The Alpha's Mate--Cursed Heart

Small Moments of Freedom

Episode Three—Small Moments of Freedom

Marcus POV:

Apparently, my wolf was not the only one noticing that I was silent too long.  Staring at me with a confused expression, Vincent cleared his throat and cautiously inquired, “Marcus?”

Moriah continued to look at me as well, although her expression relayed a bit of uncomfortable nervousness that caused me to feel guilty and force myself back to the ground from the heaven that she placed me in.  I gathered my strength enough to find at least part of my voice as I choked out, “I’m so sorry.  I hope I haven’t offended you by my silence.  It’s just that…”  Racking my brain, I was trying to force my racing thoughts to calm down enough to provide a worthy excuse, “One so radiant can tend to render a man speechless.”

Seriously?  Even to me that sounded cheesy!  What the hell was going on with me?  Although I knew, I was still in awe of how much of an effect I felt at the moment.  My wolf wasn’t happy with my reply either, letting me know quickly that I sounded like an i***t.

Moriah, however, seemed to have found something that she liked about my response, her cheeks becoming slightly rosy as she looked towards the ground and quietly replied, “Thank you.”

Her blushed cheeks rendered me speechless for a moment once more as I felt Vincent continuing to stare at me in disillusionment to the side.  But, I couldn’t look at him.  Right now, there was no one else I wanted to look at, other than Moriah.  I never wanted her out of my sight again!

Finally gathering my thoughts and able to think a little more clearly, I extended my hand out to her, “Please allow me to properly greet you.”  There was a low huskiness to my voice that I had never heard before as I continued, “It is nice to meet you, Moriah.”

As she placed her tiny hand onto my palm, electricity flowed through my entire body.  It was like nothing I ever felt.  A feeling that I never wanted to end—EVER!  My connection to her was so strong, there was nothing that could compare or come between it.  She squeezed my palm slightly as my fingers completely enveloped around hers, causing me to almost come unglued again before gently removing it from my grasp as a familiar voice called out her name in a deadly tone.

“Moriah”

I looked up to see Alec walking towards us to take Moriah’s hand and place it on his arm.  This infuriated both me and my wolf.  What the hell was he doing?  Was she with him?  He has a wife!  Surely she is not his mistress and he brought her here instead!  Please god, NO!  He can’t have her!  NO ONE can have her but ME!

I could feel the daggers from Alec’s gaze, but I didn’t care.  In fact, my eyes quickly responded with daggers of their own.  All I cared about was Moriah.  A name ingrained in me for eternity.  Just as I was about to ask the questions flooding my mind, Alec stated, “Vincent, I think I will take Moriah to view your garden while the other guests begin to arrive if you don’t mind.”

“NO!  You cannot take her away from me!  Never!” I screamed in my head, but Vincent’s voice was the one responding, “Of course not.  Katelyn, dear, why don’t you show them the way and I will join you in a moment.  We have a few minutes before guests will be arriving.  I’m sure you would love to show Moriah your new roses.”

Witnessing the uneasiness of the situation as it had played out, Katelyn quickly gestured towards the stairs off the balcony, “Yes, of course!  Follow me!”

My heart felt like it was breaking into a million pieces as Moriah avoided my eyes and my muscles tensed in anger at Alec’s cold glare as they began to make their descent down towards the garden.  A low stealthy growl quietly escaped my throat as my wolf’s disapproval was also made evident. 

I had every intention of following them before I was snapped back by Vincent, who pulled my arm hard and turned me to face him before he sternly questioned, “What just happened?  What is wrong with you?  I’ve never seen you like that!”

I shot back an icy glare as the thought of Moriah continued to consume me.  Seeing my expression, Vincent’s eyes widened as he repeated, “I—I’ve never seen you l-like…that!  Marcus!  Tell me that you—Oh please tell me that it’s not—she’s not—”

I curtly cut him off, exclaiming under my breath, “She’s my mate!”

