Chapter nine
Thrain's pov
She owes me everything. That was the only thought in my mind, ringing over and over again as I watched the crowd finally calming down a little. She had been taken away already by Riker at my command. She shouldn't be here any longer lest I lose my temper once again and do something unbecoming of the Supreme Alpha. I was still shaking with rage within, but I managed to maintain a calm front—a facade that I knew would shatter immediately the moment I got back home to her.
"She's going to pay, and pay with her life," I sputtered through gritted teeth as I made my way to my seat, talking to myself silently in order to let off some steam since I couldn't exactly fight right now. But suddenly, someone perked up in the crowd, someone unexpected. Not now, I thought, seeing Marian show up looking like she had been running or something like that.
She rushed up to me, a desperate expression on her face. "I'm your fiancé," she stated before standing up. My expression turned ugly as she turned to face the crowd and the elders. What the hell is she doing? I wondered as she stated, "I'm his mate, his true mate. Not that stranger girl that came just a moment ago. He doesn't even know her—he found her only yesterday!"
People started talking immediately after she gave her announcement as I glared at her in rage. It was bad enough what they already thought about me, but with her here to confirm what the girl had said on her own, I knew that things would be much more difficult for me to handle now. She probably thought she was making it better for me, but no, it was quite the opposite. She was worsening my situation to no end. I needed everyone to be calm now until I sorted everything out, but now with what this girl was doing, I knew that the task had become infinitely more difficult than before.
"What are you doing?" I said, breaking my words into syllables as I jumped down from my seat, walking right up to her. I smiled up at the crowd before speaking as calmly as I could, trying not to let my voice shake with the anger bubbling through me. "This girl is deranged," I stated. "She doesn't know what she's saying at all."
The murmurs from the crowds and the noise increased after I gave my own announcement. She looked at me, her eyes wide in surprise as I grabbed her by her ear, dragging her off. I can't say I didn't enjoy the surprised look on her face as I called her mad in front of such a large crowd. She hadn't expected it, couldn't have anticipated it at all, but that was what made it all the more satisfying for me.
She needed to understand that this was something beyond her, and as much as I could keep on acting chummy with her usually, I had to actually be serious now and act in accordance with what was needed. She wasn't my mate—my mate happened to be the other girl. So despite whatever we had with each other, I needed to push her aside and simply use her as a backup if anything happened. Right now, Amelia was still the preferable person, so I didn't see any reason why I should fake anything with her in front of the crowd unless when it was at home personally.
"You don't interrupt or interject in events like this," I said, pushing her in front of me as she held her ears in pain from the way I had dragged them. "You do that once more and I'll cut your ears off," I said brutally. She looked at me in surprise as I walked towards her menacingly, silently threatening her more and pretty much proving that I was going to do exactly what I said and that I wasn't joking at all.
She looked shocked, like she couldn't have thought me to be this kind of person at all—not to her—but I smiled at her with an expression that I knew terrified her. "This is something that you shouldn't be speaking about. You see, any normal citizen isn't speaking, even the elders haven't begun to talk yet. Yes, you were able to say something, but you are disrupting everything—my plans. And if you can't be loyal to me, if you can't just stay put and do what you have to do, then I don't see why I have any use for you," I told her. "Do you understand?"
She looked confused, so I shook my head, rubbing my fingers on my temples, wanting to know how to explain it to her. The hurt expression on her face suggested that she wasn't pacified, not yet. Now, I didn't have to do anything—for all I cared, she could be dissatisfied all she wanted, but she was still a potential ally for me, although a weak one. She could be of some use, so it was best to keep her happy, and the only way to keep her happy was to give her hope.
"Don't worry," I said to her, my voice becoming softer. "I'm going to do my best to make sure everything ends well in the end." I wanted to give her a promise at that moment, but I beat it back because I usually wanted to honor my words. "That girl is going to pay for everything," I said simply. "Anyway, I don't really like her." I stopped a little when I said that, my voice trailing off.
Did I like her? Well, when I thought about it, I didn't quite know for sure yet. I had risked my life to save her more than once now, and it was for more reason than my pride—it was something deeper, something intrinsic that I didn't quite want to admit yet. No, I don't like her, I thought, thinking about her personality. I would never like someone who wasn't obedient and humble to me, and there was no way I would want a partner who couldn't do exactly what I said whenever I said it, in total submission without voicing out her own thoughts. That was honestly my own impression of someone who should rule alongside me because I always wanted full control.
"I don't like her at all. So even if we appear to be together in front of the crowd and the people, it's just for the cause, so that I'll be ultimate alpha," I said, coming towards her reassuringly. "You are the one I have in mind."
Her eyes brightened as I said that, and I thought about what I had said. Well, I didn't exactly say that I loved her, which was true, and I really did have her in mind, though for what reason I wasn't quite certain yet.
She came in closer and kissed me passionately on my lips. I was surprised at first and in a daze, but eventually I managed to reciprocate, though not with as much fervency. I really didn't feel anything from the kiss—no emotional stirring and no attachment. No, it was clear now to me that I didn't like her in that way. However, it was convenient for both of us to be with each other, so I didn't say anything. I didn't disrupt the flow between us just yet since it seemed to be beneficial.
"Now, go back among the crowd," I said, knowing that my presence was needed. I couldn't stay away from everyone for too long, especially considering the role I had to play in this particular ceremony. It had fallen through now, and I needed to fix it, and for that, she couldn't help me.
I watched as she faded into the background, probably oblivious of how much of a fool she had just made a fool of herself. I shook my head. Such a dull person who could not see the consequences of such a move in this kind of large setting. There was no way I could be involved with such a person. There was no way I could have her as an assistant or a helper. She wasn't even smart enough to be my Lola, even if I was. So, I was going to cut her off. Probably, unless maybe something happened, an unexpected twist that changed the course of things. As for now, giving her up was the best way to keep her on the little issue aside until I found something better to do with her. On my turn, a couple of moments later, I was facing the owner, getting ready for the confrontation. They were already talking. I knew. I also knew that it was going to take a lot out of me to finally win against all of them. This was something I had to do. I had an ultimate goal. And once I achieved it, none of these challenges would matter.