THE ALPHA’S ADDICTION

The lid of the coffin opened with the same series of ominous, horror film creaks he’d used when the official had opened the lid. There was silence.

Freya’s heart beat steadily. She leaned over the coffin and glared at the young man who laid as if dead, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes closed. His skin was pale porcelain and his black spiky hair with the dyed blue tips stood out starkly against the white backdrop.

“You look amazingly robust for a man who starved himself to death,” She said sarcastically, mimicking the official.

“You could have blown everything with your absurd story.”

Yodah’s eyes snapped open dramatically. He faked an accent as he slowly sat up.

“I could use a drop of blood or two, my dear.”

She smacked him over the head with her papers. “The customs official didn’t believe I was twenty-five.”

He flashed a cocky grin.

“You’re not. You’re barely eighteen, and when Kane and Doban find out what we’ve done, we’re both going to be in more trouble than either of us has ever known.” He paused, the smile fading from his mouth. “And I’ve been in a lot of trouble.”

“We have no choice,” Freya said.

“Don’t kid yourself, there’s always a choice. And you aren’t the one they’re going to kill. I’m going to be their prime target. When Kane and Doban come looking for you-and they will,” Yodah said, “they’ll find you. They have a reputation for a reason. If we really do this, every hunter will be out looking.”

“Isn’t that the point?” She replied with a small shrug. “By the time they wake and realize we’re gone, we’ll have a good head start. We should be able to find him, and then my mother.”

“You do realize,” Yodah said, floating out of the coffin, “this could very well cause an international incident. Or worse, war. All-out war.”

“You agreed to help me,” Freya said. “Have you changed your mind?”

“No. You’re my best friend, Freya. I will go anywhere with you.” He sent her a little grin, pleased with his pun. “Of course I’m going to help you. I helped you come up with this plan, didn’t I? And it will work. I only hope that whoever we are looking for wouldn’t have my head for our closeness.”

“He won’t despise you. We’ve talked about this. He isn’t like that.” She said, making a face at him.

Yodah grinned at her.

“Forgive me for despising him then just a little bit. He’s good-looking, intelligent, an ancient hunter, and your lifemate. He destroyed all my dreams and fantasies about you. I don’t dare even think along those lines or he’d know. And then, there’s the fact that you have only met him in your dreams. Not to doubt your sanity, but how sure are you that he is real? He might be a trap.” He pointed out.

Freya rolled her eyes.

“As if. Even I know you don’t think of me that way, Yodah. You can hide a lot of things, but not that. There’s no fantasy and no destroyed dreams. Your lifemate is either not born or”-she smirked at him mischievously-“she’s probably one of Rocan’s daughters .”

He groaned and slapped his forehead with his palm.

“A curse on you forever for uttering those words, for putting that thought out into the universe. Don’t even think that, let alone say it aloud. Can you imagine Rocan as a father-in-law? Sheesh, Freya, you really do want me dead.”

She laughed.

“It would serve you right, Yodah. Especially after putting you died of a broken heart on those papers!”

“It could happen. I’m a romantic, you know. He will think I’m a little kid, just like they all do, which is probably just as well, because otherwise he’d see me as a rival.” He stated.

“You take great pains to keep them all thinking you’re a kid,” She pointed out with a small smile. “You like them to underestimate you. You’re a genius, Yodah, and you don’t let any of them see the real you. You deliberately provoke them.”

His grin widened until he looked positively mischievous. He blew on his fingertips.Content rights belong to NôvelDrama.Org.

“That is very true. I don’t deny it.”

Then his smile faded.

“But this is very different than the pranks I pull on them. This is big, Freya. I just want you to understand what’s at stake.”

“Of course I know what’s at stake. That’s why we need to find my mother first.” She replied.

“But are you that afraid of Kane?” She asked.

“I’ve got news for you, honey, everyone is afraid of him, and if they aren’t, they should be, especially when it comes to you. Haven’t you noticed how protective he is of you? And Doban is just as bad if not worse, and if anyone messes with one of those men or anyone they love, they answer to both of them.” Yodah replied.

