Chapter 9 The Monster
“Are you okay?” Russell asked, shifting his gaze to Mia who sat quietly together with him in the blue Chevrolet Corvette.
The Alpha’s hands were loosely gripped on the steering wheel while he waited for a response.
“Where are you taking me to?” Mia finally broke her silence, turning to Russell with a deadpan expression.
Russell sighed, and then he cleared his throat.
“Is there anywhere you wouldn’t like to go to?” He asked, but there was no response from Mia.
She just took a deep breath, and then she turned to her right, looking through the window.
“Right.” Russell nodded without getting rid of the smirk on his face.
He turned on the ignition of the car, and then he drove out of the premises of the Hamilton Manor.
That was the first time Mia had seen the outside of the mansion.
The sunlight hit her eyes as she stared at the flowers and trees lined up across the borders of the avenue, admiration crawling inside her mind.
The land was vast, and it took them about ten minutes before they could get to the driveway. Mia took a deep breath as though she was about to embark on a journey of no return, staring at the Alpha like she was wary of him.
Each time the Alpha turned, their eyes met, but Mia didn’t look like she was going to say even a word.
Russell grunted, steering into the busy road.
“You might as well tell me what it is, Mia. The silence will not help.” He drove to a safe lane, and then he turned to face her, curiosity sparking in his eyes.
Mia stared at him for a while, and then she scoffed, a wry smile taking over her plain countenance.
“I can’t believe that I am in the same car with the monster that killed my parents.” She gnashed her teeth, seeming like she wished she could place Russell between them.
The Alpha tried to fight it, the urge to defend himself, but it seemed like his life depended on it.
“I am not a monster, Mia. Are monsters this handsome?” He turned so that Mia could see his face clearly, but this made her furious.
Mia scowled at him, clenching her right fist in annoyance.
“You are not only a monster, but you are a heartless one. How dare you try to joke with me?!” She was fuming, her chest puffing while she kept her glaring eyes fixed on the Alpha.
Russell sighed heavily, and even though he was still unable to get relief, he still insisted on saying what he had in mind.
“Will you ever forgive me, Mia?” He asked, his eyes displaying a lingering weakness.
“Will you?” He persisted for an answer, his entire body yearning for one.
Mia looked into his eyes and took a deep breath.
She saw the regret and the pain, but it was hard to ignore hers.
The Alpha was really sorry for his actions, but her soreness was still intact, and each moment she looked at him, she felt the pain.
“I didn’t know what it meant to have the true love of parents, Alpha Russell.” She paused, taking a deep breath while she attempted to gather more momentum to continue.
“I didn’t know what it meant to be loved by your family, to be accepted unconditionally. You took that away from me.”
“I am sorry.” Russell wasted no time seeking pardon, and after he had taken a look at the road to be sure of the distance between him and the car in front, he continued, his voice weak and breaking.
“I was just twenty, Mia. I was following my father’s instructions. That was a test to determine if I was ready for the responsibilities of Lycan King. My father did it when he was twenty, and so did his father and the Alphas before him.”
“So you go about killing Pack members and wiping entire clans just to prove a point?!” Mia’s eyes were flaming with annoyance, and it didn’t even seem like she was ready for the answer to the question.
Russell took a deep breath, wheeling to the road by his right.
“That is not the case, Mia. Your Alpha defied the Northern territory. We tried negotiating a peaceful settlement, but he was stubborn.”
“So you killed him!” Mia was gradually losing her cool, her fists vibrating fiercely.
Tears fell from her eyes, hot and burning.
Her veins twisted, and even when she took a deep breath, she remained annoyed.
Russell was forced to pull over, taking his hands off the steering wheel as soon as the car stopped.
He cleared his throat, feeling the tension that crept into his body.
He was suddenly feeling so hot like his body was burning with guilt.
“I wish I hadn’t killed your parents, Mia. I wish I had spared their lives and taken them prisoner. I would do whatever it takes to make up for hurting you. I promise.”
The silence that followed lasted for a while, and would have lingered if Mia hadn’t been ready to get rid of it.
She sniffled, adjusting slowly to face the Alpha.
“Each time I look at you, I see a monster who killed my parents and took my peace away from me. I don’t think there is anything you can do to take away this pain you caused me,” Her words were piercing and cold, and it was hard to tell if it was her eyes or her statement that was hurtful the most.
Russell nodded, a gloom smearing all over his face.
“I will try, Mia. Whatever it is going to take to make you know how sorry I am.”
Mia scoffed, still scowling at him.
“Suit yourself.” She tilted to the right, staring at the bridge across the road.
Russell turned on the engine and continued, ignoring the blare from the driver behind him as he sped along the road.
He said nothing, and neither did Mia break her silence.
But his wolf wouldn’t let him be.
“She is ours!” Tristan kept on repeating, growling inside his head.
“Clearly, you are wrong about this one,” Russell said in his mind, fighting the urge to look at Mia.
Tristan insisted. “Have I ever been wrong?”
“Yes, you have,” Russell grunted, drawing Mia’s attention.
But she said nothing to him, she just stared for a while and looked away.
Russell forced a smile, and then he returned to his mind.
“You were wrong about Medina, Tristan. You told me that she was ours, but that was a lie.”
Tristan said nothing, and Russell loved the silence.
A few minutes later, he finally arrived at his destination, turning off the engine.
“We are here.” He declared, turning to Mia.