Page 79 of The Alpha's Unclaimed Mate
Oh, that hurts. The tears keep coming. I turn my face away.
His finger touches my chin. He turns me back to him and holds me there.
“Emotions ran high. Our wolves were in control of us.” His voice is rough. “But Sienna, before you say anything that will break my heart even more, know this: nobody could be happier than me to be your fated mate. Nobody could be more honored to stand by your side. You are an incredible, stunning, intelligent creature. How could I not want you? Do you know how easy it is to love you?”
My eyes go wide.
“I love you, Sienna. Which is why I wanted to spare you even more than mark you.”
My lips tremble. His words frighten me. “Spare me from what?” I ask cautiously.
“The curse of my bloodline.” The look on his face is now one of terror.
“What curse?”
He sighs heavily. When he speaks, his tone is deadly serious.
“Did you know that, for several generations now, none of the men in my family, the alphas of my line, have had their fated mates survive?”
I shake my head slowly.
“It’s true.” His thumb moves once against my jaw. “They all died within a year of being marked. A gruesome, painful death. That is the curse. The men of my bloodline can either walk away from their other half or get a few months with them before they wither away.”
I suck in a breath.
“That is what I was trying to spare you from.”
I shake my head. “You’re lying.”
“No, I’m not.” He pauses before adding, “Lydia knows the truth.”
My hand jerks back from his wrist. “What?”
“That’s why she offered to mate with me. She knew I wanted to protect you.”
My chest heaves. “Why didn’t you just tell me?”
“If I could have spoken about it, I would have told you.”
“Lucas, why—”
“The curse is a spiderweb.” His voice is even heavier now. “I cannot mention it to anyone not of my bloodline. No means of communication works. If I try to speak, the words don’t come out. If I try to write about it, my hand is frozen. I have tested every method. There is no loophole. I can only speak of it to you now because I have already marked you.”
“How did Lydia know, then?”
“My father told her.”
“How?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t tell me how he managed it. Maybe because his fated mate had already died. Or maybe the curse hadweakened enough because he was on his deathbed. He told her because he wanted somebody outside my bloodline to know, so I would not be alone when this happened.”
“Lydia could have told me.”
“No one can speak of the curse, Sienna. Lydia could talk to me about it, but if she had been within hearing distance of you, the curse would not have allowed her to.”
I stare at him, unable to process this. I can’t make any of it fit together in my head. Pressing my free hand against my mouth, I look away. “I need a minute.”
He nods.
