CHAPTER 9: THE ALPHA'S WRATH

Ayla's POV.

I let out a deep and anxious breath when the silence of the highland was broken by the distant voices of the Deltas. I'm just glad that my wolf was too quick to warn me about their presence.

"What should we do now, Alpha?" I asked with tension written all over my face. If only I could also tell him that my heart was now racing from anxiety but I couldn't.

Alpha Liam just stared at me intently, like he was already prepared for what would happen next.

"Don't let them feel that fear, Ayla. Just do your regular thing."

I know he's trying to put me at ease, but the uneasiness and fear that engulfed my heart were already giving me a hard time. It's now spreading like wildfire throughout my body as he secretly spoke with me through the mind link.

"Raise your head, Ayla!"

I gently shook my head in disobedience as I knew following him would only bring me into danger.

"You are my Luna. Don't you remember our agreement?" he said with eyes pinned in my direction.

"I do. But Selena..." My grip on the ground tightened as I thought about the worst thing that might happen to us because of the rejection he made of her.

"She's with them, I can tell."

It had the same beautiful and sweet scent as before but I could sense a hint of jealousy and frustration in it. If only I could ignore my gut feeling, but I couldn't.

"There’s three of them. Elder Edmund, his stupid son Rafael, and his youngest daughter Selena. Make sure you remember their names," he said through the mind link.

I didn't answer back and only tried to divert my attention by admiring his wolf.

I thought that was enough for me to calm down, but as the Deltas approached us, my heart began to thump violently against my ribcage.

I am familiar with the Deltas but have never spoken to them, not even once. I just stared at them from a distance during their visits to the Beta's mansion and secretly admired Selena for being the most beautiful she-wolf in the pack.

What should I do now? Do I have the right to stand beside the Alpha and stay silent?

That's not the case here. I had to act normal even though my hands were now ice-cold. I need to mask my emotions in order to show them all of my capabilities as a she-wolf.

After all, I was the chosen Luna—the not-so-perfect Luna selected by Alpha Liam's greatness.

"All hail to the Alpha and his ROGUE!"

The Delta's son lowered his head to show respect to us but his words weren't in sync with his insulting remarks.

"Oh! Forgive me. It should be his Luna," he added and then shifted his gaze to his right. "Do you agree, Selena?"

Selena glanced at me with disgust.

I was expecting to hear another insult from her, but she chose to stay silent. Maybe it's because of the desperation she felt during her conversation with the Alpha this morning.

"Watch your words, Rafael!"

Alpha Liam breathed out after his words as his eyes were now filled with anger.

"Continue to disrespect my Luna and you’ll lose your head!"

I shook my head in fear. My hands were now trembling slightly as I could feel Alpha Liam's anger flaring up.

"You are much more terrifying than usual, Alpha," Rafael said, stepping closer to us as if he really wanted to create a spark of conflict between him and Alpha Liam. "That must be the result of finding your fated mate, I suppose?"

"Please stop it, Raf!"

I secretly bit my lower lip as I heard Selena plead with teary eyes.

Despite Selena's effort to stop him, Rafael didn't listen to his sister. Instead, he continued mocking us like a kid bullying his playmates.

"This attitude makes you low and undesirable, Rafael. How I wish you weren't the Elder's son!"

Alpha Liam clicked his tongue while glaring sharply at Rafael.

"Today is a wonderful day to wander the woods and take pride in your land, Alpha," the Elder's voice echoed through the woods as if he were trying to omit the pressure made by Alpha Liam and his son, Rafael.

And after receiving no response from the Alpha, Elder Edmund immediately turned to me with a soft expression.

"Your obsidian black fur glistening in the sunlight and the snowy white fur of the Luna shimmering beside your stance is a beautiful sight. You truly are destined for each other."

Alpha Liam nodded in agreement. "I told you I felt something extraordinary with her."

There I saw how the elder's eyes sparkled with emotion as he said, "Love truly blossoms unexpectedly, Alpha."

I was busy listening to them when the elder turned to me with a gentle and meaningful smile.

"Am I right, Luna?"

I hesitated for a moment before answering softly, "Y-yes, Elder."

Maybe there's something weird in my response that made him chuckle a little bit.

Did I just lose my composure because he mentioned love? I don't know.

"Why don’t you drop the formalities? Just call me Edmund," he said in a friendly manner. His voice was gentle yet commanding.

I don't know why, but there was something in his tone that carried a sense of assurance towards me. As if he was inviting me to trust him. His demeanor was too warm, making a fragile and weak wolf like me at ease.

"Don’t worry, I don’t bite," he chuckled. "We should get along starting today, Luna."

My response was hesitant, but I did my best to make it as respectful as possible.

"I don't think I'm capable of doing that. I wanted to show you respect, Elder."

I've been living with this pack all my life. That's why I am aware that the title 'Elder' carries a load of responsibilities and that he deserves to be treated with respect more than anyone else because of the approval he gave to Alpha Liam after the mate-pick ceremony.

But all of my effort to stay formal was turned to dust when he heaved a frustrated sigh in front of me and smiled casually.

"Have more faith in yourself," he said with too much encouragement.

Elder Edmund's tone was filled with confidence and reassurance.

"You will take a prominent role in the pack after all. This pack will treat you with the same respect they have for the Alpha."

I don't know how, but it seems like his words were not just comforting to my ears but also brought a promise of acceptance and belonging from him.

"I never imagined you to be so kind and friendly, Elder."

I wasn't able to stop my amusement. It's true that I was surprised by the unexpected warmth and hospitality from Elder Edmund.

