Surprisingly, I was able to successfully find my way back and up to Orion's room without any problems.
The Alpha was sitting at a desk I hadn't noticed, his fingers lightly glazing over a laptop whilst his eyes scanned over it. He didn't look up when I entered, instead asked me a question while his eyes remained glued to the screen.
"How was the tour?" He asked.
I hesitated, noticing the subtle aggression that flitted in through his sentence. My wolf perked up, preparing for a fight if one was needed.
"You have a Bastille," I said, not bothering to answer his question.
He grunted, lifting himself up from his chair and shutting the laptop. "You're perceptive." He stated.
"Why do you have a Bastille, are your wolves that badly behaved?" I mused.
He growled at me, a warning - I was playing with fire.
"My wolves are none of your concern until you're confirmed Alpha Female." He answered, his brown eyes peaked at black.
My wolf perked up, her eyes narrowed and her ears pulled back...suspicious. And she was right to be.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, still stood in the middle of the room.
Orion didn't answer me at first, he seemed to have an internal battle with himself, but in the end, he must've won because he spoke with the usual dominance to his voice.
"Some of my females want to challenge you."
I stood my ground firmly, although I can't say I was expecting it.
"Your females have no morals, do they?" I insulted.
His wolf surfaced in an instant, an infuriated growl coming from deep within his chest and turning his brown eyes to an obsidian black.
"I don't think you'll win." He mocked, his voice deeper.
I bristled, my muscles tense as the atmosphere turned from annoyance to anger. His wolf had a way of making mine irked, the very nature of it opposite to what we were supposed to act like as mates.
"You and your wolf underestimate me," I claimed.
He chuckled darkly, his mane of hair flying wildly as he did so. "You and your wolf overestimate yourself." He contrasted.
"I can take your females," I said.
He chortled within himself, an action I found that was done to scorn me, mock me.
"I doubt that, my females don't take kindly with strangers, am I right?"
I thought back to how his female treated me with malevolence and rejection. At the time I'd thought that was just because I was still branded a rogue, but now I knew it was because I was being challenged.
"Don't challenge them, you won't like the consequences." He stated.
The animal inside me wanted to surface and show this Alpha I could take anyone, show him I wasn't scared of his feeble females.
All bark and no bite.
But I couldn't find it in me to do it, so instead, I gave a disrespectful growl, baring my teeth and meeting him in the eye.
I was done with the conversation.
"Where will I be sleeping tonight?" I asked, diverting his attention.
He snorted, finding my question comical, and removed his shirt, flinging it onto his desk.
My wolf narrowed her eyes at him, watching and waiting to see what he would do. She wasn't entranced by his masculine body, nor was she bewitched by his looks.
"If this is the part where, like a good mate, I'm supposed to give up my place on the bed so you can sleep there and I'll sleep on the sofa, it's not going to happen." He informed.
That fine with me.
I ignored him, positioning myself on the sofa and laying down. The Alpha carried on with whatever he was doing, carrying with him the heated anger of today.
I held my breath as he switched off the light, watching him in the dark as he gave me one last glance before shaking his head and climbing into bed.
The night was filled with a tense and uncomfortable silence, both of us were awake because none of us wanted to back down.
-
When I woke up, a small part of me expected to be lying on the bed - bewitched by the stories that would tell of the male that put the female onto the bed despite his cold emotions to her the day before - yet I was still relieved that I was on the sofa.
I'd missed breakfast, that was obvious as the time was almost past midday, and could hear the sounds of children playing and excited chatter outside.
A pang of sadness went through my body as I thought of Marcos, how his childish voice would brighten my day, I thought of Keiko, how she would offer words of wisdom when I was troubled, and most of all I thought of Alistair, how he'd always make me feel loved and cared for, no matter what had happened.
I hadn't realised I was crying until my ears stung with tears and my face was damp with the moisture.
And I never cry.
Subconsciously, it made me think back to my father and brother, and that alone caused me to start bawling.
-
"Alastrine, you can't do this."
Frustrated, I growled at my brother, his doubt making my wolf agitated. "Would you just leave me be? I'm doing this and that's final." I said.
He flinched at my tone, placing his dark hand on my shoulder and easing my tension.
He couldn't stop it, it was inevitable. The Alpha had injured my father and insulted my family name, forcing my hand.
It was also quite a high possibility that I would be killed, that I wouldn't be able to fight hard enough and I would be overpowered and killed.
Or, and somehow this was worse, I'd barely make it out alive and be put in the Bastille, yet even that was worse than being killed.
I couldn't go back again.
Blinking back tears, I turned to my brother, tears filling my eyes as I saw the fresh scar that ran from his collarbone to his waist.
"Alastrine, I'm begging you - don't do this."
-
"Alpha Female? Alpha Female?"
Anya?
Wiping away my tears, I pulled myself up off the sofa and went to open the room door. There, on the other side, stood Anya with a bright smile on her face.
It disappeared when she saw me, pity taking over instead - so much so that it was excreted out of her pores, tinting the air a soft and generous smell.
I scowled. "I don't need your pity."
She rolled her eyes at me, something that would usually be discouraged by a severe ear pinching.
"Of course you don't, Alpha Female." She said, a mocking smile on her face.
"Call me Alastrine, I'm not Alpha Female-"
"Yet." She interrupted.
I scowled again, my patience wearing thin. "Your Alpha doesn't think I can beat his females," I said.
She nodded. "Our females are hard working wolves that fight for their place on the pack, it's understandable that they'd want to challenge you - considering you're a rogue that just happened to be the Alpha's mate." She rambled.
I bit back a grin, my annoyance wearing off as Anya lightened the mood.
"Do you want to go on a run?" She blurted as we trailed down the stairs.
I grinned, my wolf and I already deciding our answer.
"I'd love to."