Ax To Grind

LANDON

“Now, that’s a good girl,” I said, noting how she seethed from within at the condescending tone. In the shortest time I have seen her, I knew she hated being patronized. I smirked at that. “If only you were obedient enough to know that servants should not look at the Master directly unless permission is given. But since I am in a generous mood today, I’d allow this once. Next time, you will be punished accordingly.” 

Her amber irises glowed brightly like the sun and I could see her wolf was raging to take over. 

There was no way I would believe that this woman was anything less than an Alpha. My equal. But to have her admit her identity was another challenge I had stored for another day.

“I am not your fuc—” she paused, swallowing. “I am not your servant.”  

“Good catch.” I smiled and then leaned down to grab her chin. “I have half a mind to drag you out of here and declare in front of my pack that you are the new slave, so little siren, don’t tempt me. My generosity will only last so much.”  

Elea blinked, her human mind taking control of her uncontrolled beast. “I am sorry, Alpha,” she gritted low.

With my gaze fixated on her, I straightened up and barked, “Guard!”. One of my men appeared at the door and bowed. “Take her to the servant’s quarter and make sure she is clean and dressed before delivering her to my room.”  

“Yes, Alpha.” 

I left that cell knowing that my order would be carried out to the letter because ever since I had assumed my position as the Alpha of the Crimson Moon Pack, every pack member, irrespective of their rank knew that my commands were to be carried out without fail.

I had half a mind to grab her by the neck and lock her in my room, but I needed to be away from her. Ever since I had walked to that cell and found her in chains, every cell in my body seemed to have awakened the dark beast in me. My wolf, Luke, howled and roared within me, wanting to get out. 

Only I knew how I had scorched Earth to find her, to know her…but she was nowhere to be found. It was as if someone had appeared out of the blue and vanished into the air like a bad dream. Except she was no nightmare.

She was the fucking addiction I could not get rid of. 

Over the years, I had lived every waking moment with a throbbing in my heart as if I was being pulled against gravity. Now I understand why. 

The child.

She carried my son in her womb and hid it from me.

I did not need a fucking paternity test to know that the child was mine. Apart from the fact that he shared my genes so accurately and what a splitting image he was of me, I felt him in my bones as soon as I touched him. My senses sparked, filling my soul. 

The hollow ache I had endured till now seemed to ease at the touch. Fuck. The feelings were beyond what I could ever put into words. This throb ached in every vein and vessel, soaking into my teeth and deep into the empty chambers of my long-dead heart.

And then there was her. The fated mate who had abandoned me without reason and beyond years. I did not care if she had rejected me that night, I was vexed because she lied to me. Her name. Her identity. 

And for some reason beyond my understanding, my wolf craved her. By law, our rejection was never complete. I had always thought that it was the incomplete rejection of the mating bond that pulled me towards her, but now that I have seen her in my dominion, on her knees, I did not know if I would ever let her go.

She was everything a carnal desire could crave. 

The need to sink my teeth into her pristine neck, to see my mark on that fucking slope of her shoulder was driving me insane. 

Storming inside my room, I slammed closed the door until I breathed evenly. 

ELEA

With utmost disdain and maltreatment, the guard took me to the servants’ quarter as he was ordered by the Alpha and issued a series of instructions that ended with the words ‘rogue bitch’. I had half a mind to turn around and slap him, but he was the least of my problems. 

Never in my wildest nightmare did I imagine being in confrontation with Alpha Landon, and then Liam getting into the mix, but my reality was far greater than that. Liam was his son, the child he never knew of until he touched and felt him. Over the years, I had tried to steer clear from the Crimson Moon Pack territories, but Landon’s hatred of rogues and his ambitions brought him here. 

As I had already realised many years ago the apple did not fall far from the tree. 

“You have thirty minutes to do your business,” he instructed.

Nodding, I disappeared into the bathroom. When I came out, a white dress was laid out on the bed. The fabric was sheer, almost translucent, with the thinnest shoulder straps I have ever seen and the hem of the dress ended mid-thigh. I would be practically naked. Snarling, I held it up for the brute waiting on me. 

“What the hell is this?” I asked.

His eyes narrowed in warning. “Alpha’s order. Now, change and hurry up because I don’t have all day for you.” 

“I am not wearing this,” I declared. 

He closed the distance between us, grinning into my face. “Then it will be my pleasure dragging you out of here naked. Not that you rogue bitches have any modesty, eh?” 

I took a step back, clutching the dress to my chest as his sleazy eyes roamed all over my body. I did not doubt that this man would do exactly as he said; in fact, he would take great pleasure executing it and I had no intention of giving him a show. 

