Claimed By The Rival Alpha

Chapter 18: Chapter 18

Selena

"Stop right there." My voice came out sharper than I expected.

Grengy only smiled but not a normal smile. It was the kind that made my skin crawl. The kind that told me he was enjoying every second of this.

The lantern hanging from the wall cast strange shadows across his bruised face, making him look even uglier than usual.

"You still don’t know when to keep that mouth shut, do you, kid?" he asked and I took a step backward while my eyes darted around the room.

The Three men, one holding Sally with a knife pressed against her throat while the other two stood near the door and Grengy slowly advancing toward me.

Marqee suddenly stirred from her bed as she sat upright sleepily. "What is all this noise—"

The moment she saw the knife against Sally’s throat, she gasped. "Oh Moon Goddess—"

"Quiet!" The man holding Sally snarled as his blade dug slightly into Sally’s neck making her flinched.

Marqee immediately covered her mouth as the room fell silent while My heart hammered inside my chest.

I hated this. I hated feeling trapped. Most importantly, I hated the fact that they thought I was helpless.

Grengy pointed at me. "Get up, kid."

I folded my arms. "No." His smile widened.

The man holding Sally jerked the knife and a tiny drop of blood appeared on Sally’s skin.

I shivered immediately.

"Move," Grengy said.

I clenched my jaw. "Or what?"

The knife pressed deeper as Sally squeezed her eyes shut. "Or your friend dies."

Damn it. I glanced toward Marqee and she looked terrified while Sally remained frozen.

The room suddenly felt too small and too suffocating. I slowly rose from the bed.

"There you go," Grengy mocked. "Was that so difficult?"

"What do you want?"

He laughed. "Revenge sounds like a good start."

Before anyone could stop me, I grabbed the wooden plank leaning against the wall beside my bed.

The movement was fast as I swung it directly toward Grengy’s head.

His eyes widened as the plank sliced through empty air as he barely dodged. "Little bitch!"

He lunged forward at the same time the knife against Sally’s throat pressed deeper.

Sally cried out. "Selena!"

I froze as that single moment was enough.

Two men grabbed me instantly as I kicked, elbowed and thrashed but they dragged me toward the door anyway.

"Let me go!"

"Keep moving, kid."

"I’ll kill you myself if you touch them!" I threatened but they laughed.

The sound filled me with rage and the last thing I saw before being dragged outside was Marqee’s terrified face then the door slammed shut behind me.

The servants’ corridor was dark and empty. Only distant lanterns illuminated the winding staircase ahead.

Grengy shoved me hard forward and I stumbled. "Walk."

"Go to hell." He shoved me again and this time harder that I nearly fell.

"You really should’ve stayed quiet after what happened in the kitchen." I rolled my eyes. "Oh no. The great Grengy got beaten by a spoon."

His face turned red as he grabbed my arm violently and I immediately twisted as years of combat training took over.

My foot slammed into his shin as he cursed and I elbowed his ribs then drove my shoulder into his chest.

The impact caught him completely off guard as Grengy’s eyes widened, his grip loosened and I pushed him so hard that he lost balance.

For one beautiful moment his arms windmilled then he tumbled backward down the stairs.

I didn’t wait as I ran fast to the top floor which belongs to Alpha’s and Beta’s.

If I could reach Beta Bastien’s chambers or Kael’s office, I’d be safe.

My feet pounded against the stone staircase as my lungs burned and behind me I heard shouting followed by furious footsteps. "Damn it!"

"I’ll Catch you!" I ran faster as the upper floors came into view. I was almost there. freēwēbnovel.com

A powerful weight slammed into my back and I crashed onto the floor as pain exploded through my body.

It was Grengy and the bastard had recovered faster than I expected. He pinned me down with his face twisted with fury. "You little monster!"

Before I could move, he shoved something into my mouth. It’s a wet and bitter cloth.

The second it touched my tongue, agony exploded through me. It had Wolfsbane in it.

