Page 133 of The Dark Rising
I turn sharply toward the one who called me a traitor, aware of Darius watching my every move. The male’s lips peel back in a snarl as his light eyes fill with hatred. I drop my mask to the floor and walk toward him, other Elites parting for me as I call upon my markings, showing them all just who the fuck I am.
I am wolf.
I am Heir to Zahariss and protector of all.
Yet why should I protect him?
I move until I’m standing in front of him, and he tries to stop the tremors racking his body as I let loose my dominance. Elites drop to their knees that are near me, and the man in front of me cowers under the strength of it.
“What has been told about me is wrong and I was falsely accused. I am wolf, just like you are,” I spit at him, my eyes hard as I sense Darius move to stand behind me. “I am just like you, I bleed like you, I hope like you, I fight like you. Yet you sit there with your tiny, pea brain that doesn’t have a thought of its own and blindly follow the word of a man and his rats without so much as thinking for yourself.” I feel heat at my back, the tingle of power coming into contact at my waist and my own reacts. Blue and black mix at the touch against my waist that brings comfort and strength as others watch on. “Your Alpha is the Heir to Cazier, and I am his counterpart. Are you loyal to your Alpha?” He swallows and bends his head, telling me all I need to know. I turn my head and look at Darius, his face stern and a snarl on his lips aimed at the pathetic wolf at our feet.
“The Highers have betrayed us, betrayed the lands by stealing pups from their homes and using them how they see fit,” Darius shouts, and I hear the resounding shock of the Elites. “Rhea was captured by her family and Lord Higher Charles at seven years old and was kept in her basement until she escaped before she turned eighteen. What we were told was a lie, a cover up to what they wanted to do to her, an Heir,” he growls, and the Elites look toward me, their eyes wide as Darius tells them the truth. “She is no traitor. She spent her life protecting others as best as she could in Eridian, saving those abused in their own home, where they should have been safe.” I shift on my feet, uncomfortable with the attention on me but I never let myself falter, keeping my head held high. “Will you support that the Highers are willing to take children to abuse? Are you willing to let them take your pups?!”
Deadly growls surround us at Darius’s words. I gaze at them all, at the Elites looking at Darius with trust, knowing he won’t steer them wrong. Hope fills me as they look toward me, dipping their heads in a show of respect and I let loose a sigh of relief. They are loyal to their Alpha, and this Alpha has spoken for me, that’s enough for them.
“The Highers are more concerned with arranged matings than letting the people take safe haven inside the castle walls, you have seen it for yourself. Is that who you want leading Vrohkaria?” Darius asks them, and ‘no Alpha’ can be heard echoing around us. “Are you unloyal to me, your Alpha?” Darius calls, and the Elites bring their palm to their chests, the sound loud in the silent air as they tip their heads to the side in submission. “Then you are loyal to me and me alone. The Highers have our loyalty, strength and numbers no more.”
“Rah,” the Elites call and tingles spread throughout my body as the sound vibrates through me.
I look upon the Elites around us, all pledging to him and him alone. At this moment, I really feel that we stand a chance, a chance to make a change and right the wrongs. We could make the lands right if they stand by Darius. He has clearly earned their respect and I can’t help but feel pride in the male at my back.
I look back down at the Elite before me. No, not Elite, a rat in wolf’s clothing. A solid touch at my hand has me looking down at Darius’s strong fingers wrapping around mine on the hilt of the blade. My eyes move to his, and he tilts his head toward the vermin on the floor.
“Rise,” Darius orders, and the Elites do, looking at their Alpha for their next order. The rat in front of me goes to do the same, but I put a hand on his shoulder to keep him knelt. His hateful eyes snap up to mine. He won’t be loyal to his Alpha. “Do what needs to be done,” Darius says, his breath in my ear. He turns my head so he can see my eyes. “And remember,” he growls, his voice rising. “If anyone touches her, you will be next.”
I realize now my enemywoulddestroy the lands and put it at my feet. I can see it in his eyes. The determination, the claim, the… adoration. I’ve never felt anything like this.
I don’t think twice.
I grip the rat’s hair in my hand and tilt his head back, my heartbeat pounding in my ears.
Then with no remorse, Darius and I bring the blade up to his neck and slice.
Fifty
Rhea
Runningahanddownthe white, cotton dress, I look around the hall full of Elites. A few have their eyes on me, not vicious, more curious after battling the rogures outside the keep. Some have respect in their eyes after I slit the throat of a traitor just hours ago and tip their heads to me before going back to their meal. Sconces decorate the hall to light the dark room as the moonlight shines through the windows. Plates and bowls of food are placed on the tables, a feast fit for almost a ball instead of hardened warriors as they drink back their ale. We all deserve to relax a little after the battle.
My gaze moves over to Colten as he talks with a male further down the hall. The conversation looks slightly heated, but then the Elite reaches out and puts a hand on his shoulder, causing Hudson, who sits across from me, to tense at the contact. I smirk into my cup, letting the cool water slide down my throat. The ever protective Hudson clenches his jaw, his eyes homed in on that hand and he stands, moving closer to Colten and leaning against the wall. I snort.
“What’s so funny?” Josh asks, and I nod my head over to them. “Gods, they are so blind.”
“I don’t think they are blind,” I tell him, picking up a berry and popping it into my mouth. “They just need to sort their shit out, whatever that is.”
“They are too stubborn, or at least one of them is,” Taylor mutters into his drink.
“They need to fuck,” Anna says, and I let loose a smile.
“We can fuck,” Seb flirts, licking his lips at Anna as she visibly recoils at him.
A laugh busts free before I can stop it, putting a hand over my mouth to try and silence it. A growl comes from my left and my eyes snap to the table at the back of the room, at the male with a scowl on his face. He watches me, then his eyes go to Anna and Seb across from me. I roll my eyes at him, but they soon trail down his muscular chest, then watch his arms as he brings a cup to his lips as he takes a drink. My gaze moves further up and our eyes connect, locking in place.
Darius tilts his head, his own eyes trailing over me in the dress he gave me to wear tonight. I shift at his perusal, not used to wearing anything like this. It’s modest, comes just above my knee and the neck of the dress only dips ever so slightly at my front, still hiding anything that could be seen as vulgar. But with the way Darius is looking at me, I feel practically naked. I squirm in my seat, my thighs clenching and his eyes heat, watching the movement.
I’ve been restless since we came back to the keep. He went to torture the males he tied up and I watched, turned on as he dragged them away, his face full of anger and deadly intent.
I don’t know why that makes my need for him strong, but his show of strength makes me want him to show me that strength in another way. His hands on my hips as he drives into me, his lips at my neck, telling me how I make him feel…
