Alcateia - The Alpha's Nightmare

CHAPTER 6 - HER PERFUME

Her face looked so pale… Laying on that bed she looks like a corpse, a beautiful corpse, but still a corpse. I could feel my heart aching. I’m here, in this country, for just one reason: trying to kill every vampire in the world. Avenge my mother’s death.

But now… everything has changed. After so many years, I’ve finally met my half. My soulmate. The creature that I’m eternally linked to. And she’s broken. She was broken by some disgusting humans.

I take a deep breathe while getting closer to the bed. I just want to hold her hand; grab her body and protect her with my embrace. But as soon I get close, I hear Alpha’s Mário growl. I look at him. His face distorted by anger, warning me that I shouldn’t touch the unconscious woman.

“She’s my half… please” I beg in a hoarse voice.

He approaches, in his face the lines of anger accentuating.

“I don’t care if she is your half or not. My sister was r***d last night, I’m sure the last thing she wants is being touched by some stranger”. I understand what his saying. I look back to her. So beautiful and fragile. How could someone hurt her? “She didn’t even want to go to the hospital, Alpha Xander. She can’t handle any male presence, not even mine.”

“But I’m her half… And she knew it… She said it…”, I mumble, finding again the Portuguese Alpha’s gaze.  “She will feel safe if I’m close to her”.

The man growls ferociously and grabs my arm, dragging me out of the bedroom. With a harsh movement, I get rid of his grip and growl in a clear warning. He shouldn’t touch me again. My wolf was furious. I was more Alpha than he would ever be. And the message seems to be clear, as he raises his arms in an apologetic gesture.

“She won’t feel it, Alpha. She can feel deeply as we do. She may be able to identify her soulmate. But she is no wolf. She doesn’t know she’s safe with you. To her, you’re just a man for whom she feels something deep and unexplainable” as he explains it, I feel my heart breaking and I finally realize that my half is no werewolf. She’s a human, a psychic. A simple gesture of mine could break one of her bones. I gasp with that thought.

“I… I understand. I’m sorry, Alpha Mário… I’m abusing of your hospitality… Me and my beta, it’s better if we stay in a hotel-“

“Please, there’s no need of that, Alpha Xander. You two are my guests and each member of my pack it’s ecstatic to meet the leader of the Endless Night pack.” He tells me in a very polite way, but I can still feel his anger.

I nod and follow him as he guides me to my room. I thank him and close the door. I look around me; simple beige walls, a large bed with a very comfortable look and dozens of peachy pillows, a light white curtain covering a huge window, and a simple brown wardrobe. I start walking around and I end up finding my bag in a small bathroom with no light. I sigh and take the baggage with me, placing it on the top of the bed. I open it. After searching through my clothes, I find a pair of jeans, to my relieve, and a black t-shirt. I took also some black boxers and a pair of dark blue snickers. I take a quick shower. I was dressing myself when someone knocked at the bedroom door.

Zipping my jeans quickly, shirtless, I open the door to find Kai with a worried look on his face. He steps in and sits on the bed, crossing his arms.

“What was that all about?”

“Hum…?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about, Xander” I can sense his anger. “We just arrived and you act like a psychopath inside the Jóia Branca pack’s house!”

Now I’m the one getting anger. I know Kai doesn’t agree with me in a lot of things, but I’m still his Alpha.

“She’s my half. I felt it. And she felt it too”, I grumbled.             

Kai starts laughing. A disdainful laugh.

“If every time I got a b***r, I putted my d**k out, I would have lots and lots of problems!”. His mocking tone is getting on my nerves. “You should’ve stayed quite”.

I growl ferociously. “I’m your Alpha! You give me no orders, Kai”.

He sighs and look away. I can feel his anger but also his fear. Kai may be my best friend, but I would not allow that kind of attitude. He’s my Beta, his job is to obey and fight by my side, not to question my choices.

“Yes, Alpha…” he whispers. “But… as a friend… Please, Xander… be careful… As soon as the girl fainted and you held her in your arms, more than twenty werewolves appeared, ready to attack at their Alpha’s orders. We can be way stronger, but there’s too many of them. They would kill us with no trouble”.

I let escape a heavy breath while putting the t-shirt on. I knew that. I’m perfectly conscious that if we do some s**t in Portugal, specially to the Jóia Branca’s pack, we will be immediately killed. Nevertheless, I’m not going to act like a frightened pup.

“I know what I’m doing, Kai”, I grumble. Then I sit by his side on the bed, my eyes piercing the door, lost in thoughts. “She is beautiful, isn’t she…?” I ask him in a whisper.

Kai nods. “Indeed… But… I don’t know if she’s what you need by your side”.

My grey eyes find Kai’s blue ones, in an attempt to understand his words. “She’s perfect. She’s my half”.

Kai clears his throat and I can sense the nervousness of his wolf. “She’s not a werewolf. And she has been broken”. Those last words are enough to awake the beast inside me. Without noticing, I’m over Kai’s body, holding his neck between my fingers. He’s looking at me with a shocked and terrified expression, but I’ll not loose the grip.

