A Simple Request
1273 Words
Luca
I felt a sharp pain in my chest and neck as my dad sank his teeth into my mate's marking spot.
Alaric howled.
This was it. I just lost her. My dad just won. I was a stupid, ineffective boy. I could never overthrow him if he were Alpha King, not if the legends about the title were right.
She railed against him, trying with all her might to push him off, but it was inevitable.
I tensed, expecting a sharper pain to follow as the mate bond shattered, but instead, my father leaned back, her blood on his lips. His triumphant smile quickly turned into an expression of outrage.
It failed. The mate bond was still there. It hadn't worked. Hope rose in me like air in lungs.
My dad tried again. I felt that sharp pain in my chest and my neck, but the bond remained intact. He grabbed Rhiannon by the throat, holding her up against the wall. I knew I should stop him, should say something, but my own throat felt like it was closing up, and I covered a cough, stepping towards her.
It took everything in me to hide my pain, pretend to be unbothered and quip, "Father, she can't answer you if she can't breathe."
Thank the goddess, he listened.
Rhiannon sent a furious glare my way as my father dropped her to the ground. He kicked her several times, a pain I knew all too well. My dad liked using his feet on someone while they were down. The old 'choke and kick' was one of his favorite moves.
Rhiannon explained through gasping breaths that no one could mark her until she was married by a faerie queen. That was an impressive feat on her parents' part. Deals with the fae were not easy to come by. Everything I learned about her gave me a new manner of respect.
"So neither of you get any ideas," Rhiannon spat, mostly at me, and while I didn't blame her, it did kind of suck to hear your mate say they didn't want you to mark them.
Maybe she would if you'd saved her and not let your dad assault her! Alaric snapped.
I'm going to save her, I snapped back. Give me time!
She doesn't have much time left, he growled.
"This changes nothing," My dad spit at her. "You will agree to marry me. I'll drag you to that wretched faerie queen and make her marry us. In the meantime," he took a step back and leaned against his desk, "You can have my pups. The throne will need an heir after me, after all."
Alaric howled again. HE WILL NOT HAVE HER!
I felt Alaric fronting, and I couldn't stop him from going to Rhiannon's side and reaching out a hand to help her stand up. I felt a rush of tenderness towards her, probably Alaric's feelings clouding my own, but I couldn't help but squeeze her hand in a way that I hoped was reassuring.
"What are you doing, boy?" My dad demanded, glowering at me as I half-supported Rhiannon's weight. She didn't even look at me, keeping her eyes down.
"She's a princess," Alaric and I said together before I forced Alaric back down. I swallowed, cleared my throat, and spoke as me. "It wouldn't do to leave our royal guest on the floor. If you really do need her permission to mark her, then the least you could do to convince her is let her up and give her a proper bedroom."
My dad grunted. "I would rather f**k her in a bedroom than that basement," he mused.
I crossed my fingers that he would pick a room in the East wing of the packhouse, near me, but instead he said, "Take her to the west wing. The green room, near Greeley's. He's in charge of her for now."
Shit, not Greeley. Greeley would heap abuse on her the same way my father would. I'd have to find a reason to hang around the west wing, where no one but the Alpha, the Beta, and Gamma were allowed.
"I'll take her there now," I nodded to him, and escorted her from the room before he could change his mind about letting us go. She didn't resist, but she still didn't look at me either.
I let my shoulders relax in relief once the door to my dad's office closed behind me. "Are you okay?" I asked her quietly, gently leading her to her room by the elbow. Her skin sent tingles up my fingers and I hoped she felt the same. Maybe it could take away some of the pain I could tell she was still feeling.
Rhiannon glared at me. "Why do you care?" she tried to yank her arm out of mine but I didn't let her go. She stopped walking, and rather than pull her along, I stopped too.
"Of course I care," I ground out, frustrated. "You're my--" I cut myself off, "We can't talk here," I glanced around the hallway. "Let's go to your room and discuss this."
She nodded once, but then tried to yank her arm away from me again. "Let me go, and use the chain" she barked, "Quit touching me."
"But, I--" I started, but she yanked her arm away again, and I let her go this time.
"I don't want to be touched right now," she said quietly. "Besides, you said we need to keep up appearances. Use the f*****g chain."
I swallowed, but picked up the end of the chain as she asked. I was very careful not to actually pull on it as I led her to the West Wing of the house.
Don't you dare ask why she's mad at you, Alaric told me. Do what she wants and maybe she won't hate us.
Can you sense her wolf at all? I asked him, ignoring the implication that I'd be dumb enough to wonder why she was mad.
No, but I'm going to keep trying, Alaric said, The wolfsbane did a number on her.
I sighed, glancing over at her. It looked like the adrenaline and indignation that had been keeping her going was wearing off. She looked tired, and small.
She is very strong, Alaric observed, She is a good fit for us.
Yeah, but are we a good fit for her? I asked him bitterly, but he didn't answer.
I thought about my promise to save her. I needed to redouble my effort. She would need help evading my dad, and I couldn't abide the thought of him impregnating her--or doing anything else to her for that matter.
There had to be a way to sneak her out of here without alerting my dad to my insubordination.
I opened the door to the green room for Rhiannon when we got there and let her precede me inside. She skirted away from me, ducking her head as she passed through the door.
I had barely shut the door before she spoke. "I need you to do something for me, if you really want to help me."
"Of course I want to help," I said, starting to get a little frustrated. "I don't offer to help people unless I mean it."
She sniffed, looking me up and down, clearly not going to speak until I agreed to do what she asked.
I sighed, relenting, "If it's within my power and won't be seen by my father, then I'll do whatever you need."
Rhiannon met my gaze, her blue eyes guarded. "Then I need you to f**k me."
- Writer