I could see Vincent’s mouth go dry as shock filled his expression and his voice, “No, Marcus!  You can’t--”  Swallowing hard, he forced himself to continue, “No, not Moriah!  Please!”

I ignored Vincent’s reaction as I angrily interrogated, “Tell me who she is, Vincent!  Tell me why she is with Alec!”

Vincent understood that finding a mate was the most powerful thing to happen to a werewolf and he needed to calm me down before things got out of hand as he inhaled a haggard breath and attempted to exhale out slowly, “I need you to take a deep breath and I will tell you.”  I did as he asked allowing him to continue, “I don’t really know how to tell you this, Marcus, so I’m just going to do it quickly and then we are going to take another deep breath and try to work this out, okay?”

I couldn’t speak, so I just nodded as Vincent nervously anticipated my response. “Moriah is Alec’s…she’s his sister, Marcus.”

A deep breath for me was out of the question after Vincent’s revelation.  Instead, all the oxygen left my body as panic started to settle in.  She was his sister?  No!  I mean, I knew he had a sister but he keeps his sister locked up in the castle because of some illness.  Wait!  Moriah was ill!  What was wrong with her?  I had to find out!  I had to know!  I had to make sure she was alright!

Alec kept her so guarded that very few knew anything about her.  I didn’t even know her name until now!  No one had seen her in so many years! How?  How was she here tonight?  Why?  Why did she have to be Alec’s sister!

As if he could read my raging thoughts, Vincent placed his hand on my shoulder in an attempt to calm me as he urgently rambled out, “It’s my fault, Marcus.  You can’t even imagine how sorry I am to be putting you through this torture!  I am the reason that Moriah is here tonight.  I met her last week when I had my meeting with Alec.  As I was leaving, we ran into her coming down the stairs.  Alec reluctantly introduced her to me and I was struck by her sadness at his hesitation.  She was so nervous talking to me!  When she mentioned her garden, I told her about Katelyn’s plans and she asked Alec if she could show me some roses she thought Katelyn might like.  He surprisingly agreed so she took me with her to take a walk around her garden and we talked—”

“Mine!” I instantly growled at that statement, unable to control my emotions.

Vincent took a step back, continuing to be understanding as he protested, “I know, I know!  I’m sorry, Marcus!  But the fact is, I am the reason she is here and Alec is the reason you cannot go through with whatever plan might form in your head right now.  We’ve got to take a step back and look at this situation closer.  You and Alec, while not outright enemies in front of everyone, are not exactly friends.  You despise each other!  We both know Alec would never allow you to claim her.”

As much as I hated it, he was right.  What was I going to do?  How was I going to get through tonight?  I needed to go, but I knew there was no way I was leaving her any sooner than I had to or for that matter, at all if I had my way!

Again, my best friend knew me too well, “You are not leaving.  We have to figure this out and in your current state, I’m not sure I can trust you out of my sight.  Alec won’t allow Moriah to stay that long anyway.  But you have to keep your distance, Marcus.  As much as I know it is killing you inside!  You are strong, Marcus.  I know you can do it.  We will figure this out, I promise!”

Vincent was right.  Alec never let her out of the castle, so he probably wouldn’t let her stay for very long.  But even that angered me.  The control he had over her!  He suppressed my beautiful love—my Moriah!  No one will ever lock her away again!  Not as long as I was around!  I had to figure out a way to release her from her brother’s control.  Even if it meant I had to go against everything I had ever stood for!  She was my Luna..my QUEEN.  My life was hers and I would protect her with my last breath above all else!

I sucked in a deep breath as I prepared myself for the torture of this evening.  I remembered why I was here—why the old Marcus was here.  I would not ruin Vincent and Katelyn’s night.  I wouldn’t!  I could do this.  At least, I hoped I could.  This Marcus was unfamiliar to me, but I had to find a way to cope. 

