The Alpha Heirs’ Prize

CHAPTER 9

“I don’t think I understand you, Alpha Zayn,” I said as I took two steps back to give him a good look, making sure I was really standing in front of Alpha Zayn.

“I know you’re confused by this sudden subject, but I would like you to know that Daniel is now the Alpha of Moonflower Pack, and he seems to have gotten word that you’re being hidden in a pack, although he doesn’t know that you’re here yet.”

I didn’t like where the conversation was going, but I could only stand there and listen to him explain it to me.

“He has ordered a widespread search for you, and I’ve gotten a message from one of my spies that his warriors are heading in this direction.”

There was silence as his words played in my head like a warning, a prophecy of my inevitable death that could not be escaped.

“Nailea,” Alpha Zayn held my shoulders, urging me to look at him. “My protection can only go so far right now. You are not a direct member of my pack, so I’m not obligated to protect you. If they come for you right now, I’ll have no choice but to let them have you.”

“No.” I shook my head, my heart thudding loudly as I took his hands and squeezed in need. “They can’t take me. You can’t let them. They’re going to have me executed for something I didn’t do.”

I had not thought about how much danger I was in just two weeks ago and the potential of it coming back until then, and I hated myself for getting too comfortable with it.

“I can only protect you that much if you’re a member of my pack. If you mate with me and become my Luna, there will be no hesitation in raising a sword to kill anyone who comes for your life, including Nathan and Daniel.”

At the mention of their names, all the memories and the pain that came with it rushed into my head.

“I can’t do it, Alpha Zayn. I don’t…” I shook my head.

I was desperate for my life to be preserved, but I couldn’t tell if I was desperate enough to be mated to a man who I didn’t know all that well, no matter how kind he was to me.

“Is this because of Nathan? Are you still in love with him?” he inquired, and I felt so much shame to even think of the answer to that question because whether I liked it or not, there was only one answer to arrive at – I still had some feelings for Nathan, no matter how minuscule or blocked they were after his betrayal.

“You told me, two weeks ago, that Nathan was out on the hunt for you. He chased you out of the pack until you were forced to step out as a rogue, didn’t he?” Alpha Zayn reminded me, his voice now hard as if he was struggling to come to terms with it. I didn’t blame him for it at all.

“That man is probably with the warriors who are searching for you now, eager to see your blood get spilled for the death of his father, which he believed you did at the bat of an eye,” he continued.

“I know,” I muttered, but he wasn’t buying it.

“I don’t think you do, Nailea. Tell me something; if he asked you for your forgiveness right now and asked you to return to him, would you do it?”

That was a question that I had never contemplated, and I hated that it was now being shoved into my head for me to think about. There were two options, but I didn’t like either of them.

“Goddess,” Zayn chuckled, taking my silence for an answer in his own mind.

“I’m sorry, Alpha Zayn,” I said. “I can’t be mated to you. It’s a tempting offer, really. I just… I don’t want to do it.”

A brief moment of silence passed before he sighed and nodded.

“I’m not going to force you to do something you don’t want to do. I’m going to protect you with everything I can, but you need to be more serious with your training in order to stand your ground if you’re ever faced with it,” he said with an encouraging smile.

A sinking feeling settled in my stomach as it came upon me just how kind Alpha Zayn was. In that moment, I wanted to slap myself for not having enough resolve to accept his proposal to be his Luna. What else could I possibly want?

I turned around and headed for my room, refusing to change my mind, still.

I promised myself that the moment I realized that I was having feelings for him, I would accept his proposal if it wasn’t too late, but the last thing I expected was for it to get too late so soon.

That night, as I was about to go to bed, the door burst open. Reedah and Carl ran up to me and pulled me out of bed.

“You need to open your eyes. Wake up, Nailea. We have a problem,” Reedah said, sounding urgent as she pushed me out of the room.

“What…what’s going on?” I asked, rubbing the sleep off my eyes as I looked between them both for answers but neither of them said a thing to explain what was happening.

They led me in the direction of Alpha Zayn’s throne room, where I met with Alpha Zayn. He met us halfway into the throne room, taking me from them and taking me towards his throne.

“Can someone tell me what’s happening?” I demanded, stubbornly pulling my hand out of Alpha Zayn’s grip, but he had a strong hold that scared me as much as it comforted me.

“They’re here, Nailea,” was all Alpha Zayn said for me to realize what he was talking about.

Daniel and Nathan had managed to track me all the way to Silverdome Pack.

He took me back to the curtains which were behind his throne, revealing a secret door hidden behind the curtains.

“You need to stay in here and wait. They already called for a meeting with me, and there’s a high chance that they’ll make an attempt to search my house. They won’t find you in here. Do not go further. Just wait for me or my signal, okay?” he instructed, and I nodded before he walked out of the dim room.

“Bring them in!” I heard him instruct his warriors. There was silence for a moment before the sound of heavy footsteps came.

“Nathan, Daniel, welcome to Silverdome Pack,” Alpha Zayn said to them. “Word has it that you’re now the Alpha of Moonflower Pack, Daniel.”

“We’re here for something related to that, actually.” The sound of Daniel’s voice was like an arrow being pierced into me.

“Pray tell,” Alpha Zayn said, feigning innocence.

“We have a murderer on the loose, and we want to know if you’re keeping her in your pack.” It was Nathan who spoke this time, further breaking my heart.

Alpha Zayn fell silent, as if waiting for Nathan’s words to sink into me, because he knew that I could hear them.

“The last thing I would host in my pack is a murderer,” Alpha Zayn responded.

“Her name is Nailea. Are you sure she’s not in your pack?” Daniel interrogated. “Remember that you are bound by the rules to never lie to the Alpha of another pack.”

“There is no murderer in my pack,” Alpha Zayn, jumping around the hoops set out for him.

“Well, do you have someone named Nailea in your pack?” Daniel went straight to the point, cornering Alpha Zayn.

“Would you like to search?” Alpha Zayn invited, still avoiding the question because he knew he couldn’t lie to them.

“I can smell her all across this place,” Nathan claimed.

“She’s here.”