The guards lead them past the border and into the pack's territory. They held them tightly and made sure to keep their holds on them, knowing well enough to keep them in the limits of their rules.
They walked through a crowded market with many delicious foods and drinks on display to lure customers. People would flock to get their hands on these tasty delicacies. Mia and Lila's mouths watered in anticipation, and they couldn't help but feel hungry and desperate for the treats that they could see but not obtain.
"Hey, stop!" Lila heard a feminine voice call out. The guards stopped and turned toward the source of the voice. When they saw who it was, they bowed in devotion, a gesture of respect and submission.
"Good afternoon, Alpha Leila," they greeted, but she did not return the greeting or acknowledge their presence. She asked them why they were dragging them and where they were taking them. The guards were reluctant to answer or provide any necessary information because they weren't allowed to give pack information to outsiders.
"We caught them trying to cross the border, and we were just taking them to the Beta for interrogation," the guards explained.
Leila's gaze lingered on Lila, and she noticed her features. She had a beautiful face with striking green eyes and white hair peeking out from her scarf. Her curvy figure could be seen from her ruined and ragged clothes, which revealed her attractive and shapely body.
"There's no need for that. Take them to the servants' quarters and provide them with little food and work to do. I'll inform Zane of them." She said, gesturing toward the guards with a dismissive wave of her hand. The guards nodded and led the two girls out of the room and down a long corridor toward the servants' quarters.
Lila noticed that she did not refer to Zane by his title, which made her wonder about their relationship with each other. Are they mates? The idea made her a little uncomfortable, she didn't want to think about them being mates. She stared at her a little before the guards forced them out of the room.
***************************
Leila went to Zane's office,knocked on the door to Zane's office and entered without being given permission. He was busy working on some paperwork and looked up when she entered. He frowned at her, clearly troubled by her presence and her interruption.
"What do you want, Leila?" Zane asked, looking up from his work with an annoyed expression.
Leila walked closer and closed the door behind her without waiting for his reply. "I have something to tell you, and I wanted to see my darling," she said, looking at him with an air of intimacy.
He put down his pen and groaned, his annoyance obvious. "Fine. What is it?"
She walked over to his desk and leaned forward, smiling seductively. "I found two trespassers in our land today. Two female humans, I think. They were trying to cross the border but our guards caught them," she said, knowing full well that it would anger and irk him whenever she uses *our* for his stuff.
Zane raised his eyebrows, curious about the situation. He seemed like he wanted more information and was waiting for Leila to tell him. "And? What did you do with them?"
Leila seemed like she was enjoying this exchange and enjoying making Zane angry. She smiled and ran her finger along his jaw. "I brought them here, of course. I thought you might want to see them. Maybe interrogate or punish them for trespassing," she said, her voice dripping with sexuality and suggestive intent.
Zane felt a surge of anger and disgust at Leila. The intimacy she was displaying towards him was something that made him uncomfortable and repulsed. He pushed her away sharply and stood up, his anger evident. "Don't touch me, Leila. Or I'll snap you in two, don't test me," he warned her, letting his feelings be known and showing no remorse or hesitation.
Leila pouted and crossed her arms in response to the rejection. "Oh, come on, Zane," she said with an air of desperation. "Don't be so cold. We're perfect for each other. We're both strong, smart, and ambitious. We could rule this pack together and maybe even more. Why do you keep rejecting me?"
Zane glared at her, his expression full of anger and bitterness. He had clearly been holding back for a long time, and now he was releasing all of it in a deluge of words. "Do you want to know why? Because you're a manipulative, selfish, and cruel bitch," he berated her. "You don't care about anyone but yourself. You don't care about this pack or the people in it. You only care about power and status." he said, his tone full of hatred.
Leila scoffed and rolled her eyes, refusing to accept the criticism he had given her. "Please, Zane, don't act like you're so noble and righteous," she scoffed. "You've done things that would make even me shiver. You've killed, tortured, and betrayed countless people. You've made enemies all over the world, even killed your own father to become the alpha. So don't try to act innocent," she countered, her tone defiant and her words full of contempt.
Zane clenched his fists tightly as he spoke, but she could also see something else in his expression. There was a cold calculating look and a fire burning behind his eyes as he argued his reasons. "That was different. He was a tyrant, a monster. He deserved to die. I did it for the good of the pack, for the good of everyone," he argued, his tone angry and defensive.
Leila snorted in disbelief. "Yeah, right. You did it for yourself, Zane. You wanted to be the alpha", the king, the boss."
He laughed bitterly at her mocking tone. "You wanted to have it all, and you still do, but you're wrong, Leila. You're wrong. You'll never find her. She's a myth," she repeated.
"She's a fantasy, a fairy tale. You're wasting your time and wasting your life"
Leila angrily walked out of the office and slammed the door behind. Zane stayed at his desk and rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. He hated Leila, hated the way she always made him feel angry and uneasy. A part of him wished he could get rid of her, but he knew that doing so would not be possible or wise. He had kept her alive for a reason. She was annoying, but still useful to him in some regards.
Zane looked at the papers on his desk and sighed. He had a lot of work to do and problems to solve. As the alpha, he had a lot of decisions to make, and he had to run the pack, protect it, and improve it. He had to deal with other packs and alphas as well. He tried to calm his wolf down inside, but the rage had set in now, and it wasn't going away easily. He had to control his wolf and control himself.