Beyond Fear

CHAPTER TWO.

ARAMIAH 

Was it the alcohol? 

I still couldn't believe it, and I tried so hard to deny the surge that built within me. It was a killing connection, the kind that comes with unapologetic force.

A feeling of pure ecstasy and passionate electricity. I breathed through my mouth, unable to contain it. My legs had given up work, and I had no control over my feelings.

I knew the person that just came in wasn't Azareth, and his aura was exceedingly different from Azareth's by a ton. This person had the feel of heaven and command mixed in one, a presence that commanded nothing short of respect. 

My aunt and uncle were immediately intimidated by his presence; while I sat on the cold floor like the failure I felt like—

Help. Me.

Our pack was second to none, and my uncle wasn't a man to be belittled in command either. His fierceness and cruelty had earned him that position, so the only next person who could have him on his toes was—

No way. No freaking way. That name was a myth, and there wasn't a way a man known to be the Devil's vessel existed.

The embodiment of evil himself. The devil's manifestation in person— Those were the ranges of names he'd gotten for his deeds.

Although the situation didn't call for it, this man had way cooler nicknames than the ones I'd earned. No one called him spiderwebs or misfit like they did me.

"Alpha Kai?" I mumbled to myself, and I immediately turned to fill my curiosity.

I froze the moment my eyes fell on him, and my mouth grew dry. He stood before me, tall and broad-shouldered. His dark hair was swept back from his face, revealing chiseled features and piercing black eyes. 

His lips were pressed into a thin line, and his gaze was cold and distant. He stared at me like the most diminutive thing in existence, mirroring my feelings of myself.

My stomach jerked, but I was still plummeted to the floor, begging my stupid heart to race a little slower so I could just…think.

So I could breathe a little more and understand why my entire body had given way to a connection I didn't consent to. The pain from Azareth's rejection had somehow disappeared from my heart, far into the unseen.

 There was an air of arrogance about him, as if he knew he was the most attractive man in the room. He radiated a nonsensical amount of power and confidence, and yet there was something about him that made me uneasy.

 I couldn't quite place my finger on it, but I knew that this was a man to be wary of.

He was the kind of man most mothers would warn their children to stay away from. His Royal garment screamed of nothing but elegance, and the crest which was on his robe proved that he was truly the man I feared.

Right before me, by the door of the house that I lived was Malakai of Deathrun. How could this man be my mate? I wondered in confusion, my face an embarrassing shade of red.

"Alpha Kai, you're here," I heard my aunt call as she stepped out to welcome him.

Her fear painted every word she spoke. Everyone feared the ruthless Alpha Kai, who just turned out to be my mate? I still couldn't fathom how that was even possible.

"Alpha Kai?" I thought to myself. "The infamous Malakai. My mate?" The idea seemed impossible, and I laughed out loud, convinced that I was indeed going mad.

I rose to my feet and continued to laugh, and it earned me a deathful glare from my uncle, who had his hands clasped and face pale from stomaching so much nervousness. 

"I got rejected, and went mad on the same day?" I slurred, moving closer to the man before me, whom I was convinced was not real. "I must have gone mad. I must…" I giggled again. 

Time to go to bed. I moved closer to the man before me and smiled in his face, raising both hands to his cheeks. "Are you real?" 

"Aramiah!" I heard my uncle yell, his voice a distant echo.

"Don't worry…" I waved dismissively. "It's not real. You think it's that monster?" I laughed it off as I held either side of his face and pinched his jaw. "It-"

That was when it dawned on me that my rejection wasn't the terrible thing that happened on that day.

Touching Malakai was. And he was…real. I startled back, and the color drained from my face; every single emotion I felt turned into pure shock, and I swear, I felt my organs reconstruct a little.

The once blurry view materialized into reality. There was no way that man who'd killed thousands of people out of sheer vileness was standing before me as my mate.

It wasn't possible. But the proof was right in front of me. He was standing there, looking at me with a strange mix of emotions in his eyes.

"Is it broken?" He cocked his head as he asked, his voice filling the room. His dark eyes bored into mine, holding a question before he pulled away. "Would we have a problem with this product, Alpha? Is this what I've come for?"

I understood none of it. None. What was happening? "What's-"

"She-," He stopped. "It's the one Alpha Kai.." my uncle and the corner of his lips curved up.

It? Product? Someone had to explain what was going on in this godforsaken house!? I stood in confusion, and I kept glancing at all of them.

Screw this. I didn't want to know. My first instinct was to run, but I moved a bit too fast. I was pressed against Kai's body, and it took longer than it should to pull away.

  "Please excuse me.." I politely requested, unwilling to speak of the embarrassment of the past minute. I made my way to leave, but he grabbed my wrist, preventing me from leaving, his luscious eyes scanning me.

"Looks intact," He said in a soft voice that incited the opposite of everything I should be feeling. He shifted his gaze away from me to my uncle. "She'd do. Let's get moving."

"I don't entertain men looking at me that way…" I feigned confidence even as my body had begun to shake physically.

My thoughts were all scrambled up in my head. I barely understood any of what was going on. This product in question couldn't be me, right?

"I see.." he shook his head momentarily, still looking at me. It almost felt as if he was trying to undress me with his eyes.

What hurt the most was how I couldn't fight the connection that pulled me towards him. I couldn't verify what this feeling was, either. It was too strong. Way too tough to fight off. I tried to push past him, but his grip was fast around my wrist.

"Let go of me!" I yelled, trying to fight my way out of his grip. "You're…. hurting me!" I darted my gaze in my Uncle's direction. "Un-"

"Please!" Uncle Curtis cut in. "Take care of our daughter. It's sad to let her go, but there's no use for her without a wolf."

Daughter!? My brain screeched to a halt. None of this was making sense. My stomach squirmed and churned. "I'm not your daughter! Let go of me!"

My aunt turned to Malakai. "She always does this, pretending not to be related to us. Such an ungrateful child.." She faked a sob. "Still, it kills me to let her go!"

I bit Malakai, who remained unfazed by all the drama, on impulse. His hands grabbed my chin, and my body quaked, digesting the feeling of his hands in my body.

I jerked my head away from his grip, appalled by their level of pretense. "Let me go, I'm really not-"

Before I could do anything else, I was lifted off the ground and onto his shoulders. A loud yelp slipped out of my mouth, and I reflectively hit his back. No amount of weak punches made an impact. 

Malakai dropped a sack of coins on the table. "Don't come looking for her."

—there.

I was no different from a product, sold to the ruthless Alpha.