Page 63 of The Alpha's Forced Bullied Mate

Please, I begged internally,just let this ritual work so that I don't have to run.

Chapter 21 - Hector

The evening after our dinner with Adrian, I stood next to Faye outside of our home. I kept patting my right pocket, thinking about how I’d spent all day yesterday trying to find the right fit. If this ritual produced the result I knew it would produce—that we were mates—then I wanted to do something spectacular for her in celebration.

She was shakily preparing all the ingredients. The simplicity of the ritual meant that it wouldn't take very long to do. The worst part would be the two-hour wait. The skies above appeared foreboding like something was out there waiting for us—watching us closely.

“Will it still work if there aren't any other names added to the pot?”

Faye bent over the large cauldron. The water was starting to boil. A seafoam green was lighting up the surface, illuminating some of the ritual components. The turmeric had already dissolved. Tiny specks of rosemary were floating along the surface. The lemon balm leaves glided between the rosemary bits, attracting the specks like giant magnets. The massive clumps danced and wiggled over the boiling bubbles. Bobbing, dipping, swaying—but never sinking.

My girlfriend looked over her shoulder at me. “The worksheet says to add all eligible names.”

I snorted. “I don'twantanyone else.”

She turned around and looked up at me with round eyes, curious eyes. They reminded me of golden sand in the morning, grains of gold sitting in the hazel hues. They were like scattered glass, multi-colored beads that enhanced the sand of her irises. “You have to add the other names. It's the only way to do it.”

I reached for the tome that sat next to the pot on a small table that Adrian had loaned me. I tore a page out of the book and grabbed a pen. “I guess we're adding every woman who's single.”

Faye gave me a shaky smirk. “That counts for me as well.”

I gaped at her. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, you should add the single men, too.”

I scoffed. “Like hell!”

She wiggled her fingers over the cauldron. “Because those are the eligible ones formeto get matched with. Don't you realize that?”

I stared at the paper in my hand, clinging to the pen that I had grabbed. I didn't like how this was going. I didn't like the idea of anyone else being paired with her. The anger was so great that I ended up snapping the pen in half.

Faye took the pen from my fingers and cleaned up some of the ink from my palm. She delicately held my hand between her hands. She raised my knuckles to her mouth, breathing steadily on my skin in confident bursts. In this position, I felt like we were bound in silent prayer, both of us trying to think of the same thing. How were we going to make this ritual turn up with our names paired? Because if they didn't—

She kissed my hand. “Everything's going to be fine.”

I stared down at her. “How can you be so sure?”

“Because everything is always fine in the end.”

The sudden spark of confidence made me think about what could have possibly happened in the past two weeks to change her mind. There was a point where all she wanted to dowas go home, where all she could do was lay on the couch and stare at the ceiling in longing.

Over the past few days, her dedication had grown stronger. Her touch became firm. She seemed to never want to leave my side, choosing to cling to me in the night while she slept. Every time I was with her, I wanted to press my hand to her stomach, to protect her very core.

It didn’t make sense, but it didn’tneedto make sense for me to take care of her. I made sure that she was fed, hydrated, and rested. I carried her up to bed if she needed it, and I carried her down for breakfast, if she needed it. There wasn't anything that I wouldn't do for her. I would stay by her side, no matter what, no matter who she became.

That was the vow that I had made by biting her throat. If my hand was forced to reject her, then I would have to reject myself and scurry away with her.

Lightning lit up the tops of the trees, casting shadows into the sky that appeared grotesque. Were those claws or just clouds? I shook my head, getting rid of the image instantly.

I had to get a hold of myself.

Faye frowned at the sky. “We have to hurry up. If a storm comes…”

I squeezed her hand. “Don't worry, I'm not gonna blame you.”

Her smile was grateful as she turned back to the cauldron. “Just write the names. I'll help you if you give me a list.”

It took several minutes to tear the paper and write names down. But we were able to add at least nineteen names along with ours. It was a mixture of men and women. All of them wereeligible to be matched as mates. I just didn’t want them to be matched with either of us.

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