SEDUCE MY LOVE

by Wilson, Yumoyori

  His real emotions reminded me of Liam's usual personality, making them seem more identical than how Brian perceived himself on the outside.

  That knowledge actually made me love him more. It was hard to explain why, but having the mate bond let me see the true side of Brian.

  The side I’ve already enjoyed a few glimpses of in our relationship.

  Time passed as we sat in the comfortable serenade of the night. I was tempted to take a nap, but my heightened hearing picked up on approaching steps.

  Brian got up, rubbing his head against mine. I could sense his resistance; his gold eyes alone told me he didn't want to leave, but I did want to get to slowly know the pack.

  And make sure they aren’t too frightened of me.

  "Woof?" Brian asked. Will you be okay?

  I yelped in reply, walking around him. Licking his face a few times, I pressed my forehead against his.

  “I love you. You know that, right?"

  "I know. I like when you say it though," he admitted. We stood like that for a full minute, Annie's scent hitting our noses. We looked to our left to see her sitting there quietly, her light orange and white fur looking pretty in the moonlight.

  Brian gave me a final head rub and howled in greeting. He moved to where Annie was, getting a quick summary of how she was.

  Liam and Pix weren't on the property, having gone to investigate what was going on within the city. There had been a spike of shifter attacks the last three days, especially the day before I went to my old place. I mean Alexander's place.

  We'd yet to figure out which pack was behind this, but it was reported that it was werewolves that were causing the chaos. Vampire and Succubus-Incubus communities didn't want to get directly involved, but a few of them were assisting in scouting for clues.

  As for the Magic Council, they were keeping an eye on it all, but again, like the other shifter communities, were playing it low.

  Dad had explained that every move had to be tactical and not one based on emotions alone. One wrong move could ignite a war, and again that would put me at serious risk.

  I don't know how, but the news of my engagement with Liam, Brian, and Pix had already begun to spread around. I hadn't had any confrontations from anyone and it didn't look like the succubus community cared.

  It was typical for a succubus to have different lovers, so this was boring news to them. What could be intriguing was their variation and most importantly, power rank, that could be seen as a threat.

  Roxanne and Alaric said they weren't worried about people knowing. In fact, it could be a perfect opportunity. Shifters would want to be on our good side, especially if word got out that I was now a wolf shifter succubus.

  With the rarity of hybrids, people wouldn't want to fight me, but if they did, no one could defend them if I did decide to kill them. I wondered if the news of my vampire side would come out, but from the guys’ and our parents’ analysis, the chance was slim.

  Now that my wolf was used to being involved, Liam noted that my vampire scent was hard to pick up. Unless I was in desperate need for blood, I wouldn't have difficulty hiding it.

  They also promised to make sure I drank or took my blood tablets. Such a hassle.

  Walking over to where Brian and Annie were, I sat down and waited for Brian to get a quick report from Annie before he moved to give me a sloppy lick on my cheek.

  It was as close to a kiss as we were going to get in this form, but I'd take it. With a final howl, he ran back toward the house, stating he'd check in with Pix and Liam regarding the wolf sightings.

  We stood there in silence for a long moment before Annie slowly approached me. She bowed her head in respect, a small whimper escaping her.

  Evening, Sia.

  I took a few moments to reply, making sure my emotions didn't get the better of me.

  Evening, Annie.

  We didn't say anything after that, but I decided we could explore more of the forest. Moving away, I walked a few steps before looking back to encourage Annie to follow. She quickly caught up to me and the two of us began to run through the forest.

  I had no idea where I was going, but I didn't really care. I just wanted to enjoy the night and various scenes of the forest.

  When we finally came to a stop, we were in a thicker part of the forest. It wasn't necessarily scary, but my body was itching to switch back.

  I'm going to shift back.

  Annie nodded her head. She began to shift before me, the sound of bones cracking. Brian had explained it would take me a bit longer to get used to shifting and if my body began to ache, I should switch back and let myself rest.

