Filed To Story: Destined Bond with My Forbidden Alpha Novel (Alpha Alexander & Selene)
Selene took a deep breath and sat back on the couch. She had learned far more than she expected today.
“Maybe it’s time we start over,” she said softly. “A clean slate.”
“A clean slate doesn’t exist,” Alice replied. “When people say they want a clean slate, they want to be forgiven for their mistakes. They want them forgotten. But it doesn’t mean they have forgiven, forgotten, or even learned.”
Selene wanted to argue that Alice had been given a clean slate by everyone willing to let her into Winter to be at Axel’s side. But she knew that wasn’t true. No one accepted her right away. Axel had given her up for that very reason. They both faced the possibility of never being together because there was no guarantee that Alice would ever be accepted by his family or pack.
She stared up at the wooden beams of the ceiling and sighed.
“You’re right,” she said. “A clean slate is… not a reasonable ask.
She sat up and turned to Alice.
“I won’t tell you that I have completely let go of my preconceptions or that I will never again assume that you don’t have hidden motives.”
“I wouldn’t believe you even if you did,” Alice smiled. “No one can promise that.”
Selene nodded with a smile.
“So, what can we do to help bridge this gap?” Selene asked.
Alice considered her for a long time.
“Do you want that?” she finally asked. “To build a bridge between us?”
Selene nodded.
“Isn’t it time?” she laughed. “You’re my brother’s mate. You’re the mother of my nephews and my niece. And, even if we never agree on much, I respect you.”
Alice swallowed and looked away.
“Your friend is the mate of an Alpha,” Alice said. “That alone is cause for concern.”
Selene turned to look at Alice. She furrowed her brows in surprise and confusion, both at the change in subject and the knowledge of Liam and Maeve’s connection.
“How did you know that?” she asked.
Alice smiled.
“Never mind,” Selene sighed.
She felt that same irritation she always felt when Alice proved she was a step ahead. But at the same time, she smiled. If Alice knew about Maeve before Selene arrived and still let her ask, that must have meant she was at least willing to consider the idea.
“You are an Alpha’s mate, too,” Selene pointed out.
“I teach. I don’t do field work anymore,” Alice smiled.
“But you’re still in charge of your students. Are you sure your loyalty to Axel doesn’t cause any leaning one way or the other?” Selene asked.
Alice was quiet for a moment and then looked at Selene.
“My heart and soul are loyal to Axel. Other than our children, he is the most important person on this planet to me,” she said. “I would never harm him, but that is the extent of my loyalty when it comes to the mission.”
Selene sat forward.
“What does that mean?”
“It means,” Alice said. “That Axel and I have already found ourselves on opposite sides of a diplomatic debate or two.”
Selene furrowed her brow and gasped when she remembered what Alice had said not long ago.
‘…And occasionally, they are asked to remove a threat that cannot be dealt with diplomatically.’
“I can’t go into details. I have worked quite hard to keep those quiet,” Alice continued. “But let’s just say that there were those that believed humans did not need to be protected and that some of the experiments that Spring ran were not all that bad and, perhaps, worth exploring.”
Selene’s eyes widened.
“Someone wants to restart the human experiments?” she asked in a horrified whisper.
Her memories drifted back to the moment she saw the children in the lab, to the village in Spring… There was nothing about those experiments that held any value. Nothing worth the cost.
“Wanted,” Alice corrected. “There was a vote, and the problem was handled… quietly.”
Selene took a deep breath. She understood what Alice meant now. Axel was a strong and firm leader but had a deep sense of justice. He would have voted to keep the wolves alive and have them judged and sentenced before their pack.
But, bringing up the horrors of Spring was not as simple as speaking of past events as though they were done and over. Those children were real people that still lived among the wolves. Alice herself was a victim of Spring.
There was also the risk of spreading the information to others with similar mindsets… of inspiring them.
Handling the problem quietly was the right choice, even if it put Alice and Axel on opposite ends of the decision.
Selene took a deep breath and focused on the original topic.
“Maeve hasn’t accepted Liam yet,” she said. “She’s not sure she will.”
Alice smiled.
“If she didn’t want him, she would have rejected him already,” she said. “I know the reasons she doubts him. Her hesitation is about disappointment and self-doubt rather than any actual dislike or disinterest in the man himself.”
Selene sighed. Alice had an answer for everything.
Alice licked her lips and looked at Selene carefully.
“If you genuinely wish to move forward,” she began, “I will be frank with you.”
Selene sat up, swallowed, and nodded.
“My greatest concerns about Maeve are not with Liam,” Alice said. “I can work around that issue in my way.”
“Okay,” Selene said, leaning forward. “So, what is the greatest concern?”
“You,” Alice replied.
She wasn’t surprised. Alice had already hinted at it pretty strongly. The problem was Selene didn’t know how to ease Alice’s mind.
“You have a natural charm,” Alice continued. “And you do see potential in others. You help them to feel like they could be more. In that way, you become special to them. A friend, a savior. Someone that they owe everything to.”
“I see where you are coming from,” Selene said. “But, I—“
“Please,” Alice interrupted, raising her hand to silence Selene, “do not tell me that you would never take advantage of that or ask anything of Maeve that might put her at odds with the mission.”
Selene swallowed.
“It’s never an intention,” Alice said. “Not with you or anyone else who wields that loyalty and power.”
Selene sighed and turned away. There was nothing she could do. Alice had a very valid point, and no matter how much Selene wanted to believe that there was no risk, she also knew better than most that the threat was always there.
“I understand,” she said softly, standing from the couch. “Thank you for considering it. I will find another way to help Maeve.”
Selene headed toward the door. As she reached for the handle, Alice called out.
“A bridge cannot be built on lies and deceptions,” Alice continued. “From now on, if you ask me a direct question, I will answer honestly. If I can’t tell you, I will openly say so.”
Selene turned with a questioning glance. Alice wasn’t looking at her but down toward her hands. She was massaging her palms, almost as if she were nervous, something Selene had never witnessed before.
“Okay…”
“A bridge goes both ways, Selene,” Alice said quietly, “for this to work, we both need to be honest. No secrets, no half-truths, no misdirection.”
“I understand,” Selene nodded.
Alice looked up, their eyes met, and Selene saw a strange vulnerability in Alice that seemed wrong.
“I am trusting you, Selene… you understand how significant that is, don’t you?”
[PRESENT]
Now, from Alice’s perspective, Selene had broken their agreement.
She had kept secrets, asked Maeve to work for her, and encouraged her to lie to Alice to conceal the truth about what Selene was doing here.
Alice had every right to come in with anger and aggression. She had every right to question both Maeve and Selene.
Even during this conversation, as Alice gave Selene another chance for honesty, she kept quiet.
And Maeve chose to stand between them in defense of Selene. This only confirmed Alice’s original concerns about Maeve’s loyalty to Selene becoming an issue.
Alice had no reason to give Selene any more leeway.
But Alice had waited. She had come here quietly to find out the truth. Giving Selene a chance to explain before she took any kind of action.
“Well, Selene?” Alice called to her with a heavy sigh as she crossed her arms.
Selene saw it again at that moment, the disappointment in Alice’s expression, in her tone. Alice didn’t enjoy being lied to but expected it from everyone. That was how she had always been. So, it shocked Selene to realize that Alice had honestly been surprised by the lies she had told her.
For the past year, Selene had genuinely worked on the relationship. She had been as upfront as she could with Alice and gone out of her way to push aside her past prejudices.
In fact, as far as she could remember, she had not lied to Alice once since they had come to their agreement. Only when Alexander returned.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?