Crown of Blood

10 | scream & shout

I blinked open my eyes to see my mate seated behind a desk. His attention was focused on some file in front of him and I had the largest urge to rip it out of his hands.

He couldn't even look at me.

Taking in my surroundings, I noticed I was standing in an office. To my right, there was a couch, some chairs, and a table placed in front of a fireplace. The walls beside the fireplace were lined with bookshelves that were cluttered with books in an extremely disorganized fashion. There was also a glass door, leading to a balcony. The tone of the room was primarily browns and reds, giving the whole space a very gloomy ambiance.

"Leave us." His voice was calm, yet sharp.

I heard the men shut the door as they left me alone with Alpha Eastwood.

Come back! I wanted to scream.

Based on our past two encounters, I had definitely become uncomfortable in the presence of my mate.

I stood there awkwardly, glancing around the room as I fiddled with my earlobe. My mate was still leafing through the file, scanning each page as if it was the most important thing in the world.

My wolf was irritated with him, and as much as I didn't want to admit it, I was hurt by his actions.

As his mate, I deserved to be acknowledged at the least, didn't I?

After a painful two minutes, I cleared my throat lightly.

He didn't move.

I cleared my throat again, only much louder this time.

He still didn't look up.

Suddenly, I was so angry at him.

"What is wrong with you?" I yelled, slamming my hand on his desk. "You take me from my pack, throw me in a cell for three days to practically starve, get your goons to drag me to your office and suddenly you have to read papers?"

My chest was huffing as I finished. There was still a lot I wanted to say, but I knew I had to stop before I made my situation any worse than it already was.

He finally lifted his head, regarding me with a hardened expression. His eyes had darkened, so I knew he was madder than what he was showing.

"Why am I here?" I asked, growing tired.

"You will not speak to me that way again, or there will be consequences," he said coldly.

"Why am I here?" I repeated, glaring at him. "You said I was going to die two days ago."

In a flash, he stood up, shoving his chair backwards. He walked around the desk, stalking towards me with a predatory glint in his eyes.

"You're here, Ms. Reya Willows," he spoke in a low voice, his hot breath tickling my neck, "because I want to see just how truthful," he circled behind me in slow, steady steps, "my supposed-mate is." His face was merely inches away from me, his voice sending shivers down my spine.

His scent was swarming around me, causing my body to ignite on fire.

"Truthful?" I spun around to face him. We were standing so close that I was a slight movement away from touching him. "Why would I lie?"

He eyed me distastefully. "A last minute effort to save your life, perhaps? Or maybe you're just power-hungry and hoping to climb the ranks - you are an omega after all."

I was fuming and I knew he could tell, but I did my best to keep my cool.

"Or," he continued, "you're simply crazy."