Moriah’s POV:

As we walked down the stairwell behind Katelyn, Alec’s grip on my arm tightened as he leaned down and whispered angrily in my ear, “Enjoying all the attention thus far, dear sister?”

I reeled back slightly, knowing I had angered him.  I seemed to do that often, which may be part of the reason why he keeps me locked up at home.  He would always tell me that it is because of my illness and that I was a liability as others could use me as a weapon against him.  Over the years, I had grown exhausted at his continual reminder of that, which is why I felt so exhausted when I had told Vincent just as much earlier.  Part of me often wondered if he wouldn’t feel that any enemy of his would be doing him a favor by ridding Alec of my existence, causing him no threat or distress at all.  I hated thinking that about my brother as I loved him dearly and tried to push the negative thoughts out of my mind to find the goodness I convinced myself was buried inside him, hidden by his feeling of responsibility to the kingdom and the loss of our parents.  I wanted to feel that he loved me dearly in return, just as I had wanted to feel my father’s love.  Alec is much like our father in every aspect, strong, domineering, smart, and cunning.  Both of them natural born leaders and both of them making me feel like a burden and their greatest weakness.

So, locking me up was the only way to protect me. I had heard this speech so many times in my 23 years on this earth.  If I were to go one day without my medicine that Lenore—the witch that he trusted more than anyone—prepared for me, my life would quickly be over.  I understood the consequences of that and never questioned his intentions or instructions. Again, if only I felt it was out of love and not obligation as my guardian following our father’s death.  Regardless, I had come to accept this fact as my fate while desperately forcing myself to find the positives contained within it. 

Maybe it was because they both blamed me for my mother’s death as she died giving birth to me.  Not that a child should ever have to bear that blame.  From a young age, I worked tirelessly to become a daughter and sister that would make our kingdom—and my family—proud.  I thought if I showed them my dedication, loyalty, and love that they would see I was worthy of their love in return.  I tried not to think about it to quell the painful thoughts that made me feel like I would always be unworthy of love and meant nothing to anyone in my own family or for that matter…anyone at all.  That feeling made it difficult to find anything positive in this world, but I was determined not to allow myself to dwell on the negative.  There had to be a reason for my existence, even if my situation appeared to be the complete opposite. 

Regardless, I did as Alec wished and I forced myself to find enjoyment in my only sanctuary, my garden.  It was my salvation and the only path outside the confines of the castle.  Yet, being able to come to Vincent’s celebration tonight for just a moment of freedom…it was more than I ever could have imagined.  I could truly breathe for the first time in so long.  With that thought in mind, I knew that I had to answer my brother carefully.

“I have only met two men this evening brother,” I cautiously whispered, “And they were both just being polite.  Vincent has his mate and Marcus holds no interest for me.”  My reply was easy as it was the truth.  Vincent was very happily married to the beautiful woman in front of us and Marcus couldn’t even find words to speak when I was first introduced to him.  It was almost like he had to force himself to say something nice.  Sure, he ended up causing me to blush with those words, but I felt nothing towards him in return.  It was just nice to receive compliments for once and feel worthy of them.  For the first time, I was made to feel beautiful and it was a nice feeling.  Something I wish I could feel more often.

My brother, however, was not satisfied enough with my answer as his onslaught continued, “I came in to hear Marcus state he needed to properly greet you.  What exactly happened when you were first introduced?”

Best to keep it simple, I thought to myself.  At least Alec didn’t witness the entire thing.  Especially since from the looks of their interaction following his arrival, my brother and Marcus were not friendly.  He probably would have been even angrier than he is now and that was the last thing I wanted. 

“Nothing,” I calmly stated, “He didn’t say a word to me for some time.  I don’t think he was trying to be disrespectful, just aloof I suppose.  Eventually, however, he apologized for being rude and said he needed to properly greet me.  And that is just what he did as you came in.”

