The Alpha's Mistress

19

Word Count: 2095

~Onyx

Sienna has her knees tucked up to her chest, a vacant look in her eye.

She's spooked. I can't blame her. I've come across Deceivers a few times in my life and it's always a horrific experience. They either torment, haunt, or seduce.

It seems Sienna fell victim to the latter.

I must admit, my heart faltered when I first appeared from the woods. She was passionately kissing another man whose face I couldn't see.

However, the moment that man plunged her head into the water, I knew it to be a witch.

"It got you pretty good, huh?" I dip my fork into the piece of cake she offered me. She went to all this effort, and now half the food is ruined from the cold, and what is salvageable is slightly squished from being brought back to the barn.

Despite being wet under that blanket, she insists she doesn't want to go back to the house. She wants to celebrate properly, so the barn will have to do. I've given her my sweater so she's more comfortable.

"Yeah. It would have killed me if you didn't come." She shudders.

"Who were you imagining?" I can't get it out of my head. Who could possibly have gotten her into such a state so quickly? I arrived early, wanting to make sure she was okay. The deceiver worked expertly fast.

"Huh?"

"Deceiver's tap into one's mind and see who you truly desire. They only use someone who could actually seduce you," I remind her. "Clearly it worked."

She looks down at her fingers which knot tightly together, her cheeks tinting pink.

"Uh, it was Kayn, obviously."

I clear my throat. "Obviously..."

For a fleeting moment, I wondered if it could be me. That's such a foolish, delusional thought, yet it settles into the depths of my mind regardless.

I had no idea she felt so strongly about Kayn...

"This food is amazing. Diane make it?" I ask, swiftly changing the subject.

"All of it, although I decorated the cake." She sighs at the dismal state of it now. "I told her exactly how to make the cheesecake too, just how you like it. Plain and traditional with fruit."

My skin warms. "You know everything I like."

"How about the rest of your presents." Her smile grows as she digs into her bag.

"This bracelet is more than enough," I excuse.

What is more than enough is her just being with me, spending the night with me.

"Shut up." She giggles, pulling out a present, laying it in my hands. "Here."

I gently tear into the paper, revealing a book. Not just any book, however. The cover is a deep velvety purple, the foiling of the title gold.

"My favourite book," I whisper, not recognising this cover at all. "I have every edition..."

"I rebound it myself. Open it." She chews on her nails, watching my reaction.

I open the front page, breathless.

In the margins are little handwritten notes. I would recognise her writing style anywhere. She's even underlined certain sentences and drawn little faces. As I flip through the pages, I realise not a single page has gone without her personal narration.