The Alpha's Prize

Things had been going well for Cain and me since our ceremony. We couldn't get enough of each other, taking advantage of every opportunity we had to devour one another. Then, the day after our mating, we had Samara and Eve's funeral, saying our goodbyes and laying them to rest. It was a beautiful farewell; friends and family had gathered around, saying something about the fallen pack members before Cain put them into the ground.

Due to their crimes, Cain and I had decided to do things differently regarding a funeral for Calyx, Adela and Erik. Aside from what they had done, they were family and deserved a proper burial. So we decided to bury the trio on the border of both packs and kept things modest, saying a simple goodbye before coating their bodies in soil.

As time went on, I slowly learned how things worked around here and adapted to my duties as Luna. Things were a bit rough for a while, but Cain was supportive and guided me through things, being patient with me as he did.

I had been feeling off the last little while, not myself, and I didn't know what was wrong. I chalked it all up to the stress of my new role, but as I eased into things, I was still feeling......different. I didn't tell Cain about how I was feeling, not wanting to stress him out and thinking to myself that it was probably nothing anyway. Finally, however, I had decided to visit Rose, just to make sure that nothing was wrong with me.

I sat in the room, my foot bouncing off the floor as I impatiently waited for Rose to come in and examine me. Since losing my wolf, I hadn't quite felt like myself, and I was less in tune with my own body, which was something that I wasn't too happy about, to be honest.

Finally, Rose entered the room, a bright and welcoming smile on her face. “Hello Luna, to what do I owe the pleasure?” She asked cheerily.

I straightened myself in my seat, feeling anxious. “Well, I haven't been feeling myself lately. I mean, I've been feeling off since losing my wolf, but the last couple of weeks, I've felt....different.” I told her honestly.

Rose pursed her lips and stared at me intently. “Losing your wolf is a major transition for your body to go through, physically and mentally. However, the feeling should have eased off by now. Can I have you lie down on the bed so I can do an examination?” She asked.

I nodded and then stood from my chair before walking over to the bed and lying down. Rose looked over my body, her fingers running over my skin as she continued to examine. Then, suddenly, she froze, her lip twitching slightly as she looked at me with a curious expression.

My brows furrowed. “What's the matter?” I asked worriedly.

She smiled, and her gaze softened. “Well, I think I have an idea as to what's going on,” Rose said cryptically.

After I visited with Rose, I rushed back to our bedroom and into the bathroom. A few minutes had passed, and I made myself dizzy as I frantically paced around in the bathroom, waiting impatiently. Finally, I walked out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. Looking up from my hands, I noticed Cain standing there, his eyes holding darkness, as he stared down at the test in my hands.

Cain came towards me, a curious look in his eyes, before gently pushing me into the wall and getting down on his knees before me, staring intently at my belly. He rubbed his thumbs across my skin, caressing it tenderly.

His gaze met mine, and he raised a brow. “Well? Are you?” He asked in a demanding tone.

I smirked as I held up the test and then flipped it over, revealing the positive symbol. Cain grinned like a madman, then kissed my stomach. His kisses trailed up my body, and his hands slid up my legs as he stood to his feet.

He gripped my ass firmly and stood to his full height before lifting me, then wrapped my legs around his waist. Cain enveloped me in his arms, holding me tightly and securely within his hold as he kissed me passionately.

I chuckled at him, finding his reaction surprising and warming. I didn't expect him to be so thrilled about this, I had expected a different response from him, but I guess it was his turn to surprise me. Cain leaned back, breaking the kiss and stared into my eyes lovingly.

A low and satisfying growl rumbled from his chest, “I can’t believe your pregnant; we need to tell everyone.” He turned on his heels, with me still in his arms and rushed towards the door, not giving me the chance to protest.

My brows shot up at his eagerness. “Wait!” I shouted.

He stopped and furrowed his brows. “What?”

I pursed my lips. “Shouldn“t we wait a while before telling everyone?” I asked him.

He raised both brows in astonishment. “Fuck that; I don't want to wait.” He retorted and then bolted out of the bedroom doors. I laughed at him and his hurry to spread the news. As we walked through the halls and down the stairs, Cain was still holding me in his arms.

I slapped him on the shoulder. “Cain put me down!” I told him, fully capable of walking on my own. He shook his head. “No, I don't want to.” He said simply and sternly.

I glared at him, and he rolled his eyes. “Fine.” He said while pouting; then he reluctantly placed me onto my feet. Cain held my hand in his, and we walked into the backyard, where numerous pack members were gathered, socializing with each other.

Cain held up his hands, silencing the noise around us, and I swallowed roughly, feeling nervous about their reactions. “The Luna and I have some exciting news to share with you all.” He said, excitement in his tone. Cain glanced down at me, smiling, before turning back to the crowd. “Luna Freja is with child.” He roared out, and the crowd cheered, filling the air around us with their approving howls.

