The Rogue Alpha’s Claim

“Ariel?”

“Oh my gosh!” Ariel couldn’t help the sigh of relief that left her when she recognized the intruder at the door. There was no way she could forget that voice, and she was running towards him as soon as she heard him. “Kane.” She cried out as she saw him, running to his embrace.

“Ariel.” Kane said with a humph as she collided with him, but he welcomed it, wrapping his hands around her. He felt at home as the familiar sparks developed between them, and he inhaled her scent, letting it wash over him. But as soon as their bodies touched each other, she was inching away from him, and he let his eyes roam over her, trying to determine the cause of her discomfort. “What is wrong?”

Ariel couldn’t bring herself to open her mouth; instead, she nodded towards the room, where the strange man was still standing there.

“Mason? Really?” Kane said in a monotone voice as he regarded his beta. “Why are you terrorizing her? Come on, Ariel, he is harmless.” Kane said, leading her into his office.

His arms had been throbbing as they had been hurting; he still had dried blood all over him, and he needed to wash it off, but he had summoned Mason to his office for an urgent meeting, and the last thing he was expecting was to meet his mate there.

“Who is he?” Ariel demanded; she had refused to take her eyes away from him in case he tried something funny.

“Ariel, meet Mason, the second in command, and Mason, you already know Ariel.”

“W-wait. Hold on, how does he know me? Why is he here? And why are you COVERED IN BLOOD?” Ariel’s voice held real panic as she observed him, and she was trembling. “Oh, Lord,” she swayed unnaturally, but Kane was nearby, ready to catch her.

“What is wrong?”

“I think I need a trash can to-” No sooner had she said the words was she hurling the meal she had eaten, but thanks to the werewolf and their fast reflexes, Kane could already perceive the food making their way back to her mouth, and he had signaled to Mason to bring the trash just in time before the first hurl landed inside.

Ariel, still lightheaded, seemed to have settled only for a moment before she took another look at his face. Her eyes widened in an unnatural way, pure horror overtaking her as the first drop of blood landed on her face.

Ariel wasn’t conscious enough to witness the second one.

Kane took his mate in his arms, clutching her tightly as she was gradually losing her color, and he was yelling at Mason. “Help me arrange the sofa.”

Mason was quick, doing the bidding of his alpha, and Kane gently placed her on the bed, arranging her dress so she wasn’t exposed, and he was turning to face his beta.

“What happened to her?” Kane’s scowl on his face deepened as he looked at Mason, but the latter only shrugged.

“I have no idea; I was just asking her why she was here, then she saw you and fainted.”

“Hmm.” Kane wasn’t convinced, but he put two and two together, and he was walking to his bathroom. Yes, he had a bathroom in his office, even though his room was only three doors away.

The structure was essential for times when he was so busy and was in his office throughout the day. It was easier to take a shower here than to run over to his room, where he may likely be distracted by the warm bed.

Kane dashed to the bathroom, washing up the blood from his body before she woke up. He glanced at his fractured arm, the discoloration was a little off-putting, but it was nothing he hadn’t experienced, and the throbbing had reduced to a dull ache, so it was a win for him.

He was still in the bathroom when he heard her first puffs of air, a sign that she was coming around, and he grabbed a towel, wetting it before rubbing it on any area where there was blood.

He was almost through when he heard the second puff of air, and he was tearing the bloody shirt on his body and flinging it before grabbing the nearest shirt and throwing it on his body.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

He was just in time to see her lashes flutter, and she slowly opened her eyes. It wasn’t the first time Kane was looking at her, but like always, he seemed to be overwhelmed by her beauty.

“Hello, beautiful,” Kane spoke, saying the first thing that came to his mind, and the sudden hitch in her breath was the only sign that she had heard him.

Can you leave us? I will stop by your room later, and we can talk. Meanwhile, Toby would explain everything. Kane said through the mind link, and Mason practically blended into the room as he made his way out.

“Kane?” Ariel’s lips were slightly open as she tried to draw in the air. Everything was so unfamiliar that it was giving her a headache, and she wasn’t sure why. “Why are you here?”

Kane’s chuckle shot straight down to her core, and she blushed hard because of her body’s reaction to this man. “This is my office, Ariel; I should be asking you that.”

“Yea,” She shifted on the sofa, raising her body up, but Kane was already holding her and putting her in a sitting position. “I was looking for you; where’ve you been?” Ariel asked in an accusatory tone, her lips forming a pout as she talked.

“I am so sorry; I should have informed you earlier; we had some work to do.”

“Work that involves blood?” Ariel’s eyebrows were raised in question. “I thought you were into distribution and delivery services.” She could suspect a foul play here, but she couldn’t just put her hands to it.

In fact, nothing has been entirely plain since she arrived. The occupants of the house were always looking like they were hiding something up their sleeves, and she couldn’t ignore the whispers as she passed.

“Yea, I-” Kane was looking for a suitable lie he could tell, but he couldn’t think of one, and with the way her eyes were piercing into his soul, he was sure she could read him. “I was attacked by a bear.”

There was an awkward silence as they regarded themselves, Ariel looking at him with squinted eyes as if to say, ‘Is this the lie you are going for?’

“Yeah, I was attacked by a bear.” Kane nodded, backing up his lie, and Ariel looked at him with a blank expression, at a loss for words.

“Alright, if you say so.” She rose up from her chair, not finding the strength to argue again. “I think I will be taking my leave.”

Kane made no move to prevent her; instead, he watched her go, and he was flinching as she shut the door with a bang.

I need to talk to her, he thought as he stared at the door wistfully.

***

Kane was told beforehand that the training wasn’t going to take place today as he was busy, and for the first time, she didn’t seem to mind.

Ariel needed a day to actually think things through, and with the recent things that had been happening between her and Kane, she wasn’t sure she wanted to be around him now.

The man was a book full of secrets, and she hoped she could uncover them one after the other, or even better, he told her.

She didn’t think she could have anything with a man who had made it his life mission to be suspicious. She needed to clear her head, and that was the only reason she was strolling outside in the garden.

Ariel was ashamed to think that she hadn’t bothered coming outside since the day we arrived when she saw the beautiful meadows. The green scenery was a pleasant surprise, and the vibrant colors of the flowers added to the beauty.

She took a deep breath, breathing in the pure air, and as she slowly let out the air, her problem seemed to float away. At that moment, her thoughts were blank, and she was only concerned with reconnecting with nature.

However, her ears pricked as she heard the crunching of leaves, and she looked towards her left just in time to see two couples laughing as they explored each other.

“Young love.” Ariel mused, shaking her head, and she was turning her focus to another scene. There was no need to witness a private moment between couples.

But she was whipping her head so fast as she heard a sickening crunch that was no doubt the sounds of bones breaking, and her pupils widened as she got the shock of her life.

“Did he just-did they just?” And she was greeted with darkness.