"Is that so?" His response was modest, but his eyes showed a glint of amusement like mine. "You're just too devoted to your Alpha, my dear Luna. You love him a lot, don't you?"

I just timidly nodded at him in response.

Of course, no one knows I am lying or that I am just doing what Alpha Liam wants me to do.

If only he knew that I had nobody to run to. I had nowhere to go. I was only trapped by this agreement and by Alpha Liam's choice to choose me to stay by his side.

"We're on our way to a new restaurant in town. Do you want to come along with us, Alpha?"

Selena extended an invitation to Alpha Liam in a soft but hopeful tone. She looked enthralled with him again, definitely lost like she used to be before I came into the picture.

I swallowed hard as I secretly watched Alpha Liam's reaction. I waited for his answer as if I were on fire.

"We aren't hungry."

I bit my lower lip in frustration. I could feel the pain in Selena's expression as she got rejected once again by the man of her dreams.

"Luna, why don't you come along?"

I pursed my lips upon hearing another invitation from Elder Edmund. Why is he so kind to ask me despite the fact that his daughter's invitation was declined by the Alpha?

"Maybe next time, Elder. We're still in our wolf form, though. Right, Alpha?"

He groaned and answered me instantly, "I wouldn't dine with someone who insulted my mate."

I felt the intensity behind the Alpha's word “mate," making me swallow hard and do everything to calm myself. I couldn't understand why his response suddenly sent warning signals to my senses.

An insulting laughter came in from Rafael as well as he said, "I'm not going to dine with the rogue's daughter either. I might eventually throw up."

Hearing Rafael's words caused something deep inside me to shatter into a million small, sharp pieces. Maybe that's because this was the second set of insults I had received today.

"Stop the Alpha, Ayla!"

My wolf jolted me out of my thoughts, but it was too late.

I was a second late to notice how Rafael used his wolf to attack the Alpha.

"I warned you, asshole! I'm going to kill you and your arrogance!"

"You’re making no sense, Alpha. Fighting against me to defend your rogue Luna? I didn't expect that you'd develop a soft spot like that."

Later on, the wilderness began to stink heavily of blood and sweat, but the fight between Alpha Liam and the Delta's son continued.

"Alpha!"

I tried to call him with desperation and intended to step in the middle of the fight to stop them despite the power gap between us.

"Please spare my brother’s life, Alpha!"

Selena pleaded for mercy but her voice was not enough to reach Alpha Liam and her own brother, Rafael.

"Dad, please do something!"

Instead of stopping the commotion, Elder Edmund shook his head while staring at his daughter.

"It is the Alpha's decision if he will spare your brother for his foolishness, Selena." His response was calm yet firm, as if showing his duty to respect the Alpha's authority.

"But Dad..." Selena tried to protest, but it was met with a gentle yet unwavering stance from Elder Edmund. "We have already given him a warning but he chose to follow his own arrogance."

The elder's voice carried a sense of resignation, like he was acknowledging the consequences of his son's actions.

Alpha Liam roared, his claws as sharp as a blade to pear Rafael's skin, until he began to scream in agony.

"Please spare my life, Alpha!"

Rafael's words hung in the air like he was regretting and seeking forgiveness for his actions.

"Pay the price for being arrogant, asshole!" Alpha Liam said with a sharp and unforgiving tone. I could definitely see that his eyes were still filled with bitterness and resentment towards Rafael.

"I will do anything you ask of me. Just spare my life."

Rafael’s aggressive expression on his face started to disappear.

"Anything? Including killing yourself?"

I was about to mediate when Selena's voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Please forgive my brother, Alpha!"

Alpha Liam's sharp claws were still embedded in Rafael's skin as he glared at Selena with clenched teeth.

His crimson eyes met hers in the middle of her plea. "Stopping my wrath would mean death to you, Selena because I will not tolerate your brother's arrogance! Not anymore! Never!"

I don't know if it would work but I tried to stop him like Selena did.

The forest fell silent for a moment as I pleaded. "Please don't kill anyone because of me, Alpha."

Alpha Liam stood tall and proud as his piercing gaze was fixed on my direction.

"You want me to spare him for insulting us?"

I gently nodded in response. "I’m begging you, Alpha. Please."

He shook his head, but I tried to move a few steps near them. I wanted to reach him and show him that I was sure about stopping him from killing Selena's brother.

"Thank the rogue for saving your ass!"

That was the last word I heard from Alpha Liam as I tried to release all the tension in a single exhale.

Who would have thought that he would listen to me? But I'm still glad that I was able to save the life of the man who just insulted me for being a rogue because I tried my luck.

As we entered the Alpha's estate, I felt how a period of silence surrounded us. The omegas were fixated on Alpha Liam's injuries and bruises but they never tried to approach us because of his dark, omitting presence.

Well, that's the same reason why I decided to silently follow Alpha Liam into his office. I know it would be bad timing to even breathe heavily and subconsciously whenever he's angry or upset.

"You are an odd one, aren’t you? Stopping your Alpha in the midst of a fight? Who are you to do such a thing?"

Alpha Liam continued to stare at me for what seemed like an eternity. I don't know why his piercing gaze made me feel judged and disowned.

"I’m sorry, Alpha. I didn’t intend to interfere. I just thought it was the right thing to do."

"You’re naive, Ayla! So gullible that it disgusts me! You just showed me how ignorant and stupid you are! I should have let you die in his hand!"

When our gazes locked, I immediately stopped my tears from falling and decided to leave the Alpha’s office without saying a word.