Episode 2

Zaran

"That is not why we are here, Alpha Zaran," Kael said. He kept his voice perfectly polite like he was trying his best not to annoy me. He knew exactly what I was capable of.

I heard a small sound beside him. I turned my head and saw her. Near the edge of the long wooden table, the girl, Nymeria bit her lower lip slowly as she raised her head.

I shifted in my leather chair and crossed one leg over the other. I leaned forward, letting my eyes lock onto Kael.

"It just doesn't add up," I said, my voice sounding through the room. "How does a five-year-old child with a wolf pup kill two full-grown, mature wolves? It makes no sense."

Kael’s jaw clenched so hard that i could see his muscle twitched in his cheek. He was furious, but he was too afraid to show it.

Beta Carrow quickly jumped into the conversation, trying to shut me down without sounding disrespectful. "Alpha Zaran, with all due respect, old family tragedies are messy. We shouldn't waste your valuable time on ancient history."

Sera let out a sharp, sarcastic laugh from the other side of Kael. "Exactly, Alpha. Some people are just born evil. There is no need to overthink it."

I let out a cold, dry chuckle. "Well, I would like to know. Otherwise, we can just call this meeting a day and put an end to it right now."

Panic flashed across Kael's face. The thought of me walking out made his skin go pale. He glared at his sister with pure hatred.

"The bitch has always been evil!" Kael spat, dropping all his manners. "Back when she actually had her wolf, she could do things... like magic. That is how she got my parents killed. She used that twisted magic of hers!"

Nymeria instantly dropped her head again. She gripped her dress tightly, trying to fight back the tears.

"I was only trying to save them..." she murmured, her voice barely audible.

"Shut the hell up!" Kael roared. "No one else was in that room with them! So how exactly were you trying to save them? And from whom?"

I narrowed my eyes as my gaze slid slowly from Kael, to the Beta, and then to Sera.

From the corner of my eye, I caught Sera smirking. Look like she was enjoying this and she loved seeing the girl get torn apart.

Then, I shifted my focus back to Nymeria.

She didn't say another word. She kept her head down, but I could see the tears falling real quick now, hitting the floorboards. Her shoulders shook, but she tightly closed her mouth, like she was desperately trying to suppress the sound of her cries.

Inside my chest, something strange happened. My wolf was stirring.

He was scratching at the surface, and his eyes completely locked onto the crying girl. It made no sense. My wolf was a monster. He was never interested in anyone and he hadn't even cared about his own late mate.

But right now, he was screaming at me to do something.

Weird!

I was still staring at Nymeria when she suddenly turned on her heel and rushed straight out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

The room fell dead silent.

I shifted in my chair again, pulling myself back to reality. "Well, we better get back to the purpose of this meeting," I said coldly.

I reached across the table and picked up the contract drawn up by Kael and his Beta. I flipped through the pages casually, barely reading their pathetic terms, before tossing it right back onto the table.

"I will be drawing up my own contract," I stated. "And that is what you will follow."

Kael quickly exchanged a panicked look with Sera, and then with his Beta. He swallowed hard, his throat moving tightly.

"That... that is fine by us," Kael murmured.

I paused as i let the silence stretch across the room until they were kind of sweating.

"And," I added smoothly, "I will be leaving with your sister, too."

Sera almost jumped in her seat. "Wait, what? That is not part of the agreement!"

I didn't even look at her. "I don't care. I make the agreement."

Sera quickly shot a desperate look at her father. But the older wolf kept his mouth shut.

Kael grit his teeth, a dark expression crossing his face. "Fine," he growled. "You can take the bastard as your slave anyway. She is of no use to us here."

"Well then, that will be all," I said.

I stood up, pushing my chair back. I turned and began walking toward the exit. I was already halfway to the door when I stopped in my tracks.

I didn't turn around, but I let my voice drop into a mean and threatening growl that made the air in the room turn ice-cold.

"Anyone who tries to even lay a finger on her before I return tomorrow will have to answer to me. And you better not think that I won't know, because I will." I tilted my head slightly. "You better not think of crossing me."

With that, I pushed the heavy doors open and left the room.

As I walked out into the grand hallway, I saw her. Nymeria was leaning heavily against the wall, sobbing. But the moment she caught the sound of my boots, she jumped.

She began wiping away her tears quickly, trying to hide her pain.

I stopped. I stood there in the quiet hallway, staring at her fragile, trembling body for a long moment.

My wolf howled inside my mind but I forced him down, and kept my expression completely blank, and then turned and walked away.