114

114
MAGNUS

After the little show that Rob had put up, I ordered my guards to beat him into keeping quiet. And when I asked them to stop, they left him there on the ground as he continued to writhe in pain. The blood was pouring from his face and the defiance and anger was still there in his eyes. Thankfully, he'd kept his mouth shut the whole time. I had instructed the guards that if he said any word, then the beating should continue. 

Mira was still there behind us, silent, as she watched from the wall. Beside her was the boy who was still trembling in his chains even though he had been vindicated. He was staring at me like I was the devil himself. Just then, I heard footsteps thundering across the hallway. 

I turned my head towards the sound and watched the form of a guard walk across the window. Then the door creaked open yet again. He stopped at the doorway and when he saw what was going on inside the whole room, he stared in shock for a few seconds. 

When his eyes landed on me, he bowed his head quickly and delivered the message  "Alpha... another message has arrived." 

My brows scrunched up together in confusion. "Another message? I wasn't expecting a message from anybody. Or have you caught another person trying to escape?" 

He swallowed hard. "No, nobody was caught. Someone just brought you a message and it's from the Alphas who were there for the ceremony last night." 

I allowed the words to sit there in the air for some time, saying nothing. I knew where this was going. Last night, I didn't just ask the guards to make sure nobody left the boundary, I had also made sure to deploy many of them to the Packhouse where they were tasked with watching the Alphas. Any movement that seemed suspicious, I'd told them clearly, should be reported to me. 

I snapped out of my thoughts and asked the guard what the message was. Then he repeated. 

"A messenger was sent to deliver the message personally, Alpha." 

I let out a low sigh, but it wasn't one of surprise. It was one of irritation. I had better things to do, and not speak to the Alphas who probably were the ones that had planned to poison me through my chief guard. My patience was already stretched thin, and now the Alphas thought they could tug at my leash. I gave a flick of my hand, dismissing Rob’s groans as he continued to writhe like an earthworm. He looked like he was in a lot of pain and I loved that. Nothing was more satisfying than seeing people who wanted you down reduced to nothing. 

The guard that delivered the message hurried ahead to lead me to the messanger who was waiting outside the torture room. The messenger was a middle aged man, and he looked so confident. He didn’t take his eyes off mine the whole time I approached him and stood I'm front of him, nor did he bow to acknowledge me. I knew instantly that he wasn't from here. He surely had to be the messenger of one of the Alphas. I studied him for a long moment before I broke the silence. 

"Report the message and stop wasting my time." 

He straightened, puffing his chest as if the gesture was going to protect him. "The Alphas want to speak with you, Alpha Magnus. They are not pleased about being confined. They say they have been watched by your guards at all hours and have not been allowed to leave the vicinity of their chambers. They are demanding an explanation and they want an answer immediately at the throne room where they had gathered to wait for you." 

My jaw clenched at his nerve to talk to me like he was talking to his subject. 

He continued. "They made it very clear that they want you to meet with them immediately. So I am repeating it for emphasis, as they requested." 

I stepped closer to the man whose head was barely reaching my jaw and spoke in a low voice. "You will tell the Alphas that I am busy. I have matters to deal with, so in the meantime, they can wait while I wrap things up." 

Still looking me in the eye, the man lifted his chin. "They said you are needed immediately. Now." 

I couldn't doubt how surprised I was by the tone of his voice. It didn't sound like a request. No. It sounded like a command and he'd spoken without hesitation, like he didn't know who the hell he was talking to. Or maybe he thought his position as a messenger gave him some sort of shield. 

He has no idea that he was in my Pack and anybody within my Pack fell under my jurisdiction, no matter their rank or position they held in the society. The moment you stepped in here, you were my subject. I studied the man closely for a moment. 

His eyes didn't shift nor did his feet move. He was too bold. Too damn confident. I could give him that, but he was getting into trouble with his attitude. If he didn't calm down, things could get ugly. I curved my lips into a humorless smile and asked softly. 

"Are you deaf? Did I not just make it clear that you should go back and tell them that I am busy?" 

Once again, he didn't back down. "No, Alpha. They asked me to bring you with me while coming back." 

That did it for me. When he said those demeaning words, like he was speaking to a child, the air stretched taut, like a bow. I stopped walking, and turned just slightly. Then I ordered the guards in a voice as calm as death. 

"Seize him." 

Both men didn't hesitate. They moved in fast and grabbed the man by the arms as if they had been waiting for that command. They should have, because nobody spoke to me that way and got away with it. The man's eyes widened in confusion and panic. 

"Wait.  What? What did I do? Why are you holding me?!" He was struggling to get out of their grip now, but the guards held him tightly and made sure he didn't give them much problem. 

He gave up the struggling pretty and turned to look at me, still carrying that confusion on his face as his feet dragged against the floor while they pulled him along. 

"Bring him into the torture room," I ordered.