A Rose Between Two Thorns

Chapter Six

Eric sneered down at the man for a moment before saying, ‘you had better have something useful to say, or I will rip your head from your shoulders’ his sneer deepening he added derisively, ‘Alpha Nathan.’

The former Alpha cowered slightly as he stood in the throne room in front of the Rogue King. His smarmy self righteous demeanour had long been ripped from him, replaced with the weak shallow man he really was. His dirty, matted hair, clung to his ashen face, falling around his sallow cheeks like a curtain, his once strong physique now just a thin statue of bones and skin.

‘Your highness’ Nathan rasped, ‘I have information that can help you.’

‘So you have been screaming from the dungeons Nathan, so spit it out so I can be suitably unimpressed and send you to act as a bait dog for my men’ Eric replied carelessly.

Gulping, Nathan hurriedly replied, ‘it’s about the woman you seek, I . . I know where she is’ he mumbled, immediately drawing the King’s attention.

‘You know where she is? How do you even know who I'm looking for?’ he demanded.

A small smirk glided across the man’s face, ‘your men talk your Highness, but it wasn’t until yesterday that I heard her name and realised I know who it is’ he replied, a tinge of confidence returning to him.

Eric stood up and strode toward the weak Alpha in front of him, grabbing him by the shirt and lifting him a few inches from the floor. Glaring into the frightened man’s eyes, Eric’s own as black as night as his wolf surfaced. ‘Tell me’ he ordered, watching as Nathan squirmed in his grasp.

‘What’s in it for me?’ Nathan gasped desperately, grabbing the King’s fist with his own hands.

‘I won’t kill you’ Eric offered with a growl.

‘That’s hardly an exchange Alpha’ Nathan replied, his voice steadying despite his fear, ‘living in the squalor of your dungeons for eternity is really not a better option to death.’

Eric pondered a moment before releasing his hold, turning back to his chair as Nathan crumpled to the floor in a heap.

‘What do you want Nathan?’ he growled in a low tone, his dislike for the man evident.

Scrambling to his feet, Nathan straightened up and brushed down his ragged clothing before speaking, ‘I want out of your hell hole of a dungeon’ he replied, ‘I want decent food, a room with a bed, access to your slaves and I want in on your games’ he said loudly.

Eric raised an eyebrow in surprise, ‘you want a lot Nathan, you must think your information is very expensive’ he said, trying to sound nonchalant.

Nathan grinned, ‘oh I think the whereabouts of the she wolf that you and your father have been searching for over the last twenty years is very valuable Eric’ he replied, ignoring the King’s growl at his use of his first name. ‘We are both Alpha’s Eric and I want to be treated as one, so either I get what I want or I die with her location and you can continue to search for her fruitlessly.’

Eric rubbed his forehead with his thumb and forefinger, feeling the beginnings of a migraine that always seemed to surface when he had to deal with this vermin.

‘How do you know I won’t kill you as soon as you tell me?’ he asked with a curious glance at the man.

Nathan shrugged, ‘you are many things Eric, but you are not a liar’ he said easily, ‘I never thought it was true, but you are a Rogue with honour, when you make a deal you do not break your word.’

Eric sighed, it was true, he never broke his word, if he said he would snap your neck, he would do so, if he made a deal to release a prisoner, they would go free, being released far from their home unharmed.

The Alpha King was now intrigued, his gaze scanning the waste of space in front of him, ‘you are not one to be someone's right hand man Nathan, what is your real objective here? I don’t believe you are willing to hand over my prey just so you can have a comfy room and a few hoe’s.’

Nathan raised his hands in surrender, a malicious grin spreading across his face, ‘OK you caught me’ he said with a dry laugh, ‘yes I do have a separate plan.’ His face contorted into one of anger, his eyes flashing as he snarled angrily, ‘something was taken from me and I want it back, if I have to align myself with you to get it then so be it.’

‘What do you seek Nathan?’ Eric asked, interested.

