His Silent Temptation

Chapter 9 - Useful Pawn

K I L L I A N

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Either some f*cker tried to poison her. Either that, or I was genuinely a fool. I highly doubt it was the latter.

In my presence, werewolves and humans alike jumped to the side. They glued themselves to the walls and obediently glanced down at their feet.

“Alpha Thornov,” they murmured with a quiet salute or bow of their head in obedience.

Some were foot soldiers and others were regular Thornov Pack members. Nonetheless, I made sure to glance at each and every one of them. Even the lowest member of my pack had a role. I seldom acknowledge people, but they should feel seen. Nothing ever got past me, and they were all aware of that.

“I looked into the incident,” Nicolas said whilst leaning a shoulder against the wall, his arms crossed firmly against his chest. He icily glanced at me, pressing his lips together.

Nicolas was my Beta, my second in command. When I wasn't around, he kept the pack in control, men and women alike. People scared me as much as they did with him. Our reputation took the city by storm, leaving no stone unturned.

Everyone knew the Thornov name. Everyone knew Nicolas Thornov and his ruthless torture methods. His iron fist and cold stare looked right through you.

Nicolas Thornov wasn’t just my Beta in name. He had both the calculative and cunning personality to prove it. Yet, this irritating brother of mine was irritated at a task I gave him. Chester would have investigated the situation, but I wanted Nicolas to personally do it. He was more thorough. More specific.

“The chef’s secret ingredient for the squash soup has always been nuts,” Nicolas said. “For as long as she’s worked here, it’s been her signature dish and the recipe unchanged.”

I narrowed my eyes. I don’t remember tasting nuts.

“I want every single dish from now on to not contain the ingredient,” I demanded, leaving no room for any arguments.

Nicolas scowled—his only expression at this point. The man hardly smiled. Not since the incident years ago involving our parents. I don’t blame him. I wouldn’t either.

“Jasper loves nuts,” Nicolas muttered. “He won’t be happy.”

I snorted. “I wouldn’t be surprised. I’ve never seen him with a woman.”

Nicolas rolled his eyes. “You know what I meant,” he said. “He snacks precisely one cup of it every day to get his daily intake of whatever nutrient his book tells him.”

“Tell him to get his healthy fats elsewhere,” I spat out. “Nuts are banned.”

Nicolas simply stared at me, his sharp features devoid of any emotions. Even so, I knew what ran through his mind. Just what exactly did Selene mean to me? I found myself asking the same question as my own words sunk in.

I curled my finger into fists at the thought of her. Innocent and idiotic, frightened by everything around her. Whenever I saw her soft features, resembling a trapped fawn in the forest, my chest tightened. When she’d peer up at me with those large, pouty eyes, the bitter taste always lingering in my mouth turned into sweetness. I was beginning to crave her presence. No, not crave, it was a much worse emotion.

Even now, as Selene was down the hallways, my body throbbed to walk back—to clutch her vulnerable wrist in my hard fingers and feel the skip of her pulse. My groin tightened at the thought of her peering at me, lashes fluttering in uncertainty, and not a hint of arousal from her.

God damn it. The only woman I’ve ever come across that wasn’t both aroused and scared of me. Just what was she doing to my mind?

“I’ve sent your order through the mind link of our entire pack,” Nicolas said, his eyes no longer glazed over.

Not a second later, Jasper was already calling me. I tossed my phone to Nicolas who deeply frowned, but picked up anyway. His harsh voice softened when speaking to our youngest, an action I always disagreed on.

Atlas, when it came to the twins, Nicolas wasn’t as ruthless. It was impossible to not care for the twins, who had never known our parent’s cruelty. They were my blood brothers. I would walk through fire for them.

‘And Selene?’ Knox grumbled under his breath, impatiently pacing in my mind again.

I don’t have time for this.

“Have Selene discharged and back in the pack house before grandfather arrives,” I warned Nicolas upon seeing Theo rushing down the corridor. My secretary was impatient as usual.

“Alpha, the meeting,” Theo said, slightly breathless from running all the way here. The man was thin and tall, with skin too pale for a werewolf. He despised running in the forest though, despite it being a primal instinct for us all.

A domesticated wolf, I always called him. Too pristine for the dirty forest I loved to storm through. When Theo wasn’t dashing on the treadmill, he was swimming laps to build stamina instead of joining our pack mates in hunting the forest behind the Pack House.

“Keep an eye on Chester,” I informed Nicolas. “I want him tame today. No running around with the nurses. Have him watch over Selene.”

“Is that an order, brother?” Nicolas dryly said, knowing his body could never resist the order of an Alpha. Not a single person swore loyalty to me in the pack. Disobeying an Alpha wasn’t just met with external consequences, but also internal ones. It was an agony that would send someone begging for mercy on their knees.

“Selene is a useful pawn in my game,” I simply said, despite Nicolas slowly raising a brow. “I want her alive and well.”

Nicolas stiffened, believing his worst nightmare was coming true.

I brushed past him, only stopping to glance over my shoulders. Lowering my voice, I curled my lips.

“Now, that’s an order.”