KRUEL's P.O.V
"You did what?!" Zarya shouted, following me to my office when we got back from Black Chasm Pack. I didn't tell her any of the shît that happened with Azazel and so this was her reaction to the only information I disclosed.
"I already told you that it's no big deal. I fight one of her warriors, win, and I'm Alpha of all Alphas." I told her like it was going to be a piece of cake. It would've been if I knew exactly what I was up against but judging by the fact that it was Azazel's best warrior, there's a fifty percent chance I'll be spending some time in the hospital if it all goes wrong.
"Are you even listening to yourself?! You could get seriously hurt or worst case scenario... dead." The crack in her voice had me turning around and embracing her in a tight hug.
"That could never happen to me." I drew soothing circles on her back to calm her.
"You don't know that." She sniffed.
Oh crap, she was crying now.
"Zee, listen to me. If I am to die, I'm going to die with dignity.... like in a war or something. Not because of some fight against some warrior. Besides, Alpha Azazel wouldn't let anything that terrible happen to me." I can't believe I just called her 'alpha'.
Yuck!
"What makes you think that? She could have you killed for threatening her position. I can't go through another loss, Kruel. I just can't."
Sometimes I wish Zarya and I had an older sibling so they'd be the one to deal with Zarya's sensitivity. I couldn't handle this.
'Well, clearly.' Eren commented.
He seemed much... bolder, don't you think? Ever since we met Azazel, Eren had been talking back a lot. I was getting more infuriated by the day because I was reminded constantly on the fact that I had a mate. One that I wish I didn't have in the first place.
"Azazel wouldn't let me die because she'd only be hurting herself by doing so." Well, not entirely but she'd still feel something.
"What are you talking about? She's the alpha. She wouldn't give a single shît about you if you died." And to think I was the only one who inherited the cursing trait from our father.
"She would give all the shïts in the world, trust me."
"And why's that? This isn't the time to be coy, Kruel." She shoved me and walked passed me into the office. "If anything happens to you, I'll never forgive you."
"Nothing's going to happen to me because she..." I trailed off.
"She what?"
"Well...." I trailed off once again. "Well it's because Azazel...." Fūck! This was harder to say than I thought. "Azazel and I are mates, Zee." I breathed out and Zarya just stood there... frozen.
She looked like she was processing the new information before she whispered, "Mate?" She sounded so confused. "You found your mate and you didn't bother telling me?!!" And now she was upset.
What was up with women and their emotional imbalances?
"Was it even relevant for you to know?" I took a seat on one of the couches in the office.
"Of course it's relevant, you douchebag." She rolled her eyes, "Now the pack can have the Luna it has always wanted. And a powerful one at that." She said to herself but not low enough for me not to hear.
"No. Fûcking. Way." I stood from my seat, "I have no intentions whatsoever to bring her here once the challenge is over. I've made this pack strong without a Luna and I don't plan on giving it one."
"But you can't do this on your own, Kruel." She bargained. "You know why it's essential to have a Luna."
"I've already done it on my own and I'll keep doing it on my own. I don't need a mate to help with anything around here and that's why I have you and Christian. I'm not having a Luna. End of discussion." I used my alpha tone against her and she had no choice but to stop pestering me with the issue.
But I guess the alpha command didn't work on unwarranted advice because Zarya spoke up once again.
Just great.
Exactly what I needed.
Note the sarcasm.
"You know, before Christian and I found out we were mates, I hated him with every bone in my body." She started, "I just didn't like how he was always hitting on every woman he saw. I used to keep a close watch of him from a distance until one day you brought him home and we found out we were mates."
I remembered this. The pack elders said that Zarya and Christian didn't know they were mates for such a long time because Zarya's powers blocked their connection somehow. They actually found out they were mates when Zarya fully understood her special ability.
"The mate bond isn't something you can screw around with, twin brother. When it gets you, it gets you good. But please do keep me updated on any progress that you make on resisting the mate bond." She sarcastically smiled and left me alone in my office.
Out of all the sisters you could've given me, you had to give me the smart mouth. Thanks a lot Moon Goddess... you're doing quite the job.
