The Alpha's Prize

4

Word Count: 1755

~Hunter

I stare down at the plate in front of me, trying not to grimace.

I've been propped up on a stiff chair at a table adorned with food I can't bear to stomach right now.

There is an insistent, stabbing pain in my back, but I've been told this dinner is an honour for me to attend, as I am in the presence of Alpha royalty.

The two straight-backed, stern-faced people in front of me are the parents of Kaan and Taysa, and the previous Alpha and Luna.

Tay told me as she helped me stumble my way downstairs that they relinquished their title to Kaan, but not their control.

They look so much like two as well.

The father has cold green eyes like Kaan, although slightly more narrowed. The mother is much more like Taysa, with warmer eyes and softer features.

"Thank you for joining us for dinner," the man says. Cyrus is his name, I believe.

Allira, the previous Luna, gives me a long look. "I want to apologise on behalf of my son. I understand he did not mean to shoot you, he was just concerned for his people."

I would roll my eyes if I weren't fighting so hard not to crumple down into my seat in pain.

"I don't want to-"

"Thankfully it seems like you are going to make a full recovery, Hunter," Cyrus says, his tone gratingly polite. "It will take a few weeks, according to the healer, but you will not have to be here forever."

My eyes widen.

"A few weeks..."

"Kaan is being especially generous, allowing you to recover within the palace's walls, to say sorry for his actions." Allira's tone seems to be slipping in friendliness with every word that comes out of her mouth.

I swallow down my panic. If I let how desperate I am to get out of here slip, they will dig deeper to find out why.

But weeks...I can't be here that long.

"Well, he shot me in the first place, so some may argue it's the bare minimum," I say through gritted teeth.

I understand these people are powerful, but I've lost any reason to care.

"We want to make it clear that we reside here with the purpose of helping and protecting our son. We want to ensure that news of this incident will not get out to the public," she says.

I raise my brows. So they are threatening me. I figured this wasn't a show of good faith.

"Trust me, the public will not learn that I was ever here," I assure them.

It's not because I am actually threatened by them, nor is it because I've taken a liking to anyone here. I would happily leave and spread the word about their Alpha who is inclined to shoot people in the back.

Cyrus narrows his eyes. "We would also like to know what your intentions were, on that particular land?"

I open my mouth to respond, although shut it quickly as Kaan enters the room.

The air in the room chills even more than it was before. He has a darkness in his eyes that his parents don't share, causing me to forget entirely about the pain in my back, focusing instead on every move he makes.

I shift my attention back to his parents.

"I'm not from here, so I didn't know the law," I admit. I'm "I won't be making that mistake again. In fact, I will be leaving promptly, as soon as I can."