The Alpha's Daydream ✔️

Chapter 53

4962 words

Time was running out.

He knew that, sensed it now more than ever.

In just a few short days, Malachi would become twenty, and who knew what significance that age held in the demon realm.

His mother assured him he was fine. That there was nothing to worry about. Sure, he had the blood of demons flowing through his veins, but he wasn't anything more than the sum of his DNA. He felt the occasional urges, the natural tendencies of demons to plot evil and wreak havoc amongst the more susceptible beings.

Mortals.
Apparently they were weaker than the spiritual beings who roamed between realms, that lived in the Interealm—whatever that was. His mate knew more about those kinds of things than he did, but Malachi pushed the thought aside.

Besides thinking about his upcoming birthday and what it might mean to his standing in the pack as Alpha, his mate was never far from his mind. She consumed most of his thoughts and plans, dreams and waking moments. Her laugh. Her smile. Her beautiful hair as it swung around her shoulders and glittered in the sunlight—

The silky soft hair with the pastel colours that was now hacked off in ragged edges.

He couldn't help concluding that Harlow was the cause of Ariella's internal conflict, the reason for the frown on her delicate face and the source of the anger that flashed in her usually gentle brown eyes.
There was nothing gentle in the way she tore into Harlow today, in the hatred that burned in her gaze as she dared the other girl to lay one more hand on her mate.

He really wasn't sure what Ariella had seen them doing together, but her reaction scared him. Wasn't he the one who usually felt angry and jealous, using his teeth and claws to enact justice instead of talking reasonably? Yet tonight, Ariella had looked downright dangerous with her edgy haircut and darkened eyes. The gleam that reflected in her brown irises was familiar to Malachi, almost recognisable as the madness in his own soul.

Ariella was becoming ruthless and dark, the exact type of personality he was hiding from her.
This whole time, he'd been pushing it down, keeping it locked away, yet Ariella was pulling and prising it to the surface with her sharp nails and even sharper mind.

How much longer could he stand this, holding it back with each laboured breath his lungs took? The air was heavy, and he suddenly didn't know if he was strong enough to keep fighting it. His mom said it would pass, that all half-demons went through a time of testing, of learning their own strengths before forging through to the other side as a better person. He could fight it, resist the urges, and then become the Alpha he was always destined to be.

Just a couple more days.

That's all he needed.

This mess between Harlow and Ariella had to stop, the contest or whatever it was going on between them had to end. He didn't have the brain capacity to deal with it now. Rogues were lurking around every border, pushing the boundaries. Zander was acting more cryptic and mysterious than ever, refusing to come clean on what his true intentions were. Malachi could only assume the increased number of rogues were due to him, aligning themselves together in some sort of effort to force his hand.

It was dangerous times and already they'd lost a warrior, Ariella had been captured, tortured, and made to betray Malachi against her wishes.
He could taste her apology to him, her self-loathing at what happened that night as a consequence of her actions. He could feel how upset she was and how much she wanted to make things right by caring for the orphaned Samson. Malachi could sense every weary beat of her heart, every sharp breath she took when he caught her off guard or intimidated her.