Mated To The Beastly Alpha

Marisol's days had become a monotonous cycle of solitude and brooding, but today was going to mark a departure from her self imposed confinement. She felt a weariness settling in, a realization that her plans to escape Redwood were going to be all for nought. With a heavy heart, she decided to step outside, seeking a respite from the oppressive thoughts that haunted her. Maybe a little air would help pull her from the depressive state her situation had forced her into. Surprisingly, Marisol finds herself heading to the kitchen, where Lily welcomes her with a warm smile. The familiar aroma of food being prepared envelopes Marisol as soon as she steps in.

"Marisol! What a pleasant surprise. It's good to see you up and about. What brings you to the kitchen?" Lily inquires, her eyes reflecting a genuine curiosity and warmth.

"I just needed a change, Lily. Mind if I help with something?" Marisol answers with a shrug, making Lily giggle lightheartedly.

"Of course. You're always welcome here, you should know that by now." She muses, letting Marisol step closer before gesturing at the countertop, "How about you chop up these vegetables while I prepare the main course?" Marisol nods immediately, taking her place next to the other.

As they worked side by side, Marisol's mind slowly began 10 ease. The rhythmic chopping, the clinking of utensils and the sizzle of ingredients filled the air, creating a lighter atmosphere, one she found she could breathe better in.

"So, what's been going on?" Lily hums conversationally, breaking the silence after a few.minutes of them silently falling into their roles, curiosity evident in her voice.

Marisol hesitated, unsure of how much she could share.

"Just.....trying to find my place here, you know? Its not been easy." She resorts to saying, unconsciously sighing after her words.

Lily nods understandingly. "Redwood can be a challenge, but it's not all bad. There's a sense of family here, and now you're a part of it too."

Marisol could not help but scoff at those words, "Please don't patronize me. We both know that I don't belong here.

And try as I may, I will never fit in."

"How can you be sure though? You've been too busy running to even try." Lily counters head-on, making Marisol roll her eyes.

"Oh please," She deadpans, "Just the other day, I was accused of trying to steal your Alpha from his mate just because I wanted to get some air outside. The women here hate me, and they're not even trying to hide it, and the men .. well, they haven't exactly been the most welcoming too." Marisol supplies, already growing irritated at the thought of the very rude interaction with the gossip under the tree.

A small chuckle escapes Lily's lips, clearly not convinced, "Oh don't be like that, Marisol. You only met a few people, don't generalize us all based on that and don't worry, I'll introduce you to a bunch of new people that I'm sure will be nice to you." she finishes cheerily and Marisol sighs, unsure, but just wanting to drop the conversation, at least for now.

"If you say so."

She didn't believe for a second that the 'bunch of new people would be nice in any way. But it wouldn't hurt to try, and it wasn't like she had anything better to do with all the time she now suddenly has anyways.

As they continue to work, falling back into a comfortable silence, Marisol overhears snippets of conversations from others in the pack. The mention of Cedric's wolf immediately grips her attention, and she can't help but consciously try to lean closer, eavesdropping on the unfolding drama.

"I heard Cedric's wolf made it out again," one pack member remarks, a tone laced with concern as the collective air of despair surrounding the table grows even heavier.

"It's been like that for a few nights now, searching for something it never seems to find. And when it doesn't, it goes back to being destructive and attacking everything in sight." another person adds, eyes raking all over the table, and there's a beat of silence, until- "Have you heard, Lily?" one pack member suddenly regards Lily, who nods as if having expected to be abruptly pulled into the conversation.

"Indeed, I have. This is new and somehow even scarier than normal," she notes, her expression growing solemn and hums of agreement were heard around the table.

Marisol pauses, her interest piqued. She shakes her head afterward, trying to go back to her work and push aside thoughts of the infuriating man from the hidden castle, but the mention of his wolf's nightly escapades intrigues her, forcing her to voice her question. "Searching for something?"

"Yes, dear. It's been quite restless lately. No one knows what its looking for, but it seems determined to find it." Lily explains, casting a concerned glance in Marisol's direction, and Marisol, for lack of a better reaction, offers a small noise of understanding before returning her focus to her work.

Marisol finishes her kitchen duties, the revelation about Cedric's wolf lingering in her mind. Once she was done, she decided to take a walk, that had been her initial mission until shed gotten carried away in the kitchen, but she wasn't complaining, seeing as keeping herself busy did help force the wheels in her head to a halt to an extent.

As she strolled, Marisol found that she couldn't shake her curiosity about Cedric's wolf. Annoying as he was, the mystery surrounding the wolf's nightly quests intrigued her.

The cool breeze rustled the leaves overhead, providing a soothing backdrop to her contemplation.

Just then, she catches sight of Sophia. Swallowing back an annoyed sigh and deciding she was not in the mood for another fruitless back and forth, Marisol considered backing away and steering clear of the ill-tempered woman's path, but it been too late. Sophia, who appeared to be hastily making her way from the infirmary, locks eyes with Marisol. The disdain in Sophia's gaze was unmistakable.

