Chapter 26
King Braedon POV
"How much longer" Cordelia whined as I gritted my teeth "The air is stuffy in here and I'm getting hot and sweaty" she huffed.
James looked like he was about to wrap his hands around her neck and strangle her. I fought to keep myself composed. Her constant nagging and complaining were starting to get to me as well. "Perhaps we should stop for a few minutes and breathe some fresh air," I said between gritted teeth.
James rolled his eyes but obediently rapped on the barrier to inform the driver to stop at his earliest convenience.
"Happy now" he snarled at Cordelia who hissed at him in reply.
I rubbed my temples, wishing vehemently I had left Cordelia behind. The driver pulled to the side of the road and James was the first to open the door and scramble out, looking relieved.
Cordelia followed more leisurely, stretching her legs, a wide smile curving on her face. I got out last, wondering if I could leave her there, James shooting me a look filled with daggers that I intentionally ignored. She clutched at my arm, making me clench my jaw and stare down at her with narrowed eyes. She was being a complete pest and part of me wondered what in the hell I saw in her.
"What is it, Cordelia?" I asked irritably.
She widened her eyes innocently. "Well I was just thinking," she said, her breasts rubbing against my arm and causing me to feel even more repulsed "Why don't we go and find a quiet place to have some alone time?" she proposed seductively.
I stared at her. "You want to go and have some alone time in the forest," I said incredulously. "You know there are all sorts of bugs and small creatures in there? I didn't think that was your style?" I added meaningfully.
The last thing I wanted was to spend that kind of alone time with her, in the forest of all things. My wolf silently agreed. Her lips parted. "No, not for that," she said haughtily as I smirked "Just to sit and be close together. I thought it would be nice," she said, "we don't get a chance to be together much anymore" she whined.
That's because I was avoiding her as much as possible due to my wolf, but she didn't need to know that. I sighed. James looked down at his cell phone, walking away, pretending not to hear. I opened my mouth, not certain what I was going to say when I heard a terrified scream in the distance. Cordelia flinched.
"Did you hear that?" she whispered, her eyes widening.
James had already shifted but I did the same, leaving Cordelia with the driver, racing into the depths of the forest, my nose sniffing.
The scream had been unmistakably a girl's. The scent that drifted towards me was a wolf, an Alpha no less. I wondered why he was in neutral territory and why the girl sounded so terrified. I crashed through the trees, the scent of strawberries and cream tantalizing my senses. Visit Job ni b.com to read the complete chapters for free. If you are not reading this novel on Job ni b .com, some sentences are incomplete.It grew stronger as I got closer to the other wolf, and I came across it, about to stomp its paw on a girl, who was crying on the ground. I didn't hesitate, slamming into the other Alpha and sending it flying, before shooting a look at the poor girl who was practically naked. I growled. My wolf was going berserk. I couldn't hold back its fury. The girl sobbed. The other Alpha wolf got to its feet.
He made a mistake. He shifted, to human form. He held his hands out, not knowing my identity, just that I was another Alpha challenging him. I stared him down. I growled. He chuckled. "Easy there, the girl is mine. I paid for her. She's to be my breeder" he said arrogantly as I c****d my head at him.
I was even more angry. I had abolished the breeding program and he was boasting about breaking the law in front of his own Alpha King. Was he stupid or just plain arrogant? I let my full aura push against him and his eyes widened. I shifted, to human form while James did the same, kneeling beside the girl and checking on her as she clung to him with tears trailing down her cheeks. I felt a flash of jealousy spurt through me as I glared at James. What in the hell was wrong with me?
My wolf was enraged. I snarled at James who looked at me wide-eyed. The girl looked frightened. I clenched my teeth together and stared at the other Alpha. "The breeding program has been outlawed," I said coldly as he stared uncomprehendingly at me, still not recognizing who I was "Who are you to go against the law of the Alpha King?"
