Chapter 83

~Grace~

Thank god everything worked.

It was an ordeal getting everyone back on their feet. The entire clan had been affected by this curse, and everyone was hungry, cold, and exhausted.

There were only a few of us who felt well enough to take care of people. Even Liam and his mother stayed to help.

The Lycans were taken back to their rooms where they could recover and be assessed if they needed further medical attention.

Luckily, everyone just seemed tired and needed time to rest to recover from the curse.

Christopher had passed out once he finished the spell, and thankfully, a medically trained Lycan was kind enough to start working on him right away.

He took Christopher into the medical area, and I felt a little bit better knowing he was finally getting the help he needed.

I just hoped it wasn’t too late for him.

After all, he did help the entire clan. Without him… they’d probably be dead.

I passed Alex, who was helping a Lycan down the hallway. I smiled at him, and he smiled back. It was rare to see him so bright.

I knew that having the clan back to normal made him happier than he could express. I knew what it felt like, though. I had done everything in my power to help this clan beat this curse.

I don’t think I’ve slept in two days, honestly.

But it was all worth it.

I touched the mark on my neck absentmindedly. It was still sore.

Luckily, my hair covered it, so Alex hadn’t noticed, yet, but now that the clan was back to normal, I didn’t have an excuse to hide it from him any longer.

I wasn’t sure why I was nervous. I knew that at this point, he wouldn’t kill Christopher. Alex had shown his new self with the way he handled the Lycan Elder. He didn’t want to be someone who killed anymore.

I appreciated that.

But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t break Christopher to the point he couldn’t walk anymore. I was afraid of that.

But, more importantly, I was afraid of him being disappointed in me. I really don’t think he would be mad at me, certainly the anger would be directed at Christopher. But to think of his sad eyes, the heartbroken look on his face…

I couldn’t bear to even think about it.

And it would be my fault. I would be the cause of his hurting. And I think that’s what I was afraid of facing the most.

I didn’t want to hurt him.

But, I knew hiding wasn’t an option. I didn’t want to keep secrets from Alex, not when he was going to be my husband and partner.

It was not good to build a relationship if I can’t even be honest with Alex. How would we be able to stay together if we kept secrets from each other, let alone rule a pack together?

I would just have to suck it up and tell him.

But, not right now. Now, I wanted to give Alex a break.

He had been through so much.

It wasn’t fair of me to load one more stressful thing onto him right when he just got a chance to breathe.

I stopped outside of a heavy metal door. The Elder Lycan had been locked away while we took care of the Lycans and helped them to recover.

Alex didn’t want to kill him, so we had to wait to figure out what to do with him.

He needed to be punished for his crimes one way or another, but what? I knew what Alex and I wanted directly conflicted, but if we were to rule this pack together, we needed to get used to compromises.

So I would go into this with an open mind. I needed to think of other ways I would feel satisfied with his punishment.

I leaned against the wall next to the door. I couldn’t hear anything inside.

The Elder Lycan was locked away behind such a well-secured door in case he shifted again, but it seemed like he accepted his captivity, at least for now.

Would he try to break free? Run away? But where would he even go?

I had a bigger issue I needed to be concerned about as well. Could Alex and I convince the Lycans that the Elder Lycan betrayed them?

Unfortunately, everyone was unconscious when he confessed, and I doubt he’d do it willingly again.

I ran my hand through my hair, tucking it behind my ear.

That… didn’t sound bad. Making the Elder Lycan confess.

“Thinking about something?” Alex’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and I stood up straight.

I quickly greeted him with a warm smile and a hug. He hugged me back, pulling me tight in his arms.

I breathed in his scent… the deep, earthy aroma never failed to soothe me.

It felt like it had been so long since I had a real moment alone with Alex like this, without the two of us having to worry about something.

But the moment could only last for so long. Unfortunately, there were still things to worry about.

“I’m just considering punishment options for the Elder Lycan,” I said, pulling away, and looking up into his gorgeous face.

He must have taken a shower after helping the Lycans return to their rooms. His hair hung neatly over his brows in black waves. His face glowed, he must have just shaved, as well.

I smiled. He looked like himself.

After seeing him so ill, my heart swelled at the sight of him now. He looked even more handsome than I remembered.

“Well, did any ideas come to mind?” Alex asked, holding me by the waist, pressing my hips into his.

I leaned back, so I could look at him, holding onto his forearms.

“I think so. I know you don’t want to kill him, so I’ll take that off the table completely. And I’m nervous that your clan won’t take our word that the Elder Lycan betrayed them.”

“Our clan,” Alex said, a sly smile on his face.

I felt heat rise to my cheeks. Even though we weren’t married, yet, it was like he considered me his wife already.

His piercing golden eyes bore into mine, and I couldn’t hold his gaze. I looked away, holding down a nervous laugh.

“Yes, our clan. So, I thought if there was a way he could publicly confess his crimes himself, then we wouldn’t have to worry about anyone believing us. They’d be believing him.”

Alex raised an eyebrow at me. I gave him a curious look. Did he like the idea?

He hummed, and I could feel his deep voice resonating through my body, as my hips were still pressed against his.

“It’s a good idea. But he shouldn’t have to confess just to our clan. The whole world deserves to know how he’s played them for fools. He should confess to everyone.”

I stared at Alex with wide eyes. This was… great! I loved that idea!

“Yes! I’m right there with you,” I said, my eyes shimmering in delight.

It felt so nice to be taken seriously as a truly equal partner in a clan. Liam never gave my ideas this much thought or praise, even though my ideas practically ran the pack entirely. He just took credit for them.

“Great. It’s settled, then,” Alex said, and he leaned forward, his face mere inches from mine.

I stared at his lips, my heart beating fast.

“I’ll contact the media outlets tomorrow morning,” he continued, and I could feel his breath on my cheek.

Alex pulled me close to him, pressing my chest against his. His voice whispered in my ear, “Why don’t we take some time to ourselves? We deserve it.”