The Alpha's Rejected Mate

Chapter 9: The Elders' Wine

Morning came. Didn't bring no sun. Didn't bring no light. Just cold. And piss. And the smell of old blood on my hands.

I didn't sleep. Not really. Just sat on the throne all night. Eyes open. Staring at the ceiling. Thinking about her. My mom. Her face. Her voice. The way she used to say my name. Lila. Not "cursed child". Not "monster". Just Lila.

Ryder walked in. Slow. Careful. Like I was a bomb about to blow.

"Lila."

"What."

"The elders are here. Waiting in the small hall."

I stood up. My legs were numb. Didn't care. Walked barefoot. Something stuck to my foot. Cold. Wet. Didn't look down.

"The small hall?"

"Yeah. They said they wanna talk. Bring wine. Like you asked."

I laughed. Mean. "Good. Let's go."

The small hall was smaller than I remembered. Or maybe I was bigger now. Different. Darker.

Three old men sat at a long table. White hair. Wrinkled faces. Eyes that seen too much and done nothing. Behind them, two women. Silent. Scared. Servants maybe. Or wives. Didn't matter.

They stood up when I walked in. Fast. Like their chairs were on fire.

"Lila," one of them said. Oldest one. Bald. Fat. Sweating. "We... we brought wine."

He pointed at the bottles on the table. Three bottles. Red wine. Expensive. Good.

"Sit," I said.

They sat. I didn't. Walked to the table. Picked up a bottle. Looked at the label. French. Fancy. Didn't matter. Opened it with my teeth. Spat the cork on the floor.

Drank. Straight from the bottle. Red wine on my lips. On my chin. Dripping on my chest.

The old men watched. Scared. Silent.

"Good wine," I said. "Now talk."

The bald one cleared his throat. "We... we want to offer you a deal."

"A deal?"

"Yes. We know about the curse. About your blood. We can help you control it. Hide it. Protect you from the other packs."

I drank more wine. Let it burn my throat.

"Protect me?"

"Yes. Damian had enemies. Powerful ones. They will come for you now. But with our help..."

"With your help, what?"

He smiled. Fake smile. Ugly smile.

"With our help, you can keep the throne. Keep the pack. Keep everything."

I put the bottle down. Walked to him. Slow. Each step loud on the stone floor.

He stopped smiling.

"You think I need your help?" I said.

"I... I think..."

"You think wrong."

I grabbed his chair. Pulled him close. My face inches from his.

"Damian killed my mother. You knew. All of you knew. And you did nothing. You hid. You watched. You drank your wine and counted your coins and pretended not to see."

His eyes were wide. His lips were shaking.

"Now you come to me with deals? With promises?"

I let go. He fell off the chair. Hit the floor. Didn't move.

I looked at the other elders.

"Here's my deal. You tell me everything. Every secret. Every lie. Every name. Everyone who helped Damian. Everyone who knew about my mother."

I picked up the wine bottle. Drank again.

"And after that? You leave. You go back to your houses. You count your coins. And you never. Come. Back."

The second elder nodded. Fast. Too fast.

"We agree," he said. "We agree."

"Good. Start talking."

They talked for two hours.

Told me everything. About Damian's friends in other packs. About the money he stole. About the Omegas he killed. About my mother. How she begged. How she cried. How he laughed.

I listened. Didn't cry. Didn't scream. Just listened.

When they finished, I stood up.

"Go," I said.

They ran. Like rats. Like the rats in the dungeon.

The servants ran too.

I was alone again. In the small hall. With the empty bottles. With the truth.

Ryder came in. Looked at me. Didn't say nothing.

"You heard?" I asked.

"Some of it."

"He had friends. In other packs. They're gonna come for me."

"I know."

I looked at him. "You scared?"

"Yeah," he said. "But I'm still here."

I almost smiled. Almost.

"Good," I said. "Cause we got work to do."