Cruel Alpha, Season One (Wolves of New Eden #1)

7. Two Birds, One Stone

7

Two Birds, One Stone

Caspian

My eyes flit to the clock.

The sun has just set, which means there’s currently a shift change taking place as night patrols begin. I peer up when, like clockwork, there’s a knock at the door of my study.

“Enter.”

At the sound of my voice, the knob twists half a second before Dimitri and Creed darken the entryway. They close the door behind them, ensuring our privacy before filling the seats across from my desk to begin our nightly briefing.

“Good evening, Alpha.”

I nod in Dimitri’s direction. “Brother.”

“Good evening, Sir. We’ve got figures and updates,” Creed chimes in, cutting right to the chase. He’s typically quite easygoing, but when it comes to High Chamber affairs, he’s all business. I fight a proud grin at how nicely he’s settling into his new role as Clan Steward.

I set my pen and paperwork aside, settling deeper into my seat to give them my full attention.

“I’m listening.”

Creed glances down at the clipboard in his hands. “We’ve had three-hundred-twelve births this week, and with Springtide upon us, that number is sure to rise in coming months.”

I do a bit of mental math, imagining he’s right. Peak mating season often doubles our usual monthly birth rate shortly thereafter, shoring up our numbers and targeted population growth.

It’s no secret that a robust clan is a powerful clan.

“Excellent. Any month we can avoid initiating the reproduction protocol is a good month.”

Both men nod in agreement. It’s been years since the High Chamber had to step in and enforce breeding mandates for all mated pairs, but no one’s forgotten how discontented the clan was with the decision. While most understood why the mandate was imperative, they still begrudged the imposition.

“What’s next on the agenda?” I ask, only now noticing Dimitri’s attention focused on my hand. I glance there, realizing a steady tremor causing it to shake.

Dimitri’s eyes narrow with suspicion, but I lower my hand beneath the desk, shooting him a warning glare. He won’t call attention to it if he knows what’s good for him.

I’m momentarily distracted by a thought, recalling this being how it started for my father. There were slight symptoms at first, but then more drastic ones. Ones that couldn’t be ignored.

Ones that turned him into a rage-filled recluse in the end.

It took years for things to progress that far, but he was stricken with it much later in his journey. Not when he thought he had his whole life ahead of him, like I foolishly believed.

“Well?” I push, sighing as I check my watch, waiting for one of the men to speak up.

Dimitri shifts in his seat, clearing his throat. “Um… she’s requested an audience with you. Again,” Dimitri adds.

“She?”

He closes his eyes, seeming to realize how vague he’d been. “Phaedra Bellerose, Clan Sedna’s alpha.”

He makes mention of her title like I don’t already know who the fuck she is. There’s an unidentified feeling in the pit of my stomach. It arose when, for the fraction of a second, I considered that the ‘she’ Dimitri spoke of was the beautiful renegade currently secured below ground.

I glare at my brother, aiming undeserved frustration in his direction because Phaedra isn’t here to receive it herself.

Which… thank the gods for that.

“Have Zara inform Ms. Bellerose’s representative that I’m a very busy man. So, unfortunately, I’m forced to deny her request at this time.”

Or any other time.

That insufferable woman’s whims may bear weight in the south where she rules, but here in Clan Centauri territory, she’s easily ignored.

“Consider it done,” Dimitri answers with a nod.

“Back to the agenda,” I sigh, dispelling some of the frustration. “What’s next?”

“There was a disturbance near our Southerly border,” Dimitri informs me. “Guards reported that a small group were initially taken into custody for vandalism. They spraypainted this on the side of an abandoned factory.”

He slides a photograph across my desk and the image before me doesn’t come as a shock. It’s been popping up quite a bit lately—a serrated dagger with the head of a serpent at the end of the handle.

“You said ‘initially’.”

“Sir?”

I slide the photograph back to Dimitri. “The rebels. You said they were initially brought in for vandalism. What were the later charges?”

