THE ALPHA'S DEFIANT MATE

Fear

I thought I knew a bit about defence and attacks, but I was wrong. Beta Orion didn’t take it easy on me. He was stricter than his soft face. Every attempt I made to attack him on his instructions was futile; he blocked every single hit.

“Not bad! You just have to learn precision. You are attacking blindly; be calm and aim for certain places,”

His soft words melted my frustration immediately. He was better than the alpha, whose presence was always accompanied by fear and harshness.

The training lasted for about two hours, which I didn’t notice because I was enjoying it. At least, this was the most exciting thing I have done ever since I came to the pack.

“See you tomorrow evening. "You cannot rest until you’ve gotten to a certain level,” he told me and closed the session.

The maids rushed to accompany me to the room. Seeing how cheerful I was, they could move around me freely once again. The awkwardness in the past week must have made them restless, so I had to apologize for putting them in a tight spot.

“The Alpha wants you at the hall,” Niamh announced as I took the last spoon of my food.

On getting there, I saw one of the rogues that attacked me the previous night tied to the chair in front of the hall.

The alpha was sitting in front of him, his face blank without any expression. My heart skipped as the memory of me almost dying the previous night flashed in my head. The rogue’s face was full of an overgrown beard with a pungent smell of woods and grass around him.

One could tell that he had lived in the forest for a very long time. All the human scent he should have had was heavily covered with the smell of the wood.

“Who sent you? How did you get in?”

The investigation began, and the rogue refused to answer any of the questions. He pressed his lips tightly. Damien silently left his chair and moved closer to the rogue, which was a few meters away.

His voice was low but menacing this time around as he stood over the injured rogue. Fury blazed in his eyes as he looked around the hall. “Who sent you?”

The question was accompanied by a growl this time around as they dripped with venom. His voice’s intensity must have ingrained fear in the rogue’s system this time around.

Reeling from his injuries, he cowered in fear. “N-no one, Alpha,” he stuttered. “We acted alone,”

Damien’s expression twisted in disgust. “You expect me to believe that?” he sneered, his hand reaching out to rasp the rogue’s injured arm.

With a sudden and vicious motion, he ripped the arm from its socket. The sound of the tearing flesh and snapped bone filled the air. My heart jumped as the rogue screamed in agony, his body thrashing wildly as he stared at his mangled limb in horror.

“That arm you used to wear your weapon to threaten my mate?” Damien hissed, the fury still evident in his eyes. “You’ll never use it again.”

The rogue’s scream made my body shudder. No one expected Damien’s move, and the suddenness filled the hall with loud gasps. However, Beta Orion sat there unmoved; it was nothing to him.

My gaze flickered between him and others, then back to Damien, who was still red with anger. Why was he going that far? It’s not like I meant anything to him than a toy. Why so possessive?

I wasn’t done with the analysis when another piercing scream came from the rogue. I turned to see him convulsing in agony as he sprawled off the chair, rolling about helplessly with his hand covering his right eye.

“You should have stayed out of my territory,” Damien snarled, his chest heaving with rage. “You should have never laid your eyes on my mate.”

He had removed his right eye! What?

The guards rushed to his side to stay alert in case the rogue wanted to fight back, but his cries grew weaker as his body collapsed to the ground.

“Remember this, rogue”, he growled, his voice dripping with authority. This is what happens when you cross me. This is what happens when you threaten what’s mine!”

His words sent a chilled warning down my spine. Everyone bowed in unison at his last word. The fear was evident in the air. I had never seen him go feral. Now, I understand why he told me never to challenge him.

“He’s deadly,” I didn’t know when these words flew out of my mouth.

I had seen him tear my family apart mercilessly, but this was on another level. He was too ruthless; fear gripped me as he approached me with his bloody hands. He stood in front of me, staring down at my sweaty face.

“You are mine alone; anyone who opposes will pay dearly for it. Even if it’s you,”

A lump formed in my throat at the declaration. I wasn’t spared from his punishment. As much as I hated him, it was a calling to get my head straight. If he ever drops any attachment he has for me, I wouldn’t like myself.

Dying in his hands is something I would never grant him.

“Do you still want to disobey me?” he leaned closer. My head shook on its own; I wouldn’t dare to disobey him or show any defiance at that point.

“Good,” his other hand trailed the side of my face. “See you at dinner and come dressed the way I like.”

With that, he took the napkin Niamh brought him and wiped his hands before leaving the hall for the guards to clean up.

“You will see more of this often, he doesn’t joke with the protection of people he holds dear.” Beta Orion preached; he could see the fear written all over my face.

He extended his hand to help me up, and I slowly reached out to hold it. “Guide her to her room and serve her some tea to calm her down,”

He handed me over to one of my maids, who helped me get back to the room and brought the tea as requested.

***

I slept throughout the afternoon, thanks to the tea. By the time I woke up in the evening, it was time for dinner. I didn’t argue about any dress that was provided; I just allowed them to do their thing.

I got there on time, but he was not at the table. “Is he trying to pay me back for the last time?” I mumbled with a low scoff.

After waiting for about ten minutes, Niamh came in and approached me.

“I’m afraid you will have to eat alone tonight; the Alpha has an important issue to attend to,”

Her words stung me. I didn’t know why, but I felt betrayed. It felt like he stood me up on purpose, but there was nothing I could do about it.

“However, he has ordered the best dishes to be prepared for you. "Please enjoy your dinner,” She added, and found her way out of the dining hall.

“Enjoy your dinner, my foot!” my blood boiled.