Page 51 of The Alpha's Fallen Spell
Elina hesitates, and in that pause, I see the truth of her prejudice. “That’s different,” she begins, but I cut her off.
“Why did you insist on nighttime runs for patrol training?” I demand. “Was it so rumors would spread about us?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she says, but her eyes tell a different story.
“I think you do,” I counter. “I think you’ve been very deliberate in creating a certain impression.”
Elina’s composure cracks. “No one understands you the way I do,” she says, her voice rising with emotion. “We’ve spent years side by side. My brother admired you. He died protecting you!”
“Markus was my brother-in-arms,” I say quietly. “A friend. That doesn’t give you any claim to me.”
“Why not?” she demands, stepping closer. “I’ve shed blood for this kingdom. I’ve proven my loyalty, my strength. Why can’tI stand by your side?” Her eyes search mine desperately. “What’s wrong with me?”
Before I can respond, she leans forward and tries to press her lips to mine. I step back immediately, holding her at arm’s length.
“Elina, stop,” I say firmly. “I’ve never seen you that way. I’ve never given you any reason to think I did.”
“Is it because of her?” Elina asks bitterly. “That damaged little mouse who does nothing but sit around and read books all day? What makes her so special?”
“She doesn’t have to be special,” I say, realizing the truth of it as I speak. “She doesn’t have to be better than or different from what she is. She is my fated mate.”
The words settle between us, heavy with finality.
“I never even tried to get to know her,” I continue, more to myself than to Elina. “I never showed interest in what she was reading, what she was learning. I pushed her away because I was afraid of what the bond would mean, what it would demand of me.”
Elina’s expression hardens. “So, that’s it? Some mystical bond matters more than years of loyalty?”
“It’s not just about the bond,” I say, anger rising within me. “It’s about what you did. How you manipulated and hurt someone who had done nothing to you, who was already suffering.” I stare at her, letting authority enter my voice. “Starting tomorrow, you will be reassigned to Captain Thorne’s squadron. You will address me as Commander Wild, not by my first name.” I shake my head. “I’m disappointed in you, Lieutenant. Deeply disappointed.”
She flinches as if I’ve struck her. “You can’t be serious.”
“I’ve never been more serious,” I tell her. “I’m disgusted by how you treated Fiona. And that you lied to me.”
“That pathetic, broken, little—”
“Choose your next words very carefully, Lieutenant,” I warn, my voice dropping to a dangerous growl. “Remember who you’re speaking to.”
Tears of frustration glisten in her eyes, but I feel no sympathy—only a growing sense of shame at my own blindness, at how easily I allowed this situation to develop.
“Dismissed,” I say coldly.
Elina glares at me for a long moment, hurt and anger warring in her expression, before turning on her heel and striding away.
I watch her go, the weight of my mistakes settling more heavily on my shoulders. How much damage has been done because of my pride, my fear? How much pain has Fiona endured because I was too cowardly to embrace what fate offered us?
I find Maya in her laboratory, surrounded by books and vials of strangely colored liquids. She doesn’t look surprised to see me, merely setting down the book she was reading with deliberate care.
“I need to know where she is,” I say without preamble.
Maya regards me coolly. “I’m not going to give you another way to hurt her.”
“I never meant to hurt her in the first place,” I protest.
“Yet, you did,” she points out. “Quite effectively.”
I run a hand through my hair in frustration. “I spoke with Elina. You were right about everything. She manipulated the situation, spread rumors…”
“And you let her,” Maya says simply. “You rejected your fated mate and then acted in ways that reinforced Elina’s lies.”
