Chapter 9
1016 Words
MIRA’S POV
Asher’s large hand remained wrapped firmly around my throat, pinning me completely against the weapon rack.
My weakness irritated him completely, and I could see the wheels turning in his mind as his amber eyes scanned my small, trembling frame.
He was trying to figure out what exactly to do with a broken omega in a pack built entirely on dominant warrior strength.
I kept my eyes locked onto his furious face, my gaze desperately darting across his features.
He must surely have a weak spot and I was looking for it. I looked at the small scar over his eyebrow. I looked at the pulsing vein in his thick neck. I looked at his broad chest.
But I found absolutely nothing. He was solid muscle.
Realizing I had no physical way to hurt him, I decided to shift my strategy entirely.
You might be wondering what I was going to do next, well, If I could not kill him with a blade or my bare hands, I might as well make his massive self-esteem dwindle with my tongue. I would strip away his royal pride word by word.
"You think you are so terrifying, don't you?" I choked out, my voice dripping with pure venom despite the heavy pressure on my windpipe.
"You are just a big, pathetic bully, Asher. You have to drag a weak female into a dark basement just to feel powerful. Does your wolf get a little ego boost from choking someone half your size? You are absolutely pathetic."
Asher’s amber eyes widened slightly, his grip tightening for a fraction of a second before relaxing just enough to let me speak. He looked entirely stunned by my audacity.
"You are a supreme coward," I snapped, leaning into his hand, ignoring the sharp pain of the metal hooks biting into the back of my neck.
"Everyone outside thinks you are some fearless god. But you are just an insecure, brainless tyrant who is terrified of anything he can't control with brute force. You don't scare me at all. You just disgust me. I see everything you’ve been trying to cover up with those rumors of you being scary."
"Silence, female," Asher growled, his deep baritone voice vibrating against my collarbone.
"Make me, you giant, brainless brute!" I screamed right back into his face, my breath fanning across his jawline.
"You are nothing but an overgrown beast with a crown. Your pack must be completely miserable if they have to follow a leader whose feelings get hurt by an omega."
The door of the training room suddenly clicked and swung open.
"Asher, we have a massive problem with the eastern border patrols," Chase called out, stepping into the room with a thick stack of leather folders in his hands.
The Beta stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes widening in absolute shock as he took in the scene. He froze completely on the smooth stone floor. Chase looked between me and his supreme alpha, entirely unable to believe his own eyes.
Asher was a man who barely ever spoke to anyone. He was famous for being emotionally distant, mostly communicating with short, harsh grunts or silent, deadly glares. Yet here he was, completely entangled and aggressively exchanging fierce words with me. a small omega woman who can barely defend myself.
Chase almost dropped the folders. "What in the name of the Moon Mother is happening in here?" he asked, his voice cracking with pure disbelief.
The sudden interruption sent a wave of terror into my stomach. His beta was here and now I would pay for all the insults I had been raining at him.
My anger evaporated instantly.
I realized exactly what I had just done. I had just insulted the Alpha King in front of his highest-ranking official. I was completely terrified that Asher was going to punish me brutally now that his beta had walked in on us and witnessed his humiliation. He would have to execute me on the spot just to save face and preserve his authority.
I stopped breathing, my eyes widening as I waited for his fist to strike my jaw.
Asher didn't look at me. He slowly released his grip on my throat, his hand dropping down to his side. He turned his massive body toward his best friend, his chest heaving as he forced his amber eyes back to a calm hazel.
His aura shifted, he was no longer angry.
"Put the border folders down, Chase," Asher instructed.
Chase stepped forward, his eyes still darting over to where I stood clutching my bruised neck against the weapon rack. "Asher, she is a guest from Silver Crest. Why were you…"
"She is not a guest anymore," Asher interrupted firmly, crossing his arms over his chest.
He pointed a finger directly at my chest. "Take her to the sacred pack stone immediately. I want you to perform the initiation ritual right now and make her an official member of our pack."
Chase’s jaw went completely slack. He stared at his alpha, his eyes popping out of his head with even more shock than before.
"The initiation ritual? Asher, she is an omega from another territory. You want to bind her soul to our pack link? The elders will have a fit."
"I am the King, Chase. I do not care about the elders," Asher stated, his voice leaving absolutely zero room for argument.
"Do the ritual today. Bind her to us."
"No!" I yelled, stepping away from them, my voice trembling with defiance.
"I refuse! I am not joining your stupid royal pack. I would rather go back to the kitchens of Silver Crest than belong to a monster like you. You cannot force me to take your pack mark."
Asher turned his head slowly, his golden eyes locking back onto mine with a dark, mocking smirk. "You have no choice, Mira. You are in my kingdom now."
“I have a choice. I could take my life right now and I won’t have to deal with this,” I returned the mocking smirk.
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