The Alpha's Prize

25

Word Count: 2107

~Hunter

I don't make it till night to tell him.

For the rest of the day, Carson acted like the perfect gentleman and didn't mention a word of my secret to Kaan or Tay. In fact, he didn't let anything slip that something was off.

I on the other hand spent the entire time simmering with reluctance and apprehension. Telling Kaan my secret could cause some serious problems.

But it must be done. He deserves to know.

Carson departed at dusk after spending the rest of the afternoon catching up with his best friend privately, much to Tay's dismay. The moment he left, I grabbed Kaan's arms and encouraged him to join me for a walk in the forest.

Now we stroll amongst the tree's, the manor still visible. We can't stray too far, due to my injury.

"I'm surprised you wanted to come back out here." Kaan has his arm linked around mine, my other hand using the cane he made me. It's not much use out here, as it sinks into the plush dirt.

I laugh softly. These woods don't haunt me because he shot me here...

What still lingers was the fear, chasing me through the tree's. Every twist of my head over my shoulder accompanied by the alarming notion that people could be pursuing me, ready to drag me back to the man I was promised to.

"It's strange to think that had you not shot me that day, we may have never found each other," I say quietly.

I can feel Kaan's eyes on me. "Where were you going that day?"

Drawing in a slow breath, I steel myself. "I want to say I was travelling, getting away from my old life. But it's more than that."

"Tell me," he encourages softly, like he's scared of frightening me off.

Once I tell him, there's no turning back. He's going to look at me differently. I'm not going to be the random girl he shot in a forest, who comes from a humble background and knows nothing about what it means for Kaan to be an Alpha.

Knows nothing about being promised to someone...

"It's very complicated," I drawl, hesitating.

"Hunter."

He stops, shifting in front of me. When he grabs the sides of my arms, I feel a sense of surety. Those eyes, they tell me that he is my mate, that secrets aren't meant to be kept between us.

"You have to promise to keep this a secret, especially from Tay. I trust her, but I can't have anyone learn about this," I say lowly, as if someone may be lurking out here with us.

I know there's no one, but it's hard not to be paranoid right now.

His dark brows knot together with concern. "I wouldn't tell anyone."

"I mean it."

"Seriously, Hunter." He shakes his head. "How bad is this?"

I summon a breath, and along with it, courage. My legs feel weak, like they are about to collapse beneath me, and despite the cool temperature, I'm burning hot.

"My real name is Livia," I tell him quickly.

"What?"

He blinks, obviously taken aback. By telling him I have a real name, I'm implying I have a fake one, and with that, comes endless lies and secrets. Guilt immediately sinks like a rock to the pit of my stomach, nestling in there.

"Hunter is a fake name. Well, I consider it my name now, and I don't want you to call me Livia," I insist.

That name feels like it belongs to someone else, a stranger. That name carries decades of horrific memories that I would much rather leave in the past.