Alpha, King, Mate

Facade

There was a grand central hallway, complete with two spiralling staircases that went to different sides of the house. On either side of me was a large door, one led to a stylish living room while the other looked like it went into the dining room. The floor was made of marble, with a red carpet that felt funny underneath my shoes. It was like grass, but softer. 

I went into the heavily decorated dining room and sat down at the head of the far side of the table. For the first time, I could 'feel' his presence. I knew he was here. The other times it felt like a faint hope. I hoped he was in the car so I could speak to him. I hoped he had been at the house to tell me who lived and who died. Now, however, I was furious enough to know. I could sense he was in this house. I could almost feel him coming closer to me. 

He walked down the staircase and into the dining room with a calm facade over his beautiful face. He sat down far away from me, exactly at the other head of the table. He wore a black suit, while I had refused to bathe, shower or change clothes since I watched my people set off to the battlefield. No, Aris had kept himself as comfortable as ever while I was his prisoner. 

"I thought you died." I broke the silence before he could. I was amazed by how calm I managed to say it. During the drive here I felt myself becoming angrier and angrier with every mile we stretched. There was a coldness gripping my heart, forcing it to keep beating ever so calmly. I wanted to burst out into frustrated tears, but I also did not want him to see my pain.

"You would have felt it if I had been hurt." He answered, placing his hands on the dark wooden table.

Maybe one day I would have been able to appreciate the beauty of everything in the room. But that day was not today. The expensive paintings meant nothing to me, the golden details could have been made from dirt for all I cared.

"So you are telling me that you were fully healthy when you made the decision to lock me up like I was your prisoner." I could feel the blood rushing through my veins. Every bit of me was ready to go to war against him, especially because he kept up his indifferent ways. I thought being his mate meant something to him, but he was treating me like I was some sort of political rival he needed to scare into submission.

"The battlefield would not have been a safe place for you." He answered, also maintaining his calm. "You could have been injured." 

"Who was?" I immediately asked, my voice finally revealing some of the tension I felt. "How many more of my friends did you get killed?"  

Aris opened his mouth, but he shut it without saying a word. He rubbed his hands over his face, leaning back in his chair. He would have to tell me at one point, but he was clearly hoping to postpone that until I had at least calmed down from his previous stupidity. I kept staring at him, I needed to know.

"Six humans died." He finally answered after a few moments of silence. "Elle, Braeden, Devin, Levi, Flynn and William." 

Flynn. Russ' son. 

I covered my hand with my mouth. I knew all of their backstories. All of their heartaches. But what stood out most was the happy little kid Flynn had been through all these years. He had helped his father survive, he had lifted the spirits of the group with just his presence. He had died for nothing. 

Aris stood up from his spot and quickly walked over to me. There was no point in fighting the tears, I knew they would fall eventually. Aris wanted to comfort me, he sat down in the chair beside me and grabbed my hand, squeezing it tightly. 

I hit him across the face. A stupid move for sure, but it got the message across. He dropped my hand immediately. 

"You think you can lock me up for three days, drag me out against my will and get my friends killed over your own stupid ambitions and I will just submit to you?!" I yelled at him, standing up so fast my wooden chair hit the floor with a loud thud.  "You are a monster, you are the reason I have had to fight to survive! If you think I will ever be your mate you are also f*****g delusional!"

He stood up, his face wiped clean of all emotions. 

"I did not get your friends killed." He stated, authority dripping from his voice. "I only wanted-"

"Whose war did they die for?" I asked back before he could continue with his lies. "Who is the guy that commands all the werewolves that have been murdering my friends over the past years? You are-" 

 "Victoria." He cut me off, grabbing my arms harshly. "You are my mate. You will do as I say." His grip was tight, I could feel the pain spreading across my wrists. "I did not kill your friends on the battlefield. I did not kill your friends these past years." His tone got angrier as I struggled to get out of his grip. "I have done nothing but protect you." 

"Go to hell, Aris." I said, tears streaming down my face. He was no longer calm, he was no longer angry. He just looked incredibly hurt. He let go of one of my arms and used his hand to wipe away my tears. I flinched at his touch. My wrists were still burning with pain. I did not feel like I had any control over the situation. He just looked down upon me, realizing what he had done. 

"I am sorry." He finally said, glancing down at my arms. They were both red and inflamed. He fully let go of me and stepped away until he was a few feet away from me. He was visibly shaking and pounded his fist against the wall, leaving a large hole. I took a step backwards. He had completely lost control.

"I need to go." He mumbled, before running out and leaving me alone in the unfamiliar house.