Sold To The Alpha Of Darkness

Chapter 5

Malek’s Pov

It was well known that with great power came great responsibility. That saying had followed me everywhere I went.

The Moon Goddess made sure I never forgot it, especially when she made one of my greatest responsibilities nearly impossible to fulfill.

Finding my mate had become a sport, just not hockey. Hockey was my favorite, and I excelled at it.

At fourteen, when I was installed as the youngest Alpha of Deepcrow, I wasn’t happy, not with the circumstances surrounding my rise.

The former Alpha had been dethroned and killed, and I had been plucked from Ivana, the deep forest where I lived with Elder Ona to lead a pack I barely knew.

I relocated with everyone from Ivana. My pack, my newly found family to an unfamiliar land.

And to be fair, the Moon Goddess hadn’t been entirely wrong in choosing me.

It had taken a lot to get there. I wasn’t a normal child, I knew that. That was why I feared leaving the forest and reuniting with other wolves. After being rejected by my parents, I came to believe that family was nothing more than an exaggerated word.

The word mate made me see red.

And when the shaman said I could only be mated to an ice wolf, I knew the Moon Goddess had decided I would remain alone forever.

I wasn’t complaining. That had always been my plan.

My lineage would end with me.

Elder Ona, who had tried and failed to convince me otherwise, had been overjoyed the day she learned that a woman of ice wolf lineage had been found.

She was the daughter of the late Alpha Vincent.

I found everything wrong with that information.

Not only was she a dull woman who believed in happily-ever-afters, but she had proven it by giving up her seat on the High Council for a mate who was neck-deep in another woman.

And yet… I couldn’t stop staring at the passport-sized photograph attached to her file.

Her icy blue eyes called to the deepest part of me.

Bright, yet dull at the same time. The emptiness and pain swirling in them made my wolf restless.

It was infuriating.

I hated that, even without meeting her, she had already unsettled me.

“No!” I snapped, tossing the file off my desk. “She isn’t welcome here.”

I had told Elder Ona countless times, yet she kept bringing the matter up.

“This is destiny. You can’t order it away,” she said calmly from where she sat opposite me.

“I can, and I will.” I stood abruptly, my chair screeching against the floor. “This is not up for discussion. I don’t want to hear about it again.”

I strode toward the window, the room suddenly feeling too tight and too hot. I flexed my hand before pushing the window open.

“You don’t want to hear about it,” she said, “or you’re afraid she might actually be the one.”

I hated how easily she read me.

I turned toward her, anger vibrating through me. “You are excused.”

“We’re not done speaking.”

She was fortunate to hold a special place in my life. Otherwise, her head would already have been mounted on a spike for the insolence she had displayed these past weeks.

“You don’t have a say in this, Malek…” She used my name without a title. She wasn’t speaking as an elder now, but as a guardian. “You need an heir. You may be the strongest Alpha, and your territory uncontested, but age comes for everyone. You won’t remain vital forever.”

“We can appoint a successor,” I replied. “After all, I was appointed.”

“You were chosen, not appointed. Your father was the former Alpha, may his soul rest in peace.”

The Moon Goddess couldn’t keep cornering me like this.

I had been fourteen when she dragged me there. Now I was twenty-nine. I was no longer that confused child.

I raked a hand through my hair and faced her fully, unwilling to speak about my past. “You don’t know the girl. She could be a rogue.”

“She isn’t. Her father was a reputable man.”

“And she’s an i***t who gave up power for love. I can already see how this will go. She’ll come here expecting roses and tulips, wanting someone who isn’t me to give her the world.”

“You should be glad she’s not like you.”

“I would have been glad if she were like me.” Then at least whatever existed between us would have been a duty for both of us.

Instead, they were bringing softness… beauty… into something already broken.

‘What if she’s also broken?’ My wolf countered. He had been restless since he took note of the pain in her eyes.

“She might not be the one,” Elder Ona added, distracting me from my thoughts. “Unless you can feel it.”

She didn’t need to say it.

