Taken For The Alpha ✔️ - 52 - Wattpad

Taken For The Alpha ✔️

by Midika

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Taken For The Alpha ✔️

18+ read at your discretion! My hands tremble by my sides. "Don't sleep with her..." He steps toward me, his eyes dark. "Why not?" "Whatever you were planning to do to her tonight, do it to me instead," I whisper.

Ayah has always been unremarkable in every way other than in the power she wields. Since she was little, she has been able to heal even the most fatal of wounds. Because of this, her father has locked her away, keeping her powers safe from the outside world. That is, until a man appears below her balcony, giving her a glimpse into the freedom she could finally have. However, the moment she starts to trust him, he takes her captive, revealing his identity to be a powerful Alpha who needs her to heal his younger sister. But when the girl's illness becomes impossible for Ayah to heal, she is dragged on a journey beside the Alpha to find an amplifier. On the way, she learns their connection goes deeper than their heated attraction, to a soul bond neither can deny.

Word Count: 2376

~Ayah

I wrap my arms around myself, shivering.

It doesn't matter that I'm wrapped up in many layers, We're not far from Zaon's home, yet, it feels miles away. It is somewhere on the other side of the mountain, blanketed in a haze of snow and fog.

Zaon and I stand before a cave entrance, cold air stirring around us, kicking up flurries of pure white snow. He came to me urgently this morning, telling me that he has heard news from an old friend and we needed to meet her imminently.

For some terrible reason, she lives in a cave in the mountainside, and from what Zaon has told me, she's magical.

He looks at the side of my face, sensing my uncertainty. "I trust her."

Apparently, she is likely to have information on an amplifier. At this point, I'll grab onto any stray lead that I can.

"How, and why?" I question warily as we walk through the mouth of the cave.

It's lit by tall blazing torches that melt the ice off the walls. I welcome the lick of heat along my cool skin after a long walk along the perilous, snow coated rock face to get here.

"She's predicted a great deal. I believe she has a divine connection," he explains, keeping unnervingly close to me, as if something within the cave walls could be dangerous.

I frown, unsure. "Right..."

He examines the side of my face curiously. "You're disbelieving of magic when you have some of your own?"

I've never encountered anyone else with magic before, although that may only be because of my isolated upbringing. Still, I remain unsure of how likely it is that there are others like me.

There is seemingly no explanation for why I have the magic I do, although my father theorised it was because of my mother's illness. She became sick while she was pregnant with me, leaving me to wonder if somehow, the mysterious illness that plagued her gave me everything that I have.

"I mean, no. I'm just sceptical," I explain carefully, stepping around a particularly craggy pile of rocks. "If she is so trustworthy and divine, why did we not see her first instead of chasing other amplifiers down?"

"She hibernates for eight months of the year. She has only risen again recently." His breath fogs in front of his face as we walk, casting him in an eerie haze.

My eyes widen. "Eight?"

That doesn't seem possible, but I suppose with magic, anything is.

"She is over a century old, and yet, as you shall see, she doesn't appear to be," he explains calmly, although that edge to his voice can't be missed. "I told you, she is miraculous. She is part of the reason I even knew you were out there, trapped by your father."

I shudder. "Creepy."

I don't think I like the idea of this magical person knowing enough about me for Zyre to find me. Would he use her to track me down if I made an escape, or if I denied to return upon his request?

I swallow that thought. For now, it doesn't matter.

Zaon presses his hand into my lower back, hurrying me along. "Come now, we're close."

Sure enough, the cave opens up wide, revealing a cavernous space lit by firelight. A large pool sits in the middle of grey rocks, impossibly clear and shallow.

In the centre of the pool, a flat rock sits above the surface. A top it, sits a female with her legs crossed, her back straight, gaze trained ahead.

I jolt to a stop, nearly stumbling over a rock.

The air is thick with the feeling of magic. I recognise it so keenly, for it's exactly what I feel in myself. I can feel my own magic calling to hers, connected in some metaphysical way.

Her head turns in our direction. She wears a piece of grey cloth over her eyes, blocking her sight.

