An Alpha's Payment

EIGHT

KAEL

I could see it in her eyes—she was just as lost as I was, maybe even more so. She walked beside me, almost jogging to keep up as we made our way back to the house.

Her gaze stayed fixed on the ground, focused on her feet with no sign of looking up.

“Take a seat,” I instructed as I led her into the office. Unlike at Moonshine, she didn’t hesitate and chose an empty chair.

She sat with her legs tightly pressed together, the sleeves of her top pulled down over her hands. Her head bowed low in submission.

“Lira?”

Her back straightened the moment I said her name, and her heartbeat quickened. The last time that happened, she had nearly fainted.

“I swear I don’t know. If I did, I’d tell you.” The words spilled out like she was fighting for survival, like they were the only thing keeping her alive.

A wave of guilt washed through me—something I hadn’t felt in years. She shouldn’t have to feel that way, not around me.

“You’re upsetting her!” Nyx growled in my mind.

“I shouldn’t have yelled at you.” I muttered, sitting down on my desk. “You didn’t deserve that.” I hesitated, annoyed at the other thing she’d confessed. “You stole food?”

“I had no choice,” she whispered.

The more I learned about that pack and what they did to you, the deeper my hatred grew. When the time came, every last one of them would be wiped out.

“At last, something we agree on,” Nyx murmured.

Lira’s eyes flicked up to me, and she bit her bottom lip. I vowed to erase her entire past.

Contracts were always straightforward. Every contract I drafted favored me completely. The other side was always too arrogant to read the fine print or negotiate—and they always lost. This time, it would be Corin and his pathetic pack who lost everything.

“Tell me about Karessa.” I spoke softly, aware my Alpha tone made her tense.

A flash of anger crossed her face before vanishing as quickly as it appeared. I’d seen that look before—when that stupid b***h had called my bride a rat.

“What do you want to know?”

“Everything. No lies. How long has she been with Corin?”

She shrugged. “She’s been around for as long as I can remember. Corin is twelve years older than me. They went to school together.”

“Is she his true mate?”

Lira nodded. “She used to be nice—before she killed my parents. She brought me gifts once, mostly toys. Everything changed when she became Luna and I was left with nothing.”

“You didn’t kill your parents.” When would she accept that lie? “And you are not nothing. Not anymore.”

She puffed her cheeks and furrowed her brow.

“Talk to me,” I urged, ignoring Nyx’s grumbles.

“I’ll be nothing when you cast me aside for a new bride.”

I rolled my eyes. “Sage?”

She nodded.

“Sage needs to learn when to keep her mouth shut.” Grinding my teeth, I stared at her. I had asked for honesty—it was only fair I did the same. “Sage isn’t wrong. There have been other brides, but none I truly wanted by my side.”

“You killed them?”

Sage really needed to learn when to shut up. She had freaked out my other brides by feeding them the same lies she told Lira. She was the reason some of them ran away.

“Some of them.”

She nodded, eyes downcast.

“I didn’t kill them because I was bored. Some were passing information back to their old packs. Others were money-grabbers or desperate to be by my side all the time. If I had to handle business, they’d whine about not getting enough attention.”

“Oh.”

“Sage likes to do this—test my brides. But do you know what all of them had in common?”

She shook her head.

“I never marked them. I could never bring myself to do it. Something held me back.” Lira was the only one I had thought about marking, and I still couldn’t figure out what drew me to her.

“She’s perfect,” Nyx sighed, smitten.

Lira grabbed the pot of cream, standing automatically and lifting her top to reveal her wound.

She gasped softly when my fingers brushed her skin, and I heard her heart skip a beat as she closed her eyes. She had that habit too—maybe afraid to see what was happening, or maybe scared to look me in the eye. I couldn’t tell.

My fingers hovered over her stomach and she held her breath.

“Breathe, Lira,” I whispered, and her heart fluttered again.

She exhaled, tears slipping from the corners of her eyes. “I don’t want to die.” Her eyes snapped open, locking onto mine. For the first time since I’d met her, she truly looked at me. Her breath hitched and her lips parted slightly.

There was a growing urge inside me—a fierce need to make her mine so no one else could claim her. How the hell could she make me feel like this?

“Mate,” Nyx growled low.

“No, it’s not possible. Her wolf isn’t showing,” I argued.

“Mate,” he repeated, louder this time, his agitation rising.

“You’re wrong!”

Lira’s blue eyes stayed locked on mine. The tears had dried, but her brow furrowed slightly as she stared at me.

“I have to…” I muttered, turning away, shaken by the intensity of her gaze. Without another word, I stormed out of the office.

“Go back!” Nyx demanded. Go back, we need to mark her!

I felt him pushing forward, trying to break free from my control. The harder he pushed, the more I resisted, forcing him back into silence. I had to get out of the house.

Striding across the grounds, I made my way toward the pack hospital. I needed to know exactly what Sage had told Lira.

She was asleep at her desk and startled when I woke her.

“What the hell did you say to her?”

She rolled her eyes. “She needed to know the truth. It wouldn’t be fair if she didn’t understand what’s coming.” Rubbing her eyes, she yawned. “Why? Has she run off?”

“No, she’s in my office.”

“Then no harm done,” Sage shrugged. “If you want my opinion, she’s different—nice, unlike the others.”

“I’m well aware. Why do you think I chose her?”

“Because she’s our mate,” Nyx muttered gleefully in my mind.

I tried to ignore him. He had to be wrong. Her wolf wasn’t present—it was impossible to tell.

Sage circled the desk, leaning on it with a smile. “See? I was right. You really like this one, don’t you?”

“She has a name,” I snapped, spinning on my heel and walking away.

“Why are you fighting it?” Nyx asked as I stopped in front of the house.

“How do you know?” I muttered.

“When she looked us in the eye. Her wolf is buried deep, but it’s strong. I can feel it—maybe even stronger than ours.”

I pushed open the door, still catching her unusual scent. I’d given her the chance to run, but she was still here.

In the office, she sat hugging her legs to her chest. Nyx nearly screamed at me to claim her, but instead, I asked why she was still here.

“You didn’t tell me to leave.” She kept her eyes low. I wondered if she truly understood. “And I have nowhere else to go.”

“Have you gone through my things?” I asked, glancing at the papers scattered on my desk. They looked untouched—but appearances could be deceiving.

She shook her head, her hair falling softly around her face.

“I don’t tolerate lies,” I warned. “I don’t have time for scheming women.”

She frowned. “I didn’t look because…” She bit her bottom lip, cheeks flushing. “I… can’t read.”

It wasn’t what I expected. The others would’ve spun some wild lie.

“School?”

She shook her head. I should have guessed—she hadn’t been to school, not if she’d been a slave since she was six.

“Sage tried teaching me a little, but I didn’t understand.”

Why hadn’t Sage told me? Maybe because she actually liked Lira—unlike with my other brides, whom she hated.

“I get it,” Lira muttered. “You regret choosing me. But please don’t kill me. I can work, clean, do whatever you need. Just don’t kill me.”

Pulling her from the chair, I crushed my lips to hers.