The Alpha's Little Slave

Chapter 45: Guilty As Charged

A sudden hush fell over the room at my words. Damon’s eyes widened and his mouth twisted into a snarl.

"You’re just speaking nonsense right now," Damon said with a disparaging scoff.

I glared hotly back at him; no one in their right mind would straight up claim that after hearing my heated tone. However, Damon clearly had no grip on reality.

He scoffed disparagingly, but I paid him no care as well. With Blaise by my side, I felt a wave of newfound courage that would’ve otherwise been absent. I took hold of my mate’s hand, tugging him as I left the room without another word. There was no point arguing with Damon― every conversation with him was only going to become more and more suffocating.

"We’re not done here!" I could hear him yelling from behind, but I paid him no mind.

Surprisingly, I didn’t fall to his commands. It seemed like even though I was mated with Blaise, it didn’t mean yet that I was accepted into the pack. I was never officially inducted into Fangborne― his orders could do nothing to me. With Stormclaw now turned to dust, I was as good as a rogue.

However, I was surprised that Blaise still casually trailed along after my heated steps, completely ignoring the sounds of his brother trashing up the dining area like there was no tomorrow.

I didn’t stop until I was a good distance away from everyone else. My feet had blindly led me to a random area within the packhouse and Blaise didn’t seem to mind wherever we were headed. Only when I finally stopped, had he spoken.

"Feel better?" he asked.

I exhaled heavily, then looked over at him with a smile. "Wouldn’t you know?" I said.

"I want to hear it from you, not read your mind when you’re vulnerable," came Blaise’s reply. "So what’s on your mind, Harper?" freēwēbηovel.c૦m

"That..." I hesitated, looking sheepishly at Blaise.

His gaze was patient, simply awaiting my answer.

From the moment where Blaise mentioned a nearby town, I knew I had to pay it a visit. Now, with Blaise and I exchanging mated marks, I did not want to flee Fangborne any longer― unless Blaise agreed to go with me, which was nigh impossible. He was the pack’s beta and the Alpha’s younger twin brother.

I wondered if I could be honest with him. We were mates, but Damon was his brother. Was the bond truly stronger than blood?

"What if I said..." I trailed off.

"That?" he prompted.

"That I want to visit the human town nearby?" I asked. I waited for a bit, studying Blaise’s expression before speaking again. "My... mother mentioned it before, once upon a time. There’s something related to her there that I wish to look into."

That was half a lie. I couldn’t remember my mother ever mentioning that town, if she ever did. However, her necklace was something I needed to check.

I had no clue how Gus got his hands on it and I highly doubted it was nicked from someone at an auction. Even if it was, it was just an ordinary necklace. The stone wasn’t huge nor was it of particularly great quality. There was no reason it would be auctioned at such a high price.

Blaise grew quiet for a moment. I couldn’t read anything off his expressions and when I tried to tap into our linked emotions, there wasn’t much I could receive. There was a bit of curiosity, a bit of surprise, but otherwise, it felt more like amusement than anything else.

At first, I wondered if that meant that he had an answer in his mind for my request, but those thoughts were quickly shattered when he straightened up.

"Sorry," he said. "Damon was yapping in my ear."

My heart fell, disappointed that the topic was strayed. However, annoyance quickly filled me when I noticed who it was Blaise was referring to.

"What did he want?" I asked, scowling.

"You," Blaise casually said. His reply was so simple and straightforward that it sounded as though he was merely talking about the weather, not that he was essentially fighting with his brother for the same woman. "I need to head to his office for a bit. Alpha’s orders."

"Will you be alright?" I asked, furrowing my brows.

"Damon isn’t going to do anything to me," Blaise confidently said.

"How are you so sure about that? Just because he’s your brother?"

"No." He leaned forward, pressing a quick kiss to the top of my head. While it did cause my stomach to flutter in delight, it did nothing to soothe my worries.

Was Damon going to kill his only sibling just to get to me? Unlikely, right? I highly doubted I was as important to Damon as Blaise was to him. The Valentine brothers had a reputation that far surpassed even the name of Fangborne. They were a tag team― always had been, always would be.

My appearance as both their fated mates wouldn’t change that.

"You’re curious about Elijah, aren’t you?" Blaise said. "You can go visit him, if you would like." fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

At the mention of Elijah, I perked up instantly. I hadn’t regretted running away but I still felt guilt for causing him to receive punishment in my place. If there was anyone I needed to apologize to, it would be Fangborne’s charlie, who had shown me nothing but compassion and respect ever since entering the pack grounds.

The same couldn’t be said about nearly everyone else.

"He’s at the infirmary," Blaise said. "Down the corridor from here then up the stairs by one floor. It’s the first door on the right."

I nodded, turning to go. A comment clogged in my throat about the location Elijah was at, but I thought it would be wiser not to ask. I didn’t know whether I could stomach the guilt yet, especially not while someone — namely Blaise — was staring me down. It only made me feel like I had been caught red-handed even though the incident had gone and passed.

"Oh, and Harper," Blaise called out, causing me to turn around and pause in my tracks. He smiled. "Don’t try running." He tapped his mark twice, the smirk growing when my hand raised to touch where his mark was on me. "I would be able to feel it immediately. The punishment wouldn’t be so light if there’s a second time."

I nodded, biting down on my lower lip. When he said nothing more, I turned and left for the infirmary.

All the while, my heart was racing in my ribcage. I knew that Blaise could feel exactly what I was feeling right now. I could only hope he wasn’t paying attention.