Chapter One Hundred and Seventy One
I spent more time with Nick, not only because it made my mother happy, but because I discovered that I could easily distract myself from thinking about Thane when I was with him.
Nick was
together.
interested in agriculture, and I did admire him, but today we sat on a three–branch
“What did it feel like?” he asked. “Being with the Alpha King.”
I was silent for a long while; I hadn’t talked about him since I came to this pack, but maybe sharing what I felt would make things better. Nick was close; he had become more of a family friend, and my mother loved him; she loved the fact that he was ‘bringing me to life‘, but she hoped too much. I didn’t love Nick, not in the way she thought, and I didn’t think Nick felt that way either; he was just a free person.
“It was beautiful at times, painful at other times, scary sometimes, exciting at other times,” I answered.
“I can’t understand why exactly he made such a decision,” Nick savs
genuinely.
“I don’t know either; maybe he is trying to ‘protect me‘, but I don’t think he has ever loved me; I wouldn’t do that to a person I loved.”
“Maybe he was indeed trying to protect you.”
“No, you know what I think? I think it was because I am not as strong as the others.”
“And why would you think that?”
“It is true; I believe that. I got my wolf later than most,” I said. I recalled it had been Thane who helped me find my wolf. I hated how everything I did reminded me of him. “I wish I was stronger… better; no one would ever be able to hurt me,” I say, surprised at how easily I had. told him something I held to myself only, something no one knew about.
“And what if I told you there was a way?”
“What?”
“You heard me correctly.”
“I doubt that…”
“I’ve heard a lot about you, and maybe you should know something about me, something I hold as a secret.
For some reason, I felt like the big revelation was coming.
“I am very much like you,” he began, and I couldn’t understand why he thought that. “When I was a child, I had been ill; it was a strange illness, one with no cure; it left me weak; it could have claimed my life; my parents tried their best but it wasn’t good enough; they paid
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Chapter One Hundred and SeveMy One
their only
witches, healers, and yet… nothing. I had a few days left to live; I was only a child child, and that’s when they made the decision. They gave me away to a sorceress, one of the greatest to ever live, and she… did something to me, something that changed me forever,” he says, staring at his hands.
“How did it change you?” I was intrigued.
“I became stronger, faster… better. But there are risks; not everyone can go through the phase.
“But you did?”
“Yes, I did.”
I was lost in thoughts. Nick was strong; I had noticed that, but never had I attributed it to anything but his Alpha blood, but his Alpha blood had been weak.
“This sorceress, does she still live?,” I questioned.
The thought in my mind was stupid, yet it was so… enticing. The thought of having so much power and finally living without fear and insecurity was just so enticing.
“She does. But this is risky; I had only gone through it because I would have died anyway; you would be risking your life.”
“But… if it works, I would be… like you.”
“There are requirements,” he says,
those gray eyes on me.
“What requirements”
“Riley… are you sure you want this?”
I thought about Ryker; I had been weak then; that’s why he had been able to hurt me, and then…. Maybe if I could defend myself, if I could be as strong as a queen should be, he would never have rejected me.
“Yes, I am.”
“Her services are quite expensive; perhaps I could…”
“Don’t worry, I can pay.”
“You need the blood of a ‘turned one‘.”
“Your blood?”
“Yes, my blood–but my blood comes with a price.”
I wasn’t entitled to anything, yet this came to me as a surprise. “And what is this price I would have to pay?
“You would have to marry me, Riley”
