IVORY: The age of Gloarian

Chapter 10

    The door busted open as the fuming Alpha of stormed walked inside, startling poor Eliana to the core. She had known her mate’s temper, yet she had never seen him so enraged. He glared manically at her, and he banged the door shut before taking slow, tentative steps towards his mate. The very mate, that at that very moment, he despised. A confused Eliana stood up from her seat, crossing her arms as she waited silently for a justification. 

    ‘You filthy little-’

    ‘Watch. Your. Words.’ she interrupted, her own anger taking over. She had no idea what she had done to annoy her mate this time, but she sure as hell wasn’t about to take his disrespect for whatever it had been. Her arms untangled from her chest as she stepped towards him. 

    ‘Oh but I can’t since you’re a horny little slut, aren’t you? Mating with another man. Tell me, was that to make me jealous? Is that how far you’re willing to-’

    ‘You just don’t get it, do you?’ she found herself interrupting once again as she realised what this conversation was about to consist of. The exasperated leader sighed, as she looked away from the eyes of her mate. “Razaar, firstly, this isn’t the first time I mate with a male. I’ve had many men over the years’ a growl interrupted her words, though she wound up ignoring it as she carried on with the speech, for she had loads to say. ‘ Secondly, what is it to you anyways? Why do you care so much what I do, see, date and sleep with? Why do you bloody care? Last time I checked you were happy with your proclaimed mate that you chose over me, and I’m perfectly content with my life now. So why over complicate things? You rejected me, remember? Don’t you think it’s a bit hypocritical of you to judge me when you’ve been doing this all along too? Or are you going to lie to me now and tell me you haven’t mated with Eiva? Why can’t you just leave me alone?’ she expressed, having had enough of the man’s crap. Who was he to judge her anyways? He had done far worse than the poor Eliana had. The woman let out a breath that she had held as she delivered her speech, her eyes finally meeting the Alpha’s who had yet to stop glaring at her. He trotted closer to his mate at the end of her words, a bit too close, his head towered over hers, and she had found herself looking upwards to merely match his gaze.

    ‘Let me make this very clear to you mate: I did not choose Eiva over you. I accepted her for several reasons that do not concern you. Despite that, you are my mate, and you will not sleep with anyone else besides me, do I make myself clear?’ he completed, finally pushing Eliana over the edge. If she had felt anger before, she had built up a lot more now, and she already knew that the end of this conversation was most certainly not going to be pretty. 

    ‘Excuse me? Who do you think you are to tell me what I can and can’t do? You  bloody hypocrite! This is my life, you are not my boss, you are not my mate, you are nobody to me. The only reason I have put up with you thus far has is because of Eiva, a woman who can barely open her mouth in front of you because of how insolent and controlling you are. But don’t take me as a fool, Razaar Solonov. I know exactly what you’re up to, and there’s no way in hell I will ever take you back or listen to you. I am the leader of the hybrids, I say what I want, I do what I want, and I sleep with who I want. You don’t control me’ she finished, having unconsciously moved closer to her steaming mate. Not once in his life had Razaar tolerated disrespect at the level that Eliana had currently been giving him, and had she not been his mate, she would have ended up dead and burned and turned ash by fire of the flame. He pushed her into the wall that was just behind her with force that barely bothered her, and lowered his head till their heads were practically touching, their breaths mingling as they both heaved heavily. 

    ‘You are mine’ he barely muttered before face began morphing slightly. It was an act that only happened when a male would have to mark his mate, and Eliana panicked as she watched her mate’s teeth elongate. She had thought of what would happen if he would place a mark on her, and the end result would most certainly not be pleasant. 

    She knew that the minute he would place a mark on her neck, the one shining on Eiva’s neck would disappear almost instantly, and the poor woman would know the entire truth. Not only did Eliana not want to risk the betrayal upon Eiva, she had not been ready to accept the possessive Alpha that at that moment was most certainly not making a good impression. To be jealous had been one thing that the leader would have dealt with, but controlling her actions was something that no one had ever done, and she hadn’t intended on letting anyone do so at any point of her life. 

    Eliana remained confused at the bipolar behaviour her mate displayed, and wondered desperately what ran through the temperamental man’s head. He had rejected her, and refused to accept her, yet he accepted another woman, and was now willing to betray his proclaimed mate to claim his real mate without having a clue what he really wanted! It was a situation that the flame had laughed at as it realised the sheer crap that lay on the Alpha’s mind. It was perhaps, even a confusing time for Razaar, as he carried through with his actions. 

    The truth was that Razaar himself had no clue what he wished to do. He most certainly wanted his mate all to himself, but at the same time couldn’t risk her life by being with her. The more the Alpha gave into the beast, the more confused he was about what he was doing. However once his beast had enough control there was nothing stopping it from changing to claim his mate once and for all. 

    The leader of the hybrids had been grateful for her form as within the next second, she converted into her snake, a form she hadn’t switched into for a while, and slithered rapidly towards the back of the strongest Alpha of Gloarian. Razaar, however, had most certainly not been expecting her change, and was therefore completely stunned when he felt a small sting at the small of his neck, one that knocked him out instantly. His body thumped on the ground before the leader reappeared in her human form, sighing in relief at the escape she had grazed.

