The Alpha of Alphas

Chapter Eleven

A green field. A shining sun. A laughing family.

This again.

Someone is calling my name. Again and again and again.

      Leona.

      Leona.

      "Leona!"

      My eyes burst open. All I see is white. A bright light. I blink a few times. The brightness is subdued. Everything is hazy and fast and a blur of red and black. Someone is screaming. Screaming so loud and painfully that it scares me of the reason. The sound is raw and desperate, echoing around me like a wounded animal.

What is happening?

I try to move. To help. And then it hits me. Pain—searing, unrelenting pain—tears through my very being. I try to scream, only to find out I already am.

"Leona," I hear it again, through all the chaos and confusion and pain. Like a thunder bolt in a war.

My eyes are wet and blurry but through the haze, I see Noah.

His darned mask is finally off but I can't make out his face. His hair is ruffled. His eyes are full of rage. His hands are around me. His mouth is moving.

He is saying something. Again and again.

"Leona!" This time I hear it loud and clear. As if someone pulled my head from underwater. I hear it. I hear him. And everything else too.

There's too much noise. Someone is shouting. Someone is talking. Someone is whispering.

"Do you hear me?"

I try to speak. But my throat is dry. "Mhm," I say but it sounds like a whimper.

His hold tightens. "Listen to me, Leona," he says. "I need to connect our wolves, alright."

His voice is hurried. Angry. Pleading.

"I need you to accept the mate bond," he urges, his voice a lifeline through the torment, repeating the command with a fervent urgency.

"Sire," another voice says. "I strongly advice otherwise—"

"Leave!" Thunder bolt in a war. "All of you."

There's silence for a second.

I'm bewildered, the words barely penetrating the fog of agony. My body writhes, each movement sending fresh waves of excruciating pain coursing through me. I can't do this anymore. I just... want to sleep. Darkness is quite... comforting.

"Leona!" The shout cleaves through the tranquility, bringing me back to the world of pain. "Damn it, Leona, please!"

At this point, I just want quiet. I want to sleep. So despite the chaos, I form the words. "I accept the mate bond," I whisper, my voice trembling and frail. And I mean them.

Noah repeats the words, his face a mask of determination and then in less than a heart beat, I hear the sound of fabric tearing.

My eyes burst open with it and I see the light shining in on the two sharp, razor-like canines. Before I can protest, Noah leans and they pierce the side of my neck. At first, there's a sharp, shocking sting, a sensation that sends a jolt through my entire body. Then, a strange warmth spreads from the bite, mingling with the burning pain, creating an intense, almost intoxicating mix of agony and heat. His teeth sink deeper, marking me and my breath catches as my body responds with a confusing blend of pain and a primal, electric pleasure.

I scream, my hands instinctively clutching his shoulders. I try to push and pull and just do something to mitigate the pain but I don't think he even notices my weak attacks.

The world tilts, the edges of my vision darkening as the abyss encroaches once more. The last thing I feel is the burning pain in my neck and the feel of my mate's arms around me.

•~•

A green field. A shining sun. A laughing family.

Glowing green eyes.

       And then everything bleeds.

       I wake up from the same old dream slowly, the ache in my body a dull reminder of the battle I survived.

      Survived.

      I am alive.

     As I sit up, I notice my clothes have been changed to a soft, comfortable long brown shirt and linen pants. Bandages are wrapped around my wounds, clean and secure. I gingerly get out of bed, the rich carpet soft under my feet and look around.

      The room I find myself in is an expansive place. The bed I was lying in is enormous, draped with luxurious, dark sheets and a mountain of plush pillows. The headboard is crafted from sleek, dark wood, its surface smooth and polished to a mirror finish.

       To my left, the glass walls stretch from floor to ceiling, providing an unobstructed view of the sky and a sprawling city below. I don't go closer to discern which city. The sunlight filters through, casting a warm, golden glow across the room. The right wall features two large double doors made of dark wood, their surfaces carved with intricate geometric patterns.

        The front wall opens up into an extended space that houses a large study, the roof of which is pure glass. A grand black wood and glass desk sits in the center, its surface cluttered with books, papers and a sleek laptop. Tall bookshelves line the walls of the study, filled with volumes of every size and color, giving the area a scholarly, almost magical feel. A door stands to the side of the study, slightly ajar.

        Soft, cream-colored rugs cover the polished dark wooden floor and minimalist art pieces adorn the walls. The dark coloured room exudes a sense of calm and luxury, a stark contrast to the chaos I've endured.

       Where am I?