The Would-Be Alpha King

4: Letting Off Steam

Amber

I’m in the utility room folding laundry when I get a mind link.

Amber, where are you? I need you now.

Doing laundry, Beta Swiftwater.

He comes into the room shortly after. He walks straight towards me and kisses me.

“Beta, I’m in the middle of laundry,” I say.

“Darius spared your life so you could serve him and me, but mostly me. Laundry can wait because I need to blow off some smoke,” he says.

“What happened?”

“Your nephew,” he says as he unbuttons his pants. “That boy thinks he can say as he wants because he is Darius’ son. He’s just like your sister.”

“Beta…”

“Amber, please call me Sterling. I told you to only refer to me as Beta around everyone else. Call me by my name when it’s just us.”

He caresses my cheek. He pulls down my worn leggings.

“You know you shouldn’t stare whenever I’m around everyone. It makes me uncomfortable because you’re so obvious.”

“Goddess, I wish you would’ve accepted me. I wouldn’t have to do you like this. You don’t deserve this life,” he says.

“My life wouldn’t have been any better, Sterling.”

“It would’ve. You wouldn’t be a slave. We could be a family. As my first mate, Rain and I would protect and love you.”

Sometimes I regret rejecting Sterling. He and Darius are alike in terms of being jerks but he’s different with me. He doesn’t frighten me like Darius does. He can be sweet which is what always surprises me. Maybe it’s because he was my mate.

He might’ve tried to protect you from Darius but I doubt he could’ve. Darius has kicked his ass once. He doesn’t even do a good job at protecting you from his wife, Pebbles growls.

I don’t tell him about the things Okwi does to me. It’s clear he never lost his feelings for me. Our mate bond never left even though I rejected him.

Probably because you really didn’t want to but you were forced to instead. The rejection wasn’t genuine. Even now, you still wish you were his mate.

No, I don’t.

Amber, did you forget I’m inside your head? I know your feelings and thoughts. We both know that we should be the mate and wife of the Beta and not a slave!

Pebbles is right but it doesn’t matter now because the decision was made all those years ago.

“As long as Darius is Alpha of this pack, my life will be a living hell,” I say. “It’s too late now. Look, I need to put your clothes in the dryer and fold your wife’s. You know how she gets if I don’t have her clothes ironed and folded by 9 a.m.”

“Amber, look at me,” he says.

“Sterling, I have to get back to work.”

He kisses me again and lifts me against the washing machine. It’s on the spin cycle so when he inserts himself inside me, I feel pressure from him and the washing machine. It feels amazing. He gives me hard and fast thrusts. I run my fingers through his long hair as he licks my neck.

“Ayóó ánóshní (I adore you) Amber,” he moans.

“Sterling,” I moan as I wrap my legs around him.

“Oh, Amber! Amber, you should be with me dammit,” he growls. “I hate that you rejected me.”

He continues letting his frustrations out. He grips my arms tightly. I can feel him bruising my arm.

“Sterling, not so rough, please. Montrell doesn’t like when I get bruises. He doesn’t know about us. It's hard keeping him from challenging you and Lady Okwi.”

“I’m sorry,” he softly says as he gives one last thrust. “I was playing back my argument with Okwi, breakfast, and the fact that you rejected me and I became angry again.”

I hear Darius talking with Okwi and I feel my heart pounding. I can hear her asking where Sterling is. Sterling fixes his clothes and so do I. I have two bruises now; one on each arm in addition to the burn from Okwi. I grab the latest load from the dryer which is Lady Okwi’s and hurry out of the room and upstairs. I hear Okwi growl as Sterling addresses her and Darius. I’m most certainly going to feel her wrath later.

——

—

–

Darius

I swear Montrell pisses me off but I love him because he’s my son. He is so much like his mother that it's crazy. I’m passing the laundry room about to mind link Sterling when I hear him moaning at Amber and Amber moaning back at him. Sterling did exactly what I knew he would; he started using her for s**x and he got extremely attached to Amber. What I didn’t expect was that she was his mate. I couldn’t let her be the wife of the Beta. Amber is certainly nothing like her sisters. She’s so weak and submissive that it’s sickening. I like a submissive woman but Amber has no backbone whatsoever. Even though he got his second chance mate, Sterling remained very much attached to her. She’s his mistress now. Sometimes I wonder if their mate bond was even severed when she rejected him because it doesn’t seem like it was.

