Alpha Prime: Her Retribution

Chapter Sixteen

I pursed my lips, staring at the clothes in front of me. From the way Jacob treated Delilah, I knew he thought highly of her and if that was the case, then he must also respect her mother, meaning this dinner was very important for him.

All the better to mess it up.

No! We already have a plan on ground, let's just pretend tonight.

I picked a black knee length dress, placing it against my body, I looked at my reflection, tilting my head to the side as I considered it an option.

"It'll look good on you."

"f**k!!!" I shouted, dropping the dress in the process. I spun around to see Nanna Ur standing there, a toothy smile on her lips.

"What is up with you and scaring the living daylights out of me?!" I demanded. She ignored me, shuffling past me and going deeper into the closet.

"What are you doing?!" I demanded, hands on my robe clad waist. She came out, a silk dress floating behind her.

"This!!!"

"H-how? I checked every part of the closet and I didn't see that dress, where did you get it?" I asked, walking closer and examining the dress. I trailed my fingers along the soft material, gasping at how luxurious it felt.

"It was there, you probably didn't look around properly." She replied. "Well… what are you waiting for? Try it on."

"Uh… it's just dinner with Delilah and her mother, I don't plan on impressing any of them." I replied, finding it hard to look away from the dress.

"But don't you want to try it? Just to see how it looks like on you?" She suggested.

"I guess…" I mumbled, taking it off the hanger. She turned around and I changed into the dress. I walked over to the mirror, I wasn't really a fan of dresses but this, this was something I never wanted to take off, there was something disturbingly familiar about the dress yet I couldn’t place a finger on it.

"You love it don't you?" She asked, I glanced at her reflection, hating the smug knowing gleam in her eyes.

"It's not bad, I'm still going to wear something else." I replied, reaching up to push the straps off except they seemed to be glued to my skin.

What the hell?

I frowned, trying to get the dress off but it was impossible. I turned to Nanna Ur who was trying hard not to laugh.

"What the f**k did you do?!" I growled.

"Me? Oh nothing." She sang, twiddling her thumbs. I snarled at her, tugging on the dress with all of my strength, fully intended to rip it off my body. Nothing happened.

"What is this stupid dress made of?!" I demanded, morphing my nails into claws before proceeding to try to shred the dress yet my claws were unable to pierce the material. Enraged, I turned to her.

"I. Want. This. Dress. Off. NOW!!!"

"I can't seem to remember how to get it off… oh well, why don’t you go to dinner in it, by the time you get back, I'll probably have remembered."

She didn't wait for my answer before disappearing.

"Ugh!!! Annoying old bat!!!" I cursed, throwing myself on a chair before getting to my feet once more. If my claws and strength couldn't destroy it then maybe fire would work. I looked around for a lighter but couldn't find one so I made my way out of my room, down to the kitchen. I had every intention of burning this dress off me, if I burned Jacob's house in the process then it was a bonus.

I turned on the gas stove, placing the edge of the dress over the flame. It sparked a bit and I smirked.

In your face you stupid old hag.

My smirk turned into a frown when I noticed nothing was happening to the cloth.

"Aww come on!!" I whined.

"I guess I should add arson to your list of habits."

I spun around, Jacob stood there, dressed in a shirt, black jeans and a wool jacket. I swallowed hard, trying to reach back and turn off the stove. He approached me, making me take a step back.

"You might want to stand still, the last thing I want to do is explain how we couldn't make it to dinner because my Luna decided to burn herself."

He stopped in front of me and slid his hand between my body and the stove knobs, he turned it off, letting his fingers ghost over my exposed skin as he took a step back. I frowned, folding my arms across my chest. His eyes flashed red before going back to their normal black colour. They finally settled on a dark amber.

"You are truly a vision, Adelaide. A wonderful blend of beauty, brains and viciousness. The perfect Luna Prime."

“If only I can say the same about you.” I retorted, shoving past him and out of the kitchen. I got back to my room.

“Nanna Ur, you better show yourself!!!” I growled, of course I got no reply not that I was expecting any. I tugged at the straps one last time before flopping down on the chair.

This is what you get for accepting dresses from a loony old woman.

I glanced at the time, it was almost 8.00pm meaning I had to be downstairs in a few minutes. I got back to my feet, walking back to the closet and grabbing a coat and a purse. I stared at my reflection in the mirror before frowning.

Who the hell am I trying to impress?!

I made my way out of the room, down to the foyer where Jacob was waiting,, a drink in his hand, it wasn’t the mead, instead it was the liquid from his office… human blood. I stamped down the urge to throw up, why would a werewolf ingest blood? It made absolutely no sense.

I cleared my throat and he glanced at me before knocking back the contents of his glass. He placed the glass cup aside and approached me.

“I don’t have to remind you to behave do I pet?”

If looks could kill, I was pretty sure Jacob would have been 6 feet under by now. He smirked, offering me his arm, I placed my hand in the crook of his elbow and let him lead me out of the house.

The night was not as chilly as I expected, I looked around as we made our way towards the town centre. People were still out and about, children running around, playing. I could feel eyes on us, I was sure to the average pack member, we looked like the perfect Alpha and Luna Prime.