Meeting the Rogue King’s gaze, Nathan growled as he spat out, ‘my pack, I want my pack back, and when I get it, I am going to punish every last one of them until they know never to turn their back on me again, starting with my nephew and that traitorous Beta.’

Eric nodded, ‘fine, we have a deal, your removal from status as my prisoner, access to the benefits of being part of my army including training in return for the information on her whereabouts.’

Nathan grinned victoriously as he held out his hand for the Alpha King to shake, the other werewolf grasping it with a look of disgust, shaking it quickly and releasing it again.

Ignoring Eric’s displeasure, Nathan looked to either side of him at the guards and made a shooing motion. ‘I’ll take a chair gentlemen, and something to eat’ he growled, the two guards looking at him with undisguised loathing before turning back to their Alpha who gave a curt nod in agreement.

The left guard headed out of the throne room quickly whilst the second walked to the side of the room and grabbed a chair, bringing it back and placing it in front of the Alpha with a loud bang.

Taking his seat, Nathan waited silently, a serene look on his face as Eric’s jaw ticked with annoyance.

‘Your end of the bargain Nathan’ he spat angrily.

Nathan waved his hand dismissively, ‘as soon as I have eaten Eric, I will happily spill everything you want to know’ he replied, leaning forward he also added, ‘I'll also happily help you obtain her, at no extra charge.’

Eric blinked in surprise, wondering what game the other Alpha was playing, offering to help him get his prize for free. Nathan was not the kind of man to do anything that did not benefit him in some way.

Entering the room, the first warrior walked back to the throne and thrust a plate full of sandwiches into the starving man’s hands, who immediately fell onto the food, ramming it into his mouth with a moan of pleasure.

‘right, you’ve got what you wanted, now tell me where she is you bastard’ Eric snarled, drawing Nathan’s eyes up to him.

Swallowing, Nathan smiled easily, ‘calm down Alpha, good things come to those who wait, see?’ he said as he gestured to his plate.

‘Hurry up Nathan, or I might just change my mind and this will be your last meal before you face The Game’ Eric growled back warningly.

Straightening up, the wheezing Alpha nodded quickly, placing the now empty plate on the floor and fixing Eric with a stubborn stare.

‘The girl you want is also the girl that stands in the way of what I want’ he said softly.

Eric’s eyes widened as he took in the man’s words, ‘she’s an Alpha’ he breathed, a grin spreading across his face.

Nathan nodded, ‘yup, and she’s strong, but’ he added a smirk sliding across his face, ‘she’ll do anything for family.’

A smile crept across Eric’s face as the image of the mocha skinned woman who was currently in her room down the hall floated into his mind. ‘Well isn’t it lucky that we have the best bargaining chip right here with us?’ he replied softly.

Nathan chuckled humourlessly, ‘they are strikingly similar, I honestly thought it was her when I first saw her down in the cells talking to that mutt. Obviously the similarity is only skin deep, she has none of the power or strength of her sister’ he added with a sneer.

Eric growled, launching himself at the surprised man and knocking him backwards to the floor, enclosing Nathan’s neck in his grasp as Nathan grappled unsuccessfully, trying to prise the Alpha’s fingers from around his throat.

‘Don’t you EVER disrespect her again’ Eric spat furiously, his wolf, Ember, glowing in his eyes, ‘you will never speak of her, look at her or interact with her again, do you understand?’

‘Yes’ gasped Nathan desperately, his eyes wide with fear. Releasing him, Eric pushed himself off of the sorry excuse of a man and motioned for his men to take him away.

‘Make sure he’s in a room well away from her’ he ordered harshly.

‘Yes Alpha’ the two guards replied immediately as they grabbed the dirty man from the floor and dragged him unceremoniously from the room.

Watching the door shut behind them, Eric calmed himself down before allowing a small smile to caress his lips.

‘Finally Lily we shall meet’ he murmured excitedly, ‘I have waited a long time for you but it looks like I will be completing my father’s work at long last.’

Chuckling, he leaned back in his throne, his eyes grazing across the cold stone ceiling, his wolf prancing excitedly to finally be within reach of their prize.