Kill me, heal me, Alphas

5. Alpha’s ultimatum

Alastair

"You've got to be kidding me, Alast. How can you take that big mouth as your slave?" Warren charged as soon as we stepped inside the room.

"I will soon zip your mouth for calling me with that nickname. Where did the rest of the words go? It’s Alastair for you," I warned, even though I knew I was only wasting my breath. Warren never listened. He'd still call me the name he felt like, whether it was Alast or Alastair. Sometimes he went for "bro" when he was in a good mood.

"Whatever. Alast or Alastair, I'm talking about something serious here. What do we need her for? She's too prideful," Warren hissed out, crashing on the couch while he grabbed the glass that was resting on the table and gulped down the drink.

"You should learn how to examine things before you put them in your mouth. You might get poisoned one day." Warren had a way of handling things carelessly. He could leave food open for an hour and still come back to eat it. He also had a knack for forgetting things easily. He'd say he wanted to do something and then forget about it. That's how careless my brother can be.

"At least I could find an antidote. What about someone under a curse?"

I rolled my eyes in return. "Maybe you should go on the radio station and tell the world your brother is suffering from a curse," I shot back before joining him. Warren shot me a glare in return before continuing with his questions.

"Seriously, Alastair, tell me your motive for taking that human as your slave. We can't afford to add more problems to the ones we are already facing. Remember, we have responsibilities back at the pack." I poured myself a drink into an empty glass and gulped it down in one go.

A smile curved up on my lips. "You know how I handle things, brother. Do you think what I did was to save her? Maybe you've forgotten the humiliation she put us and Father through. She even dared to slap me." Thinking about how that girl raised her hand to my face still angered me.

No woman had ever dared to even look into my eyes and challenge me, yet she did. The fire in her eyes wasn't ordinary, and neither were the turquoise color of her eyes. I had never seen someone with eyes like that before, not in the werewolf realm or the human world.

However, her actions weren't the only reason I had taken her as my slave. There was more to her that I needed to discover. "I have this feeling that she's the key to breaking my curse," I confessed. Warren's laughter filled the room.

"Breaking your curse? You've got to be kidding me, Alastair. This mere human, someone with weak powers. Didn't you see the way her brother handled her earlier? Damn! I was impressed at the way he worked his magic. He should've burned not only her arms but her mouth too, so she wouldn't be able to say rubbish." It was clear that Warren didn't like Nyala one bit. Not that I liked her either. She needed someone to teach her how to behave with people, and I wanted to be that person. I wanted to show her that in our world, no one messes with us and gets away with it. I don’t care about her uncle.

The poor man had to lead his kingdom for all those years, and in the end, he couldn't hold onto it. I didn't know what his son's motives were, but it looked like he was a greedy man. I thought back to my conversation with Teagan himself last night after Father had left. "You know, I met Teagan last night," I began.

Warren raised his brows in question. "For what? Where did I go that I didn't know about your visit?"

"You were busy wandering around the kingdom; how would you know? Anyway, there's more to the man. I don't think even his family knows about it."

"Meaning?"

"He said something about Nyala being capable of changing the world. That she is the key to curing my curse."

"And you believed him?" Warren said, pointing a finger at me as he burst into laughter once again.

"I do," I retorted. "I have this instinct that he knows what he's doing by keeping her by his side. She isn't just an ordinary human with weak water bending. She might be of use to our realm."

"Wow," Warren clapped his hands together. "I now understand where your words are heading. Do you plan to... enjoy her 'fruits'?" He teased.

"Naughty boy. I'm using this opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. She can't mess with the Alpha brothers and think she will get away with it. I will make sure I teach her a very good lesson while she serves me as my slave." The thought of what I would do to her excited me.

"Point of correction, Alast, our slave." We burst out laughing.

**

"What do you intend to do with that girl now?" Father asked. I had expected him to ask me such questions. After all, I took everyone by surprise. However, I couldn't tell him my plans yet. Father is a man of few words and tended to get soft easily. If I tell him my plans, he'd most definitely try to stop me.

