Alpha's Winter Promise

Episode 4: Birthright - Olivia's POV

I rinse the acidic taste from my mouth and step back into the bedroom. Night had fallen and as I started to pad toward the side table lamp when it flicks on by itself.

The soft glow illuminates the person sitting in the stately armchair. They fold their hands together in their lap and give me a cold hard stare before speaking.

'You look like you've seen a ghost, Olivia.' Xander says, his eyes crinkling in the corners as he smiles with cruel amusement.

If only he knew how close to the mark he was.

My voice is thick with sarcasm 'Oh, brother dear I didn't know you cared so much. Are you here to rescue me from the vicious apparition?'

'If you mean feed you to the ghosts, then I would happily oblige.' He has our Mother's eyes. Black holes that suck in the goodness around them and destroy it but by bit. I feel like I'm perpetually on the event horizon with them.

'If you're only here to trade quips with me, Xander, then you can take your leave. I have better things to do than deal with you.'. I gestured toward the door while mentally calculating if I could make it there before him if he decided to make this physical.

Even without Orla, I could hold my own against most other wolves but against an Alpha in full control of his wolf the odds were less in my favor.

Not that I would go down without a fight though and there's a part of me so stretched thin that welcomed the idea.

'You are feeling brave tonight, aren't you, little puppy.... ' I can feel his aura spread out around the room, leaking out from around the seams of his perfectly tailored suit as his frustration with my so-called bravery grows.

I snort in an unladylike way at his audacity 'As if I would be scared of the poor little Alpha that can't even control their aura. You know it has no effect on me, so put it away before you embarrass yourself.' I pause and then in the cutest voice I can make 'Or doe my widdle baby brother need a bib to catch his dribble?'

I realize a half second too late that I may have gone too far with that when I hear a low growl and see those black eyes flicker to yellow. He's on me in a flash. I feel the burn on my scalp as he grabs me by the ponytail and lifts me up onto my toes before slamming me against the floor.

I feel the carpet dig into my shoulder and elbow as I twist to make contact there first instead of my head. I grab his wrist with both hands, hoping the alleviate some of the pressure from his hand wrapped up in my hair.

I growl in response. I'm feeling more limber and more....aware.... than I have in a long time. I aim a few good kicks at his shins and feel the force of that contact. He's not walking away from here without a few bruises of his own.

We trade kicks and punches for what seems like an eternity. For every fist I take to my hip or stomach, he gets a heel to the side of his kneecap or shins until I'm finally overwhelmed.

He's got me pinned to the ground, the claws on his right hand extending as he gives his wolf some space to come forward. The tips press into the soft skin of my stomach.

He's never taken it this far. Xander is cruel. He's sneaky. He's caused me endless amounts of pain through humiliation and the occasional fist fight, but he's not a murderer.

You're going to die soon.

Oh no, this isn't happening now.

Xander leans his head closer to me, his voice barely a whisper. 'Don't think for a second that I don't know you were shut up in here with dear old Daddy before the first Alpha meeting. What poison are you feeding him this time?'

I wildly look around. Nothing that I can grab as a weapon. I glare up at him, 'What are you on about?'

'Don't play coy with me, you bitch.'

I choke back a sob as I feel the tips of his claws press down harder and I smell the tang of my own blood. 'Xander, please don't do this. We ate cookies......we had tea......I talked about dresses.....I don't know why you're doing this'

He searches my face, trying to discern if I'm telling the truth. 'I'm giving you one warning and one warning only, Olivia. You will NOT take my birthright away from me. You WILL NOT or I will END YOU. Is that clear?'

In my confusion I hesitate. His claws sink in further. 'I said, is that clear?'

I nod weakly, tears streaming from my eyes. 'I would never. I promise. I would never.... please Xander'

He hold still as a statue before releasing me. He stands, pulls a handkerchief out of his suit pocket and gingerly wiped my blood from his hand. He tossed it on me. 'Clean yourself up, you look pathetic.'

I stay right where I am rather than risk making myself seem like a threat.

He strides to the door and opens it up. He looks back at me with a soulless smile. 'I'm glad we were able to come to an agreement, dearest sister.' And he closes the door softly behind him.

I lay on the floor in a state of shock until the adrenaline subsides and I start to shiver. I rise and go to the bathroom, starting the water for a shower. I strip off my blood speckled shirt and throw it in the trash.

Five little incisions are visible, They felt a lot bigger in the moment than they actually are but it wouldn't have taken a lot of effort for him to disembowel me.

I finished shedding my clothes and step into the hot water willing it to wash away my fear

Xander has lost his mind. I was never a threat to him becoming Alpha of our pack. Women don't become Alphas. Period. It never ever been done. Even if there's no direct male heir, somebody related to the current Alpha is given an Alpha wolf on their 18th birthday. Women are Lunas.

It makes no sense.

I finish washing up and apply some ointment to the wounds. If you could really call them wounds. They were even smaller after showering so the blood must have made them look worse previously.

I triple check the lock on my door and throw myself into the bed. I wiggle under the blankets in an effort to make a protective cocoon.

Maybe I'll even be a beautiful butterfly come morning, I think to myself in an effort to lighten my mood. But it doesn't work.

My whole life, even though there were some minor family issues, I've been successful at everything I put my hand to. I've gotten exactly what I wanted, always come out on top, always been the best.

At least until Simon rejected me.

I squeeze my eyes shut, willing my body to go to sleep and as I'm finally drifting off one final lucid thought crossed my mind.

It's all his fault.