Again, note the sarcasm.
***
It was thirty-two minutes passed nine in the evening when I pried my eyes open. I must've fallen asleep while doing the pack paper work.
Running my hands over my face and through my hair, I headed downstairs only to find Christian and Zarya wrapped in each other's arms, cuddling.
"If you're going to do that, atleast don't do it on my couch." I interrupted their little mate-fiesta on my way to the kitchen where I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.
"It's the pack couch." Christian corrected, leaning against the door-frame of the kitchen.
"Bought with my money." I mumbled before taking a gulp of my water.
"I heard Alpha Azazel is your mate." Christian said out of the blue causing me to choke on my water.
"Not the nicest thing to say to someone who's trying to quench their thirst." I coughed out as Christian walked around the counter situated in the centre of the room, sat on one of the round bar stools, and leaned his big åss head on his hand supported by his elbow. The creepy fûcker just sat there.... staring at me.
"It's impolite to stare at people like that, jackáss." I snapped.
"But you're not a person." He fired back.
If this guy wasn't my bestfriend, my beta, and most importantly my sister's mate, I would've killed him a couple of years ago.
"Rumours have it that you have a fight tomorrow. Do you think you can handle it?" He suddenly became serious, staring anywhere but at me, and I couldn't help but stare at him. He seemed skeptic about the idea even though he usually had my back when I decided to do stuff like this but here he was all worried.
"I'm a warrior, Chris. I strive 'til the end."
"I know but this Azazel chick seems, I don't know, just someone not to mess with. She's the alpha after all." First Zarya, now Christian? They were making me believe I didn't know what I was doing.
No, I did know what I was doing and whatever it was I'm going to face, I could handle it. I just needed them to trust me.
"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine and I'll still be getting what I want. It's a win-win." He thought over my words before muttering a defeated 'okay'.
Just as I grabbed the bottle of water off the counter, Zarya ran into the kitchen.
"You have to see this." She said, Christian and I following her to the living room.
What I saw had me rooted to the floor. This wasn't what I expected to happen after our little visit.
One of my warriors was brought in by the others, bleeding uncontrollably.
"Is he dead?" Christian asked when I couldn't seem to form a single sentence.
"No." One of the warriors responded, "He's unconscious but before he passed out, he begged us to bring him to you, Alpha."
Even after hearing that, I didn't utter a word.
I couldn't take my eyes off of the barely-hanging-on-to-life man in front of me. My gaze was focused on the bloody carvings on his back reading 'I REIGN SUPREME'.
I was then handed a note. It read:
You may be smart but I am always ten steps ahead of you and that is how it shall remain.
I have eyes everywhere.
You cannot outsmart me.
The next time you decide to send a spy on my territory, make sure it's someone who can actually get the job done.
You're simply pathetic.
Your incompetence keeps proving why I'm the alpha and you're not.
What I've done to your werewolf is only a spec of dust of what I am truly capable of.
PIECE OF ADVICE: Don't Bring Knives to a Gun fight.
I scrunched up the piece of paper in my hand and watched as my warrior got carried away to the pack hospital. Zarya and Christian looked at me almost terrified as their expressions told me my monster side was slowly resurfacing. I closed my eyes, clenching and unclenching my fists on either side, trying to ease myself both inside and out.
I think I was doing a good job until I heard people screaming 'fire!' outside. We rushed to where the screams were heard and we saw a large crowd had gathered. We pushed through to the front of the crowd to see what they meant and what lay before me had my blood boiling on levels I didn't know I could reach. The blood rushing to my brain was so fast that I didn't know how many people I'd have to kill to get some relief. The fire spread across the training field in massive letters spelling: SUBMIT OR PERISH.
This was Azazel's doing. First my warrior, now this?!! This bitch would stop at nothing to destroy my pack and I!!
As the crowd began to decrease, I stared at the fire being put out by my warriors. Then I thought back to what Azazel wrote in the letter: 'Don't Bring Knives to a Gun fight.' Well Azazel, you don't have to worry about that because I'll be bringing an army to your gun fight.
Thanks for the advice.