“Right. When the guards searched the satchels on their backs, more than one possessed what are believed to be homemade bombs.”

My jaw tenses, thinking of how badly things could’ve gone had these pieces of shit not been brought in when they were.

“The guards are awaiting your advice on how to deal with them,” Creed says. “It’s been suggested that we question them, find out who’s giving them their directives.”

“No,” I snap. “We’ve tried that, and they never speak, never give up their secrets. The only way to deal with their kind is swiftly and harshly.”

Creed nods. “Understood. Should I order them to be beheaded? Something publicized that will send a message?”

I’m thoughtful for a moment. “Yes, publicizing it is an excellent idea. Have Zara get every available news outlet on the line and arrange for them to meet at the civic plaza in an hour. In fact, tell her to issue a public notice that it’s mandatory for all clan members to either be in attendance or tune into the live feed.”

“Yes, Sir. And do you have a preferred executioner? It’s short notice, but I’m certain I?—”

“There’s no need,” I cut in, hearing the crack of my knuckles when I make a fist. “I’ll do it myself.”

My brother’s expression is the first I notice when his brow furrows. “But Caspian?—”

“It’s already decided. Add to the list of tasks you’re conveying to Zara that she’ll need to inform the cook that I’ll be taking dinner later than usual tonight.”

“Noted,” Creed says, but neither he nor my brother have moved from their seats.

“Is there something else?”

Dimitri hesitates, but eventually responds to my question. “Archibald just informed me that Annalise would like to have a word with you. Apparently, the visit from her aunt was a success.”

I only manage to contain my smile for a few seconds, but then it becomes Impossible to hold back. The taste of victory is too sweet to ignore.

“Interesting.”

“Archibald’s taken her to get cleaned up and changed, but she’s ready now if you’d like to have a word,” Creed offers.

My chest swells when I breathe deep, excited by the mere notion of what this means. The prize I fought for, the coveted jewel I was desperate to add to my crown… has just waved the proverbial white flag.

“Send her in.”

“Right away, Sir,” Dimitri says, and I don’t miss the bite in his tone. He’s made it clear that he thinks bringing her here was a mistake. Right from the very beginning. In his words, women like her—women of status, noble blood—don’t quite fit my vision. Yes, she’s stubborn and has one hell of a defiant streak, but I’ve never been one to shy away from a challenge.

It's always more rewarding to break the strong ones.

Dimitri shoots me a look of concern on his way out the door, but it barely registers in my consciousness because I hear her. Coming down the hallway, scolding her escort for being too rough.

Another smile breaks free. She’s a handful, but I realize I’m growing fond of the fight in her—likely a trait inherited from her grandfather.

First, a shadow darkens the doorway of my study, and then… there she is, washed clean of the filth and grime from her capture and nearly a week’s stay in that cell. The staff also tended to her hair and made up her face, which I find completely unnecessary for someone already so flawless. She’s been adorned with a well-fitting dress. The muted tone, a warm shade of taupe, compliments her subtly tanned skin. I close my mouth when I catch myself gawking, but the way the fabric clings to her curves is impossible to miss. Impossible not to have a reaction to. This woman… I’ve likened her to a carefully sculpted statue. One crafted solely to express the entirety of feminine beauty.

To put it in other terms… Annalise Breedlove, the woman I’ve vowed to claim, is a fucking knockout.

First, my eyes are drawn to her breasts where, beneath the thin material of her dress, I’m able to make out the outline of her nipples. Whether they’ve hardened because of the adrenaline rush while being brought to me, or because we’re at the height of mating season, I can’t be sure. But what I do know is that I want nothing more than to rip those pretty clothes right off her perfect body and fuck her into oblivion right here on my desk.

But alas, there’s a time and a place for everything.

“Let… go of me,” she hisses, attempting to pull her arm from the guard’s grasp, but she fails to break free.

My eyes are fixed there now, where the man’s stubby fingers dig deep into Annalise’s skin, tight enough that he’s likely left bruises that won’t fade for days.

