CHAPTER NINE

“King Alonso,” one of the two bulky looking guards is in my front with a stern face. I let out a low growl at their approach, and I match their energy with my own firm authority

“We need to ask you a few questions,” he continues, his eyes darting between mine and the body of the girl in my hands

“I'm in a hurry, so be quick,” I snarled

“Fine, fine,” the first guard steps aside for the other to continue

“Who is the girl, why is she unconscious and alone with you?” the second guard is speaking as he keeps looking at Alora’s weak body.

I feel my beast snarl, but I control it almost immediately. “She was drugged at your Alpha's ball. I found her unconscious and I want to make sure that she is safe”

The guards exchanged suspicious looks between each other before the gaze of the second landed on me in scrutiny. “How can you prove to me that she was drugged?”

“Can't you see how she looks like? Can't you see that her breathing is raspy and she needs help?”

“Did you drug her?” he dares to ask me

His question is irritating me, so I clench my fist- letting my anger seep into them. “I didn't do anything to her!” I say through gritted teeth. I am already regretting why I decided to help her. Maybe I should have listened to Beta Leo and just minded my business

The first guard seems to notice my agitation, so he takes charge of the situation. “Where are you taking her to?”

“To the room I booked. Where she would be safe!” I snap. “Should I leave her vulnerable!?”

The guard who is now talking to me is stiff from the sharpness of my tone. He pauses a while before talking to me again. “I am not asking you to leave her vulnerable, but we need to take these kinds of protocol, Your Majesty. We need to ensure that she is being… erm… she is not being taken against her will.”

His last sentence is making my beast push forward. I try so hard to control it and my voice is sounding dangerous now. “Does this…” I raise the girl in my hand to signify I am talking about her. “Does this look like someone capable of giving me permission? She is unconscious because your Alpha could not control his guest. I should be blaming you all in this pack for this!”

I thought Beta Leo has gone away a long time ago but suddenly I see him approaching. “Please, please, gentlemen, let us not take this too far. King Alonso is just acting the best hit knows how to. He is trying to protect her,” he points at Alora

Leo's words seems to touch them because they exchanged looks, nod together in agreement before talking to me again. “Fine, but we need to verify her identity,” The second guard says, pulling out a small device. “Her name? What is her name?”

“Alora,” I murmur hesitantly as I watch him bring the device near her wrist. The device is beeping and after a while her information is appearing on this small screen

“Omega Alora,” he reads aloud, curling his lips in a thin line to make a slightly disgusted face when mentioning her rank. “No wolf form… and she is unmarked?” he asks more of a question than as if he is reading

“Are you satisfied now?” I ignore the disgust on their faces

The first guard doesn't answer immediately. Instead, he steps closer, his nose moving subtly in a twitch as he sniffs the air again. “She reeks badly of heat,” he mutters more to himself in an accusatory tone

But unfortunately, I hear it. “Are you daft? I just told you she was drugged!” I snap. “I thought you were only incompetent before, now I can confirm that you are deaf too”

The heat in the room is already building, but Beta Leo steps in. “Let us not prioritise conflict over her safety,” he steps in between us. “We can discuss all these small matters later, please…”

“We would be reporting this to the alpha,” the second guard growls before stepping aside hesitantly

“Report me,” I say mockingly before moving coldly past them. As I step up the stairs, I can still feel them behind- their eyes are boring into my back. They still suspect me but I don't care

Beta Leo is walking behind me now. “I told you…” he wants to start his stupid game of ‘I told you so,’ but I am not ready to hear it now

“Stop!” I cut him off before he can finish his sentence. “Next time just remind me to punch them in their stupid faces!” I growl, shifting Alora's weight in my arms- I have been carrying her in one position for too long and my hands are beginning to hurt.

Leo finds my anger hilarious so he chuckles. “King Alonso…” he chuckles again, saying my name like it amuses him

What is funny? I want to ask him but I decide to ignore him instead. I now look at the girl in my arms. I start to notice her delicate features- her long hair and thick eyebrows, her small nose and plum lips, her beautiful complexions, the defined lines on her face seem to tell a story that says she has gone through a lot. The way she is delicate in my hands is making me protective of her. It is making me want to say that whoever did this to her must pay, and before I know it, my wolf is already muttering it through me. “Whoever did this to her will pay. I swear!”

“What did you say?” Beta Leo snaps me from my thoughts. I think he partially heard what I said

“Nothing…” I reply to him as we step into the room. He looks at me suspiciously but he says nothing. “Help me adjust the pillow,” I say as I place Alora on the bed. He helps me and when we are done placing her on the bed, he leans against the wall, his arms crossed and his eyes on me

“You know what you are doing is going to complicate things, right?” he says. “People might start rumouring that an omega is your mate…”

“An omega is also a wolf!” I snap at him in irritation. How can he even think like the rest of the fools in this pack? When I get my healing, I would make sure to work on the stupid assumptions that an omega wolf is supposed to be treated horribly. He keeps quiet immediately and I glare at him, but I say nothing else.

Also It doesn't help that I am remembering Leah’s shrill accusations on Alora and it keeps replaying in my head. Leah seemed so stressed by an omega wolf even though she is the daughter of the alpha. Is there more to this girl, Alora? I cannot help but think

“You should have left her back there,” Leo mutters, snapping me out of my thoughts again as he runs his hand through his hair

“Left her there for what!?” I glare at him again. “Left her there to be poisoned over and over again and probably taking advantage of?

Leo sighs in frustration as he begins to say again. “Look, Alonso, I am not saying what you are doing is wrong. All I am saying is that we don't want false assumptions hovering over us,” he looks me in the eyes as if to plead to me to see reasons with him. “We are already dealing with the elders pressing down on our neck about finding a cure for you. Adding an unconscious omega to everything happening isn't exactly helpful in our case. We don't want rumors to start spreading…”

“I will handle the elders later…”

“Oh, you will handle them now?” he snorts. “Like you have been handling them for the past seven months? Maybe I should let them pounce on you sometimes so you will see the severity of this situation,” Leo is getting more and more serious. “The elders are a few steps away from revolting. They are even talking about bringing your brother back...

“My brother?” I said immediately with raised eyebrows

“Yes your brother!” he says. “And you know how dangerous that is,” he paces the room now restlessly. “We need a solution immediately and not an omega to distract us.”

I don't reply immediately. Beta Leo is right. The elders are desperate for me to find the so-called white wolf so that my curse will be broken and the kingdom will be strengthened. Without the white wolf… my life is at risk and my throne…

My eyes land on Alora, still lying unconsciously on the bed. She seems to need help and I seem to need help too. My beast stars again- I stirs feeling a strange protective instinct swelling in my chest

“Leave,” I order Leo abruptly

“What?”

“Leave. I need to think. Alone”