  We weren't necessarily far from the pack site, so we could easily walk back. It may be a treacherous journey for clumsy Annie. I hope she'd make it back without a ton of blisters, cuts, and bruises with how accident-prone she was.

  I flinched at the pain in my muscles, especially my back and shoulders. "Ow."

  My wolf yawned and sat down, her eyes looking heavy as she fought to not doze off. I'm sure she was tired from our little adventure with Brian.

  "It'll hurt the first couple of times, but you'll get used to it," Annie reassured me.

  "Ah," I replied, with a nod. Yes, I’m being Petty Sia again.

  My wolf looked like she didn't care about my stoic response, losing the battle with her heavy eyelids as they came to a close. I could sense she was still awake and the frequent movement of her tail confirmed my assumptions, but I wouldn't mind if she went to sleep.

  We both put some clothes on, Pix having shown me a quick spell I could use to summon a second set of clothes out of thin air. Annie wore blue jeans and a pink t-shirt, having brought her own share. I wore simple dark blue shorts and a white top.

  "Sia." Annie's voice was little as she looked to the floor. "About Alexander-"

  "I don't want to talk about it," I replied, cutting her off.

  "He doesn't like me."

  "Still don't want to talk about it."

  "But he really doesn't like me."

  "If he didn't like you, why were you naked in our apartment? I mean HIS apartment," I snapped, already feeling irritating by her persistence. I really didn't want to deal with this right now.

  My body was far too achy to have such a discussion without me being bitchy. No. I would have been bitchy regardless. Ache or no ache.

  "I was being chased by sketchy shifters and had nowhere else to go. I was in my wolf form and exhausted when I reached Alexander's place. I asked to crash there and went straight into the spare bedroom, still in my wolf form. I'm a little incoherent in the morning. It didn't dawn to me that I hadn't put clothes on or where I was until I knocked over a bunch of stuff and reached the living room. I wanted to explain, but Pix showed up."

  Silence reigned upon us, and I noticed my wolf'’s eye peek open.

  Truth.

  Didn't know if it was a wolf sense, but I had to agree. It didn't feel like Annie was lying. Even if she was a klutz, she was always honest whenever she was late, which was all the time.

  Anyone else would have made excuses, but when it came to Annie, she wouldn't hesitate to say she was late because she tripped over air, crashed into a hot guy, spilled his coffee, and had to buy him a new one before missing the bus and jogging the rest of the way to work while becoming a hazard to everyone in her path of clumsiness.

  Now I kind of felt stupid, but my wolf still wasn't budging. We clearly had a problem.

  "Well, we already broke up. I shouldn't care what he does." I shrugged and turned around. "Let's head back."

  "Sia. Alexander still loves you."

  I paused in my tracks, having taken a single step forward. Her words made my heart stop for two seconds, a sparkle of hope flashing within me.

  Pushing it away, I took a slow inhale. I needed to prepare myself to not be easily fooled. He can't still love me. Time and time again, he keeps proving that he doesn't care anymore.

  "He doesn't," I replied. "And the last tim
e I checked, I was engaged. If he really wanted to be a part of this, he wouldn't have waited."

  "He still does love you! I wish you could see what I see. He's being forced into deciding who to be with. His parents are assholes. I know that isn't an excuse, but he's stuck between doing what his family wants versus focusing on his happiness. Please try to understand, Sia."

  "How long do I have to keep 'trying to understand', Annie? I'm tired. I want to be able to move forward. I can't keep sobbing over spilled milk that is dry and old."

  That was the truth. I was really tired of being tired. This whole situation felt like a drawn-out record that kept skipping on the same spot, again and again. My heart wanted to move on, even if I had to force it to.

  "Sia." Annie's voice held a level of vulnerability that called to me. I looked over my shoulder to meet her sad eyes.

  "His love is not mine to obtain. You already know I'm a submissive wolf. You can feel it. Since the day I was born, I was destined to be walked on and abused. I've always wanted a man who'd take me out of this cycle. To remove me from the constant ridicule I got everywhere I went. To be honest, the pack and even you and Liam give me more respect than my own parents ever have. I don't love Alexander. He's not someone who attracts me, nor is he that knight in shining armor that I need to help me out of my situation."

