The Alpha's Melded Mate

The One With the Audacity

I woke up next to Abbi on my bed, her hair sticking in all directions and a small dribble of drool on the pillow she brought over. Dried tears rimmed my eyes, burning as I blinked awake. Abbi had come shortly after I got home. I'd sent her a text, and she came immediately. 

I vaguely remembered our "fuck guys" night other than it had involved eating a bunch of ice cream and me crying. 

I wasn't even sure why I had been crying. It wasn't like Neal and I had been dating. Sure, we were mates, and by the goddess, that meant we were supposed to be together. That didn't mean we were emotionally invested in each other. Yes, he had seemed nice enough, and he seemed interested in me at least having a larger role in the pack, even though his family was the reason we had been demoted in the first place. We hadn't even slept together. 

Barely. 

I could feel the ghost of his hands and mouth caressing my body before his parents had come home early and distracted us. 

Before everything had fallen apart. 

Abbi stirred and rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?" She groaned. 

"Nearly nine," I said as I stood up and crossed the room to my mirror. I took in the damage. Dark circles, eyes rimmed with red, hair a knotted mess. 

"Damn boys taking away from our much needed beauty sleep," she said as she sat up. 

"Among other things," I murmured as I picked up my brush and tried to pull it through the tangled mess. 

"Do you want to go out and throw knives? Practice some of your badass magic to take your mind off that loser?" Abbi asked. 

"I just want to sleep," I said. 

"Okay, well I'm not going to let you wallow, so either we go out and practice, or we do something else."

"Practice." I grimaced as the brush caught on one of the knots. I pulled it through a few more times and the knots finally came free. 

There was nothing I could do with my eyes though. Maybe some cold water. 

"You want to check the bag to make sure everything is in there before we go?" I asked. 

Abbi grabbed the duffel beside the bed. 

We both heard a knock on the door. I could hear my mom moving through the house toward the front. 

"Cynthia, Neal Stryker is here to see you," she called up the stairs, unable to hide the question in her voice. 

Abbi and I both groaned.

"Tell him I can't talk," I called back. 

After a moment my mom called again. "He said it's important."

"I'm sure he did," I whispered. 

"You go, I'll be here. Then we can throw knives at trees and pretend they are him."

I let out a laugh. "Sounds good to me."

I made my way down the stairs and grabbed a throw blanket to wrap around myself. It was still relatively cool for the morning and I didn't feel like standing in front of Neal in booty shorts and a tank top without a bra. I gripped the edges tight around me and went outside, closing the door and stepping away from the house so my mom wouldn't be eves dropping. 

"You left last night. I tried to call you," Neal said. 

"I'm well aware, but I had heard enough for one night." I turned to face him.  

Neal groaned. "It wasn't what you think."

"It wasn't? So you're not supposed to Merge with Ophelia in a binding ceremony under the next new moon in three weeks?"

"Okay, that part is what you think, but I don't want to do it," he said. 

"So you told all of them no? Your parents, her, and her parents?"

"Well, no. I didn't tell them no, but that's not what I want." Neal's voice was pleading. 

"Do you even know what you want?" I asked. 

"I want to see where things go here." He reached out, but I made no move to close any of the distance between us. 

"Neal, look. Your family doesn't like me or mine anymore. My mom is probably less than thrilled with your family, and that's probably an understatement. Your parents have it in their mind that you will Merge with a partner in less than a month. There is no way that they would accept me as your mate, especially in that short amount of time."

"They don't need to accept you. It's not their decision." Neal's voice was sharp, his words clipped. 

"It may not fully be their decision, but they still have a say. You know they won't let this happen."

I hated the words that were coming out of my mouth, but they were true. The relationship between our families was irreparable. There was no way that either of them would agree to a union between us. We were fooling ourselves to think otherwise. 

"Cynthia, you're the one I want to be with," he pleaded. 

"It won't work. I just don't see any way of it working." I shook my head and turned away from him. My eyes had started to sting again, and the last thing I needed was for him to see me cry. 

"Alpha's have had consorts before. Maybe..."

"Consort?" I cut him off, whirling back around. "You would want me to be your consort? You have got to be joking." I couldn't believe he had even suggested it. "I am not anyone's second choice. I will not be on the side for any man. I don't care who he is."

"I didn't mean that's what I wanted, but that if we didn't have any other options," he trailed off. 

"No, that is not an option. I would sooner leave this pack all together than become your second rate bitch. I'm all or nothing, Neal. I'm not a consort."

"I'm sorry..."

"Please just stop. I can't do this right now." I turned my back to him. 

"It's just strategy for them, Cynthia. I told you, I don't want that."

"Oh believe me, I understand the strategy. The Oak Creek pack is twice the size of this pack, and they have a witch to protect and defend them. Good news is, with them, you will have no need for a half rate Mentalist like me."

"I don't care about that. I don't care about the Witch. I don't care about Ophelia. I care about you, Cynthia. Only you. I want to make this work out. I want to Merge with you."

His words made my heart race, but they were too little too late, surrounded by too many blunders. I didn't trust them or him to be true. It was easy to say that he wanted me, but that's not what it had sounded like the night before. And there were too many obstacles. 

"If something was easy, it wouldn't be worth having. You're worth anything we would have to go through, Cynthia. I swear it."

I didn't say anything, just walked back toward the house in silence. Neal didn't say another word, he just let me go. 

I really needed to throw some knives now even more than I did before. Thank goodness for Abbi waiting to head out. 

***********

Neal just keeps putting his foot in his mouth it seems. I wonder if these two will be able to work it out or if Cyn will forge her own path somewhere new. Stay tuned to find out. 

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