"Is this a JOKE?!" Zephyr's roar ripped through the study, the sound vibrating the very air and snapping every muscle in the room to attention.
Otsanna, the pack sorceress, stood like a statue before him, while Ralph and Zeeb remained a tense few feet away. The grand study, usually a space of power and calm, now felt suffocating with the tension a tangible force.
"WHAT IS THIS?! More consequences of the curse?! Has the goddess not had her fill of tormenting me?!"
Zephyr spoke in total fury sending his words to the heavens themselves.
His eyes burned into Otsanna, though his rage was clearly directed at a higher power. Otsanna felt the weight of his gaze, unsure what fueled his current outburst: the confirmation of the Royal mark, the undeniable mate bond with the stranger, or her own inability to pierce the stranger's mind with her magic.
"This is not the goddess's doing," Otsanna stated firmly, meeting his gaze.
"Then it's HIS doing!" Zephyr spat, the words dripping with venom.
A heavy silence descended. Everyone in the room knew who "he" was.
"That's impossible, Alpha," Otsanna countered, her voice ringing with conviction. "No outsider, no non-member of the River pack, can penetrate the shield! Not after the sacrifice twenty years ago!"
Zephyr's laughter was a harsh, grating sound. "Then WHAT IS THIS?! What other explanation is there?! Twenty years is plenty of time for him to devise a way, isn't it? Or have you forgotten what he's capable of?!"
Another charged silence filled the room. The weight of past horrors pressed down on them all.
"I will reject her. Now," Zephyr declared, the words like a death knell.
Otsanna took a desperate step forward. "My Alpha, the mate bond is real. You know the consequences of severing it…"
"I don't CARE!" Zephyr roared, cutting her off. "I have no use for a mate! Especially one who is an instrument of dark magic!"
"She's weak," Otsanna pleaded, her voice trembling slightly. "She may not survive the rejection."
"All the better," Zephyr snarled, his eyes flashing dangerously. He held up a hand, silencing Otsanna's further protests. "Leave, Otsanna. I'll summon you when I need to ."
Otsanna bowed deeply and retreated from the room.
She knew that the Alpha would not listen to anything she had to say now.
"Clear the hallways!" Zephyr commanded Zeeb, his voice sharp and urgent. "Have the soldiers bring her here at once!"
Zeeb, the Gamma, moved with lightning speed to carry out his Alpha's orders.
Once they were alone.
Ralph came forward.
He cleared his throat before speaking, his voice was low and cautious. "Zephyr…"
"WHO IS SHE?! WHAT IS SHE?!" Zephyr exploded, his control snapping. "Xander spoke of only one daughter the Dark King possesses. So who IS SHE?!"
"I don't know," Ralph admitted, his eyes narrowed, "but if she dies, we'll never know. We won't know who sent her, or what their true purpose is." It was a subtle suggestion, a plea for reason amidst the storm of Zephyr's rage.
"I DON'T CARE!" Zephyr bellowed, his chest heaving.
Ralph watched his best friend with a flicker of suspicion in his eyes. Zephyr's reaction was too intense, too emotional.
It was the mate bond. The strength and the rush of emotions which he was very unfamiliar with upset and unsettled him.
A sharp rap on the door preceded Zeeb's return and behind him was Selene in tow, gripped tightly by two grim-faced soldiers.
As soon as the soldiers departed, Zephyr stalked forward, making Selene flinch back. Her gaze was fixed on him and fear made her incapable of looking anywhere else.
She was unaware of what was about to happen to her.
"I, Alpha Zephyr of the River Pack," his voice boomed, echoing through the room, "reject my fated mate, praying the Goddess forgives this necessary action."
The words crashed over Selene like a tidal wave.
Mate? Had she heard correctly? What was happening? She couldn't possibly have a mate! It was impossible!
Panic seized her and her eyes darted around the room in frantic confusion before snapping shut, bracing for the anticipated agony. Zephyr… the name echoed in her mind. Zephyr, Alpha of the River Pack. That was his name. That was who he was.
A tense silence hung heavy in the air and everyone was waiting.
But nothing happened.
There was No searing pain, no gasp of anguish, no dramatic shift in the atmosphere. Selene slowly opened her eyes, finding everyone as bewildered as she felt. Zeeb and Ralph exchanged uneasy glances, unsure of what was unfolding.
Zephyr, however, could still feel the undeniable pull of the bond within him. A low growl rumbled in his chest. He lunged forward, seizing Selene and lifting her off the ground.
"You've bound me with your dark magic, haven't you?" he snarled, his face contorted with fury. " You Shameless creature! You created a false bond, thinking you could trap me!"
Selene trembled, tears welling in her eyes at his viciousness. "Please," she choked out, "I didn't do anything to you. I swear!"
Zephyr dropped her and she crumpled to the floor. "Zeeb, get the soldiers! Let them take her away!" he commanded, his burning gaze never leaving her form.
Zeeb obeyed instantly, and Selene was dragged away, her cries faintly echoing behind her.
The door slammed shut, leaving Zephyr, Zeeb, and Ralph in the room.
Zephyr sent a nearby shelf crashing to the floor in a fit of rage.
"This is his dark magic! I'm certain of it!" he declared, pacing around.
Zeeb and Ralph exchanged worried looks. This raw, untamed anger was foreign to their Alpha. It was so unlike him!
"What are we going to do?" Zeeb asked, his voice laced with fear. He, too, was convinced that the strange woman was a conduit of dark magic.
"Ralph," Zephyr said, his voice hard, "tell Otsanna to send a message to Xander. He must travel here immediately. I want to see him before sunrise." He turned to Zeeb, his eyes glinting dangerously. "Come with me. We'll torture her until she tells the truth!"