The Alpha King's Nemesis-Chapter 230: Flashback ()

Morden still stood by the window when Lennon walked in, stopping a short distance away from Morden.

"Is it not a waste?" Lennon asked.

"To let him go like that after all the resources put into making him an Alpha with a rank high enough to be of use to us in the Ethereal domain." Lennon continued.

Morden did not respond immediately, he was quiet for a moment before he shrugged his shoulders casually.

"When raising a dog, you must give it just enough attention that its senses register a home, and then cast it out and watch... how it finds a way back ’home’." Morden replied in a monotone.

"Leave him be, understanding that he is dispensable...he will only become more useful now. The life of the earth witch sacrificed must earn us some benefits, or it would be such a waste... would you not agree?" Morden continued. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Lennon nodded slowly in understanding, passing a look to the door Caedmon had left through.

"With the bond now consummated, would it still be possible to take Alpha Zariah out of the picture?" Lennon asked Morden in uncertainty.

Morden was quiet for a moment before he responded.

"You know, Lennon. The mate bond is a horrible thing... a curse. I came to realize that much early on."

"It is the kind of bond that can make one abandon everything for the love of another..." Morden said, spitting out the word love in what could only be seen as disgust.

"And what is worse, the bond does not differentiate between weak and strong. It plagues all just the same... hence when used correctly, it becomes the most effective weapon against even the strongest opponents." Morden said to Lennon.

"I chose the mate bond as my weapon this time, for I know just what devastation it causes..." Morden trailed off, his gaze far away.

~~~~~~30 Years Ago~~~~~~

"Ridge... what... what are you saying?" Lena asked cautiously, taking a step closer to her lover.

Her hand rested on her protruded belly, a tell tale sign that she was with child and the pregnancy was far gone too.

Alpha King Ridge Niolen of the Ethereal domain stood on the other end of the room, there was a blank expression on his face as he repeated the words he had just said.

Words that sent Lena’s world crashing down around her.

"Lena, I have found my true mate. As decided by the elders of the Royal Lycan Pack, Sancia and I are to be wed and fully bonded by the next full moon." Ridge said to Lena.

Lena’s eyes widened in disbelief, she shook her head slightly, uncertain she could fully comprehend what she was hearing at this moment from a man she had dedicated all her love to for all these years.

"What are you saying... just what are you saying?!" Lena sobbed.

"That is to say, you and I can no longer see each other. I cannot risk our past relationship being discovered, you know what it would mean for me as Alpha King if it is known that I have shared intimacy with an earth witch...an outcast of the witch clans." Ridge carried on.

Lena was completely speechless, her heart pounded in terror within her and a cold chill spread through her veins.

The cruel words being uttered at this moment by her lover was difficult for Lena to believe.

"An outcast?...An outcast?! You did not mind that when you professed love to me! You did not mind that when you took my chastity! You did not mind that when you put your seed in me! I am carrying your child Ridge! Your heir!" Lena exclaimed in confusion and despair.

"And what?! How can you think to abandon me?! Abandon us?! After all I have done for you?! After all the sacrifices I made for us to be together?! You swore to me you would reject your mate! You swore it!" Lena shrieked, her voice broke as surely as her heart was breaking.

Ridge frowned slightly, he clenched his hands by his sides.

"My status as Alpha King will not be fully established until I am mated. And my people will never accept an...earth witch as Alpha Queen. Neither can a child with witch blood be my heir."

"Sancia is a noble blooded she-wolf from an honourable Ethereal Pack. Her father is an Alpha, she has been raised to undertake royal duties from birth, and she is well respected amongst my kind. We are well suited... she will strengthen my status as Alpha King and bear me strong...pure blooded, heirs." Ridge said, his tone stiff.

There was hardly even a flicker in his eyes as he said those words and Lena stared at the man standing before her, unable to recognise him anymore.

Was this the same man who had loved her and made love to her over and over again under the open sky? Vowing his eternal love to her?

Was this the same man that assured her that her kind were not a curse, that earth witches had done nothing wrong and still deserved love and acceptance?

Was this the same man that had given her and the last of her kind a home in this hidden forest in his domain, keeping them safe from the bounty hunters sent after them by their own kind?

Was this the same man who had vowed to love her for all eternity?

"You are a beautiful woman, Lena. And I was infatuated for a moment, but the mate bond has cleared my mind of that influence... I see it now, that you will never be worthy enough to stand by my side."

"And neither can the child you carry inherit my name... I will exclude the location of this forest from all maps, so it becomes forgotten and unknown to all."

"It will always be a safe place for you and your kind. You may raise your child here...you will not be bothered by my wolves, rogues, or any other race...but, we will never meet again." Ridge finished in a tone of finality.

"Wait...no...Ridge, no... give this another thought. I... I do not have to be queen, I can just be your woman for the rest of my life..."

"I will never ask for more... just please...do not abandon me, do not let your son grow up without a father..." Lena pleaded desperately, clutching her belly as pain ripped through her heart.

But once Ridge turned his back on her, he left and did not look back...not even when Lena cried out in pain as the first pangs of contractions hit, far before full term.