  She crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes lowering to the ground. "You know. Alexander was the type to always follow everyone’s commands when we were small. We knew very early that we'd be put together and forced into a mating bond, but Alexander changed the moment he met you."

  A smile formed on her lips. "It was as if that spark in him finally burst and it made his parents furious because he was going against their set plans. Whenever Alexander passed by here, you could tell when he'd been around you for a long time or not. His mood got better when you guys moved in together and he wasn't afraid to stick up for what he wanted. He was content with life, even if it wasn't necessarily perfect, and that was thanks to you."

  She took a deep breath. "Right now, there's this feud happening between some packs. The idea is to basically give my family asylum by marrying into the Jackson pack. It's completely stupid in my opinion. I mean, it's not like mating with Alexander is going to make me into an Alpha or anything. There’s still a risk of me getting hunted. I think the bigger reason is they want to get to Alexander and have him rejoin the family pack."

  "They want him back? Alexander won't leave Brian's pack, though." I knew this was true because I felt it in my very being.

  In my wolf form, the little sense of Alexander told me he was beyond comfortable with this pack, and even though he didn't demonstrate it, he was a strong one at that. Brian said he was the Beta of the pack, a rank I'm sure he wouldn't get if he went back to his family pack.

  Having your own pack was like gaining independence. To a human, it was like when you moved out of your parents’ house to start your own future and achieve your goals.

  "I think Alexander may be a late bloomer. I mean his parents are both Alphas and can use crazy magic. Shouldn't Alexander be able to do the same? He's super strong in his wolf form but barely shifts. It's as if he's holding back his potential."

  "That's a good point," I muttered. I couldn't vouch for the wolf part, but I knew his parents were good at magic. It shouldn't have been such a struggle for Alexander at his age.

  "Could there be a block on him?" The question was directed more to myself, but Annie answered.

  "I'm not sure. I mentioned it recently to Brian, but that was before the accident."

  "Accident?"

  "When you had to be changed. Brian was a mess after that. Obviously, he's better now that you're okay, but it must have slipped his mind."

  "Right," I replied and sighed. "I'll remind him about it. As for Alexander...I just don't know yet, Annie." I was going to be honest.

  "Please, Sia. Just one more shot. I'm not in any position to beg for him and I'm certainly not doing it for myself. I just don't think Alexander deserves to live the rest of his life unhappy. He's the happiest when you're in his life. You could be the key to helping him. At least you believed in him. Not like his parents."

  I stared into Annie's pleading eyes and even my wolf felt pity for her.

  Genuine. Second chance?

  Closing my eyes, I thought about it, wondering if I could give him one last shot. If we both just sat down and talked. Maybe we'd finally get our true feelings out.

  "Fine, Annie." I opened my eyes. "I'll give Alexander one mor-" I paused in my statement when my eyes picked up on the large creature that raced towards Annie.

  My body moved before the shock could register through my veins, my wolf racing to the surface as I used my vampire speed to push Annie out of the way before accelerating my shifting rate.

  It was something I hadn't done before and it fucking hurt, but I had no time to linger on it because my body went crashing into the large mass, the two of us rolling in the dirt.

  "SIA!" Annie screamed.

  The enemy wolf was double my size, but I held my weight as we continued to roll and bite viciously. We pulled apart and a howl escaped my throat, echoing through the forest.

  There was no way I was going to handle this beast alone. Not in wolf form, but it would give me enough distraction time for help to arrive.

  The wolf roared before launching off the ground. I tried to maneuver out of the way, but the shift made my body sluggish. He hit me bang on, sending me flying into a bunch of trees.

  I fell with a yelp but scurried to my feet once more. I growled and pushed toward the enemy wolf, its red eyes blaring with rage.

  "BRIAN! Sia's fighting the enemy pack! There's more coming!"

