Chapter 18
The blood was dripping down Emanuel’s chest and his wolf was trying to break him free, his yellow eyes were filled with panic and pain and Darian seemed…cold.
He was killing him, in front of everyone, in front of the other Alphas and Lady Hale. Nobody was doing anything because he was the King and opposing him was writing your own eulogy.
“Stop it! Please!” I winced when I heard the tremble in my voice and the choking sob that I was barely pushing down.
Emanuel was one of the few good ones that we had and he couldn’t die. I knew Alphas in this room that deserved whatever twisted punishment the felt he had the right to hand out Emanuel was not one of them.
No matter my begging he didn’t let go so I reached up and grabbed his arm. Darian turned, his other hand slashed through the air, all I saw was a shadow as it left a burning pain on my cheek and I fell against the couch.
His emotionless glare went from me to Emmanuel who was choking, blood was spilling from his mouth and his glossy eyes were bloodshot.
Darian cocked his head and his razor-sharp jaw clenched roughly.
“You’re killing him.” My voice was meek and quiet but the words came out nonetheless.
How could everyone just stand around for this?
I saw the horror on their faces, even the Alpha’s were worried that they be next and they were almost hiding in the corners and pressing themselves back. Dom had moved to stand next to Liv and even she was an inch ahead of him.
Darian’s voice, rough and dark echoed against the walls, “do you step down from your claim?”
Emanuel flickered his gaze, fighting for the last strings of life, and looked at me, a wheezing sound left his lips as he choked out “yes.”
As soon as the word left his lips, Darian released his hold and Emanuel’s body falls to the floor in a pool of his own blood. Darian took out a white handkerchief from the pocket of his jacket- he wiped the blood off his hands as though the blood came from an animal he had killed, but no matter how much he wiped they were still stained red.
I moved back against the couch and shook my head when he turned to watch me. Before I could think I blurted out, “I’m already marked,” and watched as he froze where he stood.
I cock my head just an inch to make sure he could see it. Out of all of the Alphas here, the King included, Emanuel was the lesser of all evils and he marked
I couldn’t think of a fate worse than someone overthrowing that and claiming me for sport.
There were unmated girls, I wasn’t the only virgin here either- there were plenty of girls to choose from. Some of them I was sure would give their right arm to be mated to the King.
I tested from the feel of his warm fingers on my skin when he grabbed my shoulder.
“Yes, it would appear you are.” Why wasn’t he more bothered?
“We’ll just have to fix that.” His eyes glowed, the hue was more golden and brown than yellow. Because of his royal blood and the fact that he was a Lycan, his wolf was different. His canines extended and I saw the sharp tips and the lengthier fangs, our wolves didn’t have those either.
My heart was beating out of my chest and I begged to the gods silently to save me from this. I hadn’t done anything bad enough in my lifetime to be subjected to this. They gave me Emanuel and why- just so they could take him away and throw me into the arms of a man worse than anyone I know?
It must be a joke.
“You can’t,” I said in an exhale and began to shiver, not because I was scared but because Trixy was.
1/2
Chapter 18
It had never been heard of that you could replace a mark. When someone marked you, they basically branded you, it tied you to them, their venom lived in your body. I had never heard anyone replacing a mark.
“What are you- you can’t mark me,”
It was as as though rocks were covering his ears and he grabbed the back on my neck and pulled me in.
“I can but it will be a pain you have never felt.” He whispered it like a promise with ease in his voice.
His canines pressed against my already marked skin, penetrating the first layers and pressing into the swollen wound on my neck.
I felt it now, the fear, I was terrified of what waited but what scared me the most was how slowly he was moving, as though he enjoyed it.
I coiled my fingers and continuously shook my head and uttered the word no a hundred time
The last thing I saw was Lady Hale looking down at her feet, wincing away for the first time in all of the times I had seen her and everyone else closed their eyes or turned their heads before a mind altering pain shot into my neck. It followed my veins through my body and up my mind as he sank his teeth deeper with a rough force before he fully bit down and his venom flooded my body.
The Alpha’s Hunt