My entire mouth ignited as my throat burned and my lungs screamed. I tried to spit it out as the pain spread instantly.

For a normal wolf, it would’ve been devastating but I wasn’t a normal wolf. I was an Alpha and adrenaline was flooding my body.

I bit down hard on his hand and Grengy yelped, making his grip loosened.

I drove my knee upward as the impact sent him rolling away and I spat the cloth out immediately.

My throat felt like fire as breathing became torture. Still I got up and ran again.

Behind me I heard Grengy’s shocked voice. "How are you still moving?!"

Because you’re an idiot but I couldn’t say it as my throat was dying but I thought it.

The corridor blurred around me as each breath hurt, each step felt heavier yet I forced myself forward.

I could see the corridor leading toward Beta Bastien’s chambers. Just a little further but my legs suddenly gave out and I collapsed.

The stone floor rushed up to meet me as everything spun. I tried getting up but nothing happened as the wolfsbane had finally begun taking effect.

My limbs felt numb, heavy and useless as terror gripped me. For the first time that night, I was actually afraid.

Then I heard footsteps approaching followed by Grengy’s laughter echoing through the corridor.

I forced my head up as his silhouette appeared and he smiled. "You should’ve stayed in bed, kid."

My vision blurred as he crouched beside me. "You know what I like most?"

I couldn’t answer as my body wouldn’t cooperate. He leaned closer. "Nobody is going to miss you."No one will ever find you."

His grin widened. "You’ll disappear completely."

Then suddenly we heard rapid footsteps coming from ahead.

He stood abruptly. "What the—"

A familiar voice rang through the corridor. It was cold, sharp and demanding. "What is going on here?"

Grengy froze as I tried lifting my head and Everything was becoming darker, blurry and distant.

The last thing I heard was a loud smack then another as someone screamed. Then another body crashed into something and more shouting followed as darkness swallowed me whole.

The infirmary ceiling came into focus slowly. At first, I thought I was still dreaming as everything felt distant and muted.

Then the burning sensation in my throat reminded me exactly what had happened.

I groaned and immediately pushed myself upright and that was a Bad idea as the room spun violently.

I grabbed the edge of the bed before I could fall back down and found a cup of water sitting on the small table beside me.

Without thinking, I reached for it as my throat felt like sandpaper.

I emptied half the cup in one go as the relief was immediate though Not complete But enough to make breathing easier.

"Feeling better?" I nearly jumped as I raised my head and found Beta Bastien standing near the doorway with his arms crossed.

The man appeared everywhere like a particularly grumpy ghost.

I lowered the cup and said. "My throat still hurts."

"That’s expected." He walked further into the room. "The amount of wolfsbane you inhaled would’ve kept most wolves unconscious for at least a day."

I frowned. "How long was I out?"

"Several hours." That barely surprised me.

Even Beta Bastien seemed mildly impressed. "For an Alpha female, your recovery is unusually fast."

I tried not to look too pleased with myself. "Thank you."

"That wasn’t a compliment."

"It sounded like one." His eyes twitched.

I glanced around the infirmary as everything looked quiet and no wounded warriors, No healers. It was just us.

Then I remembered Grengy and the attack in the corridor.

I immediately looked back at Beta Bastien. "What happened?"

His expression hardened. "We’ll discuss that later."

"No." I sat straighter. "What happened?"

Before he could answer, his eyes suddenly glazed over as he was obviously Mindlinking. Someone was speaking to him.

The change lasted only a few seconds then his expression shifted as the door burst open.

My heart immediately forgot how to function as Alpha Kael strode into the infirmary and the room suddenly felt smaller, warmer and more dangerous.

He looked irritated or more agitated. His dark eyes immediately found mine and for a brief second, something flashed across his face like relief then it vanished and was replaced by the usual cold mask.

Unfortunately,my stupid heart still noticed and I hated that.

Beta Bastien sighed dramatically. "I’ll give you both privacy."

Finally, a sensible decision.

"No." Alpha Kael’s response came instantly as Beta Bastien froze.