  I had to ignore the shrilling fear in Annie's voice that blasted through our pack bond. The wave of fear that hit me from multiple avenues made me flinch, but I aimed the rest of my concentration on the wolf as we crashed into one another once again.

  This time my momentum had given me the advantage, and I scratched at its right eye before sinking my teeth into its side. We began to tumble and roll again, but my body was growing weak fast.

  The table was turned, the opposing wolf getting the advantage as he used his body to flip me over. I tried to roll away, but his teeth sank right into my side, an agonizing howl escaping me before I thrashed in the ground, trying to get out of its grip.

  The wolf lifted my body up once more, tossing me in the opposite direction. When I crashed this time, I struggled to get up, my body struggling to heal. Fuck.

  "SIA! Stop moving and switch back!" Brian's voice was deeper than usual and I gritted my teeth at the push of power in his words. With a few blinks, I was back in my human form.

  Oh, you did not just use your alpha power on me?!

  "IS THAT REALLY YOUR CONCERN RIGHT NOW?!"

  Boy was my wolf fiancé mad, but I was in far too much pain to argue anymore.

  I looked up to see where Annie was but cursed. SHIT!

  Bracing myself for the wolf that was charging right at me. I couldn't even command it to stop on time before my body went flailing in the sky.

  I thought of a perfect spell to make my crash landing far less life-ending. "WINDOSHA!"

  Wind wrapped around my body at a rapid pace, my body crashing through a few trees before I landed in a bunch of bushes. It still hurt like a motherfucker, but at least the shield of wind took most of the damage.

  With a heavy groan, I looked up to see two black wolves charging my way. The world was spinning and I felt like I was going to throw up. This has to stop!

  I gritted my teeth and centered all my energy on the two wolves approaching me at a fast pace.

  "STOP!"

  They both skidded to a stop and I grinned with satisfaction. "Kill your comrades before fighting one another."

  I could see their struggle to fight my command, but I was in my element and nothing would override my order. Within ten seconds, they were turning around and racing toward
s the three other wolves running my way.

  Watching the chaos as the five of them began fighting one another, I sat back on my knees and flinched in pain.

  "Shit! Ah." I gripped my ribs, realizing how hard it was to breathe. My head was throbbing and my whole body was trembling. The next thing I knew I was vomiting out dinner, coughing and fighting to breathe as tears formed in my eyes.

  "Sia? Baby, we'll be there in a minute." It was Liam's voice this time, holding a level of fear and urgency.

  You know? I think from this day on I need a damn bodyguard for all the shit I put up with whenever I'm alone.

  I had to comment on my shitty luck. Even if Annie was with me, it wasn't doing justice when we were both prime targets.

  The sound of breaking bones caught my attention; the two wolves I'd commanded were finishing off the third wolf. They pulled back and stared at each other, launching forward and beginning to fight with one another.

  Scanning the rest of the area, I saw Annie running toward me. She looked like she wanted to help me, but I was more grateful that she'd come over here, so I could protect her long enough for the others to arrive.

  "Sia. Comi-UMPH!" She tripped and face-planted the ground. I groaned, struggling to get up, but my ribs protested any form of movement.

  It took three times for me to be able to crawl around my puddle of vomit and blood and move toward Annie, who was slowly getting up.

  "Out of all the times. You had to be a klutz now, Annie," I breathed.

  At the rate I was going, the guys would be here by now.

  "My bad! I'm com-" She didn't finish, the both of us picking up another set of approaching steps. I thought it would be Brian, but a larger black wolf appeared out of the bushes, only seconds away from Annie.

  "Annie, DUCK!" I screamed. She did just that and I outstretched my hand. "ASHLA BURN!"

  The fire surged out of the ground, a few inches away from Annie, who was crawling away toward me.

  Now the world was truly spinning, my vision flooded with stars and black spots. My knees buckled and I fought with every bit of me to stay awake.

  "Sia?! Sia!" I could hear both Liam and Brian, but all it was doing was making my head pound even more.