Chapter 3: Blood Claim

Pov: Asha

Mate?

My gaze darted behind me, certain there was a mistake. But only the stone wall stared back.

I looked back at the man whose eyes remained on me, unable to tell if he was right or serious with Rylie still gone. 

Beside him, Hera stared in shock.

“Alpha Zade.” Marrok voiced out tightly, breaking the silence that was trying to take over.

There was no response.

“Alpha Zade,” Marrok repeated, forcing a nervous laugh. “My apologies, but you must be mistaken.”

Zade didn't blink or look away.

“Mistaken?” He questioned in a low voice  as his gaze finally shifted to Marrok dangerously. “Why are you in my dungeon with an unknown omega, Marrok?”

“My apologies for not informing you beforehand, Alpha Zade, it was a spur of the moment decision.” Marrok bowed his head slightly.

“Spur of the moment?”

“Yes, this wolf-less omega was collateral for a debt,” Marrok replied, nodding slowly. “She acted out, so I was just putting her in her place.”

The temperature suddenly dropped several degrees more.

“She would be taken off your hands.” 

My head snapped to Zade’s direction, dread settling in my stomach.

Marrok stepped in front of me, blocking me from his view.

“I'm sorry, but that would not be possible, Alpha Zade,” Marrok said through gritted teeth. “Her father signed the contract. She was collateral. By pack law, where a debt is paid in labour or blood, it belongs to the debtor.”

The air in the room didn't just turn cold this time; it died.

Alpha Zade moved so fast I didn't see him cross the floor.

One minute, he was at the center of the room and several meters away; the next, his hands were wrapped around Marrok's throat, lifting him from the ground like he weighed nothing.

“You speak of laws in my territory?” Zade's voice was barely a whisper, but sharp. “On my lands, the only law is my word.”

“She…a wolf-less omega…your mate?” Marrok wheezed. “It can't…she was rejected…by her true mate…a few hours ago!”

He didn't deny it. My breath caught in my throat, and the room seemed to tilt.

Marrok’s face turned purple as his legs kicked helplessly.

“Even if it's true…you know the prophecy… I would be doing…you a favor… by taking her!” Marrok's voice began to thin out.

Zade's expression didn't soften. If anything, it darkened even more.

His hand moved forward and slammed Marrok against the stone wall a few inches from me.

I jumped at the sickening sound.

As he released him, Marrok collapsed in a heap, gasping for air.

“Like I said, my word is the only law.” Zade said coldly, then turned to me with blazing red eyes.

I tried to retreat, but I couldn’t move.

Wrapping my arms around my stomach, I pressed my back into the weeping stone until it hurt.

“Please…” I whispered, my voice trembling. “Please, spare me… I'm pregnant.”

I waited for the tiniest of mercy, or disgust. More than that, I waited for him to reject me just as Cole had.

However, there was no such thing.

“Who is the father of this supposed pup?” he questioned with a blank expression.

I hesitated, wondering if I could really tell him.

“Cole,” I finally answered in a trembling voice. “The father is Cole Evans. He’s the future Alpha of the Moonmere Pack.”

Alpha Zade froze. Then, he leaned in, his face only inches from mine.

I saw the muscles in his jaw ripple. His eyes searched mine, and for a split second, the reddishness in his eyes faded, leaving behind obsidian eyes.

His hand reached out, his fingers brushing my cheek as he pushed a stray hair away. Warm sparks spread across my skin.

Zade recoiled as if it burned.

“She really is your mate,” Marrok's voice, though rougher now, echoed. “I guess she won't survive the next full moon then.”

A cold shiver sliced down my spine. I didn't what the prophecy was, those words were enough to fear it.

Zade's head snapped toward his direction, rage filling his face. “Hera! Take Marrok to the pits. If he speaks another word, rip his tongue out.”

“With pleasure,” Hera responded, her voice cold as ice.

She dragged Marrok out of the room, his mocking laughter echoing down the hallway until it was cut off by a heavy iron door.

I forced myself upright with the help of the wall. My body shook so hard that I could barely keep my eyes open.

The wolfsbane dragged at my limbs, pulling me towards unconsciousness.

My knees gave out from under me first. I closed my eyes and prepared for the hard impact of the floor.

It never came.

Strong arms caught me before I hit the floor. Yet another batch of warm sparks danced across my skin as I was pulled against a hard chest and lifted up in bridal style.

My eyelids flew open, my brown eyes meeting Zade's dark ones. A strange urge to bury my face in the crook of his neck washed over me.

“She is coming with me,” Zade’s voice  right next to my ear, vibrating through my chest.

Before I could process it all, he rose to his feet with me in his arms.

“To the cells, Alpha?” I heard a distant voice ask.

“No,” Zade growled as he began to walk with long strides. “To the forbidden wing.”

The darkness dragged me under.

As my consciousness finally slipped away, I felt him tighten his grip on me, his heart beating frantically in my ears.

“I'm sorry,” I thought I heard him whisper into my hair, his mighty voice from earlier thick with grief I didn't understand. “I was too weak that day.”

And then, there was only the cold, silent dark.