Four Months Later
“Serena, I told you it was over between us. I don’t know how to say it any other way,” Alec said in a frustrated voice.
When he discovered that Sophie was his mate and she was about to be sacrificed by her asshole of a father, his heart almost stopped beating. Thankfully, Zara and her sisters were able to lift the force field enough for him and Jasper to rescue the two women. It still baffled him the lengths in which Jacob was willing to go to, in order to steal his wife’s immortality, including using Dark Magic to fake her death. It had taken almost four months for Zeva, the Fates, and the magical community to reverse the dark spell he had placed on his wife.
Sophie had taken refuge at the old Miller farmhouse outside of town and was rarely seen unless she was picking up her monthly supplies. He had tried to explain they were mates, but she was hearing none of it. Her father had done a real number on her to the point that she saw danger at every corner. His wolf howled at the injustice of it all but wouldn’t be denied.
And just when he thought things couldn’t get any worse, Serena would pop-up from out of nowhere and try to win his affections. He had explained that they were done long before Sophie had ever entered into the picture, but she continued to ignore his comments. It seemed as though where she was concerned, denial wasn’t just a river in Egypt.
He wasn’t sure if her unwillingness to walk away was just her being stubborn, or if it had more to do with the Dark Magic coursing through her veins. Either way, he needed to discuss the situation with Mikhail because not only was she making a nuisance of herself, but he also feared for Sophie’s safety. His mate had been through enough over the last year and he didn’t intend for her to be harmed by his poor choice in women.
Today was Valentine’s Day and he was determined to break through the walls she had built around herself. He’d bought all of the fixings for a romantic meal and had convinced Cole and Sarah to join them, so Sophie wouldn’t feel threatened. If things went as planned, he’d at least get his foot in the door. While it wasn’t where he wanted to be, he knew that given the current situation, he had to start somewhere.
“Are you listening to me, Alec Stone?” Serena groused. The more she yelled at him, the more her voice grated on his nerves. How he had ever thought this woman was beautiful was beyond him. She was manipulative, vindictive, and a threat to his mate every time she threw a tantrum.
“I heard you the first forty times you yelled at me, Serena. Now it’s time for you to stop talking and listen. We are done. I don’t love you and I never will. I have a mate and her name is Sophie O’Malley. She’s the one the Fates have chosen for me and you know as well as I do, there is no changing that. If you can’t accept the situation, then we can no longer be friends. I’m sorry, but it’s the way it has to be.”
“You’ll be sorry alright, you lying, rat bastard of a man whore,” Serena said as she stomped away.
“Looks like that went well,” Jasper said with a smirk as he walked up behind Alec.
“Yeah. About as well as a cat on a hot tin roof. The woman is relentless, crude, and self-absorbed. How did I not see this before?”
“Do you really want me to answer that question?” Jasper asked with a wink.
“Hell no. I get it. I was thinking with the wrong head when I invited Serena into my bed. She just never struck me as the clingy, needy type. Know what I mean?”
“When it comes to mating an alpha, they all eventually will show their true colors if you wait long enough,” Jasper said in a disgusted voice.
“What are your plans for tonight?” Alec countered in an effort to change the subject.
“I’m meeting some of the guys for a few rounds of beer and some pool at Don Juan’s. Who knows, I might get lucky and pick up a hot filly who’s up for a night of smoking hot, dirty sex with no strings attached?”
“Don’t you ever want to settle down?”
“Been there, done that, own the tee-shirt. Besides, relationships are overrated in my book.”
Jasper knew from first-hand experience how vindictive and manipulative women could be. It’s also the reason he hated Valentine’s Day. Of course, walking in on your fiancé screwing your best friend on what’s supposed to be the Day of Love has a tendency to do that to a man.
“What are your plans for the night?” he finally asked after shaking off the morbid thoughts running through his head.
“Cole and Sarah have agreed to bring Sophie to my house for a romantic Valentine’s dinner. I’m making my famous baked spaghetti with garlic bread and a Caesar salad. Cole insisted on bringing the wine, so if all goes well, I might finally get my foot through the front door with my mate.”
“I wish you the best of luck with that old buddy. If anyone deserves happiness, it’s you,” Jasper said, clapping him on the back before he said his good-byes.
Several hours later, Alec’s heart sped up when he heard his doorbell ring. “Right on time,” he murmured as he made his way to the front door. Only when he opened it, he was shocked to find Serena standing there instead of Cole, Sarah and Sophie.
“What the hell are you doing here, Serena?” he asked in a voice full of anger and frustration.
“Hello, Alec. Since tonight is all about love, I thought it only fair that Sophie sees you for the rat bastard that you truly are. I mean, it’s only fair,” Serena insisted as she began chanting.
An underdog, I am not, but let them be damned,
For you will shift from a wolf into a rat bastard of a man,
During the night you will no longer be alone,
For on the next full moon, you’ll find your true home,
The dark will hear your horrifying roar,
But no one will come to aid when they hear your groan,
This is my wish for the lying, thieving bastard who stole my heart,
Since yours now belong to another, so mote it be!
Before Alec knew what was happening, he had shifted from a human into his wolf form and ultimately into a mouse. Stunned by Serena’s streak of vindictiveness, he was surprised to realize that he was no longer in his home, but instead in Sophie’s closet.
“What the hell, Serena? I demand you reverse your spell now,” Alec shouted, but his plea fell on deaf ears. The witch who had stalked him day and night was no longer in sight.
# # THE END # #
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