Turning around, I pulled the bedsheets and stormed into the bathroom to change. 

Landon wanted me to wear the dress, right? Fine. I would give him exactly what he wanted but on my terms. 

Once I slid into the sheer white dress, the stitches hugged the curves in the right places, I used the bed sheet to fashion a boho dress to cover up my modesty. When I got out, the man gave me a once-over before muttering, ‘bloody bitch’ as I smiled and followed him into my death trap. 

Alpha Landon’s orders were clear. I was to be brought before him with a blindfold on in the same manner they had transported me from the prison cell to the servants’ quarters. The brute grabbed my arm and roughly dragged me to be delivered to Alpha Landon. But when the blindfold was actually taken off my eyes, I could not believe the enormity of the place.

The bedroom boasted a minimalistic, sleek yet luxurious design with a huge bed placed in the centre of the room. On one side, there was a fireplace and a large wingback chair was placed in front of it. 

And there sat the beast in whose hands my destiny was imprisoned. 

He had changed out of his previous clothes, now donning a suit glimmering with wealth and perfection as he sat with his leg crossed over the other and held a glass of amber between his fingers. With a flick of his finger, he dismissed the guard and waited for the door to shut behind him and then summoned me closer with two of his fingers. 

Biting down the urge to disobey, I advanced, stopping short a few feet from him. 

“What am I doing here?” I demanded. 

His eyes glazed over me, at the bedsheets I had fashioned like a dress, defying his orders. The fight was sitting at the tip of my tongue, but to my surprise, he did not say a word. His gaze met mine, hardening. “You are here to serve me. From this day on, you will serve as my personal maid,” he announced. 

“I want to see Liam,” I countered. 

“Two hours every day,” he said. “Your time for today is done with.”  

My blood boiled with rage. “Excuse me?” I said, taking a step forward.  

“I will allow you to spend two hours with Liam daily, provided your work is satisfied.” A slow, vicious smile played on his lips. “Also, you can be present during his meals. Let the chef know beforehand and he will prepare what he likes. The boy will be well-fed and taken care of as I have promised.” 

“Are you so savage that you will separate a mother from her child?” I growled. 

“As savage as the mother who separated a child from his father,” came his reply. 

I shook my head in a desperate attempt. “Liam can’t fall asleep without me. He will cry and panic and…” 

Landon cut me off. “He will have his father.”  

My eyes narrowed in slits, challenging him, snarling, “Are you so delusional to believe that you are the only man I have slept with?” 

“Careful now, little siren,” he warned, his voice laced with an underlying threat. Landon closed the small distance between us, grazing the tip of his forefinger along the slope of my neck, murmuring, “I know you are quite capable with that big mouth of yours, but unless you want me to put it to good use, you will choose your words carefully. Your free pass ends now. Do you want me to take away the privilege of seeing your son?” 

Peering at him, into his tattered, soulless and black-riddled heart, I knew that Landon Knox was capable of doing that. And I was not ready to gamble on my son. 

“Please, don’t do this. If you want me to be your fucking servant, I will do it. Please, don’t take Liam away from me.” 

“You will be a part of his life,” he said and went on. “You will see him every day, be with him for meals but the boy has never seen the world beyond you. Don’t you think it’s about time he started his education like every other child? Or, are you so selfish of a mother to keep him to yourself and deprive him of a normal life?”  

Frankly, I have not thought about so many things for the sole reason that I was hoping from one place to another in order to secure his life. I could not let my father’s pack get hold of him, and at the same time, I knew that Landon Knox should be far away from my son.

But the Moon Goddess had other plans. 

Landon smirked. “That’s what I thought.” He stood straighter, sliding his hands into his pockets. “Now, let’s get onto the details of your servitude. Your focus should only be on me and nothing else. Every aspect of my well-being is your responsibility. If you falter, I will be very disappointed. And trust me, little siren, you do not want to disappoint me. Have I made myself clear?” 

Biting the side of my cheeks, I nodded. I knew that I could not win every battle if I had to win the war. 

“Good.” 

“I want to see Liam. Please,” I implored in earnest. “Please, Alpha, make an exception for today.” 

He paused, debating inside his head. Landon Knows, if not anything, was extremely calculative. “Thirty minutes,” he permitted. “That’s all you will get with him.” 

“Thank you.” 

 I let out a sigh, knowing this would be the only chance I would get to escape this hellhole with my son. I knew the risk I was taking, almost equivalent to signing away my life because if Landon got a whiff of my plan, he would skin me alive. 

But I did not care. 

Liam was my son, and there was no way on God’s green earth I’d let anyone decide how long I could see my son.