Chapter 22 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
ALORA
The dining hall falls silent when I enter behind Alpha Stone. Every eye tracks my movement as I take my place standing behind his chair, hands folded, eyes down. The perfect picture of a submissive slave.
Except I can feel the hatred radiating from Victoria's direction like physical heat.
"A slave at the Alpha's table?" Her voice drips with venom. "How... unconventional."
"Is there a problem, Victoria?" Alpha Stone doesn't look up from his plate, but his tone carries warning.
"Of course not, my Lord." She smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes. "I simply worry about maintaining proper hierarchy. The other slaves might get ideas above their station."
"Then perhaps you should worry less about my decisions and more about your own duties." He gestures toward me without turning. "Wine."
I move forward, lifting the crystal decanter with steady hands. As I pour, Victoria's foot shoots out, catching my ankle. I stumble, wine splashing across the white tablecloth.
The silence becomes deafening.
"Clumsy," Victoria tsks. "Perhaps she's not suited for such delicate work after all."
My wolf snarls, wanting to bare her teeth. To show this female exactly what I'm capable of. But I force her down, dropping into a submissive crouch.
"Forgive me, my Lord. I'll clean—"
"Stay." His voice cracks like a whip. Then, softer but no less commanding, "Victoria. Stand."
She rises slowly, confidence faltering. "My Lord?"
"Did you trip her?"
"I would never—"
"Did. You. Trip. Her." Each word drops like a stone.
Victoria's face pales. Around the table, the other pack members shift uncomfortably. Nobody wants to be caught in the crossfire of an Alpha's rage.
"It was an accident," Victoria says finally. "My foot—"
"Liar." He rises from his chair with lethal grace. Power floods the room, pressing down on everyone. Even I feel it, my wolf wanting to submit despite my fear. "I've tolerated your petty jealousies. Your scheming. Your attempts to undermine my authority. But touching what's mine?" His eyes glow silver. "That crosses a line."
"She's just a slave," Victoria protests, but her voice wavers. "A wolfless nobody—"
His hand slams down on the table, making dishes jump. "She is mine. That makes her worth more than your entire bloodline."
The possessiveness in his voice sends heat spiraling through my core. My wolf preens, wanting to go to him, to press against his side and show Victoria exactly who we belong to.
"Marcus," Alpha Stone says, never taking his eyes off Victoria. "What's the punishment for deliberately harming another pack member's property?"
"Fifty lashes, my Lord. Or a moon cycle in the kennels."
"And for lying to your Alpha?"
Marcus hesitates. "The same."
"Then it seems Victoria has earned herself a hundred lashes." He tilts his head. "Unless she'd prefer two months in the kennels?"
"My Lord, please—" Victoria drops to her knees. "I'm sorry. I was jealous, I admit it, but—"
"Jealous." He laughs, the sound void of humor. "Of what? A slave?" He moves around the table toward her, predatory. "Or jealous that I've shown her more interest in three weeks than I've shown you in three years?"
Victoria's face crumples. "I could be a good mate. I'm strong, pure-blooded—"
"You're a viper." He stops in front of her. "And I don't keep vipers in my house." He looks to Marcus. "She has until dawn to pack her things. After that, she's banished from Silver Creek territory."
Gasps echo around the table. Banishment is a death sentence for most wolves. Without a pack, Victoria will be vulnerable to rogues, rival packs, and worse.
"My Lord, please," Victoria sobs. "Don't do this. I'll apologize, I'll—"
"You'll leave my territory before I change my mind and make it permanent banishment." His voice drops to a growl. "Be grateful I'm showing mercy at all."
Two guards appear, hauling Victoria to her feet. She's still crying as they drag her from the hall.
Alpha Stone turns to me, and I instinctively drop my gaze. His hand appears in my vision, extended.
"Up."
I take it, letting him pull me to my feet. His thumb brushes across my knuckles before he releases me.
"Clean this up," he orders, gesturing to the spilled wine. Then, to the room, "Does anyone else have concerns about my personal slave?"
Silence.
"Good." He returns to his seat. "Dinner will continue."
I work quickly, cleaning the mess with shaking hands. The other slaves help silently, their expressions careful blanks. But I catch Sarah's wide eyes, see her barely perceptible shake of her head.
He just banished a high-ranking female. For me.
When the table is clean, I resume my position behind his chair. The meal continues, but tension thrums through the air. Every pack member is hyperaware of the shift in dynamics.
Alpha Stone owns me. And he just made it clear he'll destroy anyone who threatens what's his.
The knowledge should terrify me. Instead, my traitorous body heats, my wolf purring with satisfaction.
After dinner, he dismisses everyone except me.
"Walk with me."
I follow him onto the terrace overlooking the pack lands. The moon hangs heavy above us, nearly full. My skin prickles with the approaching shift, my heat building.
"You didn't defend yourself," he says without turning. "Why?"
"It's not my place, my Lord."
"Stop." He spins to face me. "Stop with the rehearsed responses. I want the truth."
The truth? That defending myself means revealing my strength? That showing my wolf means death?
"I'm a slave," I say instead. "Slaves don't fight back."
"You're not just a slave." He steps closer, backing me against the terrace railing. "You're mine. And what's mine doesn't cower."
His hands frame my face, forcing me to meet his burning gaze. "Next time someone threatens you, you bare your teeth. You show them why I chose to keep you close. Understand?"
I nod, not trusting my voice.
"Say it."
"Yes, my Lord."
He stares at me for a long moment, his thumb tracing my lower lip. "One day soon, you're going to tell me all your secrets, little wolf. And I'm going to keep every single one of them safe."
The promise in his voice makes my heart race. He releases me suddenly, stepping back.
"Go. Rest. Tomorrow, your training with Master Kane intensifies."
I flee to my quarters, my heart pounding. Behind me, I hear him growl, low and possessive.
My wolf answers with a howl I barely contain.
Two days until the full moon.
Two days until I can't hide anymore.
Two days until everything changes.