"Is that my Alpha I sense?" She asks, a melodic lilt to her voice.

"It is." Zyre approaches the edge of the pool with me following behind warily. "It is wonderful to see you, Estelle."

She rises from her rock, stepping down into the water. The end of her gauzy grey dress drags along the rippling surface as she approaches us, the outline of her body visible beneath.

She takes Zaon's hands in hers before she leans up on her tiptoes to kiss him directly on the mouth.

My heart drops into my stomach. What the fuck?

When she pulls away, she pats him affectionately on the cheek. Her attention then flits to me, and it takes everything in me not to recoil as she takes my hands.

Immediately upon our skin touching, I can feel our magic interlace, like it is bonded.

Up close, I can see how young she looks, considering how long she has been alive. Her skin is smooth and unmarred, her cheeks full and youthful.

My eyes stay wide open as she presses a kiss to my mouth before pulling back again.

"Greetings to you," she says kindly.

My mouth opens and closes as I try to scramble words together, but the strange buzzing in my body from our magic is distracting me.

"This is Ayah—" Zaon starts.

"Oh yes, I am well aware." She holds her hand up to silence him. "Come seat yourselves down right here."

She gestures at the pool, the glass-like surface disturbed only by a few faint ripples.

"In the water?" I ask sceptically.

"The divine waters aid me connecting to the goddess. If we are so lucky, she can help answer the question that has brought you in today," she explains lightly.

She turns, walking through the water to assume her position on the rock. Zaon and I follow her, stepping one foot into the water at a time.

To my surprise, it's tepid, rather than frigidly cold as the rest of this cave is. It sinks into my boots, sloshing against our ankles as we come close to the rock she sits on.

I glance to Zaon, who nods encouragingly. We both sit down in the water in front of her.

"Thank you for doing this," Zaon begins. "As you may know, Ayah has failed to heal Iris on her own. She needs an amplifier—"

"Yes, the amplifier."

"You know of one?"

"I know of many magical amplifiers. Each have their own purpose, and speak uniquely to different kinds of magic," she explains, laying her palms out flat toward the ceiling.

I straighten, my curiosity piqued. There are different kinds of magic out there? Her and I are two examples of it, but how many more have been gifted powers from the goddess?

I want to ask her, but I figure I better not lead this conversation astray.

"We didn't have success with the first one. It was too weak," Zaon explains softly.

"It was not too weak. I imagine it did not call to Ayah's magic as it may do to others." She shrugs with one shoulder. It's a move that is distinctly mortal-like, and not like how a centuries old creature would act.

Again, I have to bite down on my curiosity. I don't know how well she would take prying questions about her life.

Zaon looks at me, his brow furrowed. "Right, well the other amplifier we found overwhelmed Ayah with power, but I lost it."

Her full lips curve into a grim smile.

"If it overwhelms you, it will kill you." She angles her head. "Losing the amplifier was divine intervention."

My throat tightens, and I resist the urge to look up. Is the goddess to thank for this? Did she really intervene and send that flower down the river?

"Creepy." I shift uncomfortably, sending water lapping against Estelle's rock.

"There are amplifiers out there that your magic yearns for. However, most will be inaccessible. Whether they be many feet beneath the earth, or concealed from our natural eye too expertly, they cannot be found," she exclaims flippantly.

Zaon sighs. "How inconvenient."

"Fear not. There is a natural amplifier that will work with your magic each and every time. It will grant you the success you are looking for." She clasps her hands together, looking pleased with herself.

My heart beats erratically in my throat. Does she really have what we need to finally heal Iris? Are we closer than we thought?

"Really?" Zaon sounds as surprised as I feel.

"It is incredibly accessible, as long as you have pleased the divine," she assures us.

I lean forward, grasped by a sense of urgency. "Tell us what it is, please."

She smiles uneasily, as if it should be obvious. As if I was given the same ability to look into the future or to understand the Goddess' intentions.

"It is the mate bond, of course," she says cheerfully.

"The what?" I whisper.

