Wolf Dominion Volume 2

I’ve just returned to Cracklen – and I am exhausted.

I swing open the door to Hades’ apartment and I find him right there.

“Of course you made it back,” Hades tries to hide his delighted smile, tugging at his lips as I walk in and slam the door – jumping right into his front.

Hades holds out one hand to hug me back, as he leans back against the wall by his door, smoking a cigar, his hand then moves up to cradle the back of my head as I rest my cheek against his chest – hugging him tight and hearing his heartbeat.

Home.

I feel safe being here – with his scent on me.

A slow minute later, I pull back and turn around, leaning my back and my ass right back into Hades’ crotch.

I doubt he expected that, but I had already made my decision.

I didn’t want fights in my Dominion, in my family… so I would make a firm decision.

The Omega was my interest – not the Alphas in the room.

Mila and Vastian are already here.

Mila is thankfully sleeping on my bed, facing the wall, a moment of temporary peace consumes her in another world, or perhaps she is even Transcending.

Vastian is sitting on the floor against the wall, his arm over one knee as he watches me very carefully – with knowing eyes.

Perhaps I overdid the grinding my ass back into Hade’s crotch, but Hades’ doesn’t mind – in fact, he’s placing a hand on my shoulder and –

Shoving me forward.

What the hell?

Rough. I almost face plant into the floor and quickly regain my balance, floundering with my arms out – I turn to snarl back at him.

“Commitment issues,” Hades holds out a hand with his cigar, shaking his head, “Don’t do that again.”

I exhale a sharp breath of embarrassment.

“She was making a statement; trying,” Vastian murmurs at Hades or himself.

They can’t seem to look at each other at the same time.

As Vastian speaks to him and looks at him, Hades walks to his window.

When Hades turns to face Vastian, Vastian looks back at me.

“I said they’re welcome, Ryder – but they want nothing to do with a traitor,” Hades states, “The only reason I’m not dead is there is no reason to kill another wolf.”

“Actually, it’s because my moral code is simple; I will never kill a brother, nor betray one, in any circumstance,” Vastian glares at Hades now – and they finally challenge each other’s eyes.

That’s when the temper almost flares over.

Hades’ looks vicious with his ice cold response – while Vastian, is also cool in his own rage, which somehow makes the tension way worse. Vastian stands up and walks over to the windows with Hades, “All of us down, to save this dirty crime ridden mess of a town.”

“I love my Solividian,” Hades’ own personal joke – as I am about to find out.

“No. You love oil,” Vastian reprimands, and Hades goes quiet.

“It does burn for a very long time,” I state, glad to distract from my embarrassing rejection just before, “Oil has it’s uses, I help extract it daily,” I walk over feeling smart – but both of them don’t say anything on that. I stand between them, looking between them. Perhaps I should change the subject again, “This is the beginning of a long journey back to power,” I state, “As Luna and head of this mission, I’ll be making the decisions.”

“Thank you for helping us escape,” Vastian turns to me and acknowledges my efforts, “You have my loyalty and respect.”

“I’ll welcome that when you prove it, Alpha,” I drop my tone and I give Vastian a warning look.

Now he understands I don’t trust him.

“…are you sure she’s stable…?” Vastian murmurs to Hades.

More little signs of disrespect.

“She most definitely is not after your treatment of her,” Hades looks at the ceiling, “When you wanted a loyal bitch, and you got an Omega. Ha – haha.”

“Luna,” I counter, offended.

“Luna, oh Luna,” Hades is disrespectful but in a playful way that I recognise, “You have my allegiance,” He says it in the most distrustful way I’ve ever heard.

Exactly as he is. Which is why I trust it.

“Shut up,” I growl out in annoyance, “You don’t know the meaning of allegiance,” I playfully bite back.

“If you don’t like me, sweet little lunatic – get out of my house,” Hades walks over to lash that in my ear, while strolling off to his bathroom, too much swag.

Pulling out a curtain to piss into a hole, I turn to face Vastian alone – kind of.

“How do you want me to prove loyalty?” Vastian asks me, quietly, while not looking at me, just gazing over Cracklen.

I walk around him and I step into him, into his line of vision, I physically place a hand over his chest to feel his heart beat.

“If you’re still alive while in the same room as me – that’s a good start. I didn’t save you to kill you. I saved you to obey me and follow my orders – you owe me your life and you’ll owe me a lot more when I restore Wolf Dominion,” I whisper all of this, “Do you understand me, Alpha Vastian?”

“What do you want?” Vastian asks, his anger held back under a thin film of calm. His constant practice of meditation wouldn’t help him now under me.

“What do I want? Wolves under my hand will be free, for the most part – but when I command, anytime I command and anything I command, they must obey.”

