Sentenced to The Ruthless Alpha

Chapter 14: "Isn't that right, Alpha?"

Roman POV

He had had a rough couple of days, but nothing was more draining than the thought that kept running circles in his head; that there was an eighty percent chance his fated mate was the human he married.

He had tried everything to reduce that probability to zero, but it only grew. The old books couldn’t be clearer. The witch he had secretly consulted from a distant pack had also mentioned the high probability. Roman was highly disappointed and heartbroken.

When he hadn’t found his mate at eighteen like his peers, or even Regan, his parents had assured him that sometimes, good things took longer. When people in his world said things like that, they usually mean ‘expect it in a year or two.”

But his didn’t come in two years or even three. It had been TEN years!

By the third year, the rumors began to swirl about him and his twin brother being half-bloods (descendants with a mix of human blood from his great-grandfather’s human Luna).

Purebloods never encountered delays in their growth. They learned to shift early. They found their mates early. Their lives were hardly fraught with misfortunes.

Regan’s path had unfolded like that. He found his mate early, even though she unfortunately died. His wolf was healthy and powerful.

Roman’s story was different. His wolf had always been slow, even though he did a good job of hiding it. Sometimes, his wolf senses acted up too, like the night Finn had died. Matilda was the only pack member his family entrusted with this shameful secret; that the alpha heir was a half-blood.

When it was apparent that Roman would likely not find his mate on his twentieth birthday, the late alpha paid someone to pose as his son’s mate but Roman refused to act a fool. He braced for the rumors and gossip behind his back. He worked tirelessly to improve his fighting and hunting skills so no one could beat him. Gradually, his excellence drowned out the half-blood rumors and he hadn’t looked back since.

Because once he was proven to be a half-blood, the throne would be ripped from under his feet by pack law.

He had lugged that secret for years and done his best to prove that no one else could be a better leader than him. And no one ever came close.

Amidst the offers from reputable Luna candidates jostling for his attention, he had kept hope alive that meeting his pureblood fated mate would finally cure his weaknesses, and lift the weight of the lie off his shoulders.

Now, the moon goddess was still playing another cruel a joke on.

A human mate was like the last nail needed to seal his coffin, but he wasn’t prepared to die yet. He wouldn’t go down easily. He’d rewrite his destiny, whatever it took, including rejecting his bond with Thora. Even though that’ll hurt his wolf further and possibly wreck Thora, the only thing he cared about was his legacy.

Or so he thought, before Thora walked into Varsha’s room at bath time.

It shouldn’t have mattered. Him and his night wolves had frequently shared a bath. Omegas had washed them so often they had gone through every last one.

The omegas were like flies on the wall in their pack. He barely knew their names or their faces. Their touch never meant anything to him.

But when he saw Thora frozen by the door, he knew there was going to be a problem. How was he supposed to pretend when her touch aroused him?

He knew he couldn’t make a fuss or turn down Varsha’s urges last minute. That would only raise suspicions. The last thing he needed were suspicions between him and his human Luna aka his human fated mate. So, he did what he had always done; he f****d Varsha.

But unlike the previous times, he struggled to enjoy it. He forced himself to give her what she was used to so she didn’t notice he was out of sorts.

Thora wouldn’t look at him. He hadn’t necessarily wanted her to, nor had he cared what it would feel like if they had locked eyes in the process of him thrusting his shaft into another woman. He only noticed how hard she was trying not to look at him, and genuinely wondered why.

He kept stealing glances at her, because he wanted to know if she truly understood what their connection meant in his world, or was pretending to be oblivious.

It would be dangerous if she knew just how fast her position and situation could change with that little information. Given how desperate she was for her freedom, she’d leave no stone unturned in order to improve her circumstance.

Roman had every intention to keep her in the dark for as long as possible, until he could finally get rid her.

He looked up from his desk when the pack doctor walked in.

“Alpha, you called?”

Roman gestured her to a seat before sliding Thora’s file across the desk.

“What did you mean by the note on her blood type?”

Doctor Sydney didn't need to look at the document to understand who and what he was referring to. The young lady took off her glasses.

