BOUND TO THE RUTHLESS ALPHA

chapter 17

Darius’POV

When we finally reached the house, Sam wheeled me inside.

The first person to spot me was Kimberly— My cousin and Sam's mate. She froze in the living room with widened eyes. “Darius? On a wheelchair? How did this happen?”

Before I could answer, my mother spoke. “It’s a long story. He went to Adiba Street concerning the Patriarch and one of his men ambushed him somehow.”

Kimberly’s hand flew to her mouth, her eyes darting from my mother to me.

“You’re badly injured, Darius. The last time I saw you this injured was when you fought with one of the Patriarch's men. I truly don’t want anything to happen to you.”

I hated how this whole thing made it seem like I was weak.

“I’m fine,” I muttered.

“Soraya” My mother called. “Please take him upstairs”

Shit. Why?

“Sam, assist her. Take him upstairs.” My mother added.

Sam nodded without argument. He stepped behind me and began pushing the wheelchair.

When we reached the base of the stairs, Sam braced me with a firm grip.

“Come on,” he murmured.

I groaned as he helped me up, I leaned my weight on his shoulder. Each step caused pain through my leg, but I forced myself up, refusing to show how much it hurt. Behind us, I heard the soft scrape of metal against wood as Soraya carried the folded wheelchair up the stairs, behind us.

At the top of the stairs, I sank back into the chair, relief washing over me. Sam adjusted his grip, but then he pulled his hands away from the handles.

Without a word, Soraya stepped forward. She held the handles, and started to push me down the hall.

Why didn't Sam just do it himself?

When we got to the room, Soraya closed the door behind her, and when she turned back, her eyes met mine.

“You need to lie down,” she said softly. “You should rest until your wound heals completely.”

I didn’t answer. I just stared at her, then leaned forward in the wheelchair and began to unwrap the bandage around my leg.

In a flash, she rushed to me and grabbed my hand.

“What are you doing?”

I looked at her with raised brows.

“What is it that I’m doing? I’m taking the bandage off.”

Her lips pressed into a thin line. “You’re so stubborn.” She said, “Your wound isn’t healed yet. I agree that you’re an Alpha, CEO, whatever you want to call yourself, and maybe you don’t want to appear weak… but the fact remains that you got badly injured, and you just had surgery. You should be resting, not acting like nothing happened.”

I held her gaze for a few seconds then she lifted my hand away from the bandage. “Come on,” she said, tugging at me to get up.

I groaned when my foot touched the floor, pain shot through me. My pride wanted me to shove her hand away, but I didn’t.

“Here,” she whispered, guiding me toward the bed.

As I laid back on the bed, I couldn’t stop my eyes from drifting to her. The same question circled in my head. Why? Why did Zeus always listen to her? Just one touch, and my raging wolf melted like some obedient pup.

She was human. We had tried witches, shamans, even chains laced with spells older than my bloodline but nothing worked. Yet this girl from a brothel had something none of them did. And that thought made my jaw clench.

I didn’t want to admit it. I didn’t want to believe that I, an Alpha, had to depend on someone like her. Someone I had dragged out of a place I never wanted to think about again.

“Did you cast a spell on me?” I asked without thinking.

She blinked at me, then her eyes widened as if I’d completely lost my mind. A second later, she burst into laughter.

When she finally saw that I wasn’t laughing, that I was dead serious, her smile faded. “Wait, you’re serious?”

I kept silent.

She shook her head slowly in disbelief. “Do I look like a witch to you? Why would I cast a spell on you? And what kind of spell would even do this?”

I leaned forward slightly, my eyes locked on hers. “Then explain to me why Zeus listens to you. Explain to me why he could be raging like a beast and yet…” I snapped my fingers, “...calm down the moment you touch me.”

Her gaze softened a little. “I don’t know, Mr. Darius Dovenia,” she said quietly. “I’m just as confused as you are. Maybe even more than everyone else. But I swear, I haven’t done anything.”

“Listen, Soraya,” I said. “Although you are my mate, that’s nothing, okay? The fact remains that you’re some girl from a brothel, and that’s what you are to me, and to everybody else.”

The moment the words left my mouth, I saw her jaw tightened, her teeth clenched, and her eyes glossed with something. Tears? She just looked at me, hurt flashing across her face.

Then she turned sharply, stormed toward the door, and slammed it behind her with great force.

I exhaled through my nose, pressing my head back against the pillow. Why did she react that way?

The door clicked open again, but this time it wasn’t her. Sam stepped inside.

“Dude,” he said, shutting the door gently behind him. “I just saw Soraya storming out. She looked really upset.”

“It’s nothing. We just had a little talk.”

Sam dragged one of the chairs closer and sat down. “A little talk?” He arched his brow. “Her eyes were watery, man. I think she’s going to cry.”

I froze. Cry? Over what I said?

Sam leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “That girl is your mate, Darius. And from what I’ve seen, she’s a good girl. More than that, she’s the only one who can calm you down when Zeus goes out of control.”

He shook his head. “Why would you be treating her badly?”

I didn’t answer immediately.

How could I explain it? How could I tell Sam that the only reason I snapped at Soraya was because the thought of her past made my blood boil? The fact that other men had touched what was mine made me upset. It made me angry, furious, and I didn’t want to think about it too much, because if I did, I’d lose control all over again.

I looked at Sam, narrowing my eyes at him. “You’re only talking this way because you’re mated to my cousin, Kimberly. If she had been from a brothel, you wouldn’t be saying all this.”

Sam leaned back, shaking his head softly. “Listen, even if I had found Kimberly at a brothel, it wouldn’t matter. That would’ve been her past. I’m here for her present and the future we’re building together.”

He leaned forward. “And like I said, Soraya’s a good girl. Better than you even realize. You should talk to her and stop being a jerk.”

His words sank deep into me. A jerk? Sam had just called me a jerk. If it had been anyone else, I would’ve snapped their head off their shoulders for speaking to me like that.

And just like that, two days passed. Soraya didn’t come to see me, and all the while, Sam’s voice kept replaying in my mind.

Mother wouldn’t let me leave the room, nor take off the bandage, nor move without the wheelchair. So, I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Truthfully, it was better than wheeling myself around the house like an invalid. I only got up to have a bath.

Now, I was standing in front of the mirror, dressed in my black suit. I buttoned it neatly, ran a hand over it then stepped out of the room.