“Alpha, where is my husband,” Okwi asks me. “He’s not answering my links.”

“I’m about to find out.”

I pretend to link with him but I already know he’s in the next room. If Okwi sees him fvcking Amber, she’s going to be livid. I’m glad the Moon Goddess gave Sterling Okwi. She’s the type of woman he needed. Even still, he hasn’t let go of Amber and I hate it. Amber rushes out of the room and hurries off.

“I’m right here,” Sterling says.

“What were you doing in there,” she asks.

“Letting off steam.”

“Steam, huh? I saw the way you looked at her earlier.”

“I looked at her. So what? What did you want?”

“To know where you ran off to. We didn’t finish breakfast.”

“Breakfast was ruined before it even began because it wasn’t ready. That’s Trell’s fault because he distracted Amber,” I say.

“Well since we won’t be finishing breakfast, I’m going to deal with a persisting problem,” Okwi says as she storms off in the direction of Amber.

“Okwi, no! You have a meeting this morning. Did you forget about the important collaboration with Le Grand Chocolat? As the CFO of Diamond Chocolate, you need to be there and you need to leave now.”

“Yes, Alpha. Sterling, I’m taking your car. Stay away from Amber.”

“No, I will do as I please and take your own damn car,” he claps back at her.

She scoffs and leaves.

“Darius, your son is getting out of control,” he says.

“I know,” I say.

“Darius, you have to deal with him. We have ten simple sacred laws and it’s not that hard to follow. He constantly breaks the first law to never offend a higher ranking wolf. He also breaks the third when he questions and challenges you. Anyone else gets thrown in the dungeon or killed.”

I don’t need a lesson on the sacred laws. I know that I’m bending the rules when it comes to handling him.

“I know the laws, Sterling. I know them all. He is my son and he and Trevor both can challenge me just like you can. Surely, you know that law too.”

“You are lenient on him because he’s your son but he doesn’t follow the laws and he questions them too much. Will you really consider him as your successor as Alpha if he finds his mate,” he asks.

“It goes against our laws but I have no choice. Montrell is mouthy like his mother but he’s strong. Trevor looks strong but he’s weak and that mate of his doesn’t help. I don’t have any other children. I refuse to let Trevor and that train wreck Quentin run this pack. We will easily be destroyed. We have a reputation to maintain.”

“Montrell is a good fit but I fear that he won’t abide by the pack laws. Your son is a privileged brat and he has no regard for the laws.”

“I still believe there’s time. I don’t expect him to find his mate any time soon, honestly.”

“Aiyanna is dying to be his mate.”

“Really? Your daughter is in love with my son?”

“She’s crazy about him. She always has been and ever since she got her wolf, she’s convinced that her mate is Trell.”

“You know he has no interest in her whatsoever because of how she treats Amber. That boy loves his aunt. He hates Okwi. Speaking of Amber, fvcking her in the laundry room now? You always wait until Okwi leaves.”

“I couldn’t wait. I was angry and I needed to release.”

“It’s amazing that Okwi has tolerated you all these years with how you’ve been with Amber,” I say.

“Okwi likes the role of being the wife and mate of the Beta. She beats on Amber so I guess it levels out. Since Okwi left, I can have s**x with Amber in our bed. Link me if you need me for anything else.”

I get she’s quiet and submissive but I don’t fully understand why Sterling is so crazy about her. Making her his s**x slave before finding out they were mates probably contributed to that. He has a very strong emotional connection with her. I walk back to the dining room. Everyone has cleared out and someone has already cleaned the table. I return to the top floor. I pass by Trevor’s room and his door is open. I hear him and Quentin talking.

“My love,” I hear Trevor say.

“I love how you stood up for me babe. I’m going to reward you with some good fellatio and ride you like a rodeo,” Quentin replies.

I feel my stomach churn and I return to my room. Thankfully, each room on this floor is soundproof so I won’t have to hear them. I sit on my loveseat contemplating everything.

Should I let Montrell succeed me? I’ll be breaking a Sacred law by doing it. The Council will probably approve of my decision because they aren’t looking forward to having Trevor become Alpha so there really isn’t a choice. If Montrell does find his mate, I sure hope she’s a good one. The last thing this pack needs is a weak Luna.