Chapter 7
Daphne
As soon as I told Beta Degen that my wolf was nowhere to be found, he immediately sent me to see Alpha Calle. So the next thing I knew, I was sitting on the couch and silently pinching my hands' skin. My thoughts were racing over what the Alpha would do to a werewolf who couldn't even shift into a wolf. What if he made me his slave and the pack began to mistreat me?
The more time I spent in this room, the more anxious I felt.
I focused on the painted wall to divert my attention from the growing uneasiness. It was a painting depicting the continent of North America where we lived. I got to my feet and gingerly made my way over to the painted wall so I could examine its texture on my own. I couldn't help but be impressed by the monumental artwork. It appeared to be quite lively. The name Calle Earheart was swirled in a lovely round-handwriting in the lower left.
‘That man is talented. I wonder what else he can do.’
“You little wolf!”
The door flung wide and a roar erupted across the room, startling me. I unwittingly encountered Alpha Calle's piercing glances which filled me with panic as I spun and looked up
‘Oh, no. He is definitely furious!'
From the way his nostrils flared and his jaws gripped, it looked like he was going to swallow me alive.
"A-Alpha Calle, I'm—" My words became a squeal as he pounded his hand against the wall. I swear, the impact made the wall behind me tremble.
"Look up here and name this spot for me!" ”
“H-huh?
I wiped a few tears from my eyes and tilted my head in the direction of the map where his finger was pointing." That’s where the Dark Vale pack is located," I croaked.
“Right!"
He growled, dragging his finger across the lower section of the map and pausing at a point marked with a "roof" symbol. " It means that you strayed a couple of miles from your goddamn pack and into my domain while in wolf shape. Don't you know that?”
"You believe I'm making up for the loss of my wolf?" I blinked as my eyes throbbed with tears. For some reason, I was starting to think why on earth I was here to begin with. I escaped from my previous pack and forced myself to leave the family I’d known ever since only to be judged and treated like a useless rogue in this pack. This was too much!
"I witnessed you change into a wolf in front of everyone. So, how am I supposed to buy your alibi in order to avoid having to go through the training?” His eyes narrowed in on me.
Instead of turning fearful because I had just infuriated the Alpha, his allegations only heightened my irritation and fueled my anger.
"How I wish I were simply telling you lies. I wasn't though! So, you can decide whether to believe it or not. But at the very least, consider wondering why I didn't flee while I was being attacked by humans. Because if only I could have brought Reina out at that moment, I was already far away before you ever arrived to save me! So, if you still want to chastise me for my faults, go ahead. Or, if you prefer, kill me since my life isn't worth living in the first place!”
The room remained silent, but I was still seething within. Even as I stayed motionless in front of Alpha Calle, my frustration continued to hammer in my ears. He remained expressionless in opposition, but his amber eyes were dark—almost black.
"Reina," he murmured, his voice raspy. " Is that your wolf's name? ”
I was unable to discern his expression or whatever was going through his head. But as he drew closer to our faces, I swallowed when a flush of panic crept up my face.
"Y-yes." I turned away and tightened my hand. "I... I've lost her ever since you've found me in the woods." I excluded out the specifics of how I was still connected to Reina through my dreams. I see no reason for him to be interested in my wolf, anyway.
He took a step back, allowing me to finally breathe normally.
“If that’s the case, I have no choice but to—”
"Calle Alpha!"
Alpha Calle jerked his head toward the door after hearing an agitated voice. He was called out by Beta Degen whose chest was visibly rising and falling.
"What's that?" Alpha Calle walked over to him, his voice calmed but rough.
"Alpha Gary has started attacking us. His soldiers have already entered our borders!"
“Is that so?” Alpha Calle muttered, his shoulders becoming broader as he breathed deeply. “Good. I’m actually in the right mood to kill him. Where exactly is the scumbag now?”
“Less than a kilometer from the South perimeter,” Beta Degen said, his hands balled into fist.
“Let’s go.”
Before Alpha Calle closed the door, he shot me a stern look and said, “Remain in this room until I return.”
I wanted to stick with the Alpha’s orders so he wouldn’t get pissed off at me again. But hell, I couldn’t just root in my spot and wait while I knew this pack was being attacked.
“That’s it!" I blew out my cheek and stood up, raising out the door.
Despite the mansion's intricate layout, I was able to leave through the hallways while keeping a close eye on anybody nearby or behind me. The least thing I wanted was to be caught and shoved back to the office or to my room.
I eventually found myself leaving the ground level through the rear door after a few minutes. The huge field was what I saw. I wrapped myself when I noticed the spread of blood all over the grassland. Its metallic odor was thick in the air.
"Alpha Calle..."
Without realizing it, I heard myself murmuring Alpha Calle's name as my eyes roved about. 'What if that blood is his own? What if he is injured or worse, killed?' Cold fear gripped my heart to that thought.
I tapped my cheeks to shake off the horrible thoughts that were engulfing me. Why would I care about him? He was the Alpha of this pack. Even without making an effort, he can fight and defend himself. I was the one who needed protection because I couldn't even defend myself. And now I felt bad about violating his orders to stay in his office.
I willed my legs to move back towards the house. With each step I took, my level of fear increased. As the pounding in my chest skyrocketed, my body seemed to move in slow motion, dragging my legs through the air as though I were trying to run through pottage.
I stopped dead in my tracks when a strong hand clutched my arm, sending a jolt through my body.
“Nowhere to go, little girl?”
I never got the chance to cry for help as he pulled me and spun around until I was crushed against a hard wall of a chest. And before I tried to move, he lifted my chin up with his thumb and forced me to look at his face.
“I am nearly convinced that Calle is good at preserving his little pups. But here you are, exposed and unprotected.” The long and fresh scar across his face was enough for my body to go cold with dread when he leaned forward. His dark huge eyes glowed as he sniffed me. “Well, I’m still lucky after all. I got Calle’s whore.”
“I’m what?” My blood boiled in my veins at the label he called me. It made my hand fly until it landed on his hard face. “I’m not a whore!”
“Did you just slap me?” He gritted and wrapped his hands around my neck. “You little whore! I’m almost at the idea of keeping you for myself. But since you disrespected an Alpha, I’m going to kill you instead!”
“H-help… somebody…” Those were the last words that escaped my lips as pain squeezed my system. But before I lost my consciousness, my ears still managed to catch a familiar deep voice, screaming until it morphed into a wolf’s growl.