He had a tendency to take pity on people easily, which was why they often try to take advantage of him. But I don't allow that. If you mess with me, you face the worst consequences of your actions. Nyala would have to face that, or even more.

"We are taking her with us, of course. As you can see, we own half of their kingdom now. Rostledam is ours," I explained, not giving any hint of my motives.

"But Aldmoor still belongs to them. I don't know if Teagan's son will be able to continue from where his father left off. The way he chased the people out of the kingdom raises alarms."

I heaved out a sharp breath. "Father, we shouldn't worry ourselves about all these things. We are here for a deal, and we have signed it. Whatever they decide to do with their kingdom is none of our business."

“We shouldn't involve ourselves too much with the humans. You said it yourself that humans are conniving. I don't really see any problem in what Corvin did. He might want a change. He can't always follow his father's lead."

Even with my explanation, Father didn't sound convinced. But I couldn't care less. What needed to be done had been done. We can’t do anything to bring back the dead. Every leader had their way of leading. If that's what Corvin wanted, then so be it. "When are we leaving?" Father asked after staring into space for a while.

"Two hours should be enough for us to prepare. I'm sure that will be enough time for the girl to get her things ready." I said, making my way out of Father's room.

The premises was somehow calm, as if it wasn't the same place that had been turned upside down a few hours ago. If I hadn't witnessed it, I would have sworn nothing had happened. There wasn't a single person around, so locating Nyala's room was quite a challenge. My guess brought me to a door that I wasn't sure was hers. I kicked the door with my foot and stepped inside. There, I found her at the far end of the room, her head buried in her legs. The moment she heard the sound of the door, she lifted her head up.

I found my lips curving up. "Get ready. We are leaving in two hours," I declared. In a matter of a few seconds, she was up on her feet, standing in front of me, her eyes swollen. It looked like she had cried a river. Poor her.

"I am not going anywhere." I didn't miss how sharp her tone was. Even in her situation, she still had the remaining strength to behave all prideful.

"I don't like repeating myself. I am not your brother. If you can talk to him any way you want, you can't do that with me." Maybe it was high time I warn her about what she was getting herself into.

"You must be kidding me. You think just because you want me to follow you, I will comply. I am not leaving this kingdom in the hands of traitors. You and your father had planned this all along. You are killers!"

I didn't know when my palms connected with her face. I grabbed her arms and pulled her to me in anger. How dare she. "Don't you dare open your filthy mouth and insult my family just because you couldn't keep yours together. The big killer here is you. If you hadn't troubled your uncle, he wouldn't have lost his life so early. Your brother was right when he said you are the reason for their father's death. You killed your uncle!" I seethed, yanking her back. She wobbled but didn't fall.

Something flickered in her eyes, like regret and fear. I didn't give her time to process my words when I took a step towards her and took hold of her face. "You are now my slave. You will have to follow every order of mine."

"I am not your slave. I am nobody's possession," she muffled out, making me more excited to teach her a lesson than ever. I liked that she had a big mouth, the same mouth that had gotten her into trouble.

"You have no other choice. Aldmoor is no longer something you can control. Rostledam is ours now. Tell me, what do you have left? Nothing. Your powers aren't even strong enough to defend you." She went silent, and I was sure I had ignited something inside her.

"My powers might be weak for now, but it won't change my motive."

A chuckle escaped me. "What motive, exactly? Don't tell me you're still hell-bent on saving your half-baked kingdom."

"You're right. I won't allow Corvin or you to destroy it. I have to save it."

It seemed she didn't know what she was saying, that she was still in the dark. "I will save Molly and Elsa at all costs," she added.

I raised a brow. "You don't care about saving yourself?" I asked.

"I don't need saving," she retorted, her eyes clouded with fierceness. The way her turquoise eyes dilated made me want to find out more about the young girl. What powers did her uncle mean that would change the world? Powers that she herself didn't even know about.

I released my hold on her face and stepped back. There was no way in hell I would allow her to get away unless she broke through my curse. I was sure the man didn't keep her close to him for nothing. It is my turn to use that to my advantage.

I walked to the door and stopped. "Your friends will be safe only if you let your guard down and obey your master." With that, I walked out.