The Alpha's Vessel [The Alpha's #2]

THEA PETROVNA

It was only after Thea had spent some time catching up with Malik, making sure he was fine and had been well looked after and promised that she would never leave him again like that, that Thea had decided that it was time to visit her so-called mate.

Despite her wanting to go see him alone as there were a lot of answers that she required from him, not to mention the fact that it was embarrassing for her to face her rapist in front of them all, she knew that they all meant well.

“I don’t want any of you to say anything.” Thea stated as she sent the familiar guard the stink eye as he opened the door for them, suddenly looking very nervous now that she was on the other side. “Let me do all the talking.”

“Are you sure that’s such a good idea?” Malachi asked with a condescending snort, almost as if he didn’t trust her to be able to manage by herself.

“I think I’m perfectly capable of making my own decisions, thank you very much.” She was sure to bite back just as him as she began her way down the stairs, leading everyone as she walked ahead.

As terrified as she was, Thea knew that she needed to do this. He had already managed to take advantage of her twice and while she felt dead on the inside, she was somehow still able to work and function. However, she feared that her body and soul would not be able to take anything else.

“If you don’t want to be here, elder Malachi, feel free to leave at any time.” Anastasia snorted and turned to glare at him, having never been a fan of the head of the werewolf council as he was known for being a dick who thought the absolute world of himself.

“I don’t think that comment was necessary, Luna Anastasia.”

“I think it was very necessary.” Marcellus growled, not the least bit appreciative or fond of anything that dared to dismiss or speak to his mate in a disrespectful way.

While Thea agreed with Marcellus and Anastasia, she didn’t want to hear the rest of the conversation – or rather, argument – as she had a whole lot of other things on her mind. Instead, she pushed herself to walk ahead, counting up to the fifth cell where the one and only prisoner was kept.

Unlike her, Orpheus was chained to the wall with the addition of silver chains that hadn’t been there when she was locked up, but she couldn’t bring herself to complain.

“Thea?” Orpheus snapped his head up the moment she came to a stop in front of the cell, his eyes red and sore, almost as if he had been crying but she couldn’t bring herself to care. “Thea!”

“Surprised to see me still alive?” She snorted and rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest as she stared back at him. “Or disappointed?”

“Don’t say that!” He pleaded with her as he pushed himself up to his legs and rushed forward toward her but with silver chains restraining him and digging into his skin whenever he so much as moved a little.

With the way he had stormed toward her, Thea was tempted to move back in fear that he would be able to get his hands on her even with the silver bars between them, but couldn’t keep the sadistic grin off her face when he was forced back against the fall, his back scrapping against the brick wall as he fell to the floor and growled in pain, the smell of his skin burning filling the air.

Not that any of them cared as he more than deserved that.

“I’m so sorry, Thea!” Orpheus cried aloud, a few more tears rolling down his face as he groaned in pain, trying to pick himself up into a sitting position but still suffering from the sizzled skin of his wrists which ached and throbbed painfully. “I’m so sorry for what I did to you.”

“I’m sure you are.” She couldn’t help but snort in a dry voice. “But what part exactly do you feel bad about?”

“All of it.” The words were quick to rush out of his mouth before she could finish questioning him.

“The part where you raped me again, or the part where you nearly killed me by marking me?”

“I’m so sorry, Thea!” Orpheus repeated the apology, genuinely looking apologetic as he stared up at her, ignoring the small group of wolves that swarmed around her from behind. “If I had known that your body would react that way to my mark, I would never have done it.”

“Save your lies!” She sneered at him, not believing the known liar for a second. “I cried and tried to fight you off the whole time, but that just spurred you on further. You’re a sick fucker and it’s as simple as that.”

“Thea, please.” He audibly pleaded with her, his eyes travelling over her shoulder to glance at all the wolves behind her but under strict instructions from her earlier, none of them dared to speak or inject themselves into the conversation.

The only reason that they were here was simply due to the fact that they needed to hear the confession from Orpheus himself as they needed reason to schedule a trial or more specifically, a follow up from the first trial that had taken place over two weeks ago. That, and the fact that both Anastasia and Marcellus refused to let her down him alone with her rapist; not trusting him to not try anything even though he was behind bars.

Time and time again Orpheus had proved that he couldn’t be trusted.

“I’m not here to listen to your bullshit excuses.” Thea rolled her eyes again, frustrated with his constant apologising even though she knew for a fact that if he had the chance to do it again, he would do it within a heartbeat.

Once a rapist, always a rapist.

“Then why are you down here?” He asked in a quiet voice, still silently crying though she believed that he was only trying to earn some sympathy points.

“I think you all need to leave.” Thea sighed as she turned her head to glance at the council and her friends surrounding her. “Orpheus and I have a lot to talk about.”

While Marcellus and the council all began to voice aloud their concerns, opinions and general distaste of her choice, but Thea didn’t want to hear it. As they continued discussing among themselves – almost as if they believed that they actually had a choice in this matter – Anastasia took a few steps toward her and reached down for her hands, giving them both a reassuring squeeze.

“While I don’t necessarily agree with your decision, I can begin to understand if this is really what you want.”

“I really need to do this.” Thea nodded and sighed, relieved that not everyone was looking to question her decision. Turning her head, she sent a questioning look to the other six wolves that were still discussing among themselves. “But what are we going to do about all of them?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll sort them all out.” Anastasia offered her a sly smirk as she sent a pointed look over her shoulder. “But I’m giving you fifteen minutes alone down here with him.”

“That’s more than enough.” Thea assured her with a grateful smile, thankful that Anastasia was able to understand that this was something that she needed to do, even if it was very controversial.

“You do what you need to do, honey. You’ll find us in the packhouse once you’re done.”