Horror spills through my body, my stomach lurching.

The mate bond is the answer to our problem? The mate bond, which I've been desperately avoiding, that is the one thing that could hinder my freedom, is what we need to heal Iris?

"How does that work?" Zaon asks.

I can feel him studying the side of my face. He knows how I feel about the mate bond, and how little I want anything to do with it.

"A mate bond is an incredibly strong and unshakeable connection between two people. It cannot be broken, no matter the magic burden placed upon it," Estelle explains. "Ayah can call upon the bond, using its power to heal dear Iris without harming herself."

"Ayah has yet to find her mate." There's a bite to Zaon's voice.

"At this point, the bond has yet to reveal itself, however, her mate will be close by."

I swallow thickly, fighting the urge to be sick. If she is sensing my mate is nearby, likely within this pack, there is a chance I'll come across them soon. The thought is absolutely horrifying.

"That could take too long to establish. We need an amplifier now," Zaon exclaims.

"This is your best option," she muses, shifting her attention in my direction, even though she cannot see. "Ayah, search for your mate. Find the connection and utilise it."

I shake my head, panic clawing up my throat. "I...I don't want a mate."

If I'm tied to a mate, I'll never be free. I'll be stuck like my mother was, my life relying on another for as long as I'm alive.

"It is a natural element of living for our species. It cannot be avoided."

"Finding a mate...it means too much. I'm not ready for that," I insist.

Surely there is another option. Perhaps we can hunt for another amplifier...I'll happily take the risk of one killing me.

Estelle offers a tentative smile, sensing my distress. "You're more than ready."

"No, you don't understand-"

"You must overcome your fears. You are not your father, nor are you your mother," she says firmly. "The dynamics between mates are delicate, yes, but it is crucial to our survival. In this case, it is also crucial to Iris's."

If I weren't so stressed about the mate bond, I would ask how she knows about my mother and father's situation. There is no questioning, at this point, that her magic is legitimate.

I look over at Zaon, knowing my desperation is written all over my face.

"Zaon no..."

He grimaces, rising from the water. He helps me stand, his grip on my hand steadying.

"We'll talk about this later." He turns his attention to his magical friend. "Thank you Estelle."

"Ayah, look deep within. Your mate may be close," she murmurs.

"Can you not tell us who it is?" I'm not sure I want to know, but I can't help but ask.

"That has not been revealed to me. Mate bonds are beyond my magical jurisdiction, I'm afraid." She sounds mournful, like she too would like to know.

We leave at a brisk pace. My mind isn't even on my soaking wet boots that turn my toes ice cold when we step back out into the snow.

I brush away from Zaon, digging my hands into my wild hair. "I can't do this. I'm done."

His brows pull together. "Ayah, come on-"

"Finding a mate means so much more than just healing Iris," I remind him.

He knows this. He knows how I feel about the mate bond, and now...I have to choose between signing my life away to whoever the male is, and healing poor Iris.

"It doesn't have to." His voice is trembling, overcome by panic and desperation. "Ayah, I will beg if I must."

"I don't want to condemn Iris to death..." I break off. I don't know if I want to cry or scream.

She deserves to live. I know she does. I want her to live, for both her, and her brother.

"Then don't." He's pleading with me because if I don't do this, his sister dies. "Let us find your mate together. It won't have to mean anything."

"My mate won't stop at anything to be with me." He's told me as much himself.

He rubs a hand down his face, the blood having leeched from his skin, and not because of the cold.

"I know," he breathes, shaking his head. "I'll handle it."

I shift from foot to foot anxiously. Can I trust him to do that for me? I want to say no, but what other choice do I have? I can't let a little girl die for any reason, let alone not wanting to find my mate.

"You will?"

His nods solemnly. "For Iris, I'll do anything."

"Fine. We find my mate." The words taste bitter, even as I say them. "And then you grant me my freedom.

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Thank you everyone for continuing to read this story, your support means everything to me (:

If you want to read ahead, this story is 15 chapters ahead on INKITT (@midika) and is 5 chapters ahead on RADISH.