Reborn As Cursed Alpha's Mate-Chapter 25: Her Choice

His lips curled up in subtle amusement hearing her pride-filled words. The innate desire to prove herself and challenge him at the same time was too evident.

She wouldn’t be an easy girl, and after the ugly truth would be revealed, he wondered how she would cope.

"I knew it," Faris smugly said, seeing his brother lost for words.

"Let’s see you keep it down. We should get going." Siroos abruptly got up, making her cynically scoff.

’Of course, the majestic alpha can’t take it that he was proven wrong in front of his men,’ she thought. He was too proud.

The men divided the winnings; most of them went to Faris, and he seemed quite proud of the fact.

"We can share." Faris dangled his pouch in front of Cassandra which was significantly heavier than previously.

Cassandra shook her head in amusement.

"Keep it."

Faris walked Cassandra back to the carriage while the others adjusted the saddles and bridles of the steeds. Two of them shifted and turned into horses, explaining why there were more men and fewer horses previously.

"You did good. Brother can’t take it when someone challenges him and comes on top. Perks of being the alpha, inflated ego." Faris stylishly wriggled his bronzed shoulders and Cassandra couldn’t help but chuckle at his easygoing nature.

She noticed his left bicep had the same tattoo that Siroos and other men carried. It seemed like the insignia or symbol of their pack and had been burnt in their flesh.

"Well, it’s the first time for everything." Cassandra delicately shrugged one of her shoulders and entered the carriage. Faris quietly closed the door behind her with a grin.

Soon their tiny caravan began to head out.

The horses neighed, and the men shouted; the hooves thundered against the ground. The dry dust impregnated the air and only smoke and dust were left behind.

Cassandra sat huddled by the open window, the landscape was drastically changing. Vegetation was declining, soil was getting sandier and the climate was shifting towards torrid.

Even the air grazing her face was much warmer than before, turning her cheeks into small tomatoes.

She kept sipping water from the water skin she had been provided.

On a few occasions, she caught a glimpse of Siroos. Mostly he remained ahead, leading the caravan. Ever ready to defend, in case anyone was stupid enough to attack.

But sometimes he would slow down and let Faris take charge.

Siroos’s midnight black stallion was the mightiest horse Cassandra had ever seen. His silky mane was so long that it had been twisted into curls and braids.

The wind swept past him as he galloped at a super speed, the fine specimen with toned muscles and strong legs carried an even finer specimen.

Siroos’s bronzed body gleamed under the blazing tortuous sun. Every pore oozed out beads of sweat that enveloped his torso.

Layer upon layer of muscles were on display for Cassandra to openly ogle at as he rode alongside the carriage. His sandaled feet firmly rested on the stirrup as his strong arms reined in the wild stallion.

The effort to tear away her eyes was arduous, like being lost in a spell of his creation, she found it strenuous to breathe.

The rich ale she had consumed earlier certainly made her tipsy as Siroos had predicted. It messed with her head and put lewd thoughts in her brain. The thoughts of her tangled with him which the sane part of Cassandra would never do.

Siroos’ untameable hair effortlessly soared behind him. The harsh curves of his angular jawline were highlighted by the raging sun, and there wasn’t a prettier sight Cassandra had seen before.

The epitome of rugged masculinity rode alongside her and then he tilted his head and his honeyed eyes found her mesmerised violet ones.

She had placed her hands on the window sill and the tip of her pointed chin rested on them, the keenness to observe the outside world had paused on him.

She didn’t understand this unholy attraction she felt for this stranger who claimed to be her mate and had stolen her away.

He was no knight in shining armour, instead, he was a harbinger of sins and desires that threatened to rip her morals apart.

Siroos didn’t know the extent to which the mate bond pulled him to Cassandra. It hummed in her chest like a melodious symphony as it did for him, calling him to her. She was just more adept at masking it.

With a pompous grin that adorned his curvaceous lips, he pricked the side of his riding beast and galloped forward. Giving Cassandra an ostentatious view of his sinewy back, the muscles bulged and rippled making her breathlessly sigh.

"And he had the audacity to call me a siren. The proud male, what am I going to do about you?" She thought out aloud, letting the wind carry her needy words away.

Their little convoy halted for the evening and Siroos announced they would be stopping there for the night. His men gathered to cook up some more meat.

Siroos entered the carriage again, holding the flimsy gown he had wrapped around her in the arena and staked his claim.

Cassandra remembered it well. He didn’t fully enter the space for he didn’t wish to be distracted by her rich scent which always messed with his head.

"Tomorrow we will enter our territory. You need to wear this so everyone can know you are my woman and I am bringing their Luna home. Everyone is expecting you." The deep rich notes of his voice captivated her in ways she wasn’t ready to admit. He extended the gown towards a startled Cassandra.

The soft material almost slipped from his large hands as Cassandra took it in hers. She knew this was important to him, some kind of ritual he had performed by draping it around her shoulders that time.

She only gave him a slight nod and he turned away, quietly closing the door behind him.

Cassandra was plunged into deep thoughts. This gown was not merely a piece of cloth, it was a symbol for him and a new beginning for her.

He had purposely not put it on Cassandra for the second time, leaving that choice to her. Putting it on meant she was ready to begin this journey with him putting her old life behind.

Forgetting she had a fiancé until a few days ago.

Ignoring how her father abandoned her and her sister tried to kill her.

She clutched the gown in her grip and blankly stared, she was astonished at how she hadn’t shed a single tear remembering the people she had spent her whole life with.

Except for Lotus, no one deserved her love and tears. They discarded her and it was time to embrace the new life even though it was with someone as ruthless as one could only read in books.

It was time to embark on this new road of life and the first step was donning this gown and facing his pack.

She wasn’t sure what the new life held but one certainty remained, Cassandra LeBlanc was not a quitter.

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