The Alpha's Embrace

Essence of a Mate{unedited}

Serena sat on her knees, clutching her chest as she watched her mate break down in his brother's arms. It felt suffocating, as if she couldn't breathe. Was she even breathing? The answer was no. She had not taken a breath in since she saw him stumble.

"Serena!" Serenity pulled Serena up to stand by her arms. "Breathe, you need to breathe!"

"Ren!" Serena grabbed her sister's hands tightly, her chest heaving as tears slipped down her cheeks. "I, Ren, it's for the good of the realm, right?"

"Is that what you're trying to convince yourself? The good of the realm? You're stupid if you think you're doing anybody any favors." Serenity ruthlessly teared into Serena.

"Ah," Thomas gasped, "Ren, don't!" He tried to pull Serenity away from Serena. What Serena needed was time and a bit of patience. Clearly, Serenity was angered by Serena's move just now.

"What do you know? A king with a mate as a runt? What do you think will happen?" Serena screamed.

"I know more than you, you stupid, stupid girl." Serenity held Serena's upper arms firmly and shook her. "It's not as bad as you f*****g think. Do you know what is going to happen to Jorah if you reject him? War!"

"How could you possibly know that? You're such a f*****g hypocrite, let me go!" Serena struggled to break free from her sister's hold.

"Do you have any idea how many pack alphas in this realm who hate the fact they have to bow to a king?" Serenity laughed coldly as she pulled Serena close to her. "Do you know what I feared the most in this world? Becoming the king's mate because I can not reject the king without sending the realm into endless war."

"Ha, and do you guarantee the realm won't be trusted into war when they find out I'm his mate?" Serena argued.

Serenity tilted her head up to the sky and let out a deep sigh. Letting her sister go, she used her left hand to rub the space between her brows.

"Word has already spread. And by tonight, everyone in the realm will know you are the king's mate. And the fact you're a runt is not going to be a secret." Serenity squeezed her right fist, trying hard to calm herself down. "You being a runt is a disadvantage. I'll admit that, but it also means that you're the king's weakness. Rogues and packs alike will band together to annex our pack to kill you to hurt him. And together with the rejection, Jorah will be killed in the best case scenario."

"What are you saying? Why can't I understand!" Serena took two unstable steps backward. "Are you saying....."

"It doesn't matter what choice you make. Maybe war will be unavoidable. If you don't want to kill your mate due to your selfishness, at least give him the chance to protect you. " Serena's head drooped. She felt as if her entire world was spinning.

Thomas' worriedly glanced at the sisters before turning to look at the brothers. Thomas could feel a massive headache forming. Naively, he thought Serenity would be the problem, but lo and behold, Serena turned out to be more troublesome.

In fact, Serenity was already sugarcoating the details. Things were far more complicated than just rogues and packs. In the royal pack, there were fractions.

These fractions had wolves closely related to the king, meaning they could start an uprising to bring him down. But this would cause a civil war. The werewolf realm would problem tear itself apart.

Packs would tear into each other, and allies would turn into enemies. The embers of war would start with a single catalyst. And that would be the rejection of the king. Though Thomas understood the urgency of the situation, he still wished Serenity could be a bit softer with Serena.

"You're saying I can't reject him because the moment I do, I'll start a war?" Serena asked, "But if I chose to be with him, I would still start a war?"

"No, if you were with him as intended, the so-called war will only be limited to those who want to use you to replace him as king." Serenity explained.

"And that's f*****g better. Basically, I have no options." Serena laughed at the irony.

"You can't fight the mate bond, your wolf is not strong enough to ignore the pull. Instead of playing this dangerous game, talk to your mate." Serenity softened her approach.

Serena stared at Serenity in disbelief, the nerve she had! Serena's face hardened as she glared at her sister.

"You really are a hypocrite. The nerve you have to stand here analyzing my situation when you are adamant about rejecting your mate!" Serena fumed, "You of all people should not even have the slightest opinion about my actions."

"I have every right, Serena. This is not just about you. It's about everybody else." Serenity argued, making Serena snort.

