Enslaved by the Alpha

Chapter Eight: Draven

Draven's POV

"Don't you take another step!" My dad demanded behind me and I stopped in my steps, clenching my jaw at the sound of his voice. "I need to speak to you in my office now."

'Tear his heart from his chest and make him eat it! That disgrace is not our dad!' My wolf, Bandit, snapped his jaws.

"For what?" I asked, turning to face him. He wore an angered expression and I narrowed my eyes, knowing full well what he wanted me for. He's sent dozens of men out in search for her, some of whom are still out there.

I hope she got far enough away and stays safe.

"Now, son!" He snapped.

Annoyed, I watched him turn and walk back into the room, reluctantly following him inside. I closed the door behind me and walked over to take a seat across from him. Beta Jon and Delta Luka stood on each side of him, hands behind their backs and their heads held high like the little guard dogs they are.

They're so obsequious, I don't know how my dad cannot see it. I'd never want anyone who behaves as they do by my side.

"How the hell did she get away from you?" He growled, slamming his fist on the desk.

I leaned back in the chair and rubbed my chin. "I let her go."

"You what?" He bellowed.

Beta Jon and Delta Luke slouched, their eyes wide as they shared a judgmental look. Irritation soaked deeper into my body seeing their opinions displayed and I couldn't stop the petty words from leaving my mouth.

"How long?"

My dad appeared taken aback, his skin paling and his eyes softened in immediate understanding. However, his henchmen grew puzzled.

"You know very well what I'm talking about. Need I say it aloud?" I snarled, watching him hesitate. "I'd be thrilled to tell all of your trusting warriors how they are working like dogs because you—"

"Thirty years!" He answered quickly, his voice cracked with uncertainty and he cleared his throat, a red hue taking over his face which expressed his embarrassment to the room. If it weren't for the circumstance, I would've been humored by his humiliation.

"Thirty years?" I grit my teeth, my wolf going feral within me.

He silently sank in his seat and my gaze shifted to the couch on my left in an attempt to calm myself down, then my eyes lowered to the wooden leg after something on it caught my attention. Carved into it was a name; Zeek Sawyer.

A burst of disgust whirred through me and I clenched my jaw, snapping my attention ahead of me onto the three sickening men with no real respect—only coercion power. Everywhere I look, there's something testing my self-control.

I stood from the chair and slammed my hands on his desk, feeling myself succumb to the hot rage brewing in me. My dad stared, struggling to interpret my thoughts, then a look of realization slowly began forming on his features as I glowered down at him, my wolf on the brink of seizing control.

"Son, please. Don't—"

"I defy you as Alpha."

Tension filled the room and his expression morphed in horror. He shot to his feet to be at my level, the horror on his face hardening and his narrowed eyes flashed gold as if he was testing the weight of my challenge. However, threatening me with his wolf only brought mine forward. He was bewildered at this response, likely anticipating I'd submit just like I've always done.

The surprise left his face almost instantly and his expression darkened. "Do you know what challenging an Alpha means, boy?"

I reached out and grabbed his throat, half-shifting my hand, feeling my claws pierce into the thin flesh coating his neck. He stiffened and his men stepped toward us in alarm, halting in their tracks at the feeble 'no' that left his mouth.

Pathetic excuse for a man.

"I get to make you feel every piece of humiliation, pain, anger— everything you made her feel," I spat through my teeth, shoving him down into his seat. He rubbed his throat and sneered, nevertheless remained silent. With that, I turned and left the room.

'We couldn't protect mate before, but we can now. Why did you send her off?' Bandit growled in frustration, antsy she's out in the world, alone and exposed, without our protection, while we're here only able to hope she's okay due to our ignorance in her whereabouts.

'She wasn't safe here even with us around. The only way that could've been possible was if we never let her leave our side, and that's no way to live. I didn't want her to feel imprisoned any longer,' I answered, receiving an upset grumble before he retreated to the back of my mind.

"Hey, man, it's been awhile! We were just about to go out for a run, would you like to tag along?"

My best friend, Elliot, called out from the doorway to the living room and I looked over. With him was his mate, Gia, my other friend, Quintin, his mate, Liane, and her friend, Onalee.