“She’s my half”, I say slowly, in a warning whisper. “Half of my soul, half of my life, the owner of my name. That’s what she is. Werewolf or not, I’m hers and she’s mine. And she’s not broken. No man can break a woman”.

I loose the grip and move away from him. He starts coughing and gasping, piercing me with his blue flaming eyes full of resentment. I hold that look, sensing how my wolf and his are ready for a real fight.

Someone knocks at the door, interrupting us. When I open it, I see Mário’s Sá wife, Rosa. She has anger in her eyes as she looks at me and Kai. Without a word, she enters the room, crossing arms in front of her chest, her face accusing us of something. I could feel her power. She was definitely an Alpha, and… a powerful one. Way more powerful than her husband.

“I can feel you two from the kitchen”, she says, her voice cold as ice. “You’re are in my house and I hope you behave yourselves. We’re going through a very difficult moment and the pack doesn’t need any more problems”. I remained silent, looking at the woman with much respect as possible. She was… imposing. And she was scolding Kai and I as if we were two stupid teenagers. Then she raises one finger and points it to my nose, her brown eyes burning with anger. “I heard what Teresa said…”. So that was her name! My beautiful half’s name! Teresa… Sounds like a melody to me, specially in that accent. “I know you’re the piece that is missing on her soul… But I warn you, Alpha Xander, this is not the moment. She’s like a daughter to me. If you touch one of her hairs, if you hurt her in some way, I’ll kill you with my bare and human hands. I don’t like you… You smell like death… But I will accept you for now… and only because of her. So… behave yourself, Alpha… Or only your bones will return to the United States” and then she turns around and starts walking out the room, only stopping at the door for a few seconds, saying “Dinner is served. Come join us”. And she disappeared.

I look at Kai and find his attention on me, with a clear expression on his face that said “I told you”.

 I clear my throat before talking to him.

“Let’s go…”

***

As we arrived downstairs, we find a group of around twenty-four wolves. Mário Sá looks at me and Kai, and smiles warmly.

“My brethren, I present you Alexander OldBlack, Alpha of the Endless Night pack!”, he said and every werewolf bowed before me in a very respectful way. I’m quite surprised. I visited packs in France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Russia. No Alpha spoke to me in English, they all made me learn their language. And, definitely, no Alpha’s pack bowed before me. I wasn’t expecting so much respect from the Jóia Branca’s pack. But it’s a very pleasant surprise.

I bow slightly, with a subtle smile in my face.

“And with him is his most loyal man, Beta Kai Bennet”. The Portuguese werewolves bow down again and in response to their politeness, Kai does the same. But there’s something awkward in his moves. He’s not a shy man, or a clumsy one. He’s actually known as charming. However, he was all shaky and awkwardly pale.

“It’s a pleasure to be in the presence of all of you. Muito obrigado”, I thank in Portuguese, immediately receiving smiles of approval from the older werewolves.

Mário Sá points to two at his side. “These gentlemen here are Beta Romeu and Beta Daniel. They’re my most loyal men”. I approach the figures, shaking their hands. They smile and nod.

“It’s an honor, Alpha Xander”. Says the first man, Romeu. He was quite a tall guy for a Portuguese, and his Beta strength was impressive. I can see some similarities with Rosa, Mário’s wife.

“The honor is mine”, I say.

“Now that the presentations have come to an end, I would like to discuss something with my pack before dinner. Would you like to join us?”, asks Alpha Mário.

“Of course, Alpha”, I hear Kai saying.

I nod. “With pleasure”.

The Alpha points to the sofas and chairs that are all over the room. Each wolf takes a seat, and Kai and I are invited to sit in front of Alpha Mário and two young women that looked a lot like him; we’re side by side with his Betas. At my right, I can notice how Kai is blushing like crazy and then… I see one of the young women looking down, her entire face burning red.

What the hell?

“As you know, last night, my sister Teresa was r***d by three man”, the living room was immediately filled with furious growls. “You already know their smell. Alpha Ricardo and Alpha Pedro are already informed and their men and women are ready to start the hunt. I will join them, alongside with Romeu and Daniel. In my absence, Rosa is taking my place and I hope you obey and protect her as you do with me, and I also expect you to protect Cecilia and Ana as if they’re your own daughters”. A ‘yes, Alpha’ was heard through the living room. “Alpha Xander, as some of you already know, is the half of my sister Teresa. He’s here to discuss some business and vampire’ attacks, but I’m sure he can look over her safety while I’m gone”, Alpha Mário says, looking directly at me.

I see how every wolf is watching me, waiting for an answer. I smile and nod.

“Of course, Alpha Mário”, I say and see the appreciation on their faces.

“Alpha Mário”, I hear Kai say, calling the attention of every person there. I look at him, trying to guess what is he going to say to the leader of the Jóia Branca’s pack. “Your… your daughter…”.

Alpha Mário raises an eyebrow. “Which one?”. Kai points to the girl in front o him, she was probably eighteen. “My Cecilia?”

“Yes”, he nods. “Your daughter… I can watch over her, if you allow me”.  

I feel the cold taking over my body as every wolf starts growling at Kai. And I was the one who needed to be careful?

“She’s… my half, Alpha”.

My heart stops beating. Mário’s Sá daughter was Kai’s half? I think we’re dead.