King Alpha Gone Rogue

CHAPTER FIVE: HER ALTER EGO

Ella stormed out of the cabin in fury, her only thought was to get away from that man who saw too much in her. It was like he was peeping right into her soul, and she wasn’t appreciating the introspection at all.

Selene? Selene? she cried desperately in her head with tears streaming down her face, tears that she impatiently wiped with the back of her hand as she ran towards the unknown. When a lake came into her view, she stopped gasping heavily as she tried to regain control on her breathing.

Was it true? Was she really trying to stifle her wolf to the point of having her alter ego no longer even wanting to communicate with her? It wasn’t intentional in any case and Ella was horrified to discover that she was turning into a tyrant. With regret, she acknowledged that it was her obsessive determination not to bend to that stupid mate bond thing which had messed up her mind.

For some reason, she was deeply offended that Sam was the one to make her feel so inadequate with his judgmental ‘Alpha vibes’. He’d done a hell of a lousy job protecting them so far from the clutches of the Mongrels, and the fact that he seemed complacent about his stake on her wolf drove her mad.

Could he be more arrogant than he already was? Ella loathed him with all her might. However, the fact that her wolf was not responding was the only thing on her mind right now – it really worried her.

Selene, are you alright?

No answer. With a sinking heart, she realized that Sam was probably right, although it would take hell to freeze over before she acknowledged the fact.

He’s not our mate. Whatever feeling you’ve experienced last night, it’s just the aftermath of meeting our King Alpha. He didn’t feel the same mate thing with us, so he’s not feeling the same way about us.

Still nothing. Not even the merest hint that there was someone else residing inside her. Ella sighed defeatedly, as she paused to draw in short breaths and only when she managed to calm herself down that she took in her surroundings.

Calm water slashed in front of her in small cascades, the sloshing sound having a therapeutic soothing effect on her as her raging nerves settled. The water was in azure color, almost translucent and if it hadn’t been for her distress, she would have been tempted to take a dip.

Shifting is a beautiful and painless process where you willingly give the reign to your werewolf to take over, and which you can take back without fuss.

His wise advice resonated in her head, and despite her misgivings, she wished she could have given Selene a chance before snubbing her.

What was she going to do now? How would she go back to the pack without her wolf to show for? What if they were attacked by the Mongrels and she found herself in danger with Selene nowhere in sight. That would mean putting herself and all of the member of her pack in imminent danger.

That was the main thing about living in a pack – one had to think for a greater good instead of only one’s selfishness. With a sinking heart, she realized that going back home was not an option, not until she had settled her differences with Selene, and she had the notion that it wouldn’t be so easy.

It hadn’t clicked before – the fact that she hadn’t shifted while all her friends had hadn’t been a trigger of alarm. Ella was not sure how she felt about being so negligent – she had been too busy growling at whoever had deigned to approach her with mate s****l vibes.

In doing so, she had deprived her wolf of her mate. No wonder that the poor soul had been hallucinating last night – to the point of believing that Samael Darhk was their mate – that was impossible. For one, although she was the daughter of an Alpha, her powers were no match to his.

The Darhk generations hailed from the Originals – one of the first werewolves which had ever been created in the history of their existence. In their lineage, the farthest they go meant the more powerful and the strongest, so Samael hailing from one of the original bloodlines meant that there was hardly a match for his power in the contemporary times.

While her family was known to have joined the pack only for eleven generations, the reason why her father turned into an Alpha was because one of her ancestors had married into a high-rank bloodline, making her a mixed breed.

So, she didn’t kid herself into thinking that she could be mate to such a pure breed – either Selene was mistaken, or she must have been entranced by the smell of her Alpha King. It had been after all their first encounter and meeting such an important person could be a little overwhelming.

That was the reason why her human side was not particularly attracted to Sam despite his gorgeous looks. She didn’t think she had it in him to forgive him for having left his pack behind, whatever reason he thought he had.

Taking in a deep breath, she closed her eyes to the wonderful view, realizing that the only way to get out of that predicament was to resort to accepting doing the only thing she would never do. Try to look at Samael Darhk any other way than a coward, give him another chance.

Only for Selene.

Now you’re talking! the familiar voice suddenly sounded in her voice, and she nearly swooned in relief at the comeback of her wolf.

Selene!!!! Welcome back, she said with obvious relief trying to hide the fact that she was surprised. She hadn’t envisaged that her wolf would be back so soon, and she grinned with happiness, her eyes popped open immediately.  