She bit her lip.

“I’m sorry, Yodah, for putting you in this position. I can’t turn back. I have to find him. I know I can do this. This plan is flawless. But I can go from here by myself, I really can.” She said.

Yodah burst out laughing.

“Now you really have lost your mind. If I let you do this alone, they’d really kill me. No, we’re here and we have to see it through. I think you’re the only one who could pull this off. But, Freya, if you get into trouble, this really will start a war. Kane and Doban are not going to back off if someone hurts you, or if you’re captured. They won’t care what the prince says. They’ll go after you and no one will stand in their way. You’d better go into this knowing that. You have to know the consequences and be willing to face them.” He stated.

Freya pressed her lips together. She’d thought about little else since she and Yodah had come up with the plan.

She’d only thought of seeing the man from her dreams physically.

Yodah waved his hand at the coffin and the lid creaked closed.

“I’m ready for this. I have to find mom, and him.” She said, ducking her head, so that her wealth of red silky hair covered her next expression.

“It’s just that I wonder if he would accept me with my past.”

“Don’t, Freya” Yodah said. “We’re best friends. What happened to you wasn’t your fault, and you should never feel ashamed.”

“I’m not ashamed, well, not like you think. I believe he is a great man and he deserves a lifemate who can match him in everything. I’m not that woman yet. I want to be with him, I feel that need nearly as strongly as he does. It grows in me every single day.” She said with a shrug.

“Do you think he would hold your past against you?” Yodah asked.

Freya shook her head. “No. He won’t.”

“No one does, hon,” Yodah pointed out. “You’re the one so hard on yourself. I especially loved the stage when you dyed your hair constantly. It took a little while to find yourself and be comfortable with who you really are.”

Her eyebrow shot up. She stared pointedly at his black, spiked hair tipped with blue.

His grin was contagious, revealing twin dents near his mouth.

“This is who I am. I found that out a long time ago. I like my hair with blue tips.” He mentioned, still grinning.

“Because no one will ever guess just how smart you are. They’re too busy looking at your hair and the piercings you occasionally put in just to bug them all,” she accused, laughing softly. “I love you, Yodah you know that, don’t you?”

“Yep. That’s why I’m here, Freya. I don’t have all that many people who care about me. If you say you need me, I’ll come.” He looked away from her.

She put her hand on his arm.

“There are many people who care about you Hun, you just don’t let them get close.” She muttered.

“So do you want him to claim you?” He asked, changing the sensitive topic.

Freya shrugged.

“Sometimes. I dream about him a lot. I don’t ever think about other men, or even look at them. It’s always him. He calls to me and isn’t even aware of it. When we’re talking, mind to mind, I see things. How alone he is. How dark his world is. How hard it is to struggle against the constant pull of the darkness.”

“He wouldn’t want you to see those things, Freya” Yodah said gently. “You know that, don’t you? Males, especially the hunters, they’re like stone, total warriors, and if he thought he wasn’t protecting you from that creeping shadow, he’d be very upset.”

Freya smiled at Yodah.

“I can’t help what I see, hun. I’m not exactly like everyone else. What kind of a concoction am I? Psychic. Mage/witch. Partly your kind. Daughter of the earth. Dragonseeker. I see things I’m not meant to see. I feel things I shouldn’t. I need him,” she admitted simply. “And I have to find him.”

Yodah slung his arm around her shoulders.

“Well, little sister, that’s exactly what we’re going to do. Miles should be here any minute. He texted me and said he had everything ready.”

“Did he cover his tracks?” She asked.

“Baby, any of them can track us, and they’ll be hot on our trail the moment they realize you’re missing.” He replied.

“I know that. I’m just saying it can’t happen until we’re ready.” She said, glancing again at her watch. “He’s late.”

“His cover is perfect,” Yodah assured.

“Stop worrying, at least not yet. For now, let’s take in the deep air of England.” He said, dramatically inhaling a large gust of air, that Freya chuckled before throwing him a light jab around his ribs.