Alpha’s Rejected Slave
Chapter Four
Tagon’s POV
(14 year old Tagon)
Just like mother will say some were born with fates and some others fought for their destinies while the greatest have to fight for their destinies even while born with fates.
From the womb I suppose so much must be expected of me. A son to takeover as an Alpha, rule over my subjects, make decisions that will affect lives and families. Never to let matters of the heart get in the way of my ambition and duties. I learned from a tiny age that life could be brutal, painful, and cruel. The path of becoming an Alpha wasn’t an easy one, a life filled with thorns, power, and duties wasn’t an easy one.
Today I finally made my father proud of me. My father, the Alpha, like every parent has expectations with their cub. And being the highest authority he held very high expectations so high I felt unworthy of being his son.
At the age of five I was made to accompany my father to war and at eight I detached a spy’s heart from his chest and left him on the cold floor drawing his last breath.
The Tagon he knew would fret or try to talk him out of it but with a single swipe the spy’s heart was missing.
I found the secret layout of a rogues den and ambushed them by myself before my father could arrive with the pack's warriors. After the battle for the first time I felt worthy to be called his son.
A large feast was organised, every member of the pack and even the lowest of slaves were hugely fed. For the first time I managed to sneak out when my mother's controlling eyes weren't in my direction.
She was in an ongoing argument with father and I knew it would take some time for them to notice my absence. They loved each other passionately and when they argued it took too much effort to get them out of it.
Weird parents.
So I sneaked out of the party and used the garden route with smiles written all over my face. My parents were extremely controlling and protective as their only child. My only friend was Fidelis who is training as my future Beta of the pack. I enjoy his company but I miss something. Something more than Pack matters and do’s and don'ts out of pack matters and titles.
Sometimes I got myself wishing my father wasn’t an Alpha but like the rest of the other Dads.
“Finally some freedom,” A happy smile stretched out on my lips as I pranced happily picking a rose and sniffing it into my nostrils. Someday I’ll find my mate and what flowers would she like I thought?
“Would it be daisies, roses, hibiscus, orchids? Would she have dreams of sailing across the world? What about her passions would she love archery, sword fighting or be a conservative Luna? Would she be a strong Luna or a weak…”
A sniffing sound brought me out of my little daydreaming. Unbeknownst to me I was closing in to the end of the garden. My feet trailed the distance were the sniffling soft sound of someone crying I heard.
A young girl from head to toe with angry sore wounds and filthy dirty clothes, her skin was covered with dark mud, hair was disheveled and drenched and the way her toes curled and she wrapped herself into a ball I didn’t need to be told she was shivering from the intense cold. White Peak mountain was colder than any other pack and it was the coldest season of the year yet a little girl I thought might be older than three years or few was crying alone in a garden.
“Why are you in tears?”
She looked at me with those lovely green eyes and looked away sitting coiled up in the garden. Her hands folded hugging her knees with her beautiful ginger hair scattered carelessly by the cool evening breeze playfully making them messy.
I took a closer look at her and observed her cheeks were red and her skin was growing pale. The weather grew harsher by the second.
I had on my shoulder a rare shawl mother made with her customised embroidery. Hesitation and kindness to the stranger girl canvassed in my heart. Mother might find out I gave her gift away and that would hurt her feelings. Father punished me on my tenth birthday when I interceded the punishment of a family who stole from the royal treasury.
The punishment father commanded was the cutting of parents hands and feet and the kids to be brutally flogged. The children were innocent of their stealing parents' crime so I got flogged in their stead.
For weeks my back hurt like hell, I couldn’t groan in pain either. I learnt my lesson never to stand in my father's way.
His commandments were law and order.
But this time is different. The young girl hasn’t broken any rules so there are no reasons to leave her in the cold. Casting a second look at her a mark was visible on her wrists, an iron mark which are the identities of children slavers. Which means she was born into slave hood which made me feel sorry for her once again.
