Alpha Hugo's POV

My lips rippled with a gasp that prompted my eyes to open wide. My bewildered body leapt up from the bed, distorting the room. I gathered myself and began to rally the intense senses that had been heightened. A strange magnet of a pull led me to turn my head towards the door where three figures stood, with stunned expressions on their faces. My delicate ears got stung by the loud noise of a glass breaking on the floor, but my sense of scent prevailed it as my sights set on Talia.

"Leave us!" Talia hissed and glared at me with unbridled rage. Gulping, Frieda and Rhea turned to exit the room, shutting the door behind them.

The mark on my neck started to tingle as our gaze grew more intense. I was mated to her. My eyes glistened as though she was the only thing I could see. Talia approached me quietly, climbing over top of me and shoved my shoulder blades so my back could rest on the bed again. I fixed my eyes on her irate face while sweeping my sight over onto her neck which was calling for my mark.

As I inhaled her scent, her emotions became entwined with mine, and I couldn't help but sense her despair. She tugged the collar of my unbuttoned white shirt with both hands hoisting me upward closer to her face and roared deafeningly at my face gnashing her fangs. Her anger blazed up but I couldn't help exploring my hands on her skin. There was a sense of urgency urging me to complete the bond. I felt different but in a good way. As though my soul has been cleansed.

"Mate" My eyes glowed, as my fingers brushed against her neck.

"No, you're on a time-out." My fingers approached Talia's neck, but she smacked it away. I growled, and leaped up, flipping her over. All I could think about was marking my mate back and completing the bond. Talia, on the other hand, was hell-bent on making me suffer.

My hands held both of her arms and they flopped on the bed. As my face inched closer to hers, our eyes both sparkled. It was amazing to soak in her scent as the curse dissolved any kind of barrier in between. I climbed up to her neck and took a deep whiff of her scent.

"Mate" I whispered again. My veins felt as though they were being pinched and yanked whilst electricity surged through my body. The ache of an incomplete mate bond was incomprehensible to endure. I swiftly titled my head, burying my face in her neck, not wishing to prolong my misery.

"Does it hurt?" However, Talia's words made me halt. She bit her lips as they shuddered in an attempt to hold back her emotions. My heart instantly began to ache severely. I caressed her face with my palms placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Does . . . it. . . hurt?!" Talia repeated her question while firmly gnashing her teeth.

"Yes" I answered honestly, gazing into her eyes.

"Good. Suffer" She replied as her crimson eyes glowed.

Despite her disapproval, I bared my fangs and extended my claws around her neck. I growled softly as I moved back up to her neck. She then launched a spell that surprised me by hoisting me into the air and crashing me into the cabinet. At the collision, the cabinet drawers fell apart. The agony of an incomplete mate bond was far worse than the ache of getting slammed into the cabinets.

I growled at her while wiping the little blood smear from my lips. She wasn't messing around. But if she wanted to play, I could too.

She advanced swiftly towards me, yanking at the collar of my shirt before tearing it to shreds. She brushed her fingers over the X that was carved on my chest and appeared to be reflecting back on the vows I had sworn to her. A single tear trickled from the corner of her eyes, but she hastily wiped it away. She forced me to my knees while grabbing hold of my hair. From beneath her white satin dress, my hands probed her legs. As I gradually raised her dress, my lips lightly touched her inner thighs.

I managed to breathe deeply through the agony despite my persistent discomfort. I tipped my head between her legs and she forced me to stop. I became enraged by the taunt and glared at her; she returned my gaze with one that was much more menacing. She might not have approved of my tactics, but at least I was still alive and standing in front of her.

"You disobeyed me" She grumbled as she shoved me in the direction of the window with the metal bars. The same window Frieda helped me escape through.

"As a precaution" I justified but she wasn't willing to listen.

Although I was aware of the mixture's potency, listening to Talia's concerns and Frieda's warnings about Jana Doherty's twisted hexes made me dread the worse. So as the Alpha of the pack, I took the choice to chug the entire jar of the concoction mix with the notion that if Jana had her mind set on Damien being Talia's true mate, the ritual might not work. I drank it all in the hopes that, should the ritual determine that I was not her mate, the mix would somehow revive my heart.

But I had no idea that the fight between Damien and I was part of a bigger battle with significant stakes. I had no idea that when Damien sprinted in my direction, he intended to compete with me for the right to be Talia's mate and his hybrid form. That's why his claw marks remained on my chest, leaving his hybrid print in me that the concoction mix inadvertently activated.

Damien's claw marks on my chest and the true hybrid blood surging through my veins prompted my body to take its time through the transformation which was extremely painful. My thoughts were interrupted as Talia once again used a spell to elevate my arms to the metal bars and handcuff them.

"What did I say happens when you disobey me?" She growled.

"You know, I can break these off. I'm a Hybrid now, just like you" I muttered. She approached me and stretched her claws, just enough to discomfort my face by poking them against my flesh.

"Oh I'm a true-blood. Break free from these handcuffs and test me" She gritted her teeth. Even in her rage, she looked so sexy. I chuckled for a split second as her glares became more intense. She was trying to convert all of her emotional turmoil to rage. However, all I could see when I gazed into her eyes was despair.

I fought against the tightly fitting handcuffs, which provoked electric shocks everytime I moved against them.

I was losing patience with her, but I didn't let it show and instead just glared at her. My gaze moved from her neck to her stiff nipples, which were visible through her dress, and finally down to her heated pussy, which was screaming my name. I licked my lips, awaiting further instructions. I was willing to comply with whatever request she made, seeing as I was the cause of her pain.

