Chapter 8 UNCONTROLLED RAGE
"Get out!" Dorian’s roar was powerful enough to vibrate even the soundproofed walls of the room.
In the center of the room, the toxic vapor emitting from the silver tray had surrounded us like an invisible fog. Dorian was gripping the desk, digging his fingers into the hard wood. His fingernails were lengthening, transforming into black, sharp claws. The seal on his chest was no longer just glowing; it was writhing under his skin like a living entity, wrapping around his veins like a black web.
An Alpha losing control was no different from a bomb exploding. My instincts—both my human fear and my Red Alpha survival drive—told me one thing: Run.
But I didn't run.
Dorian's eyes were consumed by that pitch blackness, a sign that he had lost his human consciousness. When he looked at me, he didn't see his fiancée; he saw a threat to be torn apart.
"I told you to leave!" he snarled, his voice now completely beastly. He took a step toward me. The floor shook.
Instead of turning my back on him, I ran toward the source of the poison, the desk. I had to grab the silver tray with my bare hands. Silver wouldn't harm me, but if I were playing a Beta, my hands should have burned. I didn't care.
I grabbed the tray—the metal was hot—and with all my strength, I hurled it toward the fireplace in the far corner of the room. The tray clattered loudly as it rolled onto the marble hearth, its smoke dispersing.
Dorian didn't stop. The poison was already in his blood. He lunged at me.
In that moment, I was about to make a choice between using my Red Alpha power to slam him against the wall or dying.
Just then, the locked door of the room shook with the sound of an explosion.
Someone wasn't using a key. Someone was shouldering the door.
The metal door buckled inward with a pained screech from its hinges and then burst open completely. Two figures dove inside.
The first was the massive man who broke the door. He wore a black t-shirt and military pants; his arms were thicker than my waist. This had to be Kael. Dorian’s cousin and head enforcer.
Right behind him, entering with a deadly speed that contrasted with the sound of her high heels, was a woman. Red hair, sharp green eyes, and wearing a trendy silk dress. Valeria.
"Kael, hold him! I'll clear the toxin!" Valeria shouted.
Kael, without hesitation, leaped onto the High Alpha who had lost control and was about to attack me. Dorian roared and swiped at Kael, but his massive cousin wrapped his arms around Dorian as if he felt no pain and took him down to the carpet.
"Easy, big guy," Kael grunted as Dorian's claws raked his arms. "Just a little silver dust. It won't kill you."
Valeria ran to the fireplace, pouring a small vial from her pocket over the tray. With a hissing sound, the smell of silver vanished instantly, replaced by the sharp scent of peppermint.
Then Valeria turned to me. Her eyes scanned me from head to toe like an X-ray machine.
"You," she said, breathless. "You're still here."
Dorian stopped struggling in Kael's arms. As the poison's effect faded, the blackness in his eyes receded, replaced by that familiar, weary lava color.
Kael let go of Dorian and stepped back, resting his hands on his knees, panting. "God, Dorian. You get heavier every time."
Dorian rose from the floor. His shirt was torn, his hair disheveled. His chest was heaving rapidly. His gaze scanned the room and found me.
In that moment, I didn't expect him to hug me or thank me, but the pure rage in his eyes surprised even me.
"Are you stupid?!" he shouted, advancing on me. "I ordered you to leave! You should have walked out that damn door and left! I could have killed you! What can a Beta do next to an out-of-control Alpha? Do you want to die?!"
His words were like a whip. He wasn't angry to protect me; he was furious at my disobedience.
Just as I opened my mouth to answer him—and likely break character to yell back—Kael intervened. He stepped between Dorian and me with his massive frame.
"Hey, boss. Back off," Kael said, his voice casual but his warning clear. "The girl saved your life. If she hadn't thrown that tray into the fireplace, the seal would have blown long before we broke down the door."
Dorian stopped, clenching his teeth. "I'm angry because she disobeyed a direct order, Kael. She could have died throwing that tray."
"But she didn't," Valeria said, coming to my side and gently linking her arm with mine. "And she didn't run. Most of the servants fled to the other end of the corridor when they heard you. But this little Beta..." Valeria smiled at me, genuine warmth in her eyes. "...stayed. I think instead of yelling at her, you should buy her a drink."
Dorian looked at his cousins and me. He seemed stunned that his family had taken my side on the very first day. Retreating into his loneliness, anger, and authority, he took a step back.
"She needs discipline, not a drink," Dorian muttered, but the lethal tone was gone from his voice. "Kael, fix the door. Valeria, take that tray to the lab. I want you to analyze the alloy in it. We know Elara didn't do this alone."
Dorian turned and walked toward the bathroom, slamming the door shut.
The room fell silent. Kael looked at the broken door and whistled. Then he turned to me, a huge, boyish grin on his face.
"Welcome to the family, sister-in-law," Kael said, winking at me. "I'm Kael. This is Valeria. Don't mind Dorian's grumpiness. He's yelling because he was terrified of tearing you apart. That's a good sign."
Valeria squeezed my arm. "Truly," she said. "Dorian hasn't worried about anyone for years. You staying... was stupid, but brave. We like brave."
In that moment, for the first time in this cold and dangerous castle, I felt I wasn't alone. Dorian was my enemy and partner, yes. But these two... they were different. They were Dorian's shield, and it seemed they had decided to be my shield now, too.
"Thank you," I said, with a slightly trembling voice befitting my Beta role. But inside, the Red Alpha was smiling. Winning this family over to my side would be easier than conquering Dorian. And much more fun.