Payment To the Alpha
Chapter 23

I don't know how but whenever James is near I know it. Maybe also because if another guy had done this there would be hell to pay.

"Are you tired?" He looked at me with such tenderness as he took a strand of my hair and placed it behind my ear. His baby blue eyes were sparkling, I could stare into them for an eternity, get lost in them. For some reason whenever I looked into James' eyes, I felt safe. I felt as if every problem I had vanished. I wanted to hold on to that for a little longer tonight.

"Actually," I wiggled out of his grip and turned my heel heading for the door. I picked up my jacket that I had laid on the table for earlier when we were supposed to go for a walk.

I put it on and took all my hair and placed it on one side as I buttoned my jacket. It was November and the air out here was quite chilly.

"I believe you owe me a walk." I stretched out my hand for him to grab.

Like a child on Christmas his entire face lit up, and I think this was the first time I had actually seen him smile. His smile reached all the way up to his eyes and his perfect white teeth were on full display.

He grabbed a hoodie that was hanging on a chair and zipped it up before grabbing my hand and leading me out.

Outside the sun had set so the only light was from the lanterns and the moon.

It was perfect. The November cold air was dancing in front of us as we walked through the garden and down a gravel path. The path was lit up with solar panel lamps built into the ground.

We were walking in silence at the beginning. In a comfortable, cozy silence.

As we turned on the path James started pointing to different directions and told me where everything was. He said he will take me on a real tour tomorrow when the sun is up.

We continued walking on the gravel path for another fifteen minutes before I saw something light up at the end of the path.

I looked up at James only to see that he was already looking at me, smiling.

As we reached the end we walked over a small bridge that led to a beautiful gazebo. It was white and big and had twinkle lights set up all around the staircase and in the roof. Behind the gazebo was a beautiful lake.

The moonlight hitting the water made it look as if the light was surfing the waves.

James took my hand and led me to a bench overlooking the lake.

We sat down and just enjoyed the spectacular view. He never let go of my hand. Not once.

They sky was black and lit up with hundreds of stars. I had never seen a starlit sky like this before. The entire scenery was mesmerizing.

As I kept my gaze on the wonders in front of me, a thought popped up in my head. Every time I sat in nature, I had time to think clearly. And all my problems seemed not so bad.

"What's wrong with me, James?" I kept my eyes on the lake. Taking a deep breath as I asked my question.

I tore my eyes away from the beauty of the lake and focused them on the beauty of the man sitting beside me. Somehow this view made me even calmer than the one of the lake.

James was looking at me. Not just looking, but it felt as though he saw my soul.

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with you." He replied as his hand tightened around mine.

"Then why is this happening?" The air clouds leaving my mouth as I spoke evaporated quickly.

James sighed heavily before looking back at the lake.

"There is nothing wrong with you Avery. But there is something we need to talk about. I spoke to Natasha after everyone had left earlier..."

FLASHBACK

"It's bad James."

"You know something." It wasn't a question but a statement. Natasha knew something about the unusual things happening to Avery.

"When I was a child, I had a friend name Peta. He and I were as close as two people can be. We planned our wedding and the names of our future children. You know how it can be.

One day, when I had turned eighteen years old, Peta and I were planning on meeting up at the clearing in the woods were I lived. He was a werewolf and just as we presumed, we were mates.

I waited for him for twenty minutes before I started to worry and just as I was about to call him, he showed up. He emerged from the woods in his usual messy hair and torn jeans and a dark blue t-shirt. I had bought it for him the week before.

I ran up to him and hugged him, telling him how happy I was to see him and how he had me worried. But I pulled back when I realized that he wasn't hugging me back.

I looked him in the eyes and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. When I touched him I felt the same sparks as usual. It was him, my mate, my love. But to him I wasn't. He looked at me with a void. As if he didn't know who I was.

'You killed her.' He said. I didn't know what he was talking about, my mind was going crazy and I was only eighteen so I wasn't that much in control of my powers. I felt like breaking, like every fiber of my body was being ripped apart. 'You killed her.' He said again but that time he took a step closer. He was seething though his teeth. And then the next words that came out of his mouth, broke me completely.

'YOU KILLED MY MATE!'

Natasha was reliving memories I don't think she has thought about in a long time. Her eyes held terror and pain as if she felt it all over again. Which she probably was. The pain of being hurt by your mate never leaves you.

"Natasha we don't have to-"

"No. You need to know. Because what happened then is happening again." I felt a chill run through my body at her words. She had my full attention.

"I told him that I was his mate. That I wasn't dead. That I was standing right in front of him. That only made him madder. 'You filthy whore! You killed my mate. I saw you. She was just standing there and you drove a knife through her heart. You killed her and for that you will die.' He pulled up a knife from the hem of his pants and raised his hand, preparing to lunge it at me. I just stood there. I couldn't grasp what it was that was happening.

I was going to let him kill me, because death would be less painful that what I endured while listening to him.

Then I saw it, deep in his eyes I saw him fight. I saw him at war with himself. His hand was shaking in the air as if he was trying to restrain himself. And then from the shadows behind us a figure showed up. 'That's enough.' He said and I immediately knew who it was.

'Down boy.' Peta lowered his hand. He wasn't the one in control. He was a shell, controlled by someone else. 'Isn't that sweet. His love for you was almost enough to resist the need to kill you. He's strong but you're not.'

I asked him why he was doing this and his only answer was 'Love makes you weak. Love allows you to have control. I can't have you be in control just yet darling.'

With those words he looked back at Peta and I knew, I knew he was inside his brain. Peta raised his hand once more and looked me in the eyes. I closed my eyes preparing for what was to come. But they snapped open when I heard someone chocking. I watched as Peta dug the knife further into his heart. I screamed for him to stop as I ran up to him.

I cupped his face with my hands. 'Please, please no, I love you, please don't leave me. You promised me that you would never leave me' I begged him. I pleaded and begged but I could see the life leaving his eyes.... 'I'm so sorry. Rem-ember -pro-m-ise. I love you.'

His last words. In his last moment alive he had been given back control. His last words were all I had left of him."

Natasha looked broken sitting in front of me. She looked empty and drained. Her eyes were bloodshot red and the tears had dried on her cheeks. A singular tear leaving as eyes are glued to the wall. But she's not seeing the wall. She's seeing her mate die in front her at eighteen years old.

But I have to know.

"Natasha, Who was the witch that was in control of his mind?"

Natasha's eyes wackily found mine. And now there was only one emotion taking over. Anger. She was raging inside and it looked as if she was about to burst.

"My father."

END OF FLASHBACK