Chapter 6

Alpha Williams stood waiting, a relaxed expression on his face. The cool night breeze calmed his nerves, and he tried to focus on the insects chirping all around the garden. He had sent for Khalid and was awaiting his arrival. Two empty chairs sat beneath the tree, but he didn’t seem to care about them at all.

More than ten minutes had passed since he sent a guard to fetch Khalid, yet neither his son nor the guard had appeared. The night was cold—even for a powerful Alpha like him—but he was determined to confront Khalid here.

Finally, soft footsteps approached. Khalid walked toward him, trailing behind the guard who had been sent to call him. The guard should have been behind Khalid, but as usual, Khalid did things his own way.

The guard reached Alpha Williams first and bowed.

“Your greatness.”

“Why did it take so long?”

“I tried—”

“Leave.” The guard nodded and quickly retreated.

Khalid reached his father, a look of clear disinterest on his face, as if he’d rather be anywhere else.

“Where’s your brother?” Alpha Williams asked.

“You should have asked the guard. I have no idea.”

Alpha Williams raised an eyebrow, trying to decipher if Khalid’s tone was disrespectful.

“What is going on? What’s happening with your mate?”

“The Omega?” Khalid responded, sounding indifferent.

“You knew about your mate, didn’t tell me, then rejected her in front of the entire pack. What were you thinking, Khalid? Word is spreading that you were mated to an Omega, but you rejected her, and now Dilan is interested in her instead.”

“Who is this Omega? What’s her name? Why didn’t you mention her before? And more importantly, what does your brother want with her?”

Khalid chuckled, lips twitching with amusement. “You’re not asking why I rejected her?”

“You’re my son; of course, I know why. An Omega will do no good for our descendants. Our bloodline is strong because it’s built on Alphas, Betas, and Gammas. An Omega would disrupt that balance. Even without that, rival packs would mock us. We’re the strongest pack around for a reason. What significance does an Alpha have with an Omega mate? If you hadn’t rejected her, I swear I’d have—”

“Why did you call me here, Father?” Khalid interrupted sharply.

Alpha Williams looked briefly offended, like he wanted to mark Khalid in some way to remind him not to grow too bold. Instead, he spoke again.

“I want to know your plan.”

Khalid stared, silently urging his father to continue.

Alpha Williams took three strides and sat on one of the chairs, gesturing for Khalid to sit as well. Khalid declined, remaining standing.

“Since you returned from Pac Kuvan’s, your attitude has been concerning. What’s your problem? You’re going to be the Alpha soon. You’d better start acting like it.”

“You mentioned my plan,” Khalid said, still standing. “I don’t have one. I’m waiting for life to play out.”

“What are you going to do with the Omega? She can’t stay here, and you know it. You better have a plan to get rid of her. And once again, I don’t understand—how does your brother fit into all this?”

“L-lord Khalid…” a voice called timidly.

Khalid turned sharply.

“I—I couldn’t do it. I don’t know how it happened but your—”

Khalid silenced him with a single glare, the threat in his eyes stopping Caleb’s words. He grabbed Caleb’s shoulder and led him away from the garden.

Alpha Williams stood dumbfounded, watching the guard’s terrified face as Khalid left without informing him, right in the middle of their conversation.

“Khalid!” the Alpha called after him.

Khalid didn’t stop or look back. He kept leading Caleb forward.

***

When they finally left the garden area, Khalid glanced at Caleb’s pale face and sighed. “Speak.”

“I—I was…”

“Don’t stammer. I’m not going to eat you.”

Caleb didn’t seem convinced. “We were at the dungeon, and everything was okay, but—”

“My brother took her, didn’t he?”

Caleb hesitated but shook his head no. “No, my lord. I—I tried my best to avoid him. He wasn’t even there when you gave the order. He wasn’t anywhere around. But it seemed like he knew we were coming down to the dungeon and was waiting for us.”

A couple of seconds passed, the silence deafening.

“Caleb, have you ever sworn on something?”

Caleb froze, eyes darting around nervously. “I—I don’t understand what you mean, my lord.”

“Like— ‘I swear I won’t do this, and if I do, then I’ll…’”

“Yes, I have,” Caleb admitted.

“And what do you say you’d do if you didn’t live up to that oath?”

“N-nothing,” Caleb said, clearly confused. “I always live up to my word.”

“Really?” Khalid smiled darkly. “So do I.”