Sentenced to The Ruthless Alpha

Chapter 19: Blood in the Air

Roman POV

“We can’t let her have Thora.” His wolf pressed insistently against his ribs. “She means more to us than a human should. I’ve felt it, and you have too.”

Roman let out a slow sigh. He had to admit Astrid's proposal hadn't left his mind. It was quicker and far more practical than the plan he'd been clinging to. Three weeks ago, this was exactly the kind of news he'd hoped for, before his head got clouded with confusions about Thora.

Now, a restless unease coiled inside him whenever he imagined giving her up. He convinced himself that it would fizzle away once he marked her and eliminated the possibility of her being his mate. Yes, that would clear up his muddy brain. After that, he wouldn’t care where she ended up.

At least, that was what he kept telling himself.

Yet, he did care a little too much when he drew close to Matilda’s quarters and overheard his twin brother and Thora.

The door stood slightly ajar. Regan held a flower petal beneath Thora's nose. She inhaled, then immediately recoiled with a cough.

"Whoa. What is that?"

"Duskbloom," Regan replied. He sniffed it himself without so much as flinching. "I found these a while back and introduced them to Matilda. If you steep the petals in hot water, they make a mild tonic for sprains, bruises, and inflammation. The pack doctor still thanks me till date for discovering them. It's helped declutter the clinic so more serious cases are prioritized."

Roman drew in a slow, ragged breath.

"Calm down. He's probably just trying to get under your skin because you didn't confide in him earlier," Axel said.

Roman squared his shoulders.

"I'm perfectly calm," he said, a little too quickly. “And why would he think cozying up to the human would spite me? I just hate how little he cares about sullying the Valcourt name by hanging around the human. I can’t have the pack murmuring about yet another brother when those two are seen together. That’s all.”

He turned around, making a mental note to seek Matilda later for fresh bottles of his scent suppressants.

“You need to slow down on the tincture. I don’t feel too good when you have it.”

Roman recalled the episode where his sense of smell flickered just before Vance’s visit. Swallowing, he shoved it at the back of his mind, grateful it hadn’t happened again.

He agreed he needed to ease up on his doses but Thora’s scent lingered too vividly in his mind, and he needed to expel it urgently. Normally, a run in his wolf form would've helped the thoughts fizzle away, but shifting at will wasn't a freedom he enjoyed anymore. There were strict conditions for that now.

His wolf yearned to be set free, to run wild with the wind on their back. Roman reined in the urge and took a detour to the training dojo to blow off steam.

The place was surprisingly packed with young men sparring. They all stopped and bowed to acknowledge the alpha until a small wave of his hand put them at ease. Dax walked up to Roman.

“Rumors of the Culling has everyone on edge.” He said, reading the alpha’s face. Then he sneaked a glance backward, at the cluster of betas preparing to shift and test out their howls.

“Alpha, I could have the hall cleared for your training if you’d like me to.”

Roman’s muscles tensed at the sight of the transformed wolves. Though size had never been a problem for Axel, everything else flickered, such as speed, agility and strength. It made going up against beta wolves a steep but manageable challenge However, the thought of going head-to-head with alpha wolves sent chills down his spine.

“Alpha?” Dax snapped fingers in front of Roman’s face.

Blinking, Roman shook his head. “That’s fine. Let them train. Our pack needs this victory. I’ll come back at midnight. Make sure it’s cleared by then.”

“Yes, alpha.”

He didn’t dwell on the fear simmering in his belly.

“I think we can survive the challenge with Thora’s help.” Axel chimed in. “I always feel stronger when she touches you.”

“I can’t mark her until I know what’s in blood, Axel. I can’t risk putting us in danger by acting rashly.”

Axel answered with a low, frustrated growl.

***

For the next hour, Roman sat in his study, staring at the sealed document the High Council had delivered detailing the trials selected for the Culling.

His hands trembled. He couldn't bring himself to break the seal.

Instead, he chose to go through his great-grandfather’s files again, searching for anything he'd overlooked about the first human Luna and how everything started going downhill for the Valcourt pack after she entered their world.

There was nothing striking about her. She had no uncertain blood markers like Thora, no allergies as were common with humans. She simply claimed to have been in love with Alan Valcourt so much that she fully embraced what he was.

