The elder released a sigh. He was angry that Ryan now had the guts to talk back to him even in the presence of the guards. He had spent days thinking about what happened to Ryan because he had never for once spoken back to him.
"I won't do what you said." Ryan argued.
"Shut up!" The elder roared.
He clenched his fists on the seat and glared at Ryan in anger. Ryan glared at him. He wasn't afraid of the old man.
"What has gone into that head of yours?" The elder asked him.
"You can't keep on dealing with those who can't pay taxes! His daughter was sick so he used the money to get her drugs! Why can't you understand?" Ryan fired back in anger.
The elder had imprisoned one of the men in the village who couldn't pay his taxes. No matter how hard he had tried, the man still extorted taxes from the people. Now he had sent one of them to the dungeon.
Ryan hadn't been in the castle when the elder had sent guards to drag the man before him. He had gone to take a stroll in the forest to gather his thoughts. When he was coming back, he heard through the people who had gathered at how callous the elder was becoming.
What had even made him more angry was when the people had pointed out that he was just being his puppet without saying anything. He had covered his face in shame and walked back to the castle in anger to address him.
There he met the old man begging that the elder should please give him more time to pay back the money or his daughter would die.
Yet, the elder had signalled for the guards to throw the old man into the dungeon without food or water. Those were the words he heard when he entered the Castle.
The guards who had no other option than to obey the alpha dragged the old man to the dungeon immediately. Ryan had then turned to the elder to address him,his eyes sparked with fire and anger arose in him.
"Why don't you have human feelings? Why are you selfish? Take a good look at the villagers! This year's harvest wasn't good. As if that wasn't enough you threaten to put them in the dark when they can't pay!" Ryan glared at him.
"Really? You must have grown wings to address me in such a manner Ryan Makarios! I will teach you a lesson you'll never forget!" The elder yelled.
"Guards! Strip him and give him 100 strokes of the cane in the hot afternoon sun!" The elder delivered his judgment.
The guards moved immediately to do his command. The elder was known to give commands no one dared question.
They subdued Ryan. It had taken plenty of men to take him down because Ryan's training was fast showing on him.
They took him outside to the yard while the elder followed them. He wanted to make sure they dealt with him well. He thought that if he did this, Ryan would back down and stop making him feel disgraced.
His acts of rebellion were despicable and sooner it would lead to a revolt in his reign. The people were itching to see his downfall already. If he didn't silence Ryan now, they would support him and overthrow him.
"Beat him well!" He commanded in rage.
The guard lifted the cane and landed it on Ryan's back heavily. He winced in pain. His whole body racked in pain. What the old man didn't know was that nothing could deter him from doing what he was set to do.
He had gone to his parent's grave and swore never to let them down again. The old man would be surprised to see him bounce back again. He wouldn't give up this way. He wouldn't. It would be a dent on his parents legacy.
The elder moved to him where he laid in pain. The guard had finished beating him. Ryan groaned as he stood up from the bench. His body was limp.
"If you do not behave yourself after this Ryan, I will make sure the whole village knows what happened seven years ago," the elder whispered in his ears.
"What happened?" Ryan faked pretense. The old man's thinking hadn't failed him even after all these years. The old man looked at him in surprise but still replied.
"You know what happened with Adrienne. I'm sure you haven't forgotten. I will expose everything and lay it bare before the people."
Ryan smirked. The old man still thought Adrienne was killed. He didn't know she survived. At least that would give him enough time to prepare more surprises for the elder. He would deliver the last stroke on him, he would never forget this day.
Ryan stood up and proceeded into the castle.
Knowing that his mate was not dead gave him the courage to take all the punishments without a word. He was more determined than ever to stop the people from suffering after all these years.
He ascended the stairs, holding his body. There were bruises all over his back. He would treat himself and bounce back. It was only a matter of time before he made the man pay. He entered his room and laid on the bed to sleep. He had something to do when everyone had gone to bed so he needed to sleep ahead.
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When Ryan awoke at night, his body ached him. However, he stood up and exited his room. Ryan darted his eyes around. There was no one who saw him. It was safe and he could go. He didn't want anyone to know about what he was doing.
Ryan snuck into the library to read more about his ancestors. He was on the pathway to becoming an alpha. He needed to prepare ahead. He reached for a book in the library and pulled it out.