I already felt it. And that was exactly what terrified me.

“I feel nothing,” I snapped, pacing.

She only smiled. “If you say so.”

Her phone chimed. She glanced at it, then looked at me with a grin.

I knew that smile.

It was the kind that usually preceded something worthy of death.

“Fix whatever you’ve done,” I warned. “There’s only so much I can tolerate before I punish you.”

She inhaled deeply, adjusting her robe. “Well… It’s unfixable. Your soon-to-be bride is here.” She looked everywhere except at me.

My eyes nearly bulged. I was in shock.

Another emotion I haven’t felt in a while.

“You went behind your Alpha’s back to bring a stranger into my home?” I growled as my eyes flashed red and my Alpha aura slipped free.

She jumped to her feet immediately, lowering her head. “I’m sorry, Alpha Malek. We’ve all hoped for this… prayed for her. So I thought—”

“You thought?” I advanced slowly, dangerously.

“No,” she said quickly. “I clearly wasn’t thinking.”

Better.

I walked past her and yanked the door open with force.

“Do not scare the girl,” she called after me.

I shot her a glare, but she lowered her head, hiding a smile. The door slammed behind me.

I headed straight toward the west wing where guests were received.

I didn’t need directions.

I could feel her.

Warmth bloomed in my chest. My wolf stirred, rising curiously.

My body trembled. My fingers flickered with restrained fire. Dark winds coiled around me, threatening to break free.

Then I saw her, and everything stilled.

My mind. My heart. My wolf. The wind.

Everything.

She stared at the floor, but when she finally looked up, she gasped, her eyes widening as though she stood before a monster.

My chest tightened at the thought.

It was strange because I preferred being feared.

I gave her credit, she didn’t tear her gaze away from mine.

Her gaze traced me just as mine traced her.

She looked small. Pale. Fragile.

Long brown hair cascaded down her back. Pink lips parted slightly in shock. Her cat-like eyes locked onto mine.

There was a quiet beauty about her, the kind capable of bringing even the strongest man to his knees.

And her scent…

It was intoxicating.

All my wolf wanted was to purr around her.

I hated it.

It already felt like a weakness.

My wolf pushed forward, urging me to close the distance and claim her.

I knew the marking could hurt her, might even kill her. She looked exhausted, detached. Slimmer than what was in the picture.

But I didn’t care.

A part of me thought it would be better if she died than for me to feel this way.

I stepped forward, but Elder Ona blocked me.

“She’s weak. Give her time before confirming if she’s an ice wolf.”

I bared my teeth. “Rituals are rituals. Why delay what must be done?”

At the sound of my voice, Lillian flinched and stepped back instinctively.

My anger surged. How dare she fear me?

Elder Ona leaned closer, her voice weary. “Stop this. You’ll kill her.”

“If that’s her fate, I can’t change it,” I said coldly, stepping forward.

Lillian stepped back, her eyes widened as she realized my intention. She shook her head while tears spilled down her cheeks.

My gaze drifted to the guards, and they hurried towards Lillian, holding her in place. Though she was restricted, I expected her to kick, scream, and beg.

But she did nothing of the sort. Only closing her eyes, and making it really obvious she was repulsed by me.

For a moment, I almost stopped.

But my wolf surged forward wildly, her scent pushed me over the edge.

I grabbed her chin, and she shivered beneath my touch. Desire shot through me, a part of me hoping her reaction wasn't caused by fear alone. “Look at me,” I hissed.

She shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut tighter.

“Now!” The chandelier rattled at my command.

She flinched before finally opening her eyes. We stared at each other, her chest rising rapidly with each breath. If she didn’t survive… I hoped I would be the last person she saw.

I tilted her head and sank my fangs into her neck. She gripped my sides tightly as pain overtook her.

“Mate,” my wolf growled triumphantly, and I froze. Though I saw and felt the signs, my wolf confirming it made me somewhat whole.

An unknown void got filled within me.

Then slowly… I pulled away.