     What was she to do with the big headed Alpha? One could only hope he would start giving her less trouble. She thought of what Eiva would have thought had she been close to the scene, and shoved the thoughts aside at the mere guilt she felt just thinking about it. The hybrid leader picked up the limp, heavy body that belonged to her mate, and dragged it across to one of the chairs on the other side of her desk, where she placed him somewhat neatly, and walked back to her own, drained by the pace of her life and the actions of her mate. 

    What would she do when he woke up? She didn’t bother wondering as she thought of terminating the contract crossed her mind. Perhaps it would serve both the leaders more had the contract been put to an end, however once again, she was held back by the concern she held for dear Eiva. It had surprised her the way she had come to care for the frail woman, for she believed she was meant to hate and despise her. But how was she supposed to dislike someone who had not a shed of hatred within them towards anyone on the planet. The leader groaned as she buried her head in the nest of her hands, wishing desperately that her life would take a 360 turn for the better. 

    Her mind took her into the thoughts of what would have happened had she held the mark of the Alpha on her neck. Would he have accepted her? Taken her back to his pack? Loved her? Mated her? What would being the Luna and mate of Razaar Solonov entail? But most of all, her mind wandered through the passage she had avoided to think about since the day she had met him: what would an intimate life with Razaar look like. The pair had somehow managed to already have built up a certain tension between themselves that neither could deny, what would happen if that tension was relieved in the form of intimacy? 

    She shook the thoughts away as she visualised her mate returning from his momentary unconscious state. He blinked his eyes furiously before he could make out his surroundings. It took him a minute before the prior events flooded his head and he connected orbs with the woman that had him going crazy, literally. 

    ‘Consider yourself lucky that I managed to find a way to stop you from doing whatever it was that you were about to do. I suggest you get out of my office this instant and don’t bother coming into my sight for the duration of your stay. If it wasn’t for the fact that I genuinely care about Eiva, I would have terminated your contract in an instant. So I recommend you go back to the woman who just saved you and stay there. And don’t ever try to control or attack me again.’ She spat in a loathsome tone. Razaar hoisted from his seat, striding towards the door, where one last time, he turned back and looked at Eliana to mutter some final words. 

    ‘You are mine and I won’t let you ever get in bed with anyone else that isn’t me’ he completed, marching out before Eliana could even respond. The woman ignored his comment as she continued with the work that had been put on hold as the situation with Alpha unfolded. Why the flame had paired the two together, wondered Eliana, but she faced the situation as she did all the others in her life, and vowed that she would come out the other end victorious and content. Whatever Razaar’s plans were, she would find out, and she would do her best to intercept his end goals.

    Her entire exchange with Razaar had made it seem as though the Alpha was half minded about leaving his proclaimed mate to finally be with the woman he was meant to be with. This big headed Alpha, however, truly had no shame for the flame, and with a mind of his own, plotted an even bigger reason for the flame to hate him. Razaar had decided he wanted to  take his plans to drive Eliana crazy with jealousy to the next level as looked at the ring that lay in his hands below him. He had never intended to propose to Eiva, as he knew the flame would never accept such a marriage. Yet there he stood, holding in his hand a ring that he had picked out, ready to bring his true mate back to him. Or that’s what he thought. He had safely tucked away the ring that had belonged to his grandmother, knowing full well it was not the ring he wished to give to Eiva, for he knew that she wasn’t the one that had a right to that ring. He thought deeply about how to execute his plans, until he came up with a scenario that he thought and hoped would drive his mate insane as she had driven him. Of course throughout this entire process, it had completely slipped his mind that during this ruse he would not only end up possibly angering his mate, but would also be playing and betraying his proclaimed mate. But at that moment, Razaar didn’t care as he recalled the moans of pleasure that had come out of his mate the night before. Knowing that Eliana had been in the company of several men had been the cause of his insanity, and knowing that he himself caused this issue to arise, drove him to an edge where all he could see was himself, and no one else. At that moment, Razaar didn’t care, he was ruthless, and he engulfed his dark side completely in a way he never had before. 

    It was this mere state of dullness that had existed within the father of Razaar Solonov, a man, that had sexually abused the Alpha's mother on a drunken night. Little did the great Alpha realise that he was slowly but surely turning into the one thing he wished he wouldn’t turn into, and he was about to cross the thin line that separated the rights from wrongs. The flame certainly worried about the creation it had brought to life, and was forced to think speedily of a solution before it’s plans were destroyed completely, and others were hurt in the process. 

    As night approached, Razaar had decided to take Eiva to the cliff side where he had initially seen Eliana sit alone, gathering her thoughts. Knowing she would eventually appear, he took this as his opportunity to take his proclaimed mate to the same location to give her the ring that would  be the start of a large demolition. The innocent woman had been confused at her proclaimed mate’s decision to set out on this idle walk in the middle of the night, but she complied anyways without uttering a word as she usually did. 

    The couple approached the edge of the cliff, before the man rushed into bending down on knee, filling Eiva with a gasp almost instantly. 