“Your judgement hardly speaks for good reason to lead,” Vastian challenges me.

“But it does speak of good intention. Freedom. Unlike you. Unlike Skye. Unlike Mila. Unlike him back there. Unlike Raygar. I want a good ending and a good future for my kid. And I’ll force it if I have to. I’ll put myself in harm’s way to gain that end.”

“What do you mean your good end? Ah – you want your son back,” Vastian puts some of the puzzle together.

“And I want him to have a good future,” I add again, tightly.

“I’ve spent my whole life trying to find a way to make good permanent, but good doesn’t exist without the bad, and you will be shocked that sometimes cruelty is random and without reason at all,” Vastian warns me, I guess a piece of advice.

“I’ll find a way to get what I want.”

“Be careful of others who wish to find their own way,” Vastian is wise but he is also weak and his eyes are sunken and tired.

A good time to question him.

“What were Cat Dominion making you do for them in that basement?” I ask, suspicious of the answer.

But of course, there is a knock at the door.

I walk over in annoyance and open it without care for who it might be.

I can deal with it.

I expect trouble, and I’ve answered aggressively – but it’s only a child messenger dropping a letter at my feet before running away scared.

The paper floats down across my boot and I reach down, picking it up with a infamous seal ; C.D.I.O.

I rip it open.

It reads:

In exchange for the safe return of your son – I wish to spend a week in your company. I seek to know your value.

Cat Dominion, Imperato Opular’s signature sprawls across the page.

I read it twice.

Three times.

At first, I’m in a state of shock – completely frozen, all my other senses numb and I have tunnel vision looking at those words. Safe. Return. Son.

Then I’m finally smiling – I’m smiling, with true – true relief flooding me so hard.

And joy.

Yes. Was it that easy? Did I make enough of a show to get his attention?

I have a strange smile plastered on my face as I lower my fist with the letter.

What I read was true.

Yes. Yes.

Safe return of Ryder.

Good! Great! For a week in my company? No worries Imperator Stupid.

I was more than happy to spend some quality time with you.

When I turn around, I almost bump right into Hades, who has read the note over my shoulder – and slowly shakes his head at me.

“Don’t –” he tries to warn me against it, a deadly rumble vibrates out of his throat.

“You don’t,” I warn back – and he shuts his mouth, raising a brow and shrugging as he turns and looks at Vastian, pretending not to care.

“Congratulations, brother, you got exactly what you wanted – a martyr, a hero that’ll save us all.”

“I will,” I grin.

“You’re good but you’re not bad enough for it,” Hades looks at Vastian, even as he speaks of me, “…you’ll die for it, Ryder. You’ll realise too late. That’s how it usually happens.”

“You all love to talk soo damn much. Words will get you nowhere – thoughts will get you nowhere – tears will get me nowhere –” my voice almost breaks, but I hold it together, “…but simple action will provide movement, I’m going for a walk to think about it,” I leave for my walk, while Hades explains to a confused Vastian what was offered in the letter.

I make the necessary stops on my ‘walk’.

When I return a few hours later – after calling in to organise the trade with Official commands at Cat Dominion, I find Hades now gone from the apartment.

Mila is still sleeping, and Vastian is fresh out of a shower.

He still hasn’t slept; something is haunting him.

His trauma was not my problem – I had enough of my own.

Still, I sit down at the table and I kick up my boots, gazing over Vastian’s dripping naked body.

“Ryder, we need to talk,” Vastian slips on spare pants, and just from the side, he looks just like his brothers, reminding me of Skye and Raygar. My heart jerks a little, but I quickly banish that thought and he slips through a belt and then he meets my defiant gaze, “You want the truth. If you return with the rest of my family at the end of the week with the Imperator – there will be no room to doubt any other alternative.”

“There will be no room to doubt any other alternative for what?” I snap.

“Alternative to lead,” Vastian nods at me, “Get all my brothers back – and only then, will I do absolutely anything you command.”

My eyes are glazey as I look to my boot’s laces.

Vastian was lying to me. I could feel it in my bones.

Regardless…

I stand up, and I turn to approach. I stand close, flush against him.

I whisper up in his ear, holding his physical attention.

“I’ll get your family back,” I promise him.

Then I step back with one thought in mind while looking over Vastian, the true Alpha.

I’ll get my most loyal back, Raygar and Skye, and I’ll banish you to the desert. Vastian was a liability.

Hades I trusted… not to tell the truth.

Raygar and Skye I trusted.

Vastian – fuck Vastian.

He was clearly refusing to submit to me, he was even subtly disrespecting me – after I saved his ungrateful ass. That was going to be a problem. For him and his future. A future without me.

You didn’t want me as an enemy – because I had no more room for failure.

I didn’t need another stubborn, conniving Alpha wasting my damn time.