The Alpha King's Witch Bride
Chapter 169: _When Two Become One

Chapter 169: _When Two Become One

"You visited Odessa and you believed her words?" I questioned Elder Davina, my voice filled with hesitation.

She nodded in response, tightening her grip on her staff. "Yes. And she’s hurting, Kaelos. Hybrid or not, she’s still your mate and I even found out you marked her."

I bit my bottom lip, looking away from her before I blurted. "That... Was a mistake. But what significance does the mark provide for an Alpha King and his mate?"

She paused, arching an eyebrow at first before she spoke.

"The mating mark between an Alpha King and his mate is more complicated than anything else in the werewolf world. It strengthens the mate bond to unprecedented levels, essentially making the term ’two become one’ quite literal."

Two become one...?

’This explains why you could feel our mate’s emotions at the ball.’ Damon muttered in my head just then. ’And also another reason why I still can’t believe you would believe Celine over Odessa.’

’I don’t believe Celine over anyone.’ I responded mentally, clenching my jaw. ’I’m trying to seek the truth here. Odessa’s closeness with Marcellus might’ve been suspicious... But all this isn’t adding up.’

Yes, it was weird that I had found Marcellus unconscious in Odessa’s room the night of her escape. But what was also weird was the fact that Celine just happened to get "footage."

"Anyway, whatever decision you come up with, all I can do is give you a gentle nudge." Elder Davina blurted, clearing her throat and smiling at me. "Good luck, Alpha King. And remember the moon goddess’ advice about you and Odessa."

With that, she turned away from me and walked into her residence, her robe flowing elegantly behind her.

When the door shut behind her, I swerved my head to the compound gate and waltzed forward.

The moon goddess’ advice to me about my mate bond with Odessa had been simple.

"Vulnerability is strength," I muttered to myself, steeling my mind as I headed somewhere that I never imagined I would be visiting again so soon.

.

.

I arrived at the dungeons, my footsteps heavy on the stone floor. The guards bowed when they saw me but I barely paid any attention to them as I got in front of Odessa’s cell.

"Hey," I spoke with a whisper when I spotted her at the other end, watching as she shakily raised her head, her eyes widening with surprise.

She was still barely clothed underneath my suit, causing me to sigh as I brought out a dress and underwear I had picked up from her maid on my way here.

I flung them to her and then glared at the guards who stood in front of the gates. They quickly looked away without hesitation, their eyes quivering with fear.

"K– Kaelos." She whispered with a shaky voice, her lips curling up into a warm smile. "You came back."

I stared at her plainly for a few seconds but could feel my gaze softening the longer it drew out. After a while, I cleared my throat and gestured for her to get dressed.

She picked up the underwear and dress and got on her feet, sliding into them with a grace that gave me a view of her body. Her slender long legs and her bosoms almost made me forget the reason I came here.

Her once beautiful white skin was still stained with ash but her injuries and burn marks were already healing up at a visible rate.

"Elder Davina spoke to me," I remarked, placing my arms behind my back. "She gave me a reason to reconsider my thoughts on that video Celine showed the continent."

Odessa paused when she was midway through adjusting the pink dress, raising her head and staring at me.

"And? What do you think now?" She queried, squinting her eyes with uncertainty.

I sighed, looking away briefly before I spoke. "That’s the thing though... I’m not sure what to think. That video was painfully realistic and the only way to fake something like that would be through—"

"Magic." Odessa completed my sentence, drawing in a deep breath before she walked forward. "Remember the magic earrings I told you about? The ones Celine was wearing at the ball before everything went to shit?"

It was safe to say that I was impressed by the Odessa before me. She’d gone through so much within a few hours, had her secret exposed, and lived with the guilt of killing several people in her outburst.

Yet here she was, suppressing her emotions and analyzing things. All without alcohol too!

’You could learn a thing or two from her.’ Damon said with a snigger in my mind, causing me to smirk slightly.

Anyway, Odessa continued speaking after I nodded in response to her last question.

"Caroline and I were able to confirm that she was using them to communicate with someone before the video played. Mind you, who do you think she would be using an enchanted item to communicate with?"

I gritted my teeth, balling my hands into fists. "A witch. One who would be able to use powerful illusion magic to trick thousands and possibly millions of people. Including me."

My shoulders fell as I turned away from the cell, brushing my right hand through my hair.

Fuck, I’m so dumb! I let Celine play me like a flute.

’I told you so.’ Damon remarked in my head but then added. ’You’ll owe your Beta and our mate an apology. But first, you have to confront that potential baby momma of yours.’

I sighed heavily but then flinched when I felt Odessa’s hand on my arm from behind. I turned to face her and saw her eyes shaking as tears trickled down her face.

"I– I thought I had lost you forever." She mumbled, her voice shaky as she sniffed back tears.

My heart broke seeing her like that and I turned fully, stretching my arms through the bars of the cell and pulling her into an embrace, brushing my hand through her hair and sniffing her like it was the first time.

I could feel all her emotions once again and realized how much she was hurting behind the collected mask she was keeping.

Suddenly, my phone rang, tearing through the silence and forcing me to pull away from the embrace to pick up the call. It was Layla.

"Speak." I blurted, placing the phone on my ear.

"Sir, one of the Luminari Coven’s elders is here. She requests to see you."

Odessa furrowed her eyebrows, using the back of her hand to wipe her tears before she spoke curiously.

"Who?" She whispered.

Layla was silent for a few seconds, probably surprised to hear Odessa’s voice. But she quickly composed herself and answered.

"Elder Althea."

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