Slavery and it likes repulsed me to my core and so many times I used to ask mother why there is segregation amongst our people and others and why were they treated less other than loved and catered but mother will always say. “You are young my son, when you grow older you’ll realize duty is duty. We don’t do things because we love doing them, we do what is necessary and that doesn’t make us bad people.”
Unimpressed by her answers I sought to find out on my own but discussing such a sensitive matter with father wasn’t going to happen. Mother was more lenient to discuss literally anything. I had hoped once I become Alpha to get rid of slaves which wouldn’t be easy, the oppositions will come other top ranking Pack members benefiting from it but notwithstanding doing what is right is better than doing what is necessary.
“My mother makes nice shawls. I'm sure this will help a great deal.”
“No, my mama will be mad, she says no gifts from strangers.” the girl wiped her cheek with the back of her palm and rose to her feet to leave.
How dare she?
I am no Alpha but being popular has been my birthright since I was born. How could she not know whose presence she spoke, how long has she been living under a rock?
“Don’t you know who I am?” I feigned annoyance with an air of superiority.
“Yes I do the Alpha’s spoiled brat.” she retorted unafraid of my position or what I might do to her.
I got stunned.
“That’s no way to talk to your future Alpha and why are you hurt and in such weak clothes at this time of the year. You can fall sick, you aren’t just sharp mouthed, you're careless with your health.”
She doesn’t respond, her eyes lit with fear but closes in.
“I have to go now…” she tried getting up.
“What’s your name?”
She twirled to leave and I don’t know what came over me. I grabbed her by the arm and wrapped the shawl over her cold freezing neck. “Return my bratty shawl when next you see me and with your name.” I said with a smile and dashed off before her sharp mouth could protest.
That day something warm struck in my chest. The Pack people had their perception of me as a spoiled brat wrapped around his parents strings. And that challenges my stance to become Alpha.
“I will prove myself worthy.”
~ (Present)
“Alpha, the supplies for the construction workers have been arranged and we have more crops stored in the barn for distribution for the full moon celebration, my lord.” Fidelis my Beta informed me as he read from the floor long royal scroll on reports. So far things have been good. It’s a spectacle how much can be done exercising the right amount of authority.
Nails clawed at the golden goblet filled with expensive rare wine as a sip slipped into my lips and set the goblet on a table.
“Is that all to report?”
“Yes, my lord.”
My Beta was about to leave to attend to other matters of the day when the Pack door was spread apart.
“My lord we did as you ordered.” The guards humbly said in unison with their left knee to the floor.
“Set the room ready when I call.” I command with a devilish grin on my crooked lips.
They nodded and took their leave.
“Tagon what are you up to?” he asks with dismay written on his pale face. His curly brown hair and oval eyes gave up his fear which made me want to laugh. I could catch the shock on his face when I was informed of her capture. He looked at me like I’ve gone crazy and a latter part of me agrees to his claim. It was beyond madness, it burned hotter than fire, a revenge as cold as ice and hotter than furnace.
Beta looked shaken in place, frozen like he had heard the most eerie news of all time and trust me he doesn’t scare easily.
“You are going to destroy her and you know with you involved she has entered the den of no return. No one can survive the rage of your anger. Let her go and do away with this madness!” he tried to sound stern but he couldn’t mask his fear for me, the kingdom and my deep-rooted obsession with revenge.
He has been against my fervent search for my distressed damsel and first enemy masking away unearthed. Hiding far into the dark. So many times I wanted to plunge, ravage her from hiding but the need to see how far she could hide from my wandering eyes.
How long could she make herself believe she was exempt from judgement and how she saw herself smart and sneaky to never be found?
“Watch the show… and don’t ever advise me on this ever again.”
My beta. Has always had my back. And I know that.. But this is my quest and I must fulfil my oath. I must have my revenge.
My long lost revenge.
I swore. To take back my pound of flesh. And I will do so, harshly.
