Page 51 of Alien Charming

“I think I do need to worry, if it concerns you.” She moved to stand in front of him, forcing him to look at her. She studied his face, noting the tightness around his eyes and the rigid set of his jaw. Something was troubling him. She reached up to touch his cheek, marveling at how natural it felt to do so.

“Please tell me what’s wrong,” she whispered.

Seren caught her hand and pressed it to his lips. “I’ve made a decision.”

Her heart stuttered. “What decision?”

He pulled another one of his shirts over her head, then guided her to the small table near the kitchen before he started pacing.

“I’m abandoning the trade alliance with the village,” he said finally.

She blinked, trying to process his words. “But… you’ve worked so hard for it. Your people need?—”

“My people need an alliance built on mutual respect, not with those who would treat one of their own with such cruelty.” His voice deepened, a growl threading through his words. “Your aunt disgusts me. The way she’s poisoned the village against you, how she’s treated you all these years…”

“Seren, you can’t throw away months of work because of me.”

“I can and I will.” He knelt before her, taking both her hands in his. “You don’t understand what I witnessed yesterday. After you fled, I confronted your aunt. The things she said about you…” His amber eyes flashed dangerously. “No one speaks of my mate that way.”

Her chest tightened. Part of her was thrilled at his protectiveness, but another part worried about the consequences.

“The alliance isn’t just about trading goods,” she said carefully. “It’s about peace between our peoples. Something bigger than just us.”

“Nothing is bigger than us,” he insisted. “Not anymore. Besides, there are other villages, other potential allies who haven’t been corrupted by someone like your aunt.”

That still meant that her village—her home for all her life despite its coldness towards her—would suffer without this alliance. And Seren’s pack needed the stability it would bring.

“Seren,” she said softly, squeezing his large hands in her small ones, “I understand your anger. Truly I do. No one has ever defended me the way you have.”

His eyes softened at her words, but the determined set of his jaw remained.

“But this alliance isn’t just about my aunt,” she continued. “It’s about all the families in the village who need what your people can offer. The children who’ve never had enough to eat during harsh winters. The elderly who need the medicines your healers can provide.”

She tightened her grip on his hands, tugging him closer.

“And it’s about your pack too. You told me yourself how important this alliance is for them—for stability, for resources, for a future where they don’t need to live in isolation and fear.”

His expression darkened. “The village disrespected you.”

“Some did,” she acknowledged. “But not all. Agatha helped me. Tessa and Bella and Scarlett have always been kind. There are good people there who don’t deserve to suffer because of my aunt’s cruelty.”

She released one of his hands to touch his face, tracing the strong line of his jaw.

“The leader I’ve come to know—the one who watches over his pack with such dedication, who works tirelessly for their welfare—he wouldn’t abandon a chance for lasting peace because of one greedy woman.”

He closed his eyes, leaning into her touch. When he opened them again, uncertainty had replaced some of the anger.

“You’re asking me to continue working with the female who hurt you,” he said roughly.

“I’m asking you to be the leader I know you are. The one who sees beyond personal grievances to the greater good. The one who taught me that sometimes we must be strong enough to do what’s difficult, not just what feels right in the moment.”

He sighed, but she could tell he was listening to her.

“And there’s something else,” she added, remembering the conversation she’d overheard. “My aunt said something about a pass through your territory—a pass to the northern settlements. She intended to control it, but everything else she said made sense. It could be a profitable option if you were willing to allow it.”

To her shock, he started to laugh.

“A pass? Is that what she called it? I’m almost willing to let her have it, just for the pleasure of seeing the expression on her face when she realizes it’s unusable.”

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