2
874 Words
CHAPTER 2: KILLIAN
"Have you ever had this bad itch that you just... couldn't scratch?" I asked, my voice dangerously low.
Garrick’s eyes were as large as coins, sunken deep into his sweaty face. He was terrified, but that was normal. Most wolves were terrified of me. I gave them a very good reason to be.
I tilted my head to the side, waiting for an answer from the trembling traitor. But Garrick seemed to have completely lost the ability to speak. His jaw just worked up and down like a fish out of water. I sighed. It looked like I would have to give him a little bit of encouragement.
“Hey," I said, stepping closer. The shining wolf crafted rings on my fingers caught the dim torchlight. "I asked you a f*****g question, Garrick."
“You know that I hate to wait!” Garrick was shaking so violently that for a moment, I thought he might vibrate right out of the thick leather ropes securing him to the strong wooden chair. He still didn’t reply. I doubted he even remembered what I had just asked him. His pathetic little beta brain was completely frozen from pure fear.
I shook my head, pacing around him like a predator circling its prey. "Garrick, the people of the Blood-Spire pack are depending on you. If you don’t pull through on this, I doubt you’ll be spending a whole lot of time serving as our pack treasurer. Is that what you want? To be kicked out into the wilderness as a nameless rogue?"
He managed to shake his head rapidly, his breath hitching in his throat.
I chuckled, a dark sound that echoed off the damp stone walls of the dungeon. "Oh, so you’ve decided that you don’t want to die today. Well, that’s good. At least we have a starting point."
Garrick sputtered and coughed, the scent of his terror filling the small room. Finally, he managed to blurt out, "Where... where is Lyra?"
I frowned, pulling my head back as I stepped even closer into his personal space. "Your mate?"
He nodded quickly, tears welling up in his wide eyes.
“The innocent female you cheated on with a dozen different rogues from the outer borders?" I mocked, letting a nasty smile crawl across my face. "Oh, she’s not going to miss you, Garrick. Right now, she’s up in the main hall, drinking heavy mead with a couple of my best warriors. They are telling her all about the secret funds you stole from our pack orphans over the years. She’s not coming home to your bed tonight. In fact, she already rejected your bond."
"Don’t you f*****g touch her!" Garrick snarled, a weak, pathetic spark of anger flashing across his face.
“I rolled my eyes, completely unimpressed by his sudden burst of bravery. "She’s up there on her own accord, drinking away the misery you caused her. I don't need to touch her." I glanced down at the heavy sundial shadow on the floor. "By the time the moon reaches its peak, the only thing your pack members are going to find is your cold, dead body. An execution for treason sounds pretty convincing, considering the circumstances."
Garrick’s eyes went wide with horror all over again. He wasn’t actually concerned about his mate like he pretended to be. He was just a selfish coward. He was much more concerned about covering his own skin and making sure nobody pulled the curtain away to expose his vile, thieving lifestyle.
Unfortunately for him, it was a little too late for regrets.
“Coming back to my original question," I said, leaning in so close that our noses were almost touching. I stared directly into Garrick’s quivering, bloodshot eyes, letting my own eyes glow a fierce, predatory gold. "Have you ever had an itch that you couldn’t quite scratch?"
"I-I-I don’t know, Alpha," he stammered, his voice cracking.
I straightened up to my full height, maintaining intense eye contact with him. "Well, I do. And it’s been bugging the absolute s**t out of me for the past five years."
"Please don’t kill me, Alpha Killian," Garrick suddenly blurted out, the words tumbling out of his mouth in a frantic rush. "I’ll do anything! I swear it! You can take whatever you want from my estate. My gold, my land... you can even take my female! Just let me live!"
I slammed my heavy hand onto his bound wrist, squeezing the bone until it creaked. I leaned in so close I could smell the putrid stench of sour meat on his breath.
"You’re a filthy rat, Garrick," I hissed, my voice dripping with venom. "Men like you belong in the dark cages that I had to spend three f*****g years locked inside because of your lies. I’m not the criminal here. You are. You stole from the pack, and you betrayed your Alpha."
He fell completely silent, frozen in fear once again as my words sank in.
"I will rip your throat out with my bare teeth," I whispered softly against his ear, "and your lovely mate will celebrate your death in the courtyard... unless you tell me exactly where I can find the Blood-Moon Vault."
- Writer
