justified.That keeping such secrets was necessary for protecting everything and everyone we cherished — and had lost in the past.
I tried not to pry into Selene’s thoughts as I waited before the door that kept us apart after that intense moment of confrontation, but they flooded into my mind like a whip of punishment. I feared that the consequences of my secrecy would destroy everything.
He knows. He knows that Zedekiah killed my father… but does that mean he knew who we were facing on the battlefield on New Year’s Day?
Her thoughts made me feel like the ultimate betrayer. I felt like a sinner who was no different from the very man who stole the burning flame of life from her father years ago.
The striking pain matched with her apprehension flowed through our connection like a tidal wave, and all I could do was brace it long enough to get us to the safest place in this entire Syndicate.
So that I could do what was necessary before revealing the truth about my actions.
At that moment, she opened the door, and I needed a simple second to admire her divine figure within that tight, black, rhinestone-covered dress. I did everything I could to main expressionless, even as I suffered the internal wrath of her spiraling emotions matched with my drowning ones.
If I dared to delay the conversation we needed to have, we’d miss the opportunity to get out of the Syndicate before things got messy. I had to stay focused and take advantage of the opportunity Master Zero had created specifically on our behalf.
Lifting my hand up, I offered to lead the way, but when those spheres of blue met mine, they danced with hints of orange and black.
She didn’t trust me.
Fuck. I almost caved at the mere sight of her doubt in me. It wasn’t because she didn’t fully trust me as her Alpha, but because my actions might have left her doubting me, her second-chance mate.
I’d just gotten what I’d begged Mother Moon to grant me. I couldn’t possibly lose her now when I’d only gotten a taste of our mesmerizing love and lust for one another. She deserved to feel the commitment, admiration, and overpouring love I had for her, but this obstacle would have to be vanquished to do so.
“Give me a chance.” My words weren’t just from this side that stared into the depths of her dazzling eyes, but from the other parts of me as well. Axel and Abyss were watching this tense moment with bated breaths because we were so fucking close to revealing everything we’d worked months — if not years — to achieve for this final moment.
All I needed was Selene’s cooperation. For her to take that one chance so I could reveal to her everything that was transpiring in the shadows. The moment she knew the truth, the next steps would flow smoothly.
We’d be granted the exact path toward victory and no one would be able to stop us.
“Lead the way,” she finally replied and placed her hand in mine.
I gripped her hand as she held mine, the two of us simply standing there as if time wasn’t of the essence.
So many words needed to be said. Explanations and pieces to the puzzle she had no damn idea she was putting together, piece by piece.
There were only a few more pieces left, and our enemies were desperate to hinder her from completing the puzzle and revealing what had been hidden from the world for years.
I could do this. I needed to do this. For her. For us. For our future.
Our silence would only continue if we kept standing here, so I took the initiative to make the first move — hoping to Mother Moon that Selene’s hand would remain in my grasp until we got to our final destination.
Every step felt like a chore, as though I wasn’t getting closer to where we needed to be. The burning anxiety was fighting to cripple me before I could fulfill my duty — my promise to myself and those who were deserving — but I had to win this battle.
When we reached the underground garage, I sensed her surprise as she saw the once-filled oasis of vintage cars now contained nothing but standard vehicles that any individual could afford.
I knew she was beginning to understand what was going to happen. That I’d taken the initiative to prepare myself to leave this position I’d been upholding for years now.
The renovations, the shifts in schedule, and the ultimate recruitment of shifters I knew would benefit from being transferred to the East. It was all leading to the ultimate truth.
I’d no longer be the Alpha of North Syndicate.