There had been a lot of tension in the pack. The elders had resisted at first, but no one possessed the strength or the courage to challenge Alpha Alan.

For two generations afterwards, pureblood pups were born. This helped to assuage the fears and worries of the council as well as the pack regarding the mixture of werewolf and human genes. Everyone seemed to backpedal on the issue, since werewolf bloodlines dominated each time.

Then Roman and Regan were born, and they broke the streak. Unlike Regan, Roman inherited both bloodlines.

His human blood unfortunately weakened his wolf. Because of it, he'd spent his entire life working twice as hard simply to stand beside purebloods, let alone surpass them.

Now, the Culling ceremony threatened to blow the lid off his family’s shameful secret.

He dropped the documents when he noticed his hands were shaking. With a curse, he shoved them back into the drawer, locked it, and pushed to his feet.

Moonlight poured through the window, full and bright. By its position, he could tell it was almost midnight.

Heat prickled beneath his skin. His wolf stretched, itching to run. Instinctively, his fingers brushed the wedding band. Axel lifted his head hopefully but Roman hesitated, dropping his hand. It would only make things worse if he blatantly violated his sentence.

So, he went for the next best thing to calm his nerves.

***

“Alpha.” Lady Serena's eyes widened as he entered her chambers. She closed the book resting in her lap and rose gracefully to her feet.

Roman’s blood hummed under his skin at the sight of her. She was radiant in a flowing white, lace nightdress. Her room carried a delicate floral fragrance.

He took out the flower gaping from the corner of her hair and sniffed it. “That’s lovely.” When his eyes returned to her face, a rosy blush spread across her cheeks.

“You look lovelier, Serena.”

“T-Thank you, alpha.” Nervously, she tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ears. "Had I known you were coming, I would've prepared."

Lightly, he skimmed a hand over her shoulders. “That won’t be necessary.”

Then, he cupped her chin and lifted her face to him. “I need that massage you offered to give me. Is it still on the menu?”

“Y-Yes, of course, alpha.”

Behind him, her attending omegas dashed to her drawer, unearthing the oils. One laid a clean linen sheet over the padded massage table while another set out lighting soft candles that flickered to life around the room, filling the air with a calming herbal scent.

Roman ignored the buzz of whispers and frantic steps behind him. His eyes stayed on Serena while she gently slipped his coat from his shoulders.

She guided him toward the table. "Please, lie face down."

He stretched out across it, resting his forehead on his folded arms.

A ribbon of warm oil traced the length of his back before Serena spread it with slow, practiced strokes. Her thumbs worked steadily along the tight muscles beside his spine, easing the knots gathered across his shoulders before gliding lower to loosen the tension in his back.

The firm, rhythmic pressure gradually unwound muscles he hadn't realized he'd been clenching for days.

Without thinking, he let out a quiet breath. Serena smiled.

She hummed softly beneath her breath as her hands continued their patient work, kneading away the weight pressing down on him.

As the tension in his body finally begun to melt, she leaned down and brushed a gentle kiss against the nape of his neck. More followed on his shoulder and his lower back as she moved around the table.

It was exactly what he needed to take the edge off. For the first time in days, he began to relax. But just as he allowed himself to sink deeper, to enjoy everything she was giving him, dread crawled into the pit of his stomach. Every muscle in his body locked.

Axel surged upright inside him.

"Alpha?" Serena stepped back when he jerked up suddenly. "Is something wrong?"

“Thank you, Serena.” He brushed his lips on her forehead. “I have to go.”

Confusion lingered on her face as he shoved into his coat and hurried out. He didn't stop until he reached the path leading toward the omega wing.

“She’s terrified.” Axel piped. “I sense her heart racing, like it did shortly after your wedding. She’s in danger.”

He inhaled deeply, sorting through the scents riding the night air as he advanced towards the omega wing. He caught Thora’s intoxicating scent, but it was rife with adrenalin and fear. Just then, a scream shattered the silence.

An instant later, glass exploded and something hurtled through an upper window. It struck the ground with a sickening thud only a few feet in front of him.

Roman froze. For one terrible heartbeat, he couldn't make himself look.

Only the unmistakable scent of blood rose into the night, thick enough to drown out everything else.