Page 52 of Betrayed Alpha Mate

A light frown furrows my brows as I contemplate this, my mind wandering off to memories of the past; memories before I even knew we were fated mates.

Sean, in a tailored suit, was walking up to the stage to give his speech when we graduated from high school.

Sean was at the party with both his parents when he started working at the construction company in the city.

Sean, when he walked up to me at that very same party and asked for a dance, then led me to the floor, where he wouldn’t stop making me laugh for the rest of the evening.

And finally, Sean searching for my eyes on the night his mother was diagnosed at the hospital.

I let out a drawn-out breath, my eyes full of tears as I stare at my reflection, metaphorically giving my inner self a gentle nod of agreement.

I’ve always loved Sean, and nothing has ever changed about how I feel. Heartbreak turned to hatred, but love always existed through it all.

Straightening up, I take a deep breath as the realization settles over me, and I finally discover what it feels like to trust Sean again. I decide then and there to open my heart to him, feeling my chest expanding, as if my heart blooms with those fuzzy feelings and warmth.

But that feeling doesn’t last long when the bedroom light flickers. My heart slows as I look up with a frown, and when I return my gaze to the mirror, my reflection is just…gone.

I gasp, a hand flying to my throat in shock, my fingers trembling with dread. As the shadow passes by my bedroom window, the light disappears for a split second before it returns, but my reflection is still missing.

Goosebumps of fear spread across my arms as I reach out toward the mirror with a pointed finger, my fingertip touching the cold glass that remains indifferent, not reflecting me back.

A shiver courses down my spine, and when I open my mouth to scream, no sound escapes my lips.

I’m clawing at my throat again, like I did when I first had a vision, my heart hammering in my chest. My feet feel leaden, heavy, and stuck in place until I see the apparition of my younger self peeping through the crack in the door.

“Emily…” a sinister voice calls my name, but it’s not younger me who moves her lips. And when that younger version of me skips into the hallway, throwing the door open as she spins around, I’m able to move my feet, but they’re moving of their own accord, following the sound of my name being chanted like a mantra that’s summoning me.

Chapter 19 - Sean

Nothing feels right, even though nothing has gone wrong with Emily’s training. I should be feeling relieved—triumphant, even—because over the past week, Emily has been opening up to me. After my valiant show at the last meeting with our friends and the other witches, things have steadily been moving forward, and I’ve been sensing, through the mate bond, that Emily is finally opening up to me.

But tonight, something feels wrong, making me restless as I lie in bed, writhing, tossing and turning, unable to find a comfortable position to fall asleep in. It’s almost like the mate bond is tugging at my inner wolf again—not desperately, but a gentle coercion that feels almost unsettling.

It must be Emily having a nightmare again. It’s happened before, and I felt the same way I feel right now. And just like then, I decide that I should go check up on her. That’s the only thing that will give my inner wolf ease.

Kicking my legs off the side of the bed, I run a hand through my hair as I pad toward the door, stepping out into the hallway and frowning when I notice the light seeping into the hall from Emily’s bedroom. Her door is wide open, and that can only mean she isn’t asleep.

“Em…?” I call out gently as I approach her bedroom, but she doesn’t respond, and the tug at the mate bond becomes even fainter, almost not there.

I stop at the doorway, calling out again, but again she doesn’t respond, leading me to believe she must have gone down to the kitchen.

“Emily…?” I call out softly as I enter the kitchen, a misplaced draft hitting my neck and prickling the fine hairs on the back of my neck. I turn toward the strange wind with a frown, only to find the front door open wide, a chill pulsing through the air from the gaping hole.

The hackles of my inner wolf rise as I make my way there, stepping onto the front porch barefoot, fists curling at my sides as I use my wolf’s heightened sense of smell to take a giant inhale.

I catch traces of Emily’s scent in the air and follow the trail like breadcrumbs into the woods. With each step following her out there, my heartbeat quickens, and my feet quicken, too, until I’m racing into the forest. Trees roll by in a blur, and just as I’m about to lunge forward and shift mid-air, I see a clearing illuminated in waves of golden light.

“Emily!” I call out to her urgently, pivoting over a boulder as I make my way to her. She’s standing in the center of the clearing, gold light surrounding her lithe frame, her arms stretched out on either side of her, her head tilted toward the night sky.

“Emily! Can you hear me?!” I try calling out to her, but she seems frozen, unmoving, as her magic bleeds from her pores. But there’s nothing right about what’s happening, almost as if her energy is being leaked, stolen.

There’s an invisible barrier around her, her magic creating a forcefield around her that takes some strain to penetrate. But as soon as I do, entering the forcefield and reaching out toward her, it’s like becoming immersed in the magic she exudes. It feels powerful, but there’s an underlying sense of dread lurking like a shadow amidst the light. I feel it the moment I step into the vortex of her magic, but I see it the moment I place a hand on her shoulder, and my sight is arrested by a white cloud.

The cloud disperses like mist in front of my eyes as unintelligible muttering echoes around me. My vision clears and opens to a scene in the forest, and I’m watching myself pointing a finger at Emily’s face.

The light is gone from my eyes, and my face is clean-shaven. I know this look—I recognize it.

This was me five years ago.