He had the audacity to laugh. "Young man, clearly you have no idea how the world works. The breeding program has been in place for over a hundred years. Do you really think that the Alpha King is going to demolish it in the blink of an eye? I paid a fortune for this girl" he sneered, pointing at her as she clutched at herself, unable to look any of us in the eye "and the b***h tried to kill me. Do not get in the way of matters that don't concern you" he growled with conceit.
I saw the mark on his neck, that still trickled blood. The girl had put up a hell of a fight. I smirked, admiring her courage. "The matter concerns me greatly," I said steadily, "this girl does not look like she consented to the breeding program irrelevant of whether it is abolished or not" I growled. "I don't" the girl stammered between chattering teeth "Bastard tried to r**e me" she cried.
I surveyed the man coldly. He just winked at me "I paid for her services, I was getting what I paid for" he said nonchalantly.
My wolf came to the surface. He didn't want to listen to it anymore. This man had taken liberty with this girl, had ignored my legislation, and had the nerve to boast about it. I strode across the grass, so fast I was a blur and picked the man up with one hand, my eyes staring straight at him, as the girl gasped in shock behind me.
"Fool, I am your Alpha King" I snarled, my aura growing and thickening around us as he clawed at me with desperation "You dare to disrespect my laws? That is a death sentence" I grinned and then tightened my grip so hard that his head severed from his body, blood spurting everywhere, all over the trees and the nearby bushes and ground.
The girl screamed in shock. My wolf was still uneasy, pacing back and forth. Something was wrong. Very wrong. I turned and headed for the girl who looked as white as a sheet. James was trying to console her, and I snarled at him, my Beta quietly removing his hands from her person. My wolf would not settle. The girl's lower lip quivered, her eyes big and round. I reached over to take her hand. She looked as though she might faint at any moment. "You're safe now" I murmured before I touched her skin.
Electricity shot through me. My body was pulsing with what felt like electrical currents shooting through me. Her scent was so intoxicating that my nostrils flared and my eyes darkened. James took two steps backward, recognizing what was about to happen as my grip tightened on the girl's hand and she stared at me mutely. I couldn't stop my wolf, even if I wanted to now.
My wolf was ferocious as he let out a growl, so loud it shook the nearby trees. He had waited for this moment, dreamed of it and now that it was here, he was not about to let it go. It was all I could do to prevent him from marking her right then and there, considering the trauma she had just gone through. "Mate" he thundered, the girl whitening as she heard the words, my eyes blazing as I looked down at the frail girl, my Beta's grin widening. The girl shook violently. The blood drained from her face. She scrambled to her feet, looking frightened, pulling her hand away as I and my wolf looked at her, confused. She took two steps and then her eyes rolled in the back of her head and she collapsed, my arms reaching out to grasp her, catching her before she hit the floor, cradling her against my chest as my Beta clapped me on the shoulder, a look of immense satisfaction on his face.
Something was off about this girl, I thought absently. My wolf was overprotective, demanding to know if she was alright. I sniffed. I frowned. I could not smell her wolf. She didn't have one! This complicated things. I remembered the promise I had made to Cordelia if my mate turned out to be wolfless or lower in status. My wolf, however, was making it clear to me that if I even so much as tried to reject this girl, he would go feral and make me pay for it for the rest of my life. It was not an empty threat. I looked at James.
"Let's go back to the car and find clothes for us all," I said quietly.
"What about her?" he asked with interest "Your mate?"
I looked at him "I don't know. For now, we take her with us to Dark Rising Pack. At the very least she needs medical attention" I murmured.
"Are you going to accept her?" he asked and I shot him a look that told him not to ask any more questions.
We walked back to the car silently, the girl never stirring in my arms. My wolf was enamored with her already and even I couldn't deny she was extremely attractive. I held her tighter, dreading what Cordelia was going to say. My wolf however was smug. He wanted to be rid of Cordelia forever and he knew this might just give him that opportunity