Mishap: Sold To The Ruthless Alpha

Chapter 3. See me burn

~~~Lindsey’s POV~~~~

The smoke was thick, and the fire's unbearable heat was starting to burn my skin when a deep voice broke through the murmurs, commanding silence and attention. “Stop!” he called out, his voice steady but filled with power. The entire crowd went silent.

"What's happening here?" he inquired, and I don’t know why, but my heart leaped with fragile hope.

I longed to know who it was, but my sight had faded, and the agony from the harsh heat rendered me helpless, and all I could do was weep. As if the hurt wasn't already overwhelming, even crying felt like a struggle. My eyes ached with a deep, unending pain, and my throat was on fire, so raw and constricted that no sound could escape, even though I was screaming.

The crowd stood there, their eyes fixed on him, as if the memory of what they had done to me had vanished, even as the flames consumed me with an unbearable intensity, and that made me so furious.

The people, especially the female staff members, started murmuring in the crowd:

"It is the young, handsome Alpha Stephen of the neighboring pack."

"Popularly known for his ruthlessness and brutality, I love him!"

"He will definitely enjoy this little scene."

"We have an alliance of peace with his pack."

But I was in so much pain that I could hardly hear a word they said—I was agonizing.

"Stop!" he repeated, his voice echoing through the vast compound, ordering silence. "Who do you think you are?" My stepmother's voice dripped with venom as she confronted the man who had interrupted, but her husband, my dad, immediately placed his palms on her mouth. While whispering to her, "I don't think you need an introduction," with fear, although he was the beta of the pack.

"Sorry for the inconvenience. Let's move on to discuss while we allow the elders of the council to conclude with the ceremony." My father spoke while freeing his wife and approaching Alpha Stephen.

"There is nothing you can do. She’s dying today!" My stepmom, Beatrice, raised her voice in anger and impatience to see me roasted into ashes, and the crowd yelled in support of her, “Yes.”

Stephen's gaze flickered to mine, and for a brief moment, despite the smoke and blurred vision, I saw something in his eyes, a scintilla of something I couldn't name. That was more of a supernatural feeling for me because it was my first time experiencing it. I couldn't read his expression and had no idea how, but I knew he was my only hope.

“Luca, take me to Orlando now!” he ruled. “That is exactly what we have to discuss,” Luca, my dad pulled his words in hesitation, but the persistence on Alpha Stephen’s face was very obvious. “Can we move in and have a private conversation with all the elders of the council members?” Luca suggested it, and he agreed.

The crowd's attention had all moved back to me with their twisted, bitter, but satisfied stares as they watched me burn with satisfaction. The pain I felt at the time was indescribable, and the heat was so intense that my tears dried before they could reach my cheeks. I was slowly dying, and no one was doing anything to put out the fire.

“Why has the flame not consumed her completely yet?” yelled the crowd. Meanwhile, my body was roasting—the flame's heat was intolerable. I gave up my last gasps while the flames consumed me.

At the moment, the men were still in discussion.

“Do you want to jeopardize the relationship you have with our pack? If not, how dare you ask to have a criminal like her after everything we just told you?” Mr. Alfred, the head of the council, and the elders of the pack scolded Stephen.

Stephen paused for a few seconds—he wasn’t feeling at ease, yet he hid it—before giving a subtle reply, “No! Rather, I have a deal for you all.” He spoke while grinding his teeth in pain, and tiny drips of sweat appeared on his forehead.

“And what would that be?” they pouted.

“How about me buying her to be my slave? If she could kill a man like Orlando, that means she has a lot of potential that might be helpful to my pack.” He faked a smile as his body burned and his legs weakened.

“What do you mean? Buy her?” Mr. Alfred wondered. “Her life means nothing to you people. I give you something significant: 3,000 T-COINS.” At this time he was struggling to speak, and the heat within him intensified.

A T-coin was like 1.5 dollars then. They had small I-coins that were like one equaling 0.5 dollars.

“Sorry, she's not for sale! She's a member of our pack, and she belongs here. She’s simply facing the consequences of her actions. With due respect, that can’t be possible,” Alfred pouted as he was getting fed up. All he wanted was justice.

“I raise the amount to 5000 T-coins each. That is enough money,” Stephen insisted, and it raised the greed of the others, but Alfred maintained his stand, saying, “No, we have to get revenge, and no amount of money or whatsoever will stop us from getting that.”

“Can we discuss it to the side?” One of the elderly, Mr. Judas interrupted, and all six moved to the side to have a chat, as if Stephen could still hear them.

“What will others think of us if we do not get revenge on our Alpha? This will ruin our reputation.” “I get you, Alfred, but that money is good enough for a life that does not matter to us. Isn’t it better to know her alive and suffering at the hands of another alpha rather than just killing her? Death is too soft for her,” Judas insisted, and all the other four counselors agreed except Luca and Alfred.

Unfortunately, the majority won the vote. They moved back to Stephen with their conclusions.

“We agree to sell her to you,” Judas said with a smile. “On one condition!” Alfred immediately interrupted Lucas, and Stephen pouted. Stephen could barely stand on both feet and sweat on his forehead increased. He was so uncomfortable.

“Give us the river separating us. If you want that traitor, you add the River Nile to the equation.”

“F*CK!” Stephen frowned in pain. He couldn’t take the decision alone. He had to consult the elders of his land before making such a decision.

Alpha Orlando’s dad and Orlando himself had fought for that river for years. That made the Sun and Moon packs enemies for years before Stephen and his pack—the Sun Pack—won what was legitimately theirs after the death of their Alpha, Stephen’s dad, and that victory led Stephen to sign a treaty of peace and business with Orlando’s pack. So the moon pack paid taxes to Stephen for every boat or traction made that passed through the river.

How was he going to give away what he won just for a strange girl he knew nothing about?

“Also, she will be banned from ever setting her feet on this land,” Alfred added, his voice laced with malice.

Stephen took a deep breath and was about to say, “Yes,” when he felt a strange sensation of relief as the heat overwhelming him reduced drastically. “She’s dead,” he whispered to himself. “Why are you whispering? Have you suddenly lost your tongue?” Alfred giggled.

“No, but I'm taking away my deal!” He groaned furiously as a strange and uncontrollable anger surged through him, which surprised him. He felt broken, and he couldn’t explain why.

Just as Stephen was about to leave the room, guards rushed in, yelling, “She escaped!” “What?!” Alfred scolded in disbelief.

“Damn!” Stephen's worried expression was replaced by a flash of a smile, and he was surprised to feel hope surge back into his heart, yet he acted unaffected. “I hope you find her before I do.” With that said, he left. Not only the room but the palace.

The fixed phone in the room rang, and Lucas was called in to answer since there was no alpha anymore.

“Hello, nephew!” Lucas gasped. “Uncle Lucas, why? Why didn’t you call me immediately? I learned it from someone else. Tell me about my father's death,” said Jasper, the recently deceased alpha’s son.

“I was going to call, but we couldn’t discuss anything on the phone,” Luca said. "Whatever the case, I will be in the country in a month, and make sure my dad receives a befitting ceremony. Also, whoever is behind this, keep him in the cell for me," he ordered before abruptly ending the call.