Page 113 of The Dark Rising
He doesn’t give me more, and I bite my tongue, drawing blood. Drax stands taller. “And what is this news?” I lean forward and take a small piece of bread, biting into it as I wait for his reply.
“Alpha Paul and his son Patrick left Wolvorn to go home to an empty house.”
I scrunch my brows. “That’s a problem because? Did Alpha Paul’s mate leave him?” I act a little interested, chewing slowly. I take another bite of the homemade bread and wait for him to continue, knowing it’s the game he plays. Only he doesn’t know that I now play it too.
Charles sighs and places his glass down on the table, hard. “His mate is there, that’s not the problem. The problem is that Patrick’s soon-to-be-mate is missing. Once again.”
“How the fuck is she missing again? We just retrieved her from Eridian a few months ago.” I throw the bread left onto the table and fold my arms, staring him down. “I cannot go on another task of hide and seek, there is too much to do.”
“You will do what I say,” Charles booms, and the room stills. You can feel the tension rising, my Elites restless while others hunger for my blood.
“Get out,” I order my Elites, barely managing to contain my fury, barely managing to not leap over this table and rip his head off with my bare hands. My Elites rise from their seats, wasting no time to remove themselves from the hall. When they’re all gone, I give Charles a warning look. “Do not come into my keep and order me to do what you say. You forget, I help you because I choose to.”
He lets out a low laugh, his dark eyes cruel. “Darius, how do you think that is true? I am the ruling authority over Vrohkaria, my word is law, you know that from our last meeting. If I tell you to do something, you will. You are beneath my heel!” He slams his hands down on the table and it cracks, the wood shattering beneath his force as he stands.
I don’t move. Not when pieces of wood slice my cheek and hit my body, or when the rest of the table crumbles to the ground, food and drink wasted. I feel Leo move close to me, his body tense as he waits for my word, but I give him none. I wipe my t-shirt down with my hands, getting bits of wood from it and raise my head at Charles.
“You may be Lord Higher, but you know I do not cater to anyone. I have helped you because my father asked it of me with his dying breath. I adhere to the Laws of Vrohkaria, but that is not you. Be careful, Charles, or you will lose the support of the Elites if you continue to try and make me your errand boy.”
His eyes flash indigo, and I narrow my own on him, feeling warmth at my neck at my markings wanting to appear at the show of power before me. “You will not have the loyalty of the Elites for long, Darius, without my help. I already have their families coming to me, concerned now that an Heir is Alpha of the Elites. Who do you think appeases their worries? I do. Without me, you would no longer be the Alpha of the Elites.
“I couldn’t give a fuck what people think. I am the Heir of Cazier, I am a Canaric wolf, and there is nothing that can change that, nor my position as Alpha.”
“We have already discussed how I could replace you,” he muses, and I bristle. He helps Maize up from her chair with a hand. She smiles up at him, biting her lip, and I want to snap her neck. “You will search for Sarah, you will bed Maize and produce offspring in the meantime while we look for Lasandrhea. When she is found, we will produce children with her as well, we will proceed as I demand it.” Over my dead fucking body. “You will do what you are told before I gather the Highers and make a call to position, and force you in the seat your father left you. Do you understand, Darius?” His dark eyes bore into mine, but mine are just as dark.
“You cannot force me into a seat.”
“I can and I will, it is bound by oath. There is no escaping it.” That’s what he thinks. “This is your last warning. I will not tolerate any more from you. A mating will settle the people, will help ease the rebellion that they seem to think will change anything. Then we can once again focus on the bigger problem. Ending the rogures.” He walks forward, leaving Maize behind the table and stopping when he’s next to me. “I will be talking to the Elites that were at the Kazari pack the day Sarah disappeared and you will do as I require straight away.” I clench my jaw. “You are pulling away, Darius, don’t think I can’t see it. I’m busy, not blind, and I will find out what has made you this way and crush it, to remind you who you adhere to.” He walks away without another word. I take a few deep breaths, feeling the rush of power that wants to escape at my feet.
“Darius,” Maize purrs. Her voice grates on me, like knives peeling my flesh. “This mating will be a blessing, you will see. I do hope we can try... a lot.” I step away and she moves closer. Leo clears his throat and my head swings his way.
“I’ll leave you to it then,” Leo says, glaring at Maize before he walks down the hall.
“Go upstairs, third room on the right andnofurther. I’ll join you shortly.“ She smiles, all teeth, and arches her back a little.
She does nothing for me, absolutely nothing.
“Of course, Alpha Darius, I will be eagerly waiting.” She runs a finger down my arm as she passes, and I want to break them as revulsion spears through me.
I know Charles said he wanted us to mate, to create pups to put the people at ease. To make it known that I, the Heir of Cazier, have settled down and it will make the people think I’m not dangerous.
He’s wrong.
I will always be dangerous to those that hurt mine, to those that hurt the people.
And the Highers and Maize are those people.
As soon as the door to the hall closes, and Maize does as she has been told, my power explodes and the room shakes with its magic as I growl loud, staring at the floor. Black mist swirls around my ankles, rising up my entire body like a whirlwind. Bits of wood flow into the strength of it, faster and faster until a blast of power releases from me, sending those pieces of wood flying out in different directions and crashing into the walls.
“Motherfucker,” I growl, my breathing rapid. I clench my fists, squeezing and releasing. The mist surrounding me spins widely, and I let it free as it twines. Strands lash out, and all I can see is complete darkness for a second before I hear Leo.
“Darius, brother. Calm down,” he calls, and I suck in a breath as Drax growls low. I breath deep a few times before I gain control, knowing there is something I need to do. My magic comes to a stop and I recall it, letting it sink into my body as Drax growls and snarls within me. “What are you going to do?” Leo asks, tentatively coming to stand in front of me. “Do you think maybe you should go and find another mate to give us more time? We need to find those missing and where they have been hidden.”
“The last thing I want is to fucking mate another, Leo,” I tell him, looking down at my arm and the mark where Rhea’s bite is. It’s concealed to everyone else but me and her, unless I allow it. “I don’t have time to be fucking around with this shit.”
“What if we find someone and just pretend you’re going to produce an Heir?”
“That will require mating bites, I can’t do that,” I sigh, looking around at the mess of the hall. Plus, I don’t think she would survive long if my little wolf got a hold of her.