Information from the guards rolled in day to day, minute to minute and second to second. I wanted to know everything about her. When she breathes, what goes into her lips, the liquid she ingests, her health and even death has no right over her.
I control her living and dying. And even if she were to die I would dig her carcass and punish her. My hatred and revenge on her is deep, a slow burner and a curse.
Her darkest enemy.
Her nemesis. Her death.
I gave her enough time to run so much time to breathe the fresh spring and summer air. I let her feel comforted what a merciful Alpha that I was because I could take revenge on her with the most gruesome death ever recorded in history but that would be a win.
A sharp death would rob me of my long awaited pleasure in seeing her beg, squirm and defeated under my feet till she breathed her last.
She was my quest and the world would literally burn if I set my heart to its destrucion. A pearl that I'm going to see broken piece after piece.
I will mark her with scars that only I can give and that would be my parting gift before she leaves the earth, which I will make sure I strip her layer after layer, burn her with the fire of chaos.
[Weeks Later]
The night was extremely cold. The rain fell cats and dogs all day and when it was night the howling sound of breeze and the cold swept through the land. Another reason white Peak was highly referred was the high snowing mountains.
The golden bed creaked violently and a huge bulky form tossed from side to side unable to sleep.
She was here. In one of my dungeon and yet she lived in my head. My wolf was desperate to see her again, it missed her warmth. He wanted to caress and make her feel loved, despite everything she has done to him, to us. He was the forgiving, protective, loving and simping side to me but Tagon would never go back on his Oath.
I flung the covers and slid down sliding on my flip flops. My night time apparel was waiting on the hanger and in a second slipped it on my skin, buttoned up and made my way to the door.
The sound of my footsteps approaching must have alerted the Wolfguards. Before I could reach for the doorknob the door was spread apart immediately with their knees to the floor and eyes bowed to the ground.
“Follow me.”
I led the path to the dungeon to the darkest and scary part of my den. No one was saving her from it. Not even me.
The torches lit the path and in no distant time I was standing in front of the cell with my arms behind my back.
“Open the dungeon!”
My wolf was bugging in my head. He could smell her close.
Blocked.
I blocked his rants and yearnings and in turn fueled my rage.
The lock was broken and the guards gave way as I walked into the cell. The smell was awful and my nostril twitches in reaction but my eyes were still haughty and my nostril flared. My eyes roamed and caught her petite frame with a rope trying to scale to escape.
The act made me scoff. There were a hundred guards outside the wall of the dungeon. How did she plan to get past them? She couldn’t fight even though I taught her some basic fighting skills but she hated using the sword in her words it brought destruction.
Her disheveled hair was scattered about covering her face. My feet moved on their accord and caught her moon glowing skin, her long ginger hair were rough looking but still charming. Her clothes were worn out, torn and dirty but they had no power on her beauty. A loc of her hair slipped to the side and my eyes caught her rosy red lips. Her high cheekbones stood out proudly. Nothing has a hold on her. Suffering, pain and even death can’t touch the beauty that is Sheila even when I hate to admit it.
And then our eyes met.
“Under your custody? My mother has been your prisoner all these years? My dear mother doesn’t deserve to suffer. I did you wrong I commuted the abomination, whip me a thousand strokes, let me go without food or water for days, I’ll serve if that’s what you want but let my mother go.” Tears slid down her cheek.
“If you want your mother to be set free and to stop working as my slave you’ll be returned and be collared as the newest addition to the Pack. I’ll keep my part of the deal will you?”
“Alpha Tagon don’t take my tears for weakness, you must know me to be kindhearted but never weak, soft spoken but know how to draw her sword. I’m agreeing to return as a slave only for my mother’s wellbeing but don’t think I’ve lost and you have won. I’ll be the last slave you’ll have to mark my words.”
“I’d love to see you try.” I collared her and her body plopped in exhaustion almost hitting the floor before I caught her mid-air and wrapped my arms around her bringing her to my chest while basking in her warmth and the sweet touch of her skin to mine.
The battle has just begun.