"You want to mark me, don't you?" Talia asked, with her hands crossed.

"Yessss. . ." I hissed against the handcuffs wanting to grab her. As she drew to a close, she swept her curly hair off her face and turned to face me, exposing her neck. Her fingers circled her breasts before advancing to her neck. My teeth once again protruded hearing the sound of her veins pumping blood.

She was aware that doing this would make me go insane since all I can think about is marking her back to complete the mate bond.

"What happened to 'We're mates, we're equal, no more lies?'" Talia reiterated my words back to me before rising up to her feet. As she spoke, I sighed.

I didn't lie, I wanted to object, but I refrained since I understood what she meant.

She turned towards the door when her remarks were received with silence. With each step she took away from my body, the ache grew more. I clenched my teeth as I battled the electric handcuffs. I let out a loud growl as she approached the door, but she disregarded it and reached for the doorknob.

"Stop" I grunted those words with intent. She froze in her tracks as soon as the words reverberated throughout the room, as if they were an irresistible force.

"Turn" I hissed at her, and she instantly turned towards me. The shock was evident on her face. She might be the hybrid with the greater power, but she had forgotten that I can compel her even if the mate bond isn't fully complete.

"Unhand me" I growled.

She yanked me free from the restraints with a furious motion of her hands. Her eyes widened as she saw me stand up in front of her, pondering my next move. I approached her and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her close to my body.

"I'm sorry I caused you pain. But I'm here, I'm right here" As I stroked her hair, I spoke softly into her ear.

I finally understood that she was in pain, and I made the decision that it would be better for her to let the pain itself be the outlet for her emotions rather than rage. The sight of me in that state terrified her. She had no idea that although I was physically dead, my spirit was not. I was able to see her cry in pain at my demise. She lifted her arms gently before embracing me and buried her face in my neck. I could hear her quietly crying.

"I know we didn't discuss contingency plans because I wanted you to be optimistic. I wanted to get rid of all your worries. But as your mate, it was also my duty to come up with a contingency plan myself in case the ritual didn't work, Tal." I continued explaining. She sobbed silently wrapping her arms ever so tightly.

"You have no idea . . . Don't you ever pull that shit again, you hear me!" She clung to me while crying hysterically.

"I know baby, I know. I'm so sorry" I gripped her firmly in my arms. She put her head on my chest while having her eyes closed to monitor my heartbeat. I hummed softly as I rocked us back and forth. For a certain while, that is how we remained. To avoid her voice from trembling, Talia inhaled deeply and cleared her throat.

"I tried to . . . I didn't want to live . ." Talia stuttered her words, crying profusely.

"Do you really think I'd allow that?" I asked. She backed away from me in confusion. I raised her chin and stared deeply into her eyes.

"I may have been dead but my spirit was still in transition and I could see everything. So when you spelled a silver blade to your hands, I almost lost my mind for second. I didn't know how the spells work but somehow I willed it and made it disappear out of your hands" I stated as her eyes welled up with more tears.

"That was you?"

"You're mine, Talia. No a curse can keep me from you and definitely not a silver blade" I stated, ready to officially claim her. I gripped her hair while extending out my fangs. She finally offered her neck willingly. My fangs pierced into her neck with ease. As I let go, the mark remained, which gave me immense relief. Seeing that mark on her neck almost made me want to hold back my emotions of happiness since I've yearned for a mate of my own for so long.

She bent down to kiss me as her eyes gleamed crimson. As I took off my pants, I pushed her over to the bed and lifted both of her arms. She gave me a lust-filled, loving gaze. In the moment I couldn't express how proud I was of my girl.

"Say it, Talia. Who am I to you?" I commanded.

"Mate" She whimpered as my face buried under her low neckline satin dress, in between her breasts.

"Who?" I questioned again.

"My mate" When my lips brushed her nipples, she gasped. I gently bit her nipples, swirling my tongue around them and making her moan.

"Good girl. Now bend over" I ordered. I growled once more as I raised her silky dress. My cock raised up throbbing wanting to be inside of her. My fingers tightened its grip on her hair. Talia lifted her beautiful round ass with an arched back. Before firmly impaling into her, I shoved three of my fingers into her mouth.

"Fuck ... you feel so fucking good, Talia" I whispered.

Her hands smacked down on the mattress, as my fingers dug into her mouth silencing her moans. I felt her thighs quiver as they tightened around me. With each uff and ohh that from her lips, my cock became more and more solidly erect. I flipped her over and reached up, holding her from behind and raising her high enough to slide my hands down the silky skin of her firm globes underneath. She rocked her body up and down next to mine as I thrust my hips higher and slammed into her.

As I sense her reaching her climax, I pushed her back on the bed, spreading her thighs.

I continued to go in and out of her while gripping onto her ankles and raising her legs to my shoulders. As I pounded inside of her, her pussy fluids surged, drenching my groin. Talia screamed so fiercely when she hit her peak that caused me to spill my fluids inside of her. As her body eased down, I rested my head on to her neck, licking her mark. The mate bond was now complete.

We didn't move for the next few seconds, but I could sense the waves crashing over her as her walls tightened and relaxed around my cock. She gasped for air breathing heavily wrapping her arms around my neck.

"Mate" She whispered, leaning in to kiss me.

"Mate" I muttered in between kisses.

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A/N : Don't worry, this story isn't over yet. But I just wanted to thank you guys for reading, voting and commenting <3 It truly means a lot. It's been a long journey to get these two to finally be mated to one another. There is four more chapters to go including the epilogue.

~So stay tuned~