Slowly, I rise from my seat. Annalise grows still and so does the guard as I make my way over to the door. The guard is a stranger to me, which means he’s new, and Archibald appointed someone inexperienced to do such an important job. But so be it. I suppose this will just be a teachable moment.

In an instant, I’ve taken the guard’s wrist, and with a bit of applied force, he loses his grip on Annalise. She gasps when I push her behind me with a quick, sweeping motion, needing her out of the way while I deal with the help.

“Sir, you’re hurting me!”

“That’s the fucking point,” I seethe, smiling when his wrist cracks more. “You’re new here, correct?”

He nods profusely. “Yes, Alpha.”

“Figured as much.”

“My apologies for whatever I’ve done to offend you,” he pleads, but I ignore him to ask a question.

“You’ve finished your training?”

He cries out when bone grinds against bone. “Yes, Alpha.”

My brow knits together. “Then you should have already been informed about Ms. Breedlove’s status within the walls of this estate.”

“I was told that you keep her in the cellar, Sir. I suppose I didn’t realize how much she matters. I thought?—”

“Warning number one: do not think,” I cut in, ending his rambling. “Because you’re clearly not very good at it.”

He cries out when I apply more pressure and another threat.

“Warning number two: lay another finger on her, and I’ll gut you and then feed your entrails to your family. Am I understood?”

He falls to his knees when I squeeze. “I understand.”

His sobs and the sight of tears streaming down his face sicken me.

“Get up,” I growl. “Clean yourself up and take an hour for your wrist to heal, then I want you back on your post.”

Clutching his hand, the guard nods, and stands to his feet. “Yes, Alpha. My apologies,” he adds, bowing in submission on his way out.

The door closes, and before it even fully latches…

“Do you think that was heroic?” Annalise scoffs, that all too familiar gleam of defiance in her stare. “Do you think I should see you as some sort of savior for what you did to him? Because I don’t. You don’t get to be called a hero when you’ve put me through hell.”

I find it difficult to blink when she turns me on like this—that fucking smart mouth I can’t wait to fill with cum. I smirk, imagining my remnants dripping from her chin onto those perfect tits. Tits that are currently heaving in frustration as she glares at me.

“Sit.”

You’d think I just spit in her face with the look she gives me, likely because I’ve completely ignored her tantrum. But when I remain calm and gesture toward the seat, she eventually lowers into it.

Good girl. You’ve finally accepted how this works.

I make my way around the desk and don’t speak again until I’ve lowered into my chair, and I’m at eye-level with Annalise. It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell her how lovely she looks, but she’s only recently submitted, so it’s a bit soon for rewards.

“I see you’ve decided to come up to the surface to rejoin the rest of civilization. Welcome.”

Her jaw tenses, likely holding back a slew of profanities, but she remains silent.

“I’d like you to join me for drinks this evening. Do you accept my invitation?”

“Do I honestly have a choice?”

I breathe deeply, holding her gaze. “You don’t, but I was trying to be polite.”

She scoffs, and I laugh.

“Very well then. Drinks in two hours,” I confirm. “Until then, there’s business I must tend to in the civic plaza.”

Annalise’s brow gathers. “What sort of business?”

The look of concern on her face means she likely already knows. Typically, when the clan gathers there it’s to see one of our own brought to justice for having defied clan ordinances. Tonight is no different in that respect, but it will surely come as a surprise when they realize that this death will come directly by my hand.

“My two most trusted men will accompany you to the plaza,” I inform her, “and once we return home, we’ll have those drinks.”

She doesn’t mirror my smile, but I take no offense. There’s still some breaking to do. But tonight’s execution will serve two purposes. Yes, it will send a message to anyone within this rogue faction that I’m not to be fucked with, but it will also send a clear message to my mate.

A little reminder that I’m her alpha might serve Annalise well, and if she continues to misbehave after that, who knows?

The next soul to feel my wrath… may very likely be hers.