Her direct answers seemed to reassure Alec slightly, but he gave her a warning before they reached the last step, “Marcus is a threat to us, Moriah.  He is both powerful and calculative.  I have no doubt he would use you to get to me.  That is probably why he was so cautious upon meeting you and then so kind.  He is not to be trusted.  Remember that and stay away from him this evening or I will need to send you home immediately.”

I silently nodded and sighed heavily.  I didn’t want anything to jeopardize my presence here this evening so I had every intention to do as my brother wished. 

Katelyn stepped down and turned to face us as we finally reached the end of the stairs.  She was so beautiful and so welcoming.  The weight of my conversation with Alec instantly lifted as I smiled at the woman below.  I hoped that as Vincent said, I would have the opportunity to get to know her better. It would be nice to have a friend outside of the castle and given the opportunity to visit with.  But alas, I fear Alec would not let that happen leaving me disappointed and trapped in the depths of loneliness.  I will just have to do all I can to enjoy tonight and hope that somehow Vincent could change Alec’s mind and open the doorway of an escape for me from my prison from time to time.

My brother extended out his hand, his voice instantly changing drastically from the irritation he showed towards me just moments ago as he cunningly said, “I apologize for having to take care of some business and not being introduced to you properly by your husband,  Katelyn.  I am Alec.”

This was the first time I witnessed my brother socializing outside of the castle and I had to admit, I was stunned at how different he was.  My heart ached inside as I couldn’t help but think how it could be if he were this way at home. 

“It is a pleasure to meet you finally, Alec,” Katelyn cordially replied, “I apologize for Vincent’s lack of introduction.  My husband was so excited for Moriah and I to explore my garden together that when you suggested coming here just now, he must have simply forgotten that we had not yet formally met.  We are pleased you have joined us this evening.”

My brother took Katelyn’s hand and gently placed a kiss atop her delicate knuckles, an amorous glint in his eyes as he looked back up. “I am happy to celebrate your union this evening.  I have heard many wonderful things about you and looked forward to meeting you for some time.  You are even more lovely than your husband described to me.  Vincent is indeed an incredibly fortunate man.”

Katelyn graciously nodded in appreciation before turning towards me as she smiled gently, “Thank you, Alec.  And now, please forgive me, as your sister and I must explore my garden to see if she has any suggestions for me on my roses!”

“Of course,” Alec laughed out, “I am not one to come between women and their roses.  I will simply follow and enjoy the fresh air.”

For a second time, I was stunned at his words but as before, I made sure not to show it.  He’s not one to come between a woman and her roses?  He and Lexi both hated everything about my garden, complaining every chance they got to let me know it was a privilege I was afforded by their kindness, not something that was wanted.  The brother before me was definitely not the man I was used to seeing.  My thoughts started to search for any ounce of reasoning.  Why was he putting on this act?  Was it because he was attracted to Katelyn?  Or was it to enable him to get whatever he wanted from Vincent in their new trade deal?

As it was my first time seeing it in person, all of this was rather unsettling.  His treatment of Katelyn while her husband was absent…was that any different than what he portrayed to me with Marcus just moments ago?  I knew he was powerful…did his current actions not make him calculative as well? His current demeanor opened my eyes a bit and made me wonder what exactly this trade agreement involved with Vincent was about.  I hope that there were no ill intentions there on my brother’s part.  I liked Vincent very much as he has been the first person to show that much kindness towards me, more so than even my own brother.  Perhaps that is why my current thoughts were not kind where Alec was concerned. 

I have never been allowed nor have I wanted anything to do with my brother’s business dealings but something inside me felt strongly that I should protect Vincent if there were any underhanded dealings being made, even though I hadn’t known him that long.  He was genuine to me.  I felt it in my core. 

As I thought about it more, Marcus did not seem unscrupulous to me either.  I felt no ulterior motive whatsoever, although we only shared a few moments together with scarcely any words spoken other than pleasantries.  And yes, it was uncomfortable during his silence, but in the end, he seemed quite kind.  Much like Vincent, I felt strongly that Marcus was at least genuine.  Even so, I knew I had to follow Alec’s orders and stay way from him. 