People started to approach, congratulating us and bombarding us with questions. Suddenly, I felt sick to my stomach, and my head felt fuzzy, as my vision doubled.

I looked up at Cain. “I need to use the washroom,” I said quickly, then spun on my heel, practically running towards the bathroom. I made it to the bathroom and hurled the contents of my stomach into the cold porcelain toilet. Once I was finished, I stood from the floor and leaned over the sink, steadying myself. I closed my eyes and attempted to regulate my breathing and erratic heart rate. As I opened my eyes again, I was no longer in the bathroom but back in the forest of the damned and standing before the willow tree. I glanced around frantically, wondering what the fuck was going on.

Helena appeared out of nowhere, scaring the life out of me and causing me to gasp. “Holy shit! You scared me." I shouted at her.

She raised a brow and gave me a deadpan stare. “Watch that tongue of yours.” Helena scolded me while pointing a bony finger at me.

I gestured around me. “Why am I here?” I asked curiously.

She straightened herself and clasped her hands together. “There is something about you, I don't know what it is, but you have caught my attention. I've thought about you relentlessly since meeting you. I feel a connection to you.” She said, intrigue in her tone, while her eyes roamed over me as if she was looking for something. “So, I have made the decision to spare you, to give you back what is rightfully yours......your wolf.”

The air was sucked from my lungs as shock consumed me. My lips parted slightly, and a small gasp escaped, but the shock quickly wore off, distrust taking its place. “Are you playing with me? Is this some kind of joke?" I asked, a little leery about this whole situation.

She rolled her eyes and then came towards me, an enigmatic look in her eyes. Helena raised her hand and reached for my face but stopped before touching me. Helena stared into my eyes intently. “Take care of yourself, Freja and always remember who you are.” She then placed two fingers on my forehead, and everything became blurry, my body feeling like it was falling. I felt a pain in my chest like someone had hit me with a burning, hot hammer. The pain lasted for a few moments, intensifying with each passing second. Then, just as quickly, the pain was gone, my vision returned, and I felt....renewed.

I could feel my wolf, I could hear her, and I almost cried at the overwhelming emotions that were consuming me. She felt warm and comforting, and hearing her small yips of excitement, made me feel whole again, finally getting back that missing piece of my soul.

Helena had stepped back and was watching me intently, an unreadable expression on her face. Finally getting my breathing under control, I looked up at her and gave her an appreciative smile. “Thank you, Helena. I have to ask, though, why did you do that?" I questioned, completely baffled by her decision to do this.

She snorted and gently shook her head, “I'm not entirely sure, but something in me told me I needed to.” Helena's features softened. “It's been a pleasure meeting you, Freja.” She said softly, and then I was standing back in the bathroom, still leaning over the sink. As I came to my senses, I could now hear Cain's insistent banging and roaring coming from the other side of the door.

“If you don't open this fucking door in two seconds, I'm going...” I swung the door open, cutting off his words and stilling the beast.

Cain glared down at me, his hands balled into fists, and he opened his mouth probably to scold me but froze abruptly. His brows furrowed together in confusion as he narrowed his eyes, staring at me attentively.

"You..." He started to say, but I beat him to the punch line, “The witch gave me back my wolf.” I said happily, grinning from ear to ear.

Cain raised a brow and his features hardened. “Why? Did you have to make some kind of deal?” He asked quickly while taking another step towards me.

I shrugged my shoulders. “I don't know why,” I told Cain honestly, and it was the truth; not even Helena could give me a good reason as to why she had given my wolf back.

He narrowed his eyes. “That doesn’t make sense to me; I've never heard of a witch doing something like that without there being a price.”

I exhaled heavily and looked away from him. “I truly don't know why. But, Helena said something about feeling connected to me and that my wolf was rightfully mine.” I reminisced on the encounter.

Cain lifted his hand and caressed my cheek, swiping his thumb across my bottom lip. “As long as nothing bad is going to happen to you and you are happy, that is all that matters to me.” So he told me, honesty in his tone.

I never thought I would feel this way with my mate and feel so at home. Cain made me feel things I didn't know were possible, even though I was raised to hate him because of the things he had done and who he was. I was given a chance to truly get to know him, to see the side of him that he hid from everyone else, and I loved all of him.

Everyone has a past, some good, some bad, but we can't let the past define us; we can't let it decide our futures. The future is an untold story, and we choose the outcome.

I cupped Cain's face with my hands and pulled him to me, kissing him with everything I had, stealing his breath away for once. He was quick to react and wrapped his large arms around me, pressing our bodies together. In the end, this was where I always belonged and who I belonged with for the rest of my days.

The End