New Terms

New Terms
BRUCE

"Do you want to watch your sister die before your eyes, Alpha King?" Walter says in a mocking voice as he wipes the blood from his mouth. "If not, I suggest you let my men apprehend you. Now."

Megan yells, "Bruce, don't!"

The blade cuts her a little and blood trickles from the tiny wound. I hiss, but allow them to handcuff my hands behind my back. I look back at my mother and see her wiping away the blood on Walter's face with her hands, murmuring to him. 

What the fuck is going on here?

Megan starts sobbing. Mom looks at her, then at me, and I notice how her face morphs into an ugly mask of blatant rage. 

It's directed toward me. 

"You're a disgrace!" she yells. She's never used this tone with me before, and I'm at a loss for words. I don't know what to say. She then looks at the guard and says, "Release my daughter."

He does as she says, but when Megan tries stepping toward me, they stop her. "Mom," she says desperately, "what're you doing? Why have you allowed this...this animal to come here and do this? Bruce is the Alpha King!"

"Not anymore," she answers viciously, looking back at me. "You've made a mess of this, you bastard, and now, Walter will clean the mess up. Did you really think that I would ever let you prevail, knowing what you represented? Your father betrayed me and then I was forced to raise you, the son of a whore!"

Her words cut deep. In all my life, I never would have guessed that this was how she felt about me. She always showed me love and counseled me the way a mother would. 

Walter smirks, and his self-assurance makes me want to break free and rip him apart. Regret eats at me. I should have destroyed him when I had the chance, and now, it could be that I finally lost my grip on the kingdom. 

The woman I considered my own mother betrayed me in the most brutal way imaginable. 

"Your time is over, Bruce," she continues. "Walter will be a better king than you could ever be."

"Mom!" Megan yells. "How can you say these things!?"

"Don't worry about Quinton," she adds, looking back and forth between me and her. "He'll be fine. This plan has been explained to him, and soon, he'll come to his senses and take his place as Walter's advisor. Naturally, after Walter's death, he should be the one to lead. He's the legitimate son. Not you!"

Megan starts crying. The numbness inside of me gives way to something else, something that feels a lot like self-loathing. 

I let things get out of control. I was so busy thinking about Opal and worrying about her that all of this escaped my notice. Mom always defended Walter. She brought him up even when she knew that I hated him. 

She was right beside him when he presented the plan for me to marry Opal. She was the one who told my father to reconsider the plan, mentioning that Walter was a powerful Alpha and that his presence in our family would benefit us because he had a solid plan. 

All of this...how long have they been planning this?

How long have they been lovers?

I see now that this was always bound to happen. Walter gives me a pointed look then smiles as he tilts his head to the side. "Look at you. I can see the wheels in your head turning. Your father was a terrible Alpha King, and you were bound to be worse than him. Your inability to think of the entire kingdom is proof that you don't belong in any leadership position. You agreed to marry Opal, then allowed her to creep into your mind and manipulate you. You almost ruined everything, do you know that?"

"Do you have anything to do with her disappearance?"

"No. But I know where she is, and I know exactly how to use her to my advantage."

I lurch forward but I'm dragged back. Megan exclaims again but I can't focus on anything but the rage. "If you lay a finger on her, you're a dead man!"

"I very much doubt that," he claims, unbothered. "From now onward, you'll do as I say, or be prepared to become a widower. Yes, Alpha King, your reign is over, but the world doesn't know that. When the time comes, you can step down on your own accord, or you'll have to be destroyed. Both options don't matter to me. But I'll advise this: If you want to save Opal, then you'll play along and do as I say. You'll act accordingly."

At this point, I don't know if he's bluffing or not, but I highly suspect that this is all true. I'm done for. My hands are bound. My men are nowhere to be found. It's either they're dead, which I find unlikely because he needs the numbers. My mother undoubtedly has something to do with this. 

If she had given them the order to step back, they would've done it. 

"What do you say? Will you save your love until the very end, or have you finally decided that the little half-rogue isn't worth losing a kingdom for?"

My choice is set, I already know that. If I can stop this man from hurting her, I'll focus on that option, no matter what will happen to me in the end. 

"Don't pretend that you're fully in charge here," he claims. "We both know that isn't true. Killing the Alpha King is an act of high treason, and if the world finds out about this, you're done for. It doesn't even matter if you kill me before that."

Walter's smile falters, but he tries to recover and continues staring back at me triumphantly. 

"I'll play along," I tell him. "I'll make sure your orders are obeyed, and when the time comes, I'll give you what you want. But that will only happen when Opal makes it back home, safe and sound. If she dies, so will you."

Walter nods and exchanges a look with my traitorous mother. Calling her that doesn't even feel right anymore. 

"It seems we have a deal, Bruce Danforth."