Thea chuckled and took a step back to watch as Anastasia herded her mate and werewolf council out of the dungeons. Allowing them a few moments, she only turned her head to face her mate currently sat behind silver bars and for once, it was her who had the sinister look in her eyes.

“Are they all gone?” Thea asked after having heard the door close but with her human hearing, she could never be too sure with werewolves. As long as they still weren’t in the dungeon then there was no chance of any of them overhearing as this building was completely soundproof, specifically to keep everyone in a need to know and right now, Thea couldn’t afford anyone else overhearing what she had to say to him; not if she wanted to get to the bottom of what was happening exactly.

He was barely able to nod his head in confirmation, staring up at her in a mixture of awe and confusion.

“Why did you send everyone away?” Orpheus couldn’t help but ask.

“I know you’re not used to this, but I’ll be the one asking all the questions today.” Thea laughed softly, highly amused with the way the tables had turned.

It was only last week that he had been the one to put her behind bars but now, she was standing in front of him with the upper hand. It was about time that karma started getting him back for all of his crimes and wrong doings as well as start working in her favour, but she didn’t have much time to dwell on the thought as her fifteen minutes alone with him had already started.

If she knew Anastasia well, she knew that her friend was timing her and the second that time ran out, she would come knocking down the door.

“What kind of questions?” Orpheus asked in a quiet voice, his eyes brimming with suspicion as he blinked up at his from his position on the floor with his back pressed up against the rough brick walls; the exact position she had sat in many times during her time in the dungeon.

Once again, she thanked Anastasia for insisting that Orpheus ended up in this specific cell.

“I will lie for you.”

“What?” Orpheus couldn’t help but question with wide, disbelieving eyes. “What did you just say?”

“I said I will lie for you. I will convince the council that you didn’t rape me even though you did. I will tell them what really happened between but very rough, very kinky but consensual sex.” Thea repeated herself simply, fighting off the smirk that threatened to take over her face. “But on one condition.”

“What kind of condition?”

“The kind of condition where you tell me the truth.”

“The truth?” Orpheus frowned deeply, almost as if confused as to what she was referring to even though subconsciously, he was very aware of what she wanted to hear from him.

“Yes, the truth.”

His lips turned down into a frown but she refused to fall for it.

“I don’t know what kind of truth you’re referring to.” Orpheus denied even though they both knew there was no point. Thea wasn’t looking to argue or barter but instead, she demanded the truth and if he failed to deliver, then she had no intentions of carrying out her part of the deal despite the fact that he had much more to lose than her.

In fact, he was the only one who had something to lose as Thea had already lost everything of hers that was worth something. Or rather, she had it stolen from. By none other than her mate, the infamous Alpha Orpheus Vladimir of the Apo to Chaos pack. The man currently sitting in front of her right now.

Oh, how times had changed.

“I want to know what that phone call was about.” Thea smirked as she crossed her arms over her chest, leaving absolutely no room for argument but rather, demanding that he deliver the answers that she was looking for. “And don’t bother trying to convincing me that it was nothing because if it truly was nothing, then you wouldn’t have gone to all those efforts and extremes to find out what I had heard, and you certainly wouldn’t have thrown me down in the dungeon for that.”

Almost as if gobsmacked and rendered speechless by her demand, having not expected for her to ask such a question, Orpheus could only blink up at her.

“Don’t bother trying to lie to me either.” She pursed her lips and sent him a dirty look, very aware of the way Orpheus worked and managed things.

Thea had learnt the hard way that his favourite hobbies and past times included gaslighting people into doing and believing what he wanted them to, as well as being a big cruel dick to absolutely everyone and anyone; a complete abuse of his power. Not that anyone was able to do anything.

Well, not yet, anyway.

“It really was nothing.” He tried to deny but she already knew that he was lying, even before he avoided making eye contact and instead, glancing around the room like a man who had a lot to hide. While she wasn’t looking to uncover everything today, she certainly had every intention of finding out what exactly mattered this much to him to go to such extents to keep it a secret.

“You and I both know that I’m not going to fall for that.” She paused to roll her eyes. “So, you can either start telling me the truth, or I’m going to have to leave you to deal with all of your shirt yourself.”

Almost as if weighing her words in his head, genuinely thinking over them, he sighed and nodded his head.

“I’ll tell you the truth but how do I know I can believe you?” He asked, sceptical.

“Like I said, I’ll be the one to ask all the questions.” Thea snorted and made a show of rolling her eyes. “And right now, it doesn’t seem like you have much of a choice right now.”

He pursed his lips but the longer they maintained eye contact, the more he mulled over his words until finally, he sighed and nodded his head, though the hesitation was still evident on his face.

Orpheus groaned aloud and tilted his head back but with no other choice, especially if he wanted to be saved during the trial that was scheduled to take place in the morning.

With one last sigh, he opened his mouth and allowed the truth to spill out, not leaving anything back because by this point, she knew when to call him out for bullshit.

After she had heard what she wanted, Thea maintained the poker face to mask her true thoughts and reactions to the truth that he had just unloaded on her – even if she had been the one to demand nothing but honesty – she sent him one last smirk before turning her back on him; no longer interested in anything he had to offer due to the simple fact that she had now gotten what she wanted.

“Wait, Thea!” Orpheus called out to her but she had already turned his back on her and was walking away with no intention of returning. “Thea!”

For the first time since that fateful day in the alley, Thea held her head up high and walked away with all of the confidence in the world. When she heard his loud raw, strong and feral enough to cause the ground underneath her feet to tremor, she only laughed and flipped her hair over her shoulder as she began toward the packhouse.

-

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Layla Knight

16.12.2020