Page 121 of The Alpha's Fallen Spell
“I know you made a sacrifice when you mated me,” he says quietly, dropping his hands to my waist. “I know you did it to save my life, not because you wanted the bond. But I’m going to prove to you every single day that it was worth it. That I’m worth it.”
“Stop.” The word comes out pretty harshly, and he immediately goes still. “You think I made a sacrifice?”
He nods, confusion flickering in his eyes.
“Erik, I didn’t sacrifice anything.” I reach up to trace the mating mark on his throat, noticing how his breath catches at the contact. “I didn’t mark you to save your life—though I’m grateful it worked. I marked you because I couldn’t bear to lose you. Because watching you die was more terrifying than any torture I endured in captivity.”
His hands tighten on my waist. “Fiona—”
“I love you,” I say, the words spilling out in a rush. “I’ve been in love with you since that first night in the forest, even when I was too afraid to admit it. Too afraid of being hurt again, too afraid of losing myself in someone else’s expectations.”
He stares at me like I’ve just given him the greatest gift imaginable.
“But you were right about one thing,” I continue. “I do want the café. I want to build something with you, create a life that’s ours together. It’s just...I was so scared that everything I thought was real was nothing but another illusion.”
“It’s real,” he says intensely. “We’re real. This”—he gestures between us—“is the most real thing I’ve ever experienced.”
When he kisses me, it’s not desperate or frantic like our other encounters have been. It’s sure and claiming and full of promise. I can taste our future in it—lazy mornings in a new café, Erik helping with the morning rush before heading off to his royal duties, quiet evenings planning expansions and dreaming about what we’ll build together.
The bond between us hums with contentment, with rightness, with the profound satisfaction of two people who have finally stopped fighting fate and started embracing it.
When we pull apart, Erik is grinning at me.
“So,” he says, his voice rough with emotion and desire, “will you let me help you build a new café? Let me prove that we can have both our duties and our dreams?”
I look around the empty space one last time, then back at the man who fought his way through hell to find me, who gave up everything he thought he wanted so he could offer me everything I actually needed.
“Yes,” I say simply.
His smile could power the entire kingdom. “Good. Because I already have plans drawn up.”
I laugh. “Of course you do.”
“And I may have already started negotiations for the perfect location.”
“Erik!”
He beams unrepentantly. “I told you I was playing the long game.”
As he pulls me close again, I realize that perhaps being manipulated, studied, and used as a test subject for over a year isn’t the end of my story—it is just another beginning. Another chance to prove that I’m stronger than whatever tries to break me.
And this time, I won’t be facing the future alone.
This time, I have my mate.
Chapter 20
Erik
I stand at the edge of the terrace overlooking Fiona’s café, watching the controlled chaos below with a mixture of pride and amazement. Three years ago, this was empty land—rolling hills dotted with wildflowers, peaceful but unused. Now, it is transformed into something that defies every expectation I’d had when I offered it to Fiona.
The main café building is larger than her original one, all glass and warm wood that seems to grow organically from the landscape. But that’s just the beginning. She has created an entire complex, with outdoor seating areas nestled between flowering trees, a small market selling local goods, even a children’s play area where parents can relax and enjoy their coffee while their kids explore.
Between the buildings wind gardens filled with herbs that Fiona uses in her cooking and flowers that attract butterflies. A small stream runs through the property, crossed by charming wooden bridges that Alex built during one of his more industrious phases.
The place draws visitors from all three kingdoms now. What started as a simple café has become a destination, a place people plan trips around. Food critics have written glowing reviews. Travel magazines have featured photo spreads. And through it all, Fiona has maintained the same warm, welcoming atmosphere that made her original café special.
But the most remarkable change isn’t in the buildings or the success; it’s in Fiona herself.
