Chapter 15 The Alpha’s Threat
Chapter Fifteen
The Alpha’s Threat
Olivia's POV
I inched my way back into the pack house through the side hall. My lips were still warm, my thoughts scattered and loud as my heart raced fast, my thoughts of a girl that was meant to belong to another man.
Outside, the noise of the festival, including laughter, drums and smoke could not penetrate the walls. Silence covered the room except for the sound of my footsteps. I had just got halfway up the stairs when I stopped on my tracks at the sound of a voice.
"Enjoying the night?"
I turned slowly.
Tristan stood by the pillars crossing his arms. His dark eyes were sharp and his mouth was a thin line that made my skin crawl. He was handsome-looking, but I knew better. Before he struck, he always looked calm.
"I was at the festival," I said. "Like everyone else."
He took a step closer and blocked my path. "You disappeared."
"I needed air."
His lips twitched. "You're always needing air when I'm around."
I didn’t answer. When I tried to walk past him he grabbed my wrist so hard that my breath hiccupped.
"Don't walk away on me when I'm talking," he said.
Let go of me', I replied in a low voice.
He stooped over, his grip was tight. His voice was low. "You smell different."
My heart was skipping but I kept my face cool. "This is a festival - there are hundreds of wolves outside."
"That's not what I smell," he said. "And you know it."
He let go of my wrist and took a few steps backwards, pointing to a narrow corridor. "Come with me."
"I don't want to."
His smile was cold. "You don’t get to choose."
There was only one slim window and a torch to light the room. The door slammed shut with a final thunk. Tristan turned to face me studying me as if I were his property, flawed and broken.
"You brought disgrace upon me this evening," he said.
"I did nothing," I replied.
"You disappeared from the pack on a public festival," he said. "Do you know what that is supposed to look like?"
"I am not your property," I said.
He laughed, low and sharp. "You’re worse than property. You are leverage."
I stared. "What does that mean?"
He stepped closer. "It means your name, your blood, your place - give me power. Power is all that matters."
"You don't care about me," I said.
"No," he agreed. "I care about what you give me."
The truth was a lot more painful than I expected. "Then why are we talking?"
His eyes hardened. "Because I think you are lying to me."
"I am not," I said although my pulse betrayed me.
"I think you met somebody this evening," he said. "And I think you think I'm a fool."
I held his gaze. "You're wrong."
He stroked my jaw with his thumb - not soft, not kind. "Listen very well, Olivia," he said. "If you betray me or make me look weak I will not punish you first."
My stomach tightened. "Is that a threat?"
He said, "It is a promise." "I will begin with the people that you love."
My breath caught. "You wouldn't."
"I would," he said. "I will begin with your father. Then your mother, and your best friend Jada won't be left out either."
My hands curled into fists. "Leave them out of this."
"They are already in it," he said. "Because you belong to me."
"I don't," I said. "This bond don't mean a thing if there's no choice."
He laughed again. "Choice is not something you get to have, Olivia."
I took a step back until my shoulders were in contact with the wall. "You are afraid," I said.
His eyes flashed. "Of what?"
"Of losing control," I said. "Of being exposed for what I am."
His hand came down on the wall beside my head, it was loud and sharp. "Careful."
"I am not scared of you," I said, although my body was shaking.
He replied, "You should be." He added, "Because I can take the lives of others with one command."
He straightened out and smoothed his jacket. "This is how it will go. You will stand by my side. You will smile. You will stop sneaking away. And whatever fantasy you are chasing, you will forget it.
I swallowed. "And if I don't?"
His eyes dropped down onto my lips, and then rose again. "Then I will burn up everything you hold dear to you until there will be nothing for you to run back to."
There was a silence stretching between us.
"You are a monster," I said.
He shrugged. "Monsters survive."
He went towards the door, stopped. "One more thing," he said. "If I catch you telling me a lie again, you will live to regret it."
He left and closed the door behind him.
I slid down the wall. My legs were weak and my chest was tight and my thoughts whirled. Fear clawed through me but beneath it lay stronger emotions - anger, resolve and memories of Ryder's hands, his promise and his dark eyes.
Tristan believed threats could put me in a cage.
He was wrong.
And if he tried to touch the people I cherish, I would show him how dangerous I could be.
Later that night I saw Jada in my room. She was sitting on the edge of the bed her shoes kicked off and her hair over her shoulders. When I closed the door, she looked at me and raised an eyebrow.
"You look like you ran away from a fire," she said.
I laughed, feeling nervous and breathless, and sat down next to her. "You won't believe just what has happened."
"I will," she said with a laugh. "Start talking."
I leaned in closer and lowered my voice even though there was nobody else around. "Ryder came."
Her eyes widened. "The Lycan prince?"
"Yes," I whispered and was smiling even though it was awkward. "He found me at the festival. We met near the trees."
Jada covered her mouth. "Olivia, are you mad?"
"Probably," I said. "We kissed. Not just once. I forgot everything else."
She laughed softly. "I knew it. You're glowing."
My smile faded a little. "Tristan almost caught us. He was so close, Jada. I thought it was over."
Her expression shifted. "Did he see him?"
"No," I said. "But he knows that something is wrong and warned me."
Jada reached up and took my hand and squeezed it. "Still, you're in love."
I nodded, my chest tight. "I am, and I don't care if he's a Lycan."
She had a warm and encouraging smile. "Then hold on to that. Just be careful."