Alpha Jaxon POV
Callum comes back up to the study and slams the door open, causing me to raise an eyebrow and glower at him, Cody is silent as he turns his head.
"I take it that she's settled into her room," I say and he looks at me with such disgust that I almost flinch.
"Your mate," he says with great emphasis "has just been put in the dungeon as you requested" he snarled "I hope you're happy" he added, folding his arms across his chest, "because the look on her face was devastating to see."
I looked away. I didn't want to hear how she had looked, I didn't want to feel guilty over my decision, but the feeling was there regardless. Callum's eyes are piercing and he looks as though he wishes he could tear me limb from limb. Neither my Beta nor my Gamma agree with the decision I have made and they are making it perfectly clear with both their words and their actions. If they aren't careful, I'll be using my Alpha tone on them to make them stop. If they weren't such close friends of mine, I would have already done so.
"Not only that, but have you forgotten that her father and brother are in the other part of the dungeon?" he asked and I winced.
I had forgotten about that. "Are you just going to keep them down there or are you going to do something with them?" Cody finally spoke.
I would be a bastard to go down there and torture them while my mate was in the other section of the dungeon, but nobody had ever accused me of being nice. I stood up. "I guess we should go and teach them a lesson before we execute them," I said blandly and both men's jaws dropped open in shock.
"Your mate is down there," Callum said as I began to make my way out of the room "and while the room is soundproof, you don't think it's going to be emotionally hard for her knowing what you are doing to her family?"
"Enough Callum" I growled, looking over my shoulder "your concern for my mate needs to stop. I am your Alpha and what I say goes."
He looked mutinous. Cody had the good sense to remain quiet but there was a look of disapproval on his face. I tried to gather myself, knowing I would have to walk past my mate in order to get to the other section of the dungeon. I opened the door and began to walk downstairs, only to stop as I was met with the most delicious scent of coconut and something else I couldn't put my finger on but reminded me of the ocean. My wolf gave a long whine, and it was all I could do to stop myself from going to her as I saw her sit up on her bed, eyeing me curiously as we stepped onto the ground.
Her eyes were hopeful. There was a small gleam in them. Despite my willpower and self-restraint, I could not help myself as I looked at her. Her long blue hair cascaded loosely down her shoulder in soft waves, her slim figure clad in fresh clothes, the pale blue dress suiting her pale complexion as she sat on the bed. Her pale pink lips were parted, begging to be kissed and her eyes were like gemstones, sparkling and bright. I swallowed hard. She was beautiful. Gorgeous. My hands itched to touch her, to kiss those lips, and to have her moaning for more. I had an overwhelming desire to take her in my arms and never let her go. My wolf continued to whimper and whine in my head, wanting to go to our mate, while she looked hesitant, standing up and regarding us warily while Callum smiled at her reassuringly and Cody waved.
She went to take a step forward and I snapped "Stay back" causing her eyes to widen and a hurt expression to come on her face.
I didn't apologize, exhaling deeply. Just being in her presence was more difficult than I had imagined. I had done the right thing in putting her down here, well away from me while I slept upstairs in the pack house. My wolf was beginning to go berserk and I gritted my teeth, forcing away the pain I felt at the confusion and hurt on her face.
She made a gesture towards Callum who understood. "We're here to go in there" he explained, pointing to the other door as she widened her eyes.
I growled at him. How dare he speak to my mate. Callum looked at me with a smirk. I grimaced. Now my wolf was showing jealousy over the mere fact somebody was speaking to her. Riley looked concerned and was that worry on her face? Did she still care for her father and brother? If that was the case, I thought grimly, then my torturing them was going to make her hate me even more. The notion did not sit well with me. It should have. I wanted her to hate me. I wanted her to despise me. Instead, the thought of forcing her to hate me was almost unbearable to my wolf and me.
She stepped closer, making a beseeching gesture. "I think she's asking us not to" Callum whispered.
Riley looked irritated, grabbing a small whiteboard from behind her and a marker. She began to scribble on it. "Please spare them from torture" I read from a distance.
Who was she to ask such a thing from her Alpha? Even if she was my mate she was still an omega, nobody important. She had no say in what went on in the pack. I had not made her Luna and I had no intentions of doing so. What Alpha Maxwell had attempted to do and his son was punishable by death. The fact she was asking them to be spared from torture spoke a lot about her character, considering she could have died from the poison she had ingested in order to save my life.
Did I owe her? Was that why I felt hesitant? Her eyes were shiny now, as though she was blinking back tears and Callum glanced at me uncertainly. I had paid my debt, I thought, giving my blood to save her, so we were in a sense, even. Then she made a mistake. She wrote something down that had my blood boiling. My rage increased to massive proportions.
Please we are mates. If that means anything to you, please don't torture them.
I let out a massive growl. The look of shock on Cody and Callum's faces expressed that they knew Riley had gone too far. Reminding me we were mates for the sake of helping her family was her undoing. I glared at her and saw her cower back slightly, the whiteboard dropping from her hand and falling with a soft thud to the floor.
"You think because we are mates you can order me to do things for you" I thundered as she flinched and looked down at the ground "you think that will make me soften towards you?" I demanded, moving closer to her and seeing her body trembling in the face of my wrath.
"You stupid girl," I said, even as my wolf tried desperately to take over, to stop what he sensed I was about to do. "I keep you only so that you strengthen my wolf, not because I want you" I shouted, causing her to blanch and a tear to trail down her cheek.
I looked at Callum. "Open the door" I growled, nodding to the other part of the dungeon.
He hesitated. "Open it" I roared.
He scurried over, looking unnerved and uncertain, reaching into his pocket and withdrawing the key as he obeyed my command while Cody looked wretched.
I stormed over to Riley, taking a rough hold of her arm.
"You just earned yourself a front row seat to their torture, congratulations" I said between my clenched jaw as she looked at me stunned, trying to pull away without success "this will remind you of who you are dealing with in future" I added, as she looked up at me hopelessly. I ignored the tears on her face, the looks on my friend's faces as I began to drag her over towards the open door. I could not afford for her to think that I was weak or that I was vulnerable when it came to her. I shoved her through the doorway and watched impassively as she fell to her knees, her eyes slowly rising as she looked upwards and saw her father and brother, her pallor turning so white she was practically resembling a ghost. I gave her a sickening smile "Cody get a chair for Riley" I said without turning around "I have a feeling she won't be able to stand for long."