"You two need to stop now!" Thomas couldn't take it anymore and placed himself between the arguing sisters. This argument was getting nowhere. They were both equally stubborn. Genes were very scary.

"Serena, don't be hasty,"Thomas advised, "You and your mate need to have a long talk. Just the both of you. This rejection thing mustn't happen. Serenity was sugarcoating. How serious this matter is."

Serena stared at Thomas stubbornly without a word, but in her heart, she was wavering. The last thing she wanted was to start a war, not to mention she was terrified.

She knew what she was doing was silly, but with her sister's resolve to not have a mate, she thought she could do it too. But reality proved to be cruel as always.

Breaking the eye contract with Thomas, her eyes unconsciously drifted to Jorah and Jared. When their eyes met, the stubbornness to reject him instantly vanished.

Those sad eyes, filled with despair, pain, heartache, and tears. Serena blinked as her lips trembled. She struggled to keep her face straight.

"Serena," Jorah pushed his brother away and made a step towards Serena. His hand stretched towards her. Seeing his intentions before anyone could stop her, she turned and rushed inside the house, slamming the door behind her.

Dropping his arm, he laughed sadly. Jared walked up to his brother and patted his back lightly to comfort him.

"What do we do now?" Jared asked Serenity and Thomas. "I can't bring him to the others in the pack looking like this."

"We just need to put them in the same house. Serena is a smart girl, it's just she's being stubborn because of a certain someone." Thomas suggested, but didn't forget to throw shade at Serenity.

"What the f**k does this have to do with me?" Serenity scowled at Thomas.

"Let's not pretend that she's being stubborn because of you." Thomas sneered, "It's because of your stupid resolve to not have mate. Yet you think it's fine to scold her when you can't even practice what you preach?"

"Are you f*****g kidding me right now Tom?" Serenity narrowed her eyes at her beta, her eyes began to glow. "I'd be careful with those accusations if I were you."

"Then it's a good thing you're not me." Thomas nonchalantly shrugged off her threat. Serenity grabbed Thomas by the throat and growled, her canine teeth enlarged, and her anger had reached its peak.

However, Thomas glared at her fearlessly even as she began to squeeze his throat threateningly.

"I'm right. Otherwise, you wouldn't react this way. You know I'm right. That's why your hand is around my throat, Serenity." Thomas refused to back down.

Jared and Jorah watched as things got dangerous between alpha and beta. In just a few words, Thomas had Serenity so angered she laid hands on him. But instead of backing down, Thomas challenged her more.

Jared silently pursed his lips and moved swiftly. Within two breaths, he was next to Thomas and Serenity. He stretched his hand out and gently placed it on Serenity's outstretched arm.

The threatening rumbling from the back of her throat stopped immediately. And unconsciously, her grip loosened. Thomas took this chance to leap backward a few paces.

Silently observing the two mates in front of him. In the instance he touched her, she calmed down. It was fascinating, though Thomas could fight to at least save himself from being seriously injured by Serenity. He was grateful for Jared's intervention.

To Thomas, Serenity never actually understood what the essence of a mate was. Having a mate wasn't just about the willingness to do anything for them. It was far more complicated than that. You are two different people, the most compatible pair brought together by the moon goddess.

Serenity was blinded by the past that she hated on something she had no complete knowledge of. So when Thomas saw how fast Jared calmed Serenity down, he sighed.

Thomas really hoped Jared could succeed. It wasn't a lie when he said Serenity would be difficult. But to Thomas' surprise, Serenity didn't react violently. Instead, she calmly lowered her hand while staring Jared in the eyes.

"I'm fine now." Serenity patted Jared's hand softly, indicating for him to let go. Thomas stared in utter disbelief as Serenity behaved outside the norm. "Let's get Jorah inside and give Serena and him some space."

With Serenity's calm suggestion, it made it seem like the person who just flipped out wasn't her but somebody else. So when Thomas raised his head and saw Serena staring down from her bedroom window, his blood went cold.

Thomas clenched his fist in rage as he watched Serenity's actions and the manner she spoke with Jared and Jorah.

'What the f**k,' Thomas cursed in his mind.