8. Take Him Down

Aria

"What if I don't do what you asked me to do?" I said defiantly.

Nathan shrugged. "Then, I guess you never get to see your sister again."

Asshole...

"Fine," I said, sighing. "What do you want me to do?" I asked. At this point, I am willing to do whatever it takes to get back to my sister. Then, I will plan an escape with her. I knew she was somewhere in this house. I could almost feel her presence.

Nathan's voice cut like a knife, sharp and demanding. "Strip," he ordered, his dark eyes drilling into mine with a wicked gleam.

My stomach twisted in disgust as I scowled at him. "Excuse me?" I shot back, gripping the edge of my dress with white-knuckled hands.

But Nathan didn't waver. He took a step closer, his gaze still locked onto mine. "Take your dress off," he repeated, his voice low and insistent. "I want to see if you are as beautiful without clothes on."

The air around us seemed to crackle with tension, and I could feel my pulse racing as I stared up at him. The weight of his expectations bore down on me, heavy and suffocating.

He suddenly threw his head back and started laughing.

I looked at him with confusion. "What the hell is so funny?" I barked.

"You should see the look on your face. You look like you want to burn me alive with your stare. You need to relax, kitten," he said and leaned back in his chair.

"Relax?" I bellowed, my chest heaving with rage. "How am I supposed to relax in this situation when some pervert is about to rape me?"

Nathan's eyes turned wide. "Rape you? Don't be melodramatic. I was merely joking about the stripping thing. Keep your knickers on because I am not interested in you like that anyway."

 I sucked in a breath as I realized that he was telling the truth. He had no reason to lie about it when he could easily take advantage of me. Maybe he truly had no interest in me. He only wanted... Oh God, what did he want?

"Then why did you bring me here?" I said with a heavy sigh.

A small grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I didn't know you could be such a drama queen. Anyways, now that you have learned the ridiculousness of your fears, I want to tell you about my plan."

I narrowed my eyes. "What plan?"

"The plan to take down the Alpha King," he announced.

My heart jumped in my chest. Nathan wanted to take down the Alpha King? "You will betray your own Alpha?"

Nathan smiled, seemingly unbothered by my response. "Let me explain," he said. "The Alpha King has been ruling our kingdom for centuries and his power is only getting stronger. But with your help, we can finally overthrow him and free our people from tyranny."

"But why do you want to do that? Aren't you his Beta?" I asked.

"I am," he muttered. "And I was proud to serve him with all my strength. I lived for the honor of being his Beta, but lately, I have been questioning his motives. He is evil and cruel. He destroyed many lives and he..." Nathan paused.

"He did what?" I asked, curious now.

"He killed my mate," he said through gritted teeth. His eyes narrowed, darkening into pools of fury that seemed to burn a hole in the air between us. The muscles of his face hardened with hate and seething anger.

"W...what?" I gasped. "Why would he do that?"

Nathan shook his head. "That is yet to be known. But the Alpha King is the only one who knows why and he doesn't care about anything but ruling our kingdom. He will destroy any threat to his reign, including me."

"And that's why you plan to overthrow him," I said."

"I have no choice," Nathan replied glumly. "But I know it is a long shot. That's why I need your help."

"My help?" I repeated.

"Yes. And your sisters. Since she turned out to be his mate, maybe she can trick him into revealing his weakness to her and then it will be easier for us to terminate him," Nathan said.

I shook my head. "My sister isn't some cunning seductress. She is just an innocent girl. I don't know if she could do this."

"You have to convince her. You do want to get her out of his grasp, don't you?" Nathan asked.

"Yes," I said slowly.        

"And you need to do this," he continued. "You are the only one who can convince her to seduce him. And she is the one that is closest to him now."

I took a long, deep breath. I didn't forget that I was forced to be here without her. I needed to do this to save her.

I nodded. "Okay. I will try, but my sister is not like me. She doesn't even know how to fight. What if she gets hurt?"

"She won't. We will be careful," Nathan said.

I couldn't help but feel a mix of dread and determination. This plan was dangerous, and it meant putting my sister in a difficult situation. But if it was the only way to free her from the clutches of the Alpha King and potentially end his reign of tyranny, I had to try.

"Alright," I said with resolve, "I'll do my best to convince my sister and help with your plan. But you have to promise me one thing, Nathan."

He raised an eyebrow, curious. "What's that?"

"You have to promise that you'll protect my sister, no matter what," I insisted. "She's innocent in all of this, and if she's going to be involved, I need to know she'll be safe."

Nathan's expression softened, and he nodded. "I promise. I'll do everything in my power to keep her safe. She'll have my protection."

Relieved that he had agreed to my condition, I continued, "Now, tell me more about this plan to take down the Alpha King. What's our first move?"

Nathan leaned forward. "Our first move is to go to sleep."

I blinked. "Huh?"

"I don't know about you, but I am tired. I am heading to bed," he said and yawned. 

I couldn't help but raise an incredulous eyebrow at Nathan's sudden change in demeanor. After all the intensity and gravity of our conversation, his nonchalant declaration caught me off guard.

"You're... going to bed?" I asked, still processing the abrupt shift.

Nathan nodded, another yawn escaping his lips. "Yes, I am. It's been a long day."

He stood up and marched toward his bed.

"Hold it right there!" I bellowed, so he spun around dramatically.

"Yeah?" he replied inquisitively.

"Where am I supposed to sleep?" I questioned incredulously.

He looked around the room. "I guess you are sleeping in the bed with me," he said casually.

There was no way I was sharing a bed with this punk! What if he tried to touch me at night!? "Um, no way. I am not sleeping in the same bed as you," I protested.

He shrugged. "Then I guess you are sleeping on the floor."

I frowned, looking at the cold, hard floor. It was a far cry from the plush bed he was about to occupy. But I wasn't about to let him win this power struggle. "Fine," I said with forced nonchalance. "I'll take the floor."

He smirked as he climbed into the bed and snuggled under the covers. I rolled my eyes and searched the room for something, anything, to make my makeshift bed more comfortable.

But there was nothing.

"Do you have extra blankets and pillows," I asked.

"No," Nathan said and pulled the cover over his face.

Ugh...

My gaze wandered across the room and stopped at the dresser. I could have sworn I saw something peeking out from behind it. Bending down, I yanked on an old blanket that had been tucked away behind the dresser. I wrapped myself in it securely before settling down on the cold, hard floor.

But ten minutes in, I started to toss and turn again.

The blanket was too thin to offer me comfort and it smelled weird. A groan escaped my throat.

"What?" Nathan asked from under the blanket.

"This blanket is old and smells like mold," I murmured.

Nathan chuckled softly. "Hey, I offered to share the bed. It's a lot more comfortable up here."

I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment. There was no way I was going to admit that he was right. But as the night went on, the cold seeped through the thin blanket and into my bones.

"Hey," I said, my voice shaking. "Are you...are you sure it's safe to share the bed with you?"

Nathan didn't move from under his blanket. "You already said no. I'm not going to force you."

"I know, but I can't sleep. I'm freezing."

There was a beat of silence before Nathan sighed and sat up. "Fine. Get in."

I practically dove onto the bed, wrapping myself up in the warm covers. Nathan didn't say anything as he turned away from me, giving me the space I needed to feel safe. After a moment, I heard him snore.

I wish I could fall asleep this easily.