I've been avoiding them since I found out Scarlett was my mate, but there's only so many places I can hide before they catch me. Elliot and Quintin will be the next Beta and Delta, eventually I'd have to face them. I just wish it wasn't right after I challenged my dad to a death duel.

"No, sorry," I replied shortly, scanning over the group a final time then passing by without another glance, exiting the house through the double doors in the front.

A hand found my shoulder just as I was about to descend the stairs and I turned to face a frowning Elliot. "Hey, what's going on? You've been really distant."

"Yeah, well, there's a lot on my mind," I sighed, keeping my tone low to prevent any certain eavesdropping from inside the house.

"Like what?" He lowered his tone to match mine. I looked around and pulled him away from the stairs, standing off by the corner of the porch.

"For starters, I just challenged my dad," I began and his eyes bugged from his skull.

"What?" He yelled.

I shushed him and scanned the area again, annoyance knitted in my brows. He whispered an apology and glanced around, his panicked eyes redirecting their way to mine.

"Are you serious? For f***s sake, man, why the hell would you do that? You realize that's a fight only one of you is permitted to walk out of, right? That's your father! What the f**k is wrong with you?" He whisper-yelled, crossing his arms with his eyebrows raised in expectation to hear my response.

"He inappropriately touched my mate," I snapped. Elliot's face fell and I rubbed circles over my eyelids, releasing an exasperated sigh once I realized my mistake.

"Excuse me, what? What the hell is going on? You found your mate? And your father assaulted her? Goddess," he exhaled, shaking his head in disbelief. "If anyone touched Gia like that..." he trailed off, shaking the thoughts from his head. "How is she?"

"I don't know," I averted my eyes to the swaying trees, frowning. The pains I received randomly over the past several hours must've been from her and it all suddenly disappeared. Our connection is still very much there, so I know she's alive to say the least. I regret letting her go, but it needed done.

"You—" he cut himself short and took a deep breath of composure. "You don't know? What the hell do you mean you don't know? I'd never be able to leave Gia's side if that happened to her."

"It's complicated, alright?"

"What's so complicated about being there for your mate?" He questioned.

I ran a hand over my face. "It's not exactly easy to be there for someone who isn't even there. I helped her the best way I could."

"Are you trying to tell me you're schizophrenic? I'm not following," he scrunched his eyebrows in confusion, tilting his head slightly to the left.

"I let her leave, Elliot," I replied with impatience. My words visibly registered after a moment and pity consumed his features.

The front doors swung open at that second and we watched my dad, Beta Jon, and Delta Luka exit the house. They went down the stairs, making a right turn as soon as they stepped onto the grass, heading toward the fighting grounds a mile out.

"Guys, did you hear?" Onalee's voice wafted through the air and we turned. Our friends piled out the doors in a rush. "Alpha Aston called for the pack to be at the sparring ring in five minutes, he sounded angry. I wonder what's happening."

Elliot shot me a side-eye and I intentionally avoided it. "Yeah, I'll see you there," I responded, meeting Elliot's concerned gaze with a look that told him to keep his mouth shut.

He caught onto my silent message and frowned. I turned and walked down the stairs, moving in the same direction my dad did seconds before. Their eyes burned into me from the porch until I passed enough trees to shield me from their view.

The sparring ring came into my sight sooner than hoped and I spotted my dad standing outside the large dirt circle, speaking with his men. Their conversation fell short hearing me approach and I felt shame tighten in my chest. That was until my eyes landed in my dad's, then a raging fire erupted within me and replaced the feeling with a blinding fury.

The only thing I see when I look at him are his filthy paws contaminating her beautiful figure. His every touch resembles a tick, infecting her body by latching on and finding a way to burrow in her.

Disgusting prick!

'Let me at this sorry f**k! Let me at him!' Bandit clawed for control and I suppressed him to the best of my ability.

We glared daggers at each other as I entered the circle, my wolf still fighting to be released. He wanted him dead and there was nothing that could possibly change his mind. I no longer looked at him as my dad or Alpha, but a threat—one that challenged me the moment he touched her knowing exactly what she meant to me.

