Chapter 13 A Cup of Tea Best Served Hot
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I knew the Alpha and Luna of Midnight Pack were cruel; they were the tales parents warned their pups about. I didn't realize they were also twisted and corrupt. I had gone from having the time of my life at the Lone Wolf to seducing an Alpha, then getting locked in a cage and molested by guards—and now I was locked up in a packhouse. I felt fury boiling inside me. Why would the Moon Goddess allow my Alpha to die at the hands of this beast? She surely knew what he was capable of.
I hated him for everything he had done, everything he had been a part of. They were his guards and she was his mate, after all. I was caught in the moment when he grabbed me into his arms; I almost forgot how savage he was. He was so sexy when he looked at me like I was the only girl in the world. I wanted desperately to push my lips onto his and close the few inches between our faces.
It took everything in me to push him off and remind him of what he put me through tonight—on my birthday, no less. Was this just some game to him?
"Don't you think if I were as cruel as your pack has been conditioned to believe, I would have ripped your throat out by now?" I felt myself gulp at his words; my nerves took over. "Everything that happened tonight was fucked up and has been dealt with, Adeline. I ripped my own guard's throat out because I don't tolerate that behavior on my territory. If that didn't prove it to you, then tell me how I can prove it to you? Even as Alpha, I'll beg for your forgiveness."
"There is nothing in this world that can make me forgive you, Alpha. I shouldn't have even been in those cages to begin with. I may be forced to respect you, Alpha Jaxon, but you will never be my Alpha," I spat without a second thought. "Why are you so interested in me? What do you want from me?"
I saw the notoriously calm Alpha grow more rattled. I knew I was out of line and should never have spoken to a higher-ranking wolf like that—never mind an Alpha. If he wanted to kill me, so be it. But I intended to make sure he knew how scummy he was before I left this earth. My wolf was getting agitated with me. Why was she backing down? She was never one to walk away from a fight. I dismissed it as wolf instincts to submit to our Alpha.
Dominance took over and his voice deepened. "I hate to break it to you, pup, but I am your Alpha—and that decision is not yours to make. One more time you speak out of line like that, and I'll be sure to punish you in a way you'll never forget." He clenched his jaw hard. "Your beloved Alpha got what he deserved. I showed him the compassion of a true Alpha when I gave him two warnings for picking off my guards. I'm not going to apologize for protecting my pack—they are my responsibility, and they rely on me to keep them safe."
I stood there in shock, trying to digest what Alpha Jaxon had just admitted, wondering if it was even true. He must have noticed my confusion because he chuckled and said, "Surprised, are you, Adeline?" emphasizing my name.
"Let's not forget the humans he was always buying, using as sex dolls, and then discarding. Or did you think female humans walking through pack territory was normal in all packs?" His voice fueled more anger. "Yet here we are, Adeline: I'm the ferocious Alpha who took your beloved Alpha away from you. That man had more demons than all the Alphas in the United States put together."
While I knew there might be some truth to his tales, everyone in Silver Shadow Pack had assumed Alpha Max's friendliness with humans was a tactical move to prevent war between humans and werewolves. Alpha Jaxon was no saint, and I wasn't sure what he was trying to prove in that moment—but then I hit low—possibly too low.
"Wow, what a savior you are, Alpha Jaxon. You killed your own father, your own flesh and blood. For what? All for power. That's the kind of leader you are, sir." My voice cracked, knowing I would regret the next words, but my mouth moved faster than my brain processed them. "Everyone in Silver Shadow knows that—you're such a great Alpha that not even the Moon Goddess thought you deserved a mate."
Before I could say another word, I noticed his canines elongate and his eyes turn pure black, filled with fury—fury for the hateful words I'd spoken. I felt a punch of regret somersaulting in my stomach as he swiftly turned toward the door, grabbed the doorknob with a grip that almost ripped it off, and slammed the door behind him, leaving me alone in this unfamiliar room.
I wasn't sure what possessed me to bait a fight, but I was so affected by the thought that Alpha Jaxon was upset with me—even my wolf wouldn't regard me. I curled into a ball in the corner and let my tears pour down my face. I cried so hard my sobs became uncontrollable. I badly wanted to run to him; my instincts begged me to embrace him and apologize until he forgave me. My thoughts wandered—were the rumors true, or was he lying so I would forgive him? I didn't understand why Alpha Jaxon was having this effect on me.
12:01 a.m., the clock flashed across the room. Happy birthday to me.