"The human’s blood isn't normal. When I ran it, everything looked standard on the surface. But when I went deeper, I found markers in her blood that don't belong to a human."

Roman's expression didn't shift. "What do you mean they don't belong to a human?"

"I mean her blood is carrying something extra. Something her biology shouldn't be producing on its own." She set the file down. "The closest comparison I can make is this. Imagine two completely different species of plant crossbred into one. On the outside it looks like one thing. But when you cut it open, it behaves like something else entirely. That is what her blood is doing."

"Is it a disease?"

"That is what I can't tell you yet." She replaced her glasses. "It could be a condition. It could be something inherited. It could be something else altogether and that last possibility is what concerns me most."

She looked at him with a somber expression. "I know you’re under pressure to fulfil the requirements of your sentence. However, I would strongly advise you to limit physical contact with the human, skin contact especially, until I know exactly what those markers mean and what they can do. We don't know yet if whatever is in her blood can pass to you and the last thing either of us wants is something unknown finding its way into your system."

Roman was quiet for a moment. "How long will this take?"

"A few more weeks, possibly longer."

“Keep that bit of information out of the file. This stays between us.”

“Yes, alpha.” She stood and tucked the file under her arm. "I will come to you the moment I have a definitive answer.”

“You have a month to give me something solid, or I’ll have to find someone more competent.”

Acknowledging the subtle warning, she bowed. “I’ll on it, alpha.”

Roman said nothing as the door closed behind her. He looked down at his hands. Maybe this strange blood markers were responsible for what he felt when he touched Thora. Maybe something about this mystery will disprove everything he was starting to believe Thora was to him.

He caught the scent before his visitor knocked.

“Alpha, might I have a word?”

Roman silently ground his teeth before ushering Penny’s scheming father in. As usual, he meekly sat down with a benign smile on his face.

“You asked to see me? I’m sorry I wasn’t able to come sooner in the day. I and the elders had our hands full revising the pack budget given the losses we’ve incurred lately.”

Roman went straight for the kill. “I’m glad you brought up the losses we’ve incurred as a pack due to the human you elders forced on me in the name of punishment.” He stopped the elder’s counter remark with a flash of hand. “I didn’t ask you here to apportion blames. This is about Penny.”

Darryl shifted in his seat. “Penelope? Oh my, what has she done this time?”

“It is my understanding that you can help me get a divorce sooner than the stipulated time, but you simply won’t do it unless I publicly declare Penelope my chosen mate. Is that so, elder Darryl?”

Roman expected the nervous laughter that followed.

“Alpha Roman, that is surely not how I recall the conversation I had with my daughter. I think she confused the details because of how much she loves you.”

“I don’t think so, Darryl. This wouldn’t be your first sly attempt to have your bloodline on the throne.”

The smile died in Darryl’s eyes. “I’m not too sure what you mean, alpha. Are you accusing me of having eyes on your birthright?”

“I asked you here to tell me what you want in exchange for your help in getting rid of the human, elder Darryl! Don’t waste my bloody time with the pretense.”

Now, Darryl leaned close. “That sounds like bribery to me, alpha. Bold of you to think I would sully my sterling reputation as a loyal elder of this pack and its laws. As unfortunate as having a human Luna sound, she’s only here because you brought it upon yourself. You are not above our laws. Hence, you’ll serve your punishment as dictated.”

He shook his head. “Contrary to what you might think, I don’t care who seats in your chair, as long as they’re bestowed on our pack by the moon goddess. That is all the pack cares about; a pureblooded alpha who brings blessings to us. When he has the moon goddess’s nod of approval to lead as shown by his pureblood, his way is smooth. His path is clear.”

He lurched to his feet. “But when he doesn’t, the pack is doomed no matter how valiant he is in battle. Trouble will always find a way to the pack’s doorstep. Don’t you agree, alpha?”

Roman froze. The elder’s silent threat was unfortunately loud in his ear.

The one person who had always envied and hated his family’s place on the throne now knew the one secret that could make them lose the alpha position for good!

“Only a pureblood deserves to rule a pack, not disgusting half-bloods.” Darryl repeated with a shapr bite in his tone, and an unmistakable bait in his eyes. “Isn’t that right, alpha Roman?”