Pack members came pouring around the perimeter of the circle, curiosity embedded in their faces at the call here. It didn't take long until the crowd gathered around had four rows thick of murmuring people.

My dad emerged from the audience and into the circle with me, stopping a few steps in. His appearance silenced everyone and I clenched my fists, feeling my canines extend and all my joints begin to ache. Bandit didn't want him to take another breath.

"Submit to me now and this will all be forgotten!" His stentorian voice filled the air and many bowed to their Alpha. Intentionally showing off his power had no effect on me like he clearly hoped it would, earning me a threatening look.

To counter his unsuccessful attempt at asserting his dominance, I shifted, baring my teeth and growling. He, too, said nothing more and transitioned into his wolf, peering at me with his bright golden eyes. His long, thick, wavy brown fur faded into black along his snout, chest, underbelly, and legs, blowing in the passing breeze. He prowled closer and I mirrored his actions.

We circled each other, neither one of us wanting to pounce first to gain the upper hand. I was rather thrown off when he charged. He smashed into my hip as I tried to move away and sent me into the dirt, a dust cloud kicking up and the light brown grains showered over my black fur.

Angered, I twisted my body and bit down on his hind ankle, swiftly moving to my feet and pulling his leg out from beneath him. He lost balance and crashed into the ground, thrashing wildly in my jaws. I crushed his bone in my teeth to stop his movement, but he pushed off the ground using his front paws and landed on my side. My body hit the ground and his entire weight landed on me, knocking the air from my lungs which forced me to release his leg in a huff.

His front paws pinned me on my side and he snarled, glaring down at me with a deadly look of warning. My ears flattened and I snapped my jaws, jumping for his neck. He swerved and chomped down into my shoulder.

I yelped, throwing my body into him, taking us both to the ground. We rolled around, biting, clawing, and growling. The dust cloud surrounding us only worsened, getting to a point where we were hardly able to see each other.

He nipped at my neck and I swooped under his jaw, sinking my canines into his throat and throwing him off of me. His body thudded against the ground several feet away and I rolled to my paws, standing up, snarling. He laid on the dirt, his chest moving rapidly as his nostrils flared, desperate for air.

I stalked toward him, pressing my paw on his jugular. His breathing hitched under pressure and everyone around us watched eagerly. Tension hung thick in the air.

'You're going to kill your own father over a blood sucking parasite?' He looked up through the corner of his eye, baring his teeth.

I snorted, the rush of air blowing into the side of his face, stirring up the dirt covering it. His eyes clenched closed when the grains landed in them and a low growl rumbled in his throat.

"Draven!" My mom's sobs filled the air and my left ear c****d in her direction. "Baby, please, don't do this!"

I lightened the pressure on his jugular and began to rethink my choice, slowly removing my paw, taking a few steps back. His lips curled into a revolting smile watching me back down, causing me to instantly think of Scarlett and all the times he subdued her wearing the same smug smile.

A wave of ice tightened my chest and chills shot down my spine. My hackles raised and I dug my claws into the ground to keep myself in place, snarling loudly. Saliva quickly lined my lips and foam formed, stringing down and dripping in the dirt under me. My rage intensified every second he remained in my line of sight and my stiff muscles strained to fight the urge to go after him. My body trembled violently with fading restraint, every ounce of control I had was slipping away faster than he got up.

'What're you doing? Kill him!' Bandit went crazy, wildly struggling for control to take matters into his own paws.

He shook off the dirt and my eyes fixated on him, waiting for him to do something that'll snap the tiny sliver of restraint I was holding onto.

His head raised and he stood above me, puffing his chest out to express his dominance over me so the duel will end peacefully. But Bandit managed to overrule me and snapped.

Lunging at him, my jaws wrapped around his throat and my teeth sank into his flesh. With one hard pull, I tore his throat out and crunched the bones in my teeth. His body dropped to the dirt and blood pooled around him. People gasped and shrieked in shock, falling silent, staring with horrified expressions.

A slow clap suddenly broke the silence and I lifted my head in that direction, dropping his throat while people moved aside and followed my gaze past them. Standing between four warriors leaning against a tree was a man in a devil red tailcoat, black dress pants, and shiny black shoes. His long, straightened hair flowed behind him without a single frizz, tangle, or wave in sight.