"Stay." The Beta stared at him as Alpha Kael stared back and neither of them moved.

Then Beta Bastien rolled his eyes. "One day I’m going to resign."

"No, you’re not."

"Unfortunately."

I bit back a smile at the awkward silence that followed felt unbearable.

Alpha Kael remained standing as I remained sitting while Beta Bastien remained annoyed.

Someone had to speak and apparently that someone was me. "When did you return?"

Alpha Kael looked at me. "About an hour ago."

Only an hour? He had come here immediately? The thought warmed something inside me but I ignored it. "You came straight here?"

His jaw tightened. "I was informed there was a security issue."

Right of course. Not because he cared but because of a security issue.

I looked away and for some reason that stung more than I expected.

Alpha Kael continued. "You’re in danger."

My head snapped up. "What?"

His expression remained serious. "Starting tonight, you’ll have increased protection."

I blinked. "Increased protection?"

"Yes."

"Why?" His eyes briefly met Beta Bastien’s and a silent conversation passed between them.

One I clearly wasn’t included in. My frustration rose immediately. "What happened at the council meeting? Did my father say something? Did they discover I’m here?"

I still didn’t get any response from them. I glared at both of them. "You both are terrible at answering questions."

Beta Bastien almost smiled while Alpha Kael ignored the remark completely. "Your movements will be monitored."

I folded my arms. "That sounds suspiciously like imprisonment."

"It’s protection."

"Same thing."

"No."

"Yes."

"No." I sighed as talking to him was exhausting. Then another thought struck me. "What happened to Grengy?"

Beta Bastien answered this time. "He was detained."

"Detained?"

"He attempted to murder a member of the castle staff."

I felt a grim satisfaction as the idiot deserved it.

Alpha Kael’s expression darkened. "He won’t remain alive long enough to repeat the mistake."

The room went still as I stared at him. "You’re going to execute him?"

"Yes." The answer came so casually that it startled me as if he were discussing the weather.

I sat upright. "That’s unnecessary."

His eyes narrowed. "Unnecessary?"

"He failed in executing his plan."

"Yet he tried to harm you."

"But he didn’t succeed."

"He attempted to murder you." Something dangerous flickered beneath his calm expression.

The possessiveness behind the words made my pulse quicken.

I hated that I noticed. I hated it even more that I liked it. "Still," I said carefully, "executing him seems extreme."

Alpha Kael looked ready to disagree. Thankfully Beta Bastien stepped in. "She has a point."

Both of us looked at him as the Beta sighed. "If Grengy suddenly loses his head after attacking an ordinary servant, people will ask questions."

Alpha Kael’s expression remained unreadable as Bastien continued. "They’ll start wondering why this particular servant matters so much."

The room grew very awkward immediately because all three of us knew exactly why.

Alpha Kael looked away first as I pretended not to notice but Beta Bastien definitely noticed and his expression screamed that he’d rather be anywhere else.

For several moments, nobody spoke then I cleared my throat or at least tried to because It still hurt.

I looked at Alpha Kael. "What exactly happened at the council?"

He looked back at me. For a second I thought he might actually answer.

Then— a sound interrupted him. Footsteps that were coming from somewhere above us.

All three of us froze as the infirmary sat on one of the lower levels of the castle.

The sounds came from the floor directly overhead. It wasn’t the footstep of just one person. There were obviously many.

Alpha Kael immediately straightened as his entire body changed.

The relaxed posture disappeared as the Alpha emerged more dangerous,and alert.

Beta Bastien heard it too as his hand instantly moved toward the dagger at his waist.

The footsteps multiplied, noting something was very wrong.

My stomach tightened. "What is that?"

Neither man answered as both were listening and calculating.

Then Alpha Kael’s expression hardened as if he had suddenly figured something out.

His eyes widened slightly. "Take cover!" Before I could react, he launched himself toward me.

Just as Alpha Kael yelled for us to take cover and jumped at me, the window on my right shattered.