The Alpha Luna

Chapter 5.

Diane’s POV.

Okay, I don’t know what I expected. The king was now staring at me as though I were the most stupid person he’d met while I stood in silence. Heavy silence. I was about to speak again when his voice broke the silence.

“You’re an Alpha?” I knew the question was rhetorical. “You’re a woman.”

He had finished off his speech in a manner matching his look from earlier, demeaning.

“And you’re a man.” I matched his tone, c*****g my head slightly to express my sarcasm.

“Is this some sort of joke? Who sent you?” I caught his hand trailing underneath his desk again.

Now, I was bold, not brainless. There was no denying the fact that he’d attack me this time. I dropped my knife on the floor and slid it towards it, standing with my palms lifted and a good distance away from my body.

“I just want to have a conversation,” I said slowly.

He was watching me intently now, pupils moving frantically with every move of my body.

“There’s nothing else on me.” I continued and then reached for my coat when a dagger flew right past my head, slicing the far tip of my ear off.

A gasp slipped past my throat, and I froze in place, looking up to see the king aiming another dagger at the center of my face.

“Another move and the birds would have a feast.”

As an Alpha myself, I had to commend him, his aura was powerful. He didn’t raise his voice once nor default in his expressionless physique, it all came naturally.

“I was going to take off my coat.” That was all I could croak out while I felt my blood trail slowly, very ticklishly, down my neck.

I wasn’t new to blood, and neither was I scared of the man before me, it was just something about the way he currently held my gaze as though daring me to step out of line. Even my smart-mouthed self couldn’t conjure any words at this moment, especially not defenseless.

In an instance he was in front of me, I took a step back in shock, and before I could properly process what was going on, I was spun around, my arms trapped behind my back and the dagger pierced underneath my jaw.

Sorry, what?

“Alpha, eh?” He spoke lowly behind me.

Shame wouldn’t do justice to capture how I felt at this exact moment. He towered a few good inches above me, my back pressed to his front. Helpless should suffice.

“Let go of me.” I gritted out.

He didn’t say a word, rather, I felt his hands begin to pat me down and search through my coat. When he seemed satisfied, he withdrew his hand from my neck. I felt the air from his movements before I heard the shredding sound of clothing.

My coat fell loose around my body, and he adjusted his hand placement on my locked arms, took each piece of material off my separate hands then discarded them in another corner of the room.

He stepped away from me and I turned around to see him peering down on a piece of paper in his hands as he returned to his seat. Oh no, my map.

“Where’d you get this?”

“Found it,” I said curtly.

He was seated now, still staring at the paper.

“How many of them?”

“A few.” I lied. I didn’t want to seem like I cared so much about the map.

“Hm.” He tore the map into tiny pieces and then soaked it in a cup of water on his desk.

He held eye contact with me waiting patiently for a reaction. It took everything in me not to react, I was fuming on the inside. I straightened my shoulders and maintained his gaze.

“I have an offer for you.”

For the first time since I got here, he smiled. I furrowed my brows in confusion, and he began to chuckle as though I had said something funny.

“You,” he emphasized. “Have an offer for me?”

“Would you just listen?” I snapped at him, and he became rigid again.

I could sense that he wanted to say something, but I really wasn’t in the mood to listen to whatever threat he had to spew, so I continued with my offer.

“I want my people to remain where they are, if you wish not to accredit us, we’d try in another eight years. Though retribution is needed for the death of one of mine, and I want you to send the five guards to my people as that.”

The room was silent. By now I had figured he deliberately took his time when answering to unnerve whoever he was speaking to. It was an old trick in the book and if anything, it repulsed me because I hated slow speakers.

“Where’s the offer? That’s a demand.” He leaned back in his seat. “I gain nothing.”

“An armistice is an offer,” I flashed him a fake smile.

“You wish to wage war?” He lifted his brows.

“No, you started a war when you killed one of mine,” I spat.

Of course, he didn’t know that he hadn’t killed one of mine but that was what he had aimed for and still believed happened. He stared ahead like he was in thought before he spoke again.

“I have an offer of mine for you.”

I hadn’t expected him to just accept my offer right away, but I had expected him to accept it. I was currently weighing my pros and cons, and the cons seemed to be a lot heavier. For instance, if he were to imprison me, my pack would be left without a leader, leaving them vulnerable to attacks. If he were to kill me, my whole plan would crumble, and the result would be the same as the former.

“Go on,” I took a deep breath.

“Your pack can stay put and I’d consider your accreditation.” There was something about the way he said the word consider. “I’d send the body of my guards along with a new battalion to protect your people as an apology.”

Dear Moon Goddess. I hated him more every single moment he did this pause thing.

“But?”

“What makes you think there’s a but?” He grinned.

“But?” I asked again, irritated.

His smile widened before he spoke again.

“But you remain here.”

It was my turn to chuckle, “Remain here? You must have lost your mind.”

“Diane,” He growled.

“Alpha Diane.” I corrected and headed towards the door.

Here’s something I knew for sure at this point, if he was going to kill me, he’d have done that a long while ago, before I was brought here in fact. I had just turned the doorknob when he made a sentence that stopped me in my tracks.

“What did you say?”

“Celine. You know her?” He wasn’t grinning nor smiling this time, so I knew of course he had to be dead serious.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Celine Adams.” He rephrased. “Ring a bell?”

The snarl erupted from my throat before I could suppress it, affirming his question.

“Do anything stupid and you’ll regret it, bitterly.” I could feel my claws threatening to protrude so I had to take deep breaths to calm myself.

“You might want to see this.”

He turned the monitor on his desk to have the screen facing me. Celine sat in the middle of nowhere with her hands and legs tied up. I couldn’t recognize the faces of the others surrounding her, but their guard clothing told me all I needed to know.

It’ll be stupid to think they had attacked while I was here and captured Celine only. John had known I was coming here so he obviously would have been prepared for whatever. I knew what had happened, Celine had tried to follow me.

“One would think you’d have given your backup at least one of your many maps, Alpha Diane.”