Chapter 95 Courage

Chapter 95 Courage
HER
What does it mean to have courage?
To fear nothing and no one, like superheroes supposedly do, or would it be facing a risky situation, staring danger in the face despite the fear?
Standing before that werewolf, covered in his own blood and completely naked, I was terrified. A handsome specimen, with a well-built, sculpted body, yet he filled me with revulsion. Even my stomach was protesting, wanting to expell what was inside, so great was my terror.
He tilted his head to the side again, his smile flashing sharp canines and a devastating cynicism.
"Are you afraid of me, human Luna?"
My feet moved slowly, on their own accord, taking two small steps back.
"I... I don't understand... what are you doing here?" I replied, my voice soft, stuttering like an idiot.
"We had a date here, born-Luna. Did you think it was someone else? Ares, perhaps?"
"No! I... I didn't think it was him... I just... I never thought you would help me escape."
And I still didn't think this was any kind of help.
"Hmm... I think, human, that we haven't had the opportunity to get to know each other better... yet."
He took a wide step toward me, and I couldn't stifle a small gasp of terror, taking another step back.
"You know, your eyes have a very special glow when you're afraid." He took another step toward me. "Stay where you are!"
He barked the order, his voice rough, and my heart skipped a beat.
"What do you want?" I asked.
By then, I was already making a massive effort not to cry from sheer terror.
"I want many things, human. One of them is to take you far away from this pack's territory."
"Why?"
I know it wasn't the best question to ask in that situation, but why on earth did that werewolf help me get out of prison?
I thought he hated me.
"Because I am generous, and I can't resist a red-headed beauty. I wonder if all the hair on your body is the same color."
He looked me up and down, then down and up, slowly. Even though I was completely dressed, I felt naked and violated by those eyes.
I took a deep breath, pressing the tiger skin against my chest, as if it would help me find courage.
"Thank you, then, for helping me get out of prison. I, uh... I'll be going now before they notice I escaped..."
"Don't thank me just yet!" He stared at me with a heavy air of superiority and blocked my path, stepping right in front of me. "Where do you think you're going, female?"
"If I don't hurry, Ares's wolves will be here soon, and it will be bad for both of us, right?"
My voice grew weaker and weaker as I spoke, under the spell of his predator eyes.
It was a cat playing with a little mouse.
"You are going nowhere without me, female!"
Oh, Allah, I could barely breathe; fear was taking over my senses.
"I just want to go home... No one will know you helped me..."
"Home? Ah... I almost pity your hope. I have other plans for you. My dear little sister is going to need your presence in the pack when she becomes Luna."
"Your sister can be the Luna, a Beta, a flying snake, I don't care! She won't, I lost, it's fine. Just let me go, okay?"
He caught a strand of my hair and brought it to his nose, inhaling deeply. I pulled away, and he laughed at my reaction.
"A shame that potion is hiding your Luna scent. It is so delicious." He closed his eyes and took a loud breath. "I can still feel your essence in my nostrils, deliciously aroused while you were being ridden by Ares. I watched the two of you, imagining what it would be like to be in his place... your moans, begging to be fucked by me..."
"My Gammas must already know, and they'll show up at any moment. You'd better let me go!" I snapped, bordering on desperation.
"They won't find you. The potion you took erases your scent, and I came right behind you, covering every track you left. Where I'm taking you, no wolf from the pack will ever find you."
He threw me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and darted down the canyon at an unimaginable speed. I kicked and punched his back, trying to break free, but it was useless.
He remained silent until we were a much greater distance away. The sun was reigning supreme in the sky when he finally stopped running and put me back on the ground.
"Why are you doing this? Ares is your Alpha!" I screamed as he grabbed my hand and yanked me to keep moving on foot.
Finally, he was tired, panting, his face covered in sweat, hours away from the pack. I held back my tears, completely lost, unable to see a way out.
"Ares is not my Alpha. I should be the Alpha of this pack. I was born before him. The throne is mine!"
"What do you mean, born before him? You two...?"
Oh, it couldn't be! I looked at him again, analyzing his facial features. There was a subtle resemblance—nothing too noticeable, but now...
"Alpha Hermes slept with many females, with or without consent, and his father didn't care. He was proud of his pup's virility. My mother was very beautiful, a brave and strong Beta, Hermes's favorite. He was the first to knot her. He was so obsessed that he wouldn't take the herbs; he wanted to get her pregnant, and he succeeded."
"You and Ares are brothers? Does he know?"
Alaor's smile grew even more terrifying, and he ran his tongue over his lips.
"Ares doesn't know much. He spent most of the first phase of his life locked up, serving as our dear daddy's little bitch."
"Why didn't you help him? He was your brother!"
"Why would I help? No one helped me when my mother's male beat me daily, claiming it would make me stronger to challenge the Alpha."
"Did you intend to challenge Hermes?"
"The Beta planned everything. I am the rightful heir. But when my mother got pregnant, the bitch of a mate of the then-future Alpha Hermes showed up. He abandoned my mother and forbade her from ever mentioning to anyone that I was his. He forced his pregnant ex-mistress to mate and accept another male as her mate—a general loyal to him whose female had died."
"Astagfirullah, this Hermes was a monster!"
"Yes, he was... My mother was violated by the general, marked without consent in the very same ceremony where Hermes, the happy new Alpha, rode and marked his own female. Heartbroken, my mother's wolf accepted the Beta's mark. As punishment, the Luna died giving birth to the bastard. Of course, with the help of my new daddy, who allowed the rogue wolves in and pointed out where the Luna was. The intention was to kill both mother and pup, but the Beta failed, leaving a crazed Alpha still alive to rule us."