If only they knew their Alpha Prime would be dead in a few hours and I would dance around his corpse.

“It really is a beautiful night, don’t you think so, pet?” He inquired. “We should do this more often, taking walks around our pack lands.”

“We should, who knows I might find a perfect place to kill you.” I replied, smiling at him. He laughed and it made me hate him more because a cold blooded murderer had no right to have such a beautiful rich laughter, yet he did.

Curse him

We took a left before we got to the pack’s square, down a quiet road.

“You really are a delight, pet.” He raised my hand to his lips, pressing a kiss on my knuckle, I tried to tug my hand away from his but he tightened his grip, his eyes on me, they flashed red before a pained gasp escaped my lips.

The bastard had nipped me!!!

Before I could react, he stopped in front of a house, it was one of the four row houses Delilah had pointed out to me earlier. He rang the bell, a few seconds later, the door opened.

“You made it!!!” Delilah cheered, stepping aside. Jacob led me into the house, I looked around, realising the house looked bigger inside than it did from the outside. I spun around as I felt Jacob’s hands on my shoulder.

“Your coat”

I resisted the urge to snap at him.

“Thank you.” I replied, forcing a smile. He took a step closer to me, his eyes holding mine captive as his hands made quick work of the coat's belt, the coat falling open. I glared at him, turning my back to him. I felt him stand close to me, his breathing fanned neck. I clenched my fists, hating how close he was and the way my body was hyper aware. His hands lightly trace up the sleeves to my shoulders before moving down to the lapels and pulling the coat off me.

I immediately took a step away from him, watching as he handed it to Delilah.

“Delilah dear, I heard the doorbell ring.”

I looked up to see a middle aged blonde haired woman appear from the top of the stairs. Her eyes widened at the sight of us before she glided down the stairs.

“Alpha” She greeted.

“Ivanka, it’s nice to see you.” Jacob replied, smiling at her. She smiled back before turning to me.

“You must be Adelaide, our Luna. It’s an honour to meet you after so many years. You really took your time coming to our lovely Alpha over here.” she said, glancing over at Jacob, a look of adoration and worship on her face. I raised a brow at her statement, wanting nothing more than to give her a fitting reply but I kept quiet.

“Come come, dinner is all set.” She said, leading us deeper into the house. We got to the dining area where a feast had been spread.

“Delilah tells me you’re from Europe, so I had some European dishes made too, I hope you enjoy them.” she explained. I glanced at the table, not knowing what half of the dishes were but I couldn’t help but appreciate her efforts.

“Thank you, you really didn’t have to go through all that effort.” I replied.

“It’s no bother, please sit.”

I stiffened when I felt one of Jacob’s hands on my lower back, he steered me towards the head of the table, pulling out a chair on the left. I sat, watching as he sat at the head of the table. Ivanka sat next to him on the right and Delilah sat next to me.

“I’m so happy you’re here.” Delilah whispered, leaning close to me, I couldn’t help but smile at her.

“So Adelaide, what do you think about our pack?” Ivanka asked, I looked up from my plate.

I wish to burn it to the ground just like your evil Alpha did to my pack but I am better than him.

“It’s very beautiful.” I answered. “I haven’t seen much of it but from what I have seen, it’s breathtaking.”

She beamed, a hint of pride in her eyes.

“All thanks to Alpha Jacob here, Eda bless him, he has taken the pack to greater heights. He takes good care of us all.” She replied.

Why don’t you fall to your knees and kiss his feet already?

“You really are lucky to have someone like him as a mate.”

The fake smile on my lips vanished, I felt the spoon in my grip bend slightly due to the pressure.

Lucky to have Jacob Mont Blanc as my mate, the man who had destroyed my life. I tried to control the raging anger in me as she continued to sing his praises.

“... and when my Howard passed away, he stepped in, how many alphas would do that? Even when some of the advisors suggested we leave this house and move to the smaller ones, he put his foot down and told them no. He really is the perfect Alpha Prime and…”

The sound of glass shattering brought an end to her words. I stared at my plate, the stem of the glass cup still in my hand, cutting into my skin but I felt no pain.

“Oh Eda!!! What happened? Delilah please get a towel.” she instructed.

“It’s fine” I whispered, getting to my feet. “Where’s the bathroom?”

“This way.” Delilah led me down the hall, I could feel Jacob’s eyes on me as I left. I was still so furious, it was as if everyone in his stupid pack was oblivious to the fact that he was a murderer. They worshipped the ground he walked on and it made me sick. We got to the bathroom and I stepped in while Delilah waited outside. I washed the blood off my hand, watching as the cuts shrunk until they disappeared. I patted my palms dry, running my fingers through my hair while I stared at my reflection in the mirror.

You just need to get through this dinner without strangling Ivanka, she’s Delilah’s mum, how she gave birth to a level headed girl was a mystery to me but I had to keep my calm, not for f*****g Jacob Mont Blanc but for Delilah.