"Alpha Draven now I see, isn't it?" He flashed a grin that felt mocking and my hairs stood, a feeling of unease crept through me at his presence.

I walked over, exiting the circle where the pack parted a path to approach the unknown man. He looked like a conceited nuisance that I wanted nothing to do with.

'Get him off the land,' I snapped at the warriors through the mind-link then began to walk away, hearing them order him to leave with a threat.

"Is this anyway to greet a King, Mr. Sawyer?"

I twisted around, my blood running cold at the revelation. 'Let him go!'

The warriors stepped back and he smiled at me, brushing off the nonexistent dirt from his arms. I eyed his actions with narrowed eyes. His movements were slow and calm as if he had no idea what it meant to rush, making him extremely unsettling.

"May we talk?" He looked around in distaste. "Somewhere private, Alpha Draven?"

I looked at the warriors. 'Take him to the office, I'll be there in five.'

They bowed and I turned away, trotting back toward the house. His audacity to invade our territory and act so entitled is appalling.

I journeyed to my bedroom and shifted, throwing on the first pair of shorts I could find. The waistband snapped over my hips and I ran a hand through my hair, mixed emotions swirling in me, further adding to my stress.

My eyes lifted to my mirror and I gripped the dresser until my knuckles turned white, dropping my head, clenching my jaw on and off. The rage inside me never languished after killing my dad. If anything, it grew. I was pissed at him for making those choices, and I'm even angrier at him for forcing my hand. I just had to kill him because he wasn't going to stop. He was going to scour the earth until he found her. It had to be done.

Why didn't he just f*****g stop?

I didn't want this.

I took a deep breath and stiffly backed away from the dresser, leaving the room without another glance in the mirror, refusing to meet eyes with anyone I happened to pass on my way to the office.

"Alpha, I'm so delighted you decided to join me," he greeted as I entered the room, keeping his gaze set ahead of him and remained rooted in the chair.

"King Valentino," I replied bitterly, biting back a comment to his passive aggressive reply, pulling the door closed and walking over to sit across from him at the desk. He wore a grin and I couldn't contain my scowl, extremely aggravated by the mere sight of it. "Tell me, what gave you the courage to leave that castle and touch grass?"

His grin twisted into a scowl. "I came to propose a deal with your father... until I saw his throat torn from his body. Now, I'm proposing it to you."

"Did I put a kink in your plan?" I quirked a brow and leaned back in the chair, smirking. Although, my amusement vanished seeing a smile find its way back to his pale face.

"Actually, you made this much easier," he answered, sending another round of chills throughout my body. Unease clenched my chest and I felt an abrupt sense of restlessness.

"What is your proposal?" I asked sharply. He grinned at the anxiety laced in my tone and more discomfort pricked me.

"I'm honored you asked, Alpha Draven. You see, I'm more than aware of your affiliation with one of my people—Scarlett Callidora. That ugly little mark you imprinted on her says you're quite fond of her, yes?" His eyes bore into mine and I clenched my jaw, tightening my fists before I decided to reach over and throttle him.

"If you touch her—"

"Now now, let's not act like beasts," he interrupted.

The smile on his face irked me and I glared at him, feeling my claws start to extend as my wolf made his way back to the surface. I squeezed my fists closed and forced my claws to pierce into my palm, redirecting most of the anger to the pain in my hand in order to keep Bandit at bay.

"I know you wolves are known for your bad temperaments, so allow me to assure you, she is safe and sound. And if you strike a public alliance with me, I'll happily bring her back to you the same," he offered, his friendly tone gassing the fire within me. The more words that poured out of his mouth, the more hatred burned in my veins.

I stood abruptly. "You have fifteen seconds to pick up your audacity and get the f**k out of my face."

He appeared displeased with my response and moved to his feet. "My mistake for thinking she meant something to you. I suppose a man who'll kill family can't possibly be a man capable of love," he cleared his throat, spinning on his heel and exiting the room with the final word.

No, a man who'll kill family is a man with a stronger love for something else—someone else.

My tension lightened the moment the door closed behind him and I dropped in the chair, propping my elbows on the desk and placing my face in my hands.

Will I ever see her again?