The Rejected Alpha

When they were finally seated and necessary formalities were out of the way, Kane stepped forward and cleared his throat.

“As a token of our gratitude for your continued protection,” he said in a voice that was slightly trembling. “We have brought you a small offering, my lord.”

Bored by everything, Damon had been playing games on his phone, and Jessica's nudge brought him back to attention. He looked up at Kane and nodded, making no effort to hide his lack of interest in the boring talks. Coming was just a formality he only tolerated for one reason… to remind them of who was in charge.

Two guards came out from a side door, dragging a girl between them. But it was no easy task from the frustrated looks on their faces and the way she was struggling wildly like an unbroken wild horse in captivity.

Elena swung her leg savagely and connected with one of the guard's right knee with so much force that he cursed out loudly. Before the other guard could get her completely under control, she rammed her elbow straight into his ribs, forcing him to double over in pain. Her scattered hair flew wildly all over her face, and her bloodied lip made the look of defiance on her face more deadly.

“Elena!” Kane roared with a voice of authority. “Behave yourself!”

Elena didn't even bother to look in his direction. Her fury was already beyond control, and the only thing on her mind was a way to escape from their captivity.

She was about to lash out again, when something caught her attention… A presence. It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on her, and for a second she forgot about her condition and her plan to escape. She brushed the hair away from her face, and looked around every face in the room, searching patiently until she found him.

Their eyes met, and everyone else in the room suddenly seemed to disappear. He was watching her, his phone hanging… forgotten in his hands.

Damon Grey, Almighty Alpha of the powerful Nightshade pack. He kept on staring, keeping his face free of any emotion whatsoever. He studied her carefully, trying to determine if she was a threat or not.

Kane's voice finally broke the tense silence.

“Alpha Damon,” he began in a pleading tone. “Please forgive the unfortunate disturbance, permit me to offer you Elena of Shadow pack. She is untouched, of age, and the fairest of our untouched wolves. Despite her attitude issues, I humbly hope she pleases you, because I believe you alone can tame her savage nature.”

Elena turned to Kane in disgust and spat blood on the floor. “You can rot in hell with your offering,” she hissed at him.

The entire room gasped in horror at her utterance, and some elders even whimpered, afraid of the consequences of her actions.

Before anyone could move to stop her, Elena made her way forward again, ignoring her fatigue as anger and hatred pushed her on.

“I am not some cattle you can just sell off as you please!” She screamed at them. ‘'You can't just put me in a fancy dress and hand me up to some savage monster as a peace offering.”

Kane's face was filled with fear and panic, and he looked fearfully at Damon, wondering how much more he could take before he let his anger lose on the entire Shadow pack.

The two guards had recovered, and tried to get her under control yet again, but they were still no match for her unbridled rage. Something was powering her, but they had no idea what it was.

Free from the guards, Elena marched straight to Damon, a figure of defiance and fire.

“I don’t care who you are, or how powerful you are,” she said furiously, poking at his chest with her finger. “I reject their offer, and I reject you. You're not my Alpha, and I will not be your mate. You're nothing but a heartless and bloodthirsty tyrant looking for weak people to oppress… I am not weak.”

Everybody in the room held their breath. It was almost certain that Elena had doomed them all. Damon's men were probably only waiting for the go ahead to take her down, and then the whole pack would be next.

But Damon only stared at her… cold, emotionless, composed.

Kane ran forward to try again as horrified murmurs and whispers suddenly began to spread across the entire room. He fell on his knees. “Please, Alpha Damon, please ignore her foolishness… she is nothing but an inexperienced Omega.”

“Silence!”

The word was spoken very softly, but it had the desired effect. Everybody froze… Alpha Damon had spoken. He didn't need to raise his voice, but even the wild storm inside Elena came to a halt.

He took a step towards her. She stood her ground.

“You reject me?” he asked in that powerful low voice of his. “I wonder where you get the impression that you can actually do that.”

“I can! And I will!” She yelled at him.

The cold and emotionless look on his face finally changed, but the new look was something no could understand.

But Damon was actually just curious.

He regarded her carefully again, not in the way he usually looked at people as prey… no, it was the kind of look someone would give a hardened rival, an evaluation. He took his time to study everything about her, and then he smiled.

But it wasn't a smile of kindness or pity… he didn't do that.

“You've got spirit,” he murmured as if he was talking to himself. “And poor impulse control.”

Then he turned slowly to Kane who was anxiously awaiting the fate of him and his pack, already thinking about how Elena's family was going to suffer if Damon decided to cut ties with them.

“I'll take her.” He said coldly.

Elena suddenly woke from the trance his voice had placed her under. “No! I'm not following you anywhere!”

But Damon was not even listening to her as he continued speaking to Kane.

“Your offering has been accepted.”

Kane's guards came for her again, and once again Elena exploded in a fit of rage.

Immediately their hands touched her, she began to thrash wildly… screaming, biting, and kicking. She was like a wounded and cornered animal, desperate to avoid being captured. One guard staggered back with a broken nose, and another cursed as her nails dug into his cheeks and drew flesh and blood.

“I said no! You can’t just take me like I’m…!”

Elena never finished those words.

In a move so fast that the others barely saw it happen, Damon had shifted halfway, drew her close and buried his fangs into her shoulder.

The world froze, and not a soul dared to breathe.

The last thing Elena saw as the darkness swallowed her were those cold and soulless eyes…