"You," She spits out, her voice dripping with accusation.

Marisol finally grunts this time, a small 'ugh' sound following the roll of her eyes. "Can we skip the theatrics, Sophia? I've got better things to do."

"And do I look like I'm just hanging around doing nothing?

Hello, I am the Luna of this pack. Do you know how busy I am? Just now I had to rush to the infirmary to help around, taking care of the people who were injured from last night's attack and next, I have a meeting with some female leaders. I still have to set an example for the young ones.

Does that in any way give you the idea that I've just been lazying around?"

"Being Luna is such a tasking work" Sophia rants, her voice carrying a mix of resentment and exhaustion. "I was never supposed to be in this position. I was forced into it, and it's ruining everything."

Marisol, uninterested in Sophia's troubles, feels her lips draw into a thin unimpressed line. She wondered what part of her demeanor or their earlier interactions had given Sophia the impression that she would be willing to listen to her sulk and whine about her perfect life. 'What exactly does this have to do with me?' She thinks to herself.

Sophia, fueled by her discontent and seemingly not noting Marisols complete detachment from the one-sided conversation, continues her tirade. "And you! This is all your fault. Everything went downhill when you triggered Cedric's wolf. Now its rampage is out of control."

Marisol stands there dumbfounded, struggling to find words amidst Sophia's accusations. Of course, the irritable woman would find a way to rope her into this and the absurdity of the blame placed on her shoulders leaves her momentarily speechless. "Why do you always blame me for everything?" she asks, her arms crossed in front of her.

Sophia looks a few seconds away from pulling her hair off its roots. "Stop with the self-righteous act. The earlier you come to terms with reality and the fact that you are single-handedly responsible for everything happening here, the better. While you were snooping around, I'm sure you must have seen the prophecy and how you're tied to all this. So stop pretending and get to work!"

Marisol blinks in disbelief, Sophia waits for a response, but on not getting one, and seemingly done with her raving, she shoots Marisol a disdainful glare and storms off, leaving Marisol bewildered by the sudden confrontation. The weight of Sophia's words lingers in the night air, joining the long train of thoughts echoing in Marisol's head.

As Sophia's footsteps fade, Marisol shakes off the shock and resumes her walk, the accusations and blame sitting heavy on her chest and creating a cloud of uncertainty above her head. She couldn't comprehend how her actions could be held responsible for the chaos that seemed to engulf Redwood. Sophia's words made it look like things weren't already bad before Marisol was forced to remain here against her will.

Marisol walked without purpose until exhaustion set in, but it did nothing to ease her disbelief which was slowly morphing into anger. She refused to bear the blame for the turmoil in a pack that had kidnapped her on her birthday and went ahead to trap her against her will due to a convoluted prophecy no one understood.

"No, this is not my fault," Marisol muttered to herself, each step now echoing her determination.

The more she dwells on it, the more her anger melded into a resolve. She refused to be a scapegoat for the misfortunes within the pack. The responsibility lay with the pack members themselves, with Caleb and Sophia, who had deceived her. It was also on Cedric, the one causing chaos by harming his own pack members.

She concluded angrily that Cedric was the one to completely blame. How was he her mate? In what world were they compatible, and what exactly did Sophia even mean by asking her to 'get to work' like she was supposed to be some slave?

Seconds later, Marisol finds herself standing at the entrance of the hidden castle. The desire to confront Cedric clashed with the responsibility Sophia had attempted to thrust upon her. Should she unleash her fury and give him a piece of her mind, or accept the blame as Sophia had suggested, and maybe try to make sense of the matter and unfold the reason for his newfound hobby?

The decision crystallizes in her mind. Marisol chose both.

She would confront Cedric, demanding answers and holding him accountable for the chaos he had unleashed.

At the same time, she would take responsibility, ensuring that the wolf within him remained contained, atleast for the night.

She wanted to know what was so crucial that he had to harm innocent pack members in his relentless search.

Perhaps, she thought, helping him find whatever he sought could bring an end to the senseless destruction for everyone's sake.

As Marisol steps into the hidden castle, a wave of shock and surprise washes over her at the sight she is greeted with. The once desolate and dimly lit corridors had been transformed. The air was fresher, and the castle bore signs of meticulous cleaning. It was not just clean; it was beautiful, a stark contrast to the gloom that had pervaded its halls before.

Her hands trace the transformed walls as she makes her way to the throne room. Cedric, the source of the chaos that had engulfed the pack, the chaos they had still been grappling with, lay there, lounging on his throne, appearing indifferent to the turmoil he had caused.

Anger bubbles within Marisol, and she is unable to stop her tongue as she unleashes a torrent of words, her voice carrying the weight of her frustration. "Do you have any idea what your wolf has done to the pack? People are out there fighting for their lives, and you're here lounging like it's your royal spa day!"