    ‘Razaar, what are you-’

    ‘Eiva Matouk’ he interrupted ‘will you marry me?’ he questioned, skipping on the theatrics of long speeches. The ruthless man knew there was no way she would deny the offer, and so he waited patiently for her to jump in excitement and squeal her yes. 

    For Eiva, the proposal had been the last thing she ever expected since the couple had never discussed the possibility of getting married. It was an act against the flame since the two were not really mates, and so she blinked in confusion to process what exactly was happening. Then there was the guilt that consumed her at the thought of marrying someone that was not her mate, a guilt that she initially also felt the day she mated her best friend. Eiva surprised herself as she didn’t jump up in joy and yell yes to the top of her lungs, but had it not been for the thought of Razaar’s mate and the guilt that caused her, she would have definitely done so. 

    ‘What about your mate? Razaar we can’t get married, the flame would never allow it’ she finished, taking the Alpha by surprise. The man elevated from his position as he dominantly put the ring on her finger anyways, not waiting for her response. 

    ‘I don’t need my mate’ he began by lying ‘and we’ll figure out the ceremony thing, I just want to be married to you’ he stated, not giving her the opportunity to speak as he bent down to capture her lips with his. 

    As expected, Eliana had just about stepped out of her cottage and approached her usual location when she stopped in her steps at the scene ahead of her. The woman that had been expecting Razaar to be plotting a scheme to win her back was too busy lip locked with the woman he had chosen over her. 

    Having noticed her presence, the couple pulled back, Eiva covering her mouth in shame as she realised. 

    ‘I’m so sorry, I hadn’t realised the two of you were here. I’ll just go-’

    ‘No, please not at all!’ yelled Eiva as she watched the woman turn back ‘We’re sorry, we didn’t know you would be here.’ she continued, briefly glancing at Razaar. The man smirked and before his soon-to-be wife could continue, he decided to step in. 

    ‘Sorry, I only brought her down here because it was such a perfect spot to propose’ he said, his words containing the mock he wished to deliver upon his mate. Little did he know that Eliana had gotten more than used to the idea of the couple, and despite being shocked at the revelation, had genuinely taken the news ok, as she always had. 

    ‘That’s lovely! Congratulations!’ she responded, jogging forward to meet Eiva in a short hug. “This is fantastic news! We must celebrate tomorrow. I’ll organise a party. In fact, why don’t you both get married here. I think it would be great given the fact that we own the most sacred Galon temple on the grounds of Gloarian. Not to mention I think it would be great for you to do so if Razaar plans to divulge into war after that. You needn’t worry about anything, I’ll have everything organised. We can go pick out your dress tomorrow. What do you say?’ retorted Eliana, watching her mate’s face take a staggering turn as he visualised his proclaimed mate now squeal with excitement as she accepted the offer. 

    Why wasn’t Eliana going insane with jealousy? Why was she being so accepting and inviting of it? What was she up to? It most certainly wasn’t the answer he had been expecting but in that moment he was faced with a much bigger problem: getting married to Eiva in 2 days. He most certainly was not ready for marriage and he despised the fact that Eliana had caught on to his charade. The fact that she played him in his own game angered him, as he now found himself stuck in a future wedding he couldn’t get out of. The Alpha reluctantly thanked her, feeling rage consume him as he did so. 

    How dare she? Was his only thought as the leader walked away back to her cottage, leaving the couple to themselves. 

    ‘She is absolutely amazing! She has already done so much for us and now this, I don’t even know what to say. I’m so excited!’ exclaimed Eiva before embracing Razaar in a tight hug. ‘I have to say, this might have been the best decision you made. Even though I hadn’t agreed with it at the beginning. I guess everything does have a way of working out’

    On her way back to her cottage, Eliana felt pride swell within her at the mastery that ran within her veins to play the Alpha’s game. She laughed at his prior expression and had already started planning a scheme of her own that she knew would drive the Alpha to regret his decisions. She ached to know what the Alpha’s intentions were, but decided to ignore them and stay a step ahead of him, ready to face whatever he would undoubtedly choose to retribute against her. 

    Eliana was fully aware that it wouldn’t be long before another confrontation would arise behind the doors of her office, one similar to the one that had already taken place, but for the first time she was excited to face the Alpha, for she knew she had won this round, and would carry that title with pride as she would rub her victory in his face. She was also conscious of the fact that at the rate she was going, the Alpha would perhaps once again try to mark her as his own without her consent, but the leader was ready to go up against the Alpha, for she was the last person to be scared of him. She had managed to keep the situation under control at a time where she hadn’t expected it, and she certainly planned to maintain that control at a time when she expected his retaliation. 

    The woman knew that the last thing Alpha wanted was to marry Eiva, especially after his attempts in her office, but she knew it would be a long time before Eliana would even open up to the possibility of taking him back. For now, she planned and plotted, thinking thoroughly how she would use Leron and her friends to drive the Alpha to regret his actions once again. One thing was for sure: there was no way the pair would come out of this game without the revelation of their truth coming out with them, for they played a dangerous game against the order of the flame, and it was only a matter of time before the flame exposed both traitors for what they were.