I pushed all of this to the back of my mind momentarily as I allowed myself to enjoy my limited freedom with Katelyn as we walked through her garden.  Soon, Vincent made his way down and jovially chatted with us as Katelyn and I talked roses and various other varieties of flowers that might work perfectly for her.  His return was followed by Lafayette, who continued to whisper to my brother in confidence causing Alec to slow down and fall further behind while still managing to stay close enough to watch my every move.  In turn, it allowed me to enjoy the moment even more with his distance as I made sure to act and speak appropriately giving him nothing to complain about.  We all chatted for quite some time before Vincent and Katelyn had to go greet their guests. 

Every now and then during our walk, I noticed Vincent casually turn his eyes to gaze up to the balcony above.  As they were leaving, I noticed Alec and Lafayette in deep conversation, so deep that for once, I had no eyes on me.  I decided to take the opportunity to glance up at the balcony myself before my brother took notice of me again.  Just as I did, I met with Marcus’ gaze.  His dark eyes peering down at me in deep concentration.  “Maybe he is just being protective of Vincent and Katelyn,” I thought to myself, moving my eyes away from him and focusing on the red roses beside me, “I can’t blame him for that.”  

Just then, without any warning, I felt pressure on my right temple. Not enough to cause me pain, but enough to capture my attention.  Almost like something was trying to push out of my brain.  It was such a strange feeling.  I had experienced many excruciating headaches because of my illness, but this was different.  Before I could try to decipher what was happening, the pressure stretched across my brain to my left temple.  Had my first outing been too much for my body?  I hoped not.  I made sure not to show any signs of discomfort outwardly, as I knew that would alert Alec and cause him to send me home.  Cautiously, I glanced over at my brother, who fortunately I found was still deep in his conversation. 

I had intended to focus back on the roses, but instead, my eyes moved back up to the balcony…and Marcus who was still watching me with an intense expression on his face. Trust Him, a foreign voice echoed in my mind as the pressure disappeared and a calmness descended over me like a warm blanket. Whose voice is that? I wondered astonishingly, a feeling of confusion filtering through the calm.  My puzzlement intensified as I looked deeply into Marcus’ eyes for just a moment and suddenly felt a connection that had definitely not been there before as another question filtered through my conscience.  Where did the connection come from?

I forced my eyes back towards the ground and slowly turned to walk back towards Alec.   I had no idea what just happened, but what I did know was I needed to remain calm and not allow my brother to sense that any of it happened at all.  Especially after our earlier conversation. 

Alec turned towards me to find I was returning to his side and ended his discussion with Lafayette before extending his arm, his expression contemplative as if he were also trying to mask something.  I heavily breathed in the crisp air, allowing it to fill my lungs before exhaling it slowly and taking Alec’s arm, looking up at him and using all my remaining strength to gently smile.

My efforts may have been for naught as Alec peered down at me.  “You are starting to look a bit tired.  Are you sure you are alright?  I can have Lafayette take you home.”

Inside, I could not deny that Alec was right.  I was incredibly tired.  The experience from a moment ago draining me of all my energy.  But I was not ready to go home yet for a multitude of reasons.  I wanted to stay to discover the joys of a gala and celebrate Vincent and Katelyn.  More importantly, I wanted to stay to figure out why the voice in my head was telling me to trust Marcus…and why not only did I feel it was right, but surprisingly had developed a connection to him in some way.  “Please not yet.  I would really like to stay and enjoy the gala.”

Alec appeared reluctant, but finally gave in.  “Alright, I will give you a bit longer.  But you must stay by my side, do you understand?”

I nodded in agreement as we walked towards the stairs, allowing myself once last glance at the balcony before our ascent only to find that the spot where Marcus had been standing was now empty.