Are you really willing to give Sam a chance? Do you promise?

Ella felt so bad for her that she accepted immediately for once without giving a single thought to her preferences. Yes, if you wish. I’ll try not to bite his head off at the merest temptation.  

Thank you, her wolf answered gruffly. It means a lot.

There was no subterfuge between the two of them, she knew that Selene was well aware of the fact that she could not stand the unsufferable arrogant masochist male she had as Alpha King and granting him an opportunity was not something she would have done easily.

Ella was glad that Selene understood the sacrifice she was making, and they stood in hostile silence, and she could still feel the animosity that her wolf bore her – like she’d envisaged it wouldn’t be so simple.

I’m not promising anything, Selene. I will try not to flinch at his arrogance and pretty lies, but the man does nothing for me, and you know why. I need to respect a man before I can admire him.

I know Ella. You have high standards which I cannot match. All I know is that I’ve never felt like I did last night, and I need to see for myself whether there is a probability that he’s our mate or not.

Ella shut her mind against her next thought, blanking her mind as she thought of her mother while she was still alive. A ruse she had to come up with to prevent Selene from knowing the truth about the treachery that she was using against her own wolf.

Selene would freak out if she knew what she had ventured on before her eighteenth birthday, a deliberate act of defiance used to deceive even her wolf for the latter had not awakened then. So, she now used the perfume as casually as she would use any other, blotting the mere conception of the treason from her mind.

For she and Selene were one. If she thought of that, Selene would know in a jiffy that she was hiding her scent from their prospective mate. Ella was not ready to discover her mate yet, hell she’d only turned eighteen and there was no man who could arise an ounce of respect in her.

How was she expected to fall in love and bone with him without an ounce of reason?

Alright, I respect your stakes as long as you respect mine. Make no mistake, even if he does not acknowledge us, I belong to him, and there’s nothing you could do to keep me from him.

Pfffft…. Such a sucker! Ella thought with a roll of her eyes.

One more thing, Selene warned when she was about to get back to his cabin, the tone in her voice stopped her right in her tracks. I would do anything for Sam, and the day you stop me will be when we fight each other again.

There was nothing she could actually do in reality, except go back to the cabin and weight out her options. Except before she could have a moment of reprieve, she once again stopped when she saw Sam right behind her.

Sam, Selene sighed in a lovesick drool, and Ella winced in disgust. What was so heroic about an Alpha King who’d left behind his disciples in a moment of need?

“Are you alright?” he inquired casually, squinting at her with narrowed eyes like he was weighing her out.

Ella pinned a bright smile on her face. “Never been better,” she replied in a feigned voice, and blatantly ignored the appreciative growl that Selene let inside her.

Uggggggh! Would it always be like this? Her feeling nothing but contempt for the man while her wolf would drool over him? Ella gritted her teeth in a slight rictus while she beamed at him. Alright, he was indeed a fine specimen of a man, the epitome of the Vitruvian male, but that didn’t mean that he had the right to rule over her wolf like he was her master.

Selene, get a grip, girl. He doesn’t even want you.

“How’s Selene?” he asked as an afterthought.

Ha! See? He cares about me? More than you. Sam, my love, she swooned like a pathetic puppy.

Ella did her best to ignore her inner voice, and her fake smile got brighter. “Pathetic?” she answered and could have kicked herself for the gaffe.

“What?”

“Nothing! She’s fine,” Ella rolled her eyes again skittishly. “She’s back. We’re talking again.”

Sam’s eyebrows skyrocketed to his hairlines, appearing surprised that she’d managed to do the impossible, or what he thought was unachievable. Ella would never let him know that the reason behind their war was him. He already had an unsufferable ego and knowing that her wolf was mad about him would only make him more arrogant.

“That’s good to know. Although…,” he hesitated, and it was so unlike him that Ella’s eyes popped out in anticipation of his words. She’d never seen him falter before, not while he was still living in their pack, he’d never been one to mince his words or stumble around other’s feelings.

“Although?” she prompted eagerly.

“Although, I’m not sure it’s over yet. You’re raging war with yourself for whatever reason you’re aware of, and making peace is only stalling the inevitable. You need to sort out the matter with Selene before anything gets serious.”

Hmm…Do you see how he cares about me? Bet you’re jealous that he’s so worried about me?

Alright, shut up!

“I don’t know what you mean,” she answered honestly.

“Come, it’s late,” was all he said. “I prepared a room for you. We discuss about it in the morning.”