The Taste of Seduction

Seeing how Atlas and Marcus looked like they wanted to kill each other she wondered how they were all going to co-exist.

She sighed with disappointment. She thought they were both adults so they could put aside their differences and co-exist clearly, she was wrong.

She wondered why they were taking so long to come back. What were they discussing?

It\'s been awhile now, falling back against the couch in the room.

Her eyes looked up, gazing at the room ceiling as she let out calm and steady breaths. She tilted her head to the side, her gaze falling on the door hoping they would walk through right now.

Only when her eyelids began to half close did she hear footsteps on the other side of the door.

They came to a halt, the sound of the door opening caused her to slowly sit up in the process.

Atlas entered the room first with Marcus following behind him. They both seemed to be deep in thought.

"What\'s wrong?" She asked and they both looked at her as she sat up.

Atlas smiled at her and shook his head, "Nothing, how are you feeling now?"

Meredith raised her brows, clearly she could see that Atlas was lying to her.

Austin came in later and looked at the three of them.

"Okay so let\'s talk about why you have two mates instead of one, even though I won\'t consider one of them as your mate."

Meredith\'s heart thumped in her chest as she furrowed her brows.

"What do you mean?" She asked

Marcus looked as though he was about to say something, but halted himself and instead stated,

"Don\'t rush he would explained everything"

Her heart stopped for a moment, her wolf whining with a clear thought of uncertainty. She was afraid that Atlas would not be her mate. She couldn\'t bear that if that is the case.

"So…Marcus isn\'t really your mate."

Meredith stared back at him blankly, having to process the words he had just spoken a few times before a smile made its way onto her lips.

She began to laugh, holding her stomach with one hand while she wiped tears from her eyes with the other.

She was the only one laughing.

Why the fuck was she the only one laughing?

It was hilarious.

When she attempted to stop and reply, her words came out in another laugh saying, "You\'re joking."

Because how the fuck wasn\'t Marcus her mate? She could feel his connection and attraction to him and now he was saying this?

"I\'m not. I\'m currently the most powerful person across the four lands since you haven\'t practiced and learned how to use your powers yet. I wouldn\'t joke about a serious matter like this."

Meredith turned to look at Marcus and she could see that clearly he knew that. But why the fuck did he pretend to be her mate all this while?!

"So the reason why you think he is your mate is because of a soul tie."

Meredith blinked and her eyes flickered to both Atlas and Marcus. Marcus was looking at the floor clearly it seems he was also processing all of this.

"What the fuck is that?!"

Austin sighed, "So a soul tie basically is like a man-made mate. Instead of waiting for the universe to bless someone with their soulmate, some people take matters into their own hands and perform a ritual which causes soul-tie."

Her wolf was happy that Marcus wasn\'t her mate but she wasn\'t. She was—at the same time it made no sense. Why would Marcus do something like that?!

"What-?" She breathed out in confusion.

"It\'s extremely risky and frowned upon in magic practice because the consequences are intense. If it\'s broken one of you can run mad or even worse dead.

It\'s like a blood covenant where one ties his soul to another. Exactly how soulmates or mates work."

Meredith looked at Atlas and she could see he was trying his best to control his anger as he had his fists clenched which was trembling with anger.

"Marcus—-what the hell is going on?!" She bellowed, anger, betrayal and hurt coursing through her.

Atlas grabbed him by his collar and punched him in the face.

Marcus staggered back, trying to get his bearings. His nose was bleeding and he winced as if it hurt.

He licked the blood off his nose and his lips curled into a wicked smile.

"Such a weak punch for an Alpha. I mean you\'re pretty weak—"

Atlas growled clearly, he felt insulted by Marcus\' words just as he was about to hit Marcus he felt his hand stuck in the air.

He turned and saw a spark of violet light flickering from Austin\'s palm.

"I haven\'t finished talking, boys. You can continue after I\'m done."

He released Atlas\' hand and he stumbled a little.

"Sorry about that….so back to what I was saying—I know this is a lot to take in, but don\'t blame Marcus. You\'re all victims."

Meredith was too stunned to even speak, her body was shaking. Soul tie? Blood covenant? What the hell?!

"What the fuck? How is he a victim when he is the mastermind?" Atlas seethe with rage .

"He is not. This type of magic is extremely difficult and it needs someone with skills. Only one person could make this spell and break it."

Inhaling a deep breath and lifting her gaze slowly Meredith finally spoke.

"Who?"

Austin glanced at her and sigh, "Your mother."

Her eyes gawked in disbelief and her heart sank deep inside of her.

How could her mother do this?

"Knowing your mother I can say she was pressured to do it. The vampire royals needed to know that in the future they wouldn\'t back out of the deal.

They couldn\'t let the same thing that happened with your father happen again. He was supposed to marry a royal vampire till he met his mate, your mother."

Meredith let out a mirthless chuckle, she couldn\'t believe her mother would do something like that to her.

"I\'m sure she did that to appease them. Definitely she knew she could break the spell in the future in case anything happened. But unfortunately the war happened after."

Meredith opened her mouth but it remained soundless with no words coming out.

"Did you know about this?" She asked, looking at Marcus.

Marcus averted his gaze, clearly he knew. Of course he knew. The guy was decades older. He was there when she was born.

"Sorry—"

"Is that why your dad killed your real mate?

Because he wanted you to be bound to me? He couldn\'t let you have a mate because it would destroy his plans." Meredith interrupted him.

Marcus\' eyes flashed with guilt, "Yes."

The burning rage inside of her overtook every other thought in her mind as her eyes locked onto his..

Meredith got up and in a blur moved towards Marcus grabbing him by the neck.

Clearly he was surprised but he did nothing, just accepted his fate as she wrapped a hand around his throat, and lifted him three feet off the ground.

"What would happen if I killed him?" She asked Austin.

"The same thing that would happen if you lose a mate. You will feel like a part of you is lost. You will go through a soul-crushing pain that will make you wish you were died"

Meredith squeezed harder. Marcus\' face grew red as his air supply was completely cut off. She brought his face close to hers, baring her teeth at him aggressively

"I trusted you…all this while you were lying to me."

"Meredith, stop!" She heard Atlas say from somewhere behind her.

Her eyes, crazed with blood lust, locked onto his.

"He lied to me. I fucking hate being lied to."

"I-m sorry—-sorry—" Marcus managed out.

Meredith turned her face towards him. Her other hand joined, squeezing even harder. His face turned purple, his eyes bulging out of his skull.

"Too late for that, mate" She growled.

His eyes widened.

She twisted her hands to the side with every ounce of force she could muster…

CRACK.

His neck snapped.

The sickening, crunching sound was music to her ears.

She let go. His body fell to the ground, limp and useless.