A wolf's truth

ALEXIOS

Fiona wouldn't look at me all through the drive. Let alone have a word with me. She was far too busy making sure the daughter of that bastard was doing alright. I bet she would feel differently if I told her what had happened. The Nightshade girl hadn't brought it up so I felt no need to talk about it. The last thing I needed was to have this girl believe we had some sort of hold over me.

"Kiss her," That pestering voice had the back of my head rattled. "You know you want to." It was enticing. Her lips were the most inviting pink I had ever laid my eyes on and so could barely stop thinking about it. God, It was slowly happening. The madness of the bond. I looked into the rear mirror. It was easier to spy from there without gathering suspicions. Fiona had given her scarf to the Nightshade girl. In Fiona's eyes, I could see the look of disdain. Her lips were pouted and at the base of her throat, a bobbing vein threatened to explode. Lydia on the other hand looked disturbed. I still found it hard to believe that her pack had tossed her out like hot garbage the second push came to shove. It was almost like they believed their authority was the problem. The Nightshade probably believed that this savage act would save them from my clutches now that they were struggling with tributes but that was far from what was going to happen if the next batch didn't arrive. Whilst the Nightshade was under Lydia's father's authority, he didn't commit his atrocities alone. He had elders by his side. He had soldiers by his side. In all certainty, All of Nightshade was guilty of Duncan's tyranny and in the end, the heavy hand of my divine justice would fall upon them.

The car pulled over at a pleasant-looking mansion I liked to call home. It was at the heart of my territory and acted as a safe space for my people of any caliber and sometimes strangers who had not dented cruelty to the Rose pack. The weather had darkened significantly and as we highlighted the vehicle. A couple of sentinels walked over to accept us.

"My Alpha," One of them said. "How was your trip?"

I looked behind me. Lydia stood very close to the car she had just highlighted from. Almost like she was using it as a shield from the world that awaited her. "As you can see," I finally spoke. "It was very good. I even got me quite the trophy."

The boys looked in her direction. "She is very pretty for a slave." Another mentioned.

"I'm glad you think so. Her name was Lydia Nightshade. Now. Now she is just my property." I turned back to the men and smiled. "Acquaint her with the dungeons while I figure what her penance for existing should be."

The boys got right to it immediately. They handled her roughly and just the way I liked because I had an inkling they might have been gentle if her accursed bloodline hadn't been mentioned. As they dragged her towards the back of the house, Fiona marched inside. The sky seemed to grumble as she did. A telltale sign that my witch was infuriated.

"Fiona!" I yelled as the door to her quarters half slammed into my face. "Let me explain."

She didn't look at me. I could hear her sniffling. Fiona never did that unless it hurt but being an empath was a different thing altogether. Fiona found it easier to put herself into the shoes of others. Something I found almost impossible to do. Still turning away from me, she wiped her falling tears and spoke. "I don't want to hear it, Alexios. You promised. You promised that things were going to be different this time around. I don't want to do this. Have this same old thing that happened to Shari to repeat itself. I just don't get it. Your mother and I have done everything to make you move on and forget your grief but it seems all you care is that it consumes you."

"Fiona," I repeated. "Just hear me out."

"Why should I?" Fiona lashed back. Her anger took the most of her as she turned to face me. "You don't listen to anything I have to say. Why should I have to do the same?"

"So you can get things from my point of view before you get on to cursing the very air I breathe."

"Speak then. Make it make sense. How you bought the daughter of the one man you despise and humiliated her in front of a majority of your pack members for the sins of her father."

I closed the space between us as memory stabbed me. I remembered a little boy whose legs could barely move as his father's blood tainted his black shoes. A woman was pleading with the man who had just ripped my father's heart out of his chest like it was nothing. I remembered her saying words similar to the ones Fiona just muttered.

"I did it mostly because I wanted to. Everyone knows the only thing Duncan cared about more than torturing those around him was his family. He might be gone but it gives me joy and a lot of relief seeing with my own eyes the one thing he loved has been ripped to nothing but shreds. However, while I had my ulterior motives, I also did it to protect that accursed girl. If I had skipped her, someone else... let's say that bastard at the auction would have gotten her and I dare say I might be demented, but my father's fanatics are atrocities. What I did to Lydia Nightshade was child's play."

"Okay. That might make a bit of sense but you were also a cold bastard to that poor girl here. What is your excuse for that?"

"Nothing, I confessed. "I do still hate the girl and will use every opportunity I get to taunt her but that is as far as I will be taking it."

Fiona gave a little sigh. "You are impossible."

I made a face. "But you still love me. Don't you?"

"Do I have a choice?" Fiona chuckled.

I made a slow dip for her mouth. The brush of her lips around mine caused a slight rush of sensation to arise within me.

"You sure aren't., I murmured before deepening the kiss. My hand closed around her shoulder, covered only in the thin material of her dress as I drew her in for a close embrace. I was going to go ahead and undress her but that unsolicited whisper flooded my head.

"We both know she is not the one we want."