Cedric, seemingly unfazed by her outburst, pays little attention as he continues to occupy himself with whatever thoughts he has been consumed by, even prior to her arrival. His indifference only works to fuel Marisol's anger, pushing her to escalate her tirade against his recklessness.

"What is so important that you're willing to destroy your own pack to find it?" Marisol demands, her tone cutting through the charged atmosphere.

When he finally raises his head to meet her gaze, Marisol is momentarily stunned by the transformation in his appearance. He had cleaned up well, and the change was remarkable. The disheveled, wild image shed associated the man with, upon their first encounter, was now replaced with an appearance that would rouse no questions about his royal descent. He looked... different and that took her off guard

Struggling for her next words, Marisol stumbles over a variety of choices, each one falling short, or just deemed unworthy to maintain the force of her rebuke. Cedric, in response, lets out a dry laughter that bounces off the walls, finally breaking the silence with an order that feels eerily calm.

"Get out."

The command is delivered with an air of authority that momentarily silences Marisol. The abrupt dismissal had her standing there, grappling with a mixture of emotions.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Cedric?" Marisol retaliates, refusing to just back down.

Cedric's gaze met hers, a flicker of surprise in his eyes at the defiance. Marisol continues, her words laden with frustration and a determination to unveil the truth.

"First, tell me what drives you to such madness, Cedric, and maybe... just maybe, we could find a solution that doesn't involve the senseless destruction of your own home, but either way, I won't let you continue like this."

Cedric looks bored at the end of her words, unimpressedeyes meeting hers. "What brings you here, Marisol?" He questions like she hadn't just gone on a whole rant airing the exact reasons why she'd taken the trip here. She sucks in a breath as if to reel herself back in before speaking

"I won't take the blame for your wolfs rampage. Innocent pack members are getting hurt because of your inability to control it."

Cedric's expression suddenly hardens but Marisol presses on, her tone unwavering. "You need to figure out what's so important to it that's driving it crazy. And I suggest you do it fast before more harm is done."

Cedric sighs loudly at that, like a rebellious teenager that just had to listen to his mother's stories about life and pushes himself off the bejeweled throne. She hears his joints pop when he stretches with an obnoxious groan and then he moves. Marisol waits for what looks like a physical confrontation as he draws nearer. Closer, closer, closer, until he just breezes past her like he had on their first encounter.

"Wait what," Marisol blurts in confusion and disbelief, a bit dazed at the sudden close proximity -after watching him make a show of stretching,, that ended almost just as abruptly as it began. She'd been doing a good job of pretending that the chemistry between them wasn't off the charts, but now, catching a whiff of him so close and seeing him look so unlike he had before, unleashed an almost primal need within her. She wanted to be close to him, to stay close to him and the thought of it, unnerved her. As if he could hear her thoughts, Cedric lets out another peal of laughter, jolting Marisol back to reality.

Albeit a bit flustered, Marisol follows after him. The evening was closing in, and she had no intention of letting him out of her sight.

They arrive at the Library, and Cedric retrieves the same book that had unraveled the secret of his curse.

Shoving it toward Marisol, he poses a question that hangs heavy in the air, "Do you think I'm in control of my actions?"

Marisol finds herself speechless, almost feeling stupid for her own actions and not having realized this earlier. He was under a curse, and blaming him for the chaos seemed unjust. Just as the weight of her accusations begins to settle, he swiftly turns around and begins walking off in the other direction. Quickly returning the book to its place, she hurries after him. "What then do you think it is searching for? Why is it suddenly searching for it?" She asks as she catches up with him.

He didn't seem like he was having the best day with Marisol persistently on his tail, but neither was she. She needed the answers that he definitely wasn't providing and ignored her until, once again, they were in the throne room, where he seemed to snap, turning around to give her an annoyed look.

"If you're so interested in knowing, why not just question my wolf personally? Since he's the one doing the searching?"

Marisol's heart skips a beat at the mention of his wolf. The menacing and terrifying creature that had haunted her dreams and the last thing she wanted was to see it again.

Fear creeps into her thoughts as she sees images of her nightmares right in front of her eyes, her fingers balling into fists.

There's a heavy blanket of silence cast over them as she contemplates before snapping her eyes shut. Shaking her head, Marisol decides it wasn't worth it and doesn't say a word as she begins to walk away.

"That's what I thought. You know, you shouldn't have bothered trying if you knew you were so fickle-minded." Cedric mocked from behind her.

Marisol spins around, irked by his taunting. "I'm not afraid." She asserts and Cedric meets her gaze, holding it with an intensity that only seems to pull her in, lulling her into a sense of safety that would be questionable in their current situation and that is when he says his next words, bewitching, like the call of a siren.

"Prove it then. Prove that you're not afraid."