Chapter 48 CHAPTER 048
Stone POV:
Ari dashed out of the room already, but somehow, her presence still lingered. A crushing force pressed on my chest when I remembered the way she had been looking at me since we had sex in the cave.
First, it had been the look of shock, confusion and finally betrayal. It tore at me more than it did her. But I needed to be certain of her. I needed to be sure I wasn't handing the reins of my peaceful pack over to her. And when I realized she ran, every ounce of trust I had for her just went with the wind.
So when I found her again, I was angry. I wanted answers. But I knew Ari, and how skittish she was. One question, and she might fly away. Never to be seen again.
I made her mine with force. Bound her by the rules of Ricko, though I knew it was only a matter of time before Ari broke them too.
"Are you okay, Alpha?" Sierra’s words brought me back to reality. "If you want, I can feed you instead."
"I thought you called it disgusting for her to feed me."
She shrugged as she sat beside me, cutting the bread with her manicured fingers. "It's disgusting if she does it. Not me." Followed by a practiced laugh.
It didn't sound funny to me. Much as I tried. But I forced a smile. "You know you're still on thin ice with me, right?"
"Does it matter if I continue to feed you? Say ha." She opened her mouth as if she was feeding a cub.
"I'll pass. Thank you."
Her brows furrowed together, she straightened her back. "Oh, but you didn't have a problem when a slave tried to feed you."
I looked at her for a minute. She was dressed to the core. Shiny hair that fell in a sweep over her shoulders, made up face with blood red lips that stood out, a short gown that also had a very low cut in the front and high heels. That told me everything she needed from me.
"Why exactly are you here, Sierra?"
Sierra's fingers paused mid-air, a piece of bread hovering between us. Her eyes twitched and her lips jutted out like she couldn't believe the question I just asked.
"What—?"
"Careful, Sierra. Don't mistake my patience for tolerance." My fingers tightened around the wineglass, watching her swallow hard as she leaned back, her challenging expression faltering for a minute.
Her painted nails tapped against the table unevenly.
"Alpha Stone," she purred, recovering too quickly, "I only came to check on you. You've been... distant." Her hand crept toward my thigh beneath the table. "Let me ease your tension."
I caught her wrist before she could touch me, her pulse fluttering like a trapped bird against my grip. "Not in the mood."
Sierra's smile turned brittle. She withdrew her hand, smoothing her already-perfect hair.
"Of course," she said, too sweetly. "But you can't tell me you prefer that broken thing over me." Her eyes flicked toward the door.
When I didn't answer, she placed her hand on my thigh again, brushing over it as she moved upwards. The only thing that flared in my chest was irritation as I glared at her. Then I finally spoke, my tone laced with anger and rage.
"You are dismissed." She paused, looking at me as if she couldn't tell if I was serious.
With no further clarification, she shook her head and stood.
"I can't believe this." She continued to grumble as she walked out of the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
Thoughts that immediately wandered to Ari. It had been more than one week, which I gave Kannelle to look into Ari's background. What pack did she come from? But the silence from him gnawed at me. Kannelle wasn’t the type to delay reports. Something felt off.
"Jareth!" I barked, summoning the nearest guard. The door swung open instantly. "Find Kannelle and send him to me. Now."
Jareth hesitated, his throat bobbing. "Alpha... he hasn't returned from his last mission."
A growl built in my chest. "Since when?"
"Since you sent him."
Three weeks. Either Kannelle had found something significant or something had found him. My fingers curled into fists. I could drag Ari in here and demand answers, but the thought of her defiant glare made my teeth grind. No. I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of seeing me ask.
A crash came from the palace halls, followed by a shrill scream that sounded like Sierra’s.
I was moving before I was conscious of my actions, my boots pounding against the stone floor as I followed the sound to the servants’ quarters. The scene froze me mid-step. Ari was straddling Sierra on the floor, her fist drawn back, while Sierra’s lip split and bled. A shattered vase lay in shards beside them.
"Enough!" My voice cracked out and both women flinched.
Ari scrambled off Sierra, her chest heaving, but the fury in her eyes didn’t dim.
"She started it," Ari spat, wiping her mouth. A bruise was already forming on her jaw. "She—"
"Silence." I didn’t need her excuses. Sierra whimpered, pressing a hand to her busted lip as she sat up. I turned to her. "Explain."
Sierra’s tears were instantaneous. "Alpha, she attacked me. She came at me just because I mentioned how filthy she looked scrubbing floors!"
Ari’s snarl sounded vicious. "You called me a ‘diseased whore’ and threw lye water in my face!" She pointed to the red splotches blooming across her arms.
Sierra gasped, pressing a hand to her chest. "Stop with the lies! She’s deranged, Alpha."
I’d heard enough. "Guards. Lock Ari up. She is to spend two days in the dungeons," I snapped, watching as my men grabbed Ari’s arm.
Her eyes widened. "You’re believing her?"
"I don’t care who started it." My jaw tightened as they hauled her toward the door. Sierra limped like she had just been pushed off a cliff. "You don’t act like you are privileged in my halls. You are not. You are a slave. And you will answer to everyone in this palace, including Sierra."
Ari's face as she was dragged out of the palace halls.
Throughout the night, I couldn't stop thinking about that incident. Did I do that to punish her? Hell, yes. Was I haunted by her reaction to it? Absolutely. I couldn't stand seeing her in this situation, but I loved making her realize that actions have consequences.
I had tripled my security so she couldn't run again. Once she has realized her place belongs in the pack, I would think about being lenient. At the moment, all I needed was a good night's sleep.