“You defied me Kyrian, you cast aside the very condition with which you currently hold the alpha position!
Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Kyrian’s expression remained impassive.
“If you’re referring to my divorce, then yes.” Gregory’s eyes blazed with fury at the boy’s calmness.
“I raised you to be an honorable man, do you know how many werewolves would kill to be in your place, to have a fated mate?” For the briefest moment, something shifted in Kyrian’s eyes, something that looked like a flash of pain…regret, but then it disappeared.
Kyrian’s fingers curled slowly at his sides.
“I didn’t love her,” he said.
“I married her because I had to.
You forced me into it, remember?
You didn’t expect me to stay with a woman I don’t love for the rest of my life did you?” The lie tasted extremely bitter on Kyrian’s tongue.
His grandfather rose from his chair, eyes narrowed as though he could somehow see straight through him.
“Fine.
If you believe you can disregard every rule that placed you on that throne, then perhaps you should no longer sit upon it.” Gregory’s face hardened.
Kyrian’s eyes narrowed.
“Are you threatening to remove me as Alpha?” “I put you on the throne boy, I can take it all away.” A humorless smile touched Kyrian’s lips.
“Can you?” Kyrian stood up, buttoning up his coat.
“Since I became alpha, our territory has expanded.
Border raids have dropped by more than half.
Trade with the northern packs has increased, our warriors have undergone reforms your administration never managed to implement, and our reserves are the highest they’ve been in decades.” His voice remained calm.
“You spent twenty-two years ruling this pack.
My father spent eleven.
Combined, neither of you achieved what I have accomplished in three years.” His grandfather’s face darkened.
“You arrogant bastard!” Kyrian smirked, his gaze never wavering.
“But I’m still your most successful alpha.” “If you insist on being so stubborn then you leave me no choice.
You may have done great things for the pack, but as long as I’m still alive, my rules and laws exceed any authorities you might have.
Every wolf on the council shivers at the mention of my name, you don’t have to commit a crime, I’ll make one and no one will question me, you’ll be tossed out of Obsidian in the blink of an eye.” The confidence in Kyrian’s eyes wavered.
He knew the old man’s words weren’t just baseless threats he was spewing, he had the power and he would do whatever he said he would.
“You never fail to remind me grandfather that we’re just a family in name.
I am only worth what I can offer you.” Kyrian said suppressing the hurt in his eyes.
He had only ever been a valuable asset, and the moment he lost his value, his grandfather would kick him to the curb without a care.
“What do you want from me this time?” Gregory smiled looking satisfied, “I don’t care about your whore or whoever it is you keep or discard, you only have one job, give this pack an heir.” “An heir?
Are you telling me to remarry?” “Like I said, it doesn’t matter to me what you do, but the Dustwood bloodline must continue.
Give this pack it’s pure blood alpha heir, or abdicate your position.” ———- Kyrian slammed his foot on the brakes, his heart thumping, fingers clenching around the steering wheel.
He ignored the incessant ringing of his phone.
Things were spiralling out of control, and control was never something he liked to lose.
He was the alpha, but his grandfather never treated him as such.
He hadn’t just been given this position, he’d earned it.
Why did the old man always feel the liberty to push him around?
Elle…the thought of her brought a bitter lump to his throat.
She had carried his heirs…but now they were gone and so was she.
The car came to a screeching stop at a dangerous edge of a high cliff.
Kyrian kicked the door open, grabbing his phone out of annoyance and answering the hundredth call from Claire.
“What is it?” He snapped.
Claire began to sob in his ears, “Kyrian…
Kyrian please help me, some people have been following me.
I’m so scared, what if Avielle sent them again?
She’s coming for me again Kyrian, she wants to get revenge on me because you divorced her!” Kyrian massaged his temple, his anger slowly dissipating.
Though he had proof that Avielle had gotten Claire kidnapped the first time, he didn’t think she was going to do it again, at least not from wherever she was right now.
“Alright, stop crying.
I’m coming to your place now.” He uttered, restarting the car.
Her crying was incredibly irritating, but he had to be good to her after all the trauma she’d suffered from Avielle’s kidnapping.
He drove towards West Obsidian street, where Claire’s flat was located, his mind drifting back to the whole situation.
How Claire had healed quickly from a damage to her legs immediately Avielle was gone.
She would torture other servants ruthlessly as if she didn’t know what it felt like.
Someone who’d been through such kind of trauma would not have the heart to lock up a maid in the dark attic for days without food or water, if Rick hadn’t gone to her flat on that day, he wouldn’t have heard the little Omega’s cry for help and rescued her from there.
For someone held captive for three years, she seemed to know about everything that had happened around the world.
Like the newest designer pieces she wanted to purchase, and the newest released devices that only came out during the times she claimed to be kept in captivity.
There were also times Kyrian would have sworn he’d seen her eyes flash a different shade from her light blue, a sign of communication with the wolf, but Claire had said that Avielle’s hired men had crippled her wolf as they tortured her.
He drove into the underground parking lot of the apartment complex, going up to Claire’s flat for the very first time since he’d had her accommodated there.
She opened the door before he even knocked as if she already knew he was there and jumped into his arms.
“Kyrian, please don’t leave me, I’m so scared…” He frowned, all the doubt from the thoughts he’d had on the way driving here surfacing in his mind, he raised his hand to push her away from his body but his hands froze.
Black veins rising along the skin of his neck, his whole body went still for a moment before the veins disappeared and he wrapped his arms around Claire’s body instead.
Feeling him hug her, Claire smiled.
This was her chance, she’d been meaning to get an opportunity like this for months, but despite the fact that Kyrian satisfied any thing she asked him for, he kept some distance from her.
Looking up at him with teary, pitiful eyes, Claire murmured, “Don’t go anywhere, please stay with me tonight.” She rose on the tip of her toes and inched her lips towards his own.