I frowned at the direction of my thoughts, I didn’t particularly care about Delilah, she was just a means to an end, an end that would occur tomorrow. Shaking my head and ridding my mind of the thoughts, I fixed a smile and headed out of the bathroom. I didn’t particularly want to go back to the dining room, so instead I looked around as Delilah led me back.

Spying a picture, I gravitated towards it before realising it led to an open room that had several framed pictures on the walls, almost like a gallery.

“These are really exquisite.” I stated.

“Thanks, I love photography.” she replied. I moved towards a shelf that had several smaller frames and different albums on it.

"You take pictures?"

"Yeah... I’m actually part of the press team for the pack, Jacob wants me to study under Ralph Durgen next year, he’s one of the best photographers there is, he even won a pulitzer."

"That's nice." I whispered, looking through the pictures she had taken. She was very talented and had an eye for photography.

"Can I take your picture?" She inquired.

I looked up to see her holding a camera.

"You want to take my picture?" I asked, laughing slightly.

"Yes please, that is if you don't mind." She whispered. I shook my head, nibbling on my lower lip.

"I can't remember the last time I had my picture taken... I think I was 18 then."

She let out a gasp, almost dropping the camera.

"18?! Wait... how old are you now?"

"27." I replied.

"Oh Eda... that's nine good years!!! Why?!" She asked, I raised a brow as realisation dawned on her.

"Oh..."

I continued looking through her pictures.

"Can I ask you a question? You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"Go ahead." I replied, closing the album.

"H-how did it feel like? Going into hiding, with the whole world thinking you're dead." She whispered. I traced the engraving on the cover of the album.

"Imagine someone pressing the stop button on your life.. on your hopes, dreams and aspirations.” I whispered “That's how it felt… I couldn't do anything, I couldn’t go out, I was relegated to my room in the attic for the first few months. I had never felt so isolated in my entire life.”

My mind flashed to those dark months, I had always thought they were the hardest, I swallowed hard before continuing.

“Then I was allowed to roam the house, then the pack lands and well… Ridgeway Valley isn't the biggest pack in the area. Pack members had to swear on their wolves that my identity would remain a secret. I had to stay hidden if we had visitors.”

I felt the tears gather in my eyes.

“I lived in a cage for nine years, unable to further my education, to get a job, to live like a normal person. Jacob may not have killed me but he might as well have. Death was a better alternative to the life I lived.”

She was quiet, probably digesting what I had told her. I got to my feet, placing the album back on the shelf when Jacob walked in, I turned away, discreetly wiping the tears away. A part of me knew he had either heard a part of our conversation or all of it. Somehow the thought left me feeling mentally exhausted.

"There you are!!! Delilah must have shown you her mini gallery." Ivanka said, coming to stand near Jacob. "Oh I have the greatest idea! Why don't Delilah take a picture of you two? It'll be amazing, your first picture together!!!"

It was official, Delilah's mother was my least favourite person after Mont Blanc.

"I really don't..."

"Please Adelaide, I know Delilah wants to but she's just really shy. Don't you Delilah?"

Turning the attention on her daughter, Delilah became fidgety, clearly uncomfortable with the pressure her mother was placing on her.

"W-well I g-guess." She stuttered. Sighing, I forced a smile.

"Alright then."

The sooner the picture was taken, the sooner we got to leave. I could only tolerate Ivanka for so long before I snapped. Jacob stood beside me, placing his hand on my back. I stiffened before forcing myself to relax.

"Adelaide, lean in closer, you look stiff." Ivanka directed. I suppressed the urge to glare at her, I moved closer to him, placing a hand on his chest, wishing I could morph my fingers into claws and cause him some sort of pain, instead I smiled, staring at the lens as she took the pictures.

He was the reason I couldn't do a lot of things, he was the reason my last picture was a selfie with Harry in my bedroom and for my first real picture after so long to be with him, it filled me with waves and waves of anger and pain.

"I think that's enough." I whispered, moving away from him. My body trembled with barely restrained emotions. I could feel his eyes on me.

"Thank you for dinner, I'm afraid we'll have to call it a night." He stated.

"But dessert is almost done." Ivanka protested.

"Mum... let it be." Delilah whispered, my eyes darted to her, her eyes were on me. I looked away, swallowing hard. I didn't need pity, I was above being pitied.

I shrugged on my coat and we headed to the door, Ivanka was still upset that we weren't staying for dessert. Jacob and I walked in silence until we reached his cottage. I headed in, making my way to the stairs.

"Adelaide" He called out, making me pause.

"It was never my intention to have you spent nine years of your life, hidden away from the world, unable to chase your hopes and dreams."

I turned to him.

"Is that the only thing you are sorry about?"

"I will not apologise for that night, what happened was on your father."

"My father?! My father didn't kill those people, you did!!! You caused all this!!"

"I did what I had to do, Adelaide." He ground out. I shook my head.

"You really are a monster Jacob."

I left him there. On getting to my room, I went straight to the wardrobe where I had kept the ring Agatha had given me. I stared at it.

Jacob was a devil who had no remorse for the lives he had taken, instead he blamed a dead man for his sins. I was going to make everything right, even if it was the last thing I did. I would avenge Silverstone.