The Taste of Seduction

Atlas chuckled, "Ermm…it\'s the mate bond. I don\'t know how but I just imagine I\'m talking to you in my head. It\'s hard to explain this magic thing. It\'s new to both of us."

Meredith nodded, "Yeah. It is. Who would\'ve thought our life would change like this in the blink of an eye."

"Come on try it, just close your eyes, you need to relax your mind and open yourself up to the connection.

Let go of any distractions or thoughts that might be preventing us from communicating."

Meredith closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to clear her mind. She felt a tingling sensation in her forehead as Atlas\'s hand made contact.

"Good," he said. "Now, try to focus on sending me a simple thought or image. It can be anything, just something to start with."

Meredith thought of a flower, and focused on sending that image to Atlas. She felt a surge of energy as the image was transmitted, and Atlas\'s eyes lit up in understanding.

"Excellent," he said. "Now try to receive a thought or image from me."

Meredith concentrated, and suddenly she saw an image of a mountain in her mind\'s eye. She smiled, realizing that she had received the image from Atlas.

"You\'re doing great," Atlas said. "With practice, you\'ll be able to communicate more complex thoughts and ideas with me. And remember, the more we practice, the stronger our connection will become."

Meredith nodded, excited to continue learning how to communicate with her mate in this new and unique way.

She tried one last time and her lips curled into a smile.

\'I love you.\'

Suddenly, without warning, Atlas leaned in and kissed Meredith deeply. Meredith was surprised at first, but as Atlas\'s lips pressed against hers, she began to kiss him back.

They kissed passionately for a moment, before pulling away and smiling at each other. Meredith looked into Atlas\'s eyes and could see the love and adoration there.

\'I love you more.\'

***********

"So how did you become Alpha?" Meredith asked as she took a bit of her apple.

"Well It\'s actually thanks to Marcus. When we got to Rakkon, he let me take the last kill after he beat him up."

Meredith nodded, "Oh…It seems you and Marcus had a lot of fun when I wasn\'t around."

Atlas\' lips curled into a smile, "I guess we did, I was actually training secretly to take out Rakkon but he made it easier for me."

Meredith let out a sigh, finding it difficult to hold any resentment towards Marcus despite knowing what he had done.

"I wish things were different. Marcus is a great guy," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Atlas nodded, understanding her sentiment but unable to shake off his own feelings. "I know he is, but I can\'t share with you. Not after everything that\'s happened," he said, his voice firm.

He gently cupped her cheeks, looking into her eyes with a mix of determination and vulnerability.

"I\'m selfish, angel, I know it will be hard for you to resist your attraction to him, but please, promise me you\'ll fight for us until we figure this all out."

Meredith hesitated, knowing that her bond with Marcus was stronger than she cared to admit.

"Atlas, you know I can\'t make that promise. The bond will only grow stronger as time goes on," she said, her voice filled with sadness.

Atlas\' shoulders dropped in resignation, unable to deny the truth of her words. "I hope this all ends soon so we can go back to our normal lives," Meredith added, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yeah let\'s get married after all of this." Atlas said as he turned to look at her.

Meredith\'s eyes widened in surprise. "Really? You want to get married?" she asked, her voice filled with happiness.

Atlas nodded, a wide smile spreading across his face.

"Yes, I do. I can\'t imagine spending the rest of my life without you by my side. I want to make you mine forever," he said, his voice filled with love.

Meredith broke into a wide smile as her heart swelled with joy, "Oh my God, Atlas. That\'s a horrible way to propose."

She couldn\'t help but tease him.

He flushed and rubbed the back of his head,

"Really?"

"Yes." Meredith said, fighting a grin.

"Don\'t laugh..." He said, suppressing his own smile.

"I guess I have to propose properly when the time comes. Don\'t worry I will make it hard for you to say no to me." He winked at her and Meredith flushed.

"Don\'t worry about it Atlas. No matter how you propose to me I will always say yes!"

She scooted a bit closer to him, letting her arm brush against his.

"Yeah but my baby deserves the best. I will make you the most beautiful bride one day."

Meredith\'s eyes widened a fraction before a small grin lifted the corner of her lips. She couldn\'t wait to walk down the aisle with Atlas and start a family with him.

"Alright...I can\'t wait!"

She said, pressing a chastely kiss on his cheek.

Atlas giggled, his face lit up into a breathtaking, wide smile.

The sound of a knock on the door interrupted their happy moment.

Atlas stopped up from the chair and went to open the door.

"What do you want?!" She heard him ask someone sternly.

Meredith frowned and stood up to look at who was at the door.

"Marcus—" she whispered when she saw him.

He was glaring at Atlas, the tension between the two men were almost palpable.

"Mere—"

"Don\'t fucking mention her name with your filthy mouth."

Atlas said sternly blocking her view to prevent Marcus from looking at her.

Marcus rubbed his forehead as if he was trying his best to contain his irritation.

"I\'m leaving…" Marcus said simply.

"What do you mean you\'re leaving? Where are you going? Are you going to the city?"

Marcus shook his head, "No…I\'m leaving…." He trailed off.