Chapter Nine
LUCIAN'S POV
I got to the pack village, and apparently they had caught another rogue wolf. I would just have to kill him then, that was what I thought. Until he discovered his mate among one of my pack members. Her name was Andrea. She cried so hard, begging me not to kill him. It was a rule, rogue wolves were to be killed, i didn't even know if he was a spy or something.
The law had to be followed no matter what, I had learnt it the hard way, but I could relate to what she was going through. I felt the same way, when I found out that Elena had run away. I smiled as I thought about her, was she okay? Has she eaten now? Or did they still starve her? I shouldn't have told them to starve her.
The council of elders wanted me to kill the rogue wolf, to make an example to the rogue Alpha, a sign of superiority. These people were clowns, how many more people will I have to kill to show my superiority or dominance? They irked me, that's why I moved them to the pack village. I had Lucas go back home to get me my seal and stamp, and one of the ownership pendants.
I was going to handle like a leader, and not a tyrant, I wasn't going to be a leader my people feared, but a leader they respected.
The things I asked Lucas to bring were already here, he was really fast, I had to ask him why the speed, and he said, “this is the first time you want to lead like the man your mum tried training you to be”.
Mother, she would be so proud of me for once. She was such a hopeless romantic, married to a man who didn't deserve her love, a man who took her for granted. I never for once told her, till she died, that I sat at her almost every night, listening to her cry.
I looked at myself in the mirror again, before leaving for the council house. It was full to the brim. People had come to see what I was like, the kind of Alpha I was. The meeting started, and most of the elders voted for the rogue wolf to be killed. I looked over to him, and then to his new found mate. Her eyes were swollen from crying so much, I looked away. The entire place went quiet, waiting for my final decision.
“I've listened to everyone and the elders, and they are not far from the truth. But I must disagree”, I said finally. The shock on their faces was everything to me. They didn't see that coming, they thought they were going to control me the way they controlled my father. I continued, “ Nathaniel Anslem, the rogue wolf and his mate Andrea Rivers, will be sent to the Long Island pack, where my cousin rules as Alpha, and they shall take with them, my seal, my stamp and ownership pendant, they will be accepted anywhere they go and Nathaniel will no more be a rogue wolf, but a Long Island pack member. My word is a law, Alpha Lucian has spoken”.
The crowd at the council house went wild with excitement, screaming my name. Some were crying, some were dancing. It was a beautiful thing to see as many of them came to congratulate her, and thank me for my just ruling.
That night, the villagers decided to hold a send off for Nathaniel and Andrea. So much dancing, drinking and food. I was with Lucas from a different angle of the party, when I was told Nathaniel wanted to see me. I let him come, and the next thing he did, surprised me. He fell on his knees and swore allegiance to me, and before I could stop him, slit his palm and took a blood oath to serve me till he died.
It was beautiful to see, I was shocked, but I respected him more. These were the kind of men a leader needed. Men who weren't scared to stay but the side of their leader, men who would die for their course. I watched him leave as he was done.
I looked at Lucas and he started laughing, and said, “ you've got a soldier for life”. I did, I got a soldier for life. One who would die beside me and it meant alot.
After the party, I got back to my room, no girls or sex or whatever. I didn't want to embarrass myself, I had not been able to get hard for anyone since Anna. I couldn't wait to go home and see her. I just hoped she was good.
The next morning, we were ready to leave the pack village and we left early. I was angry and scolding Lucas for not picking up any girl again, and he was nonchalant about it.
We got to the house a few hours later, and it felt good to be home. I got in and I was welcomed by some of the guards with a weird expression on their faces. I couldn't care less. When I got to my floor, I asked about Elena, they said she was asleep. I got changed and prepared to leave, I got ready, and ran into Edwina outside. She dragged me back in, and told me of her week and finally confronted me about the new breeder. I told her to leave Elena alone and stop acting clingy. She still went on and on about how she didn't want anyone to take her place in my heart, I had to let her know, there and then that she had no place in my heart, she was just an ordinary breeder.
I sat at the dinner table with Lucas, Edwina and Lana across from him. They ate in silence, the tension between them palpable. I wondered what had happened, they weren't talkative as usual, especially Edwina.
As we finished our meal, I asked about Elena again, "I haven't seen Elena all day. Where is she?"
Edwina shrugged, "I haven't seen her either. Maybe she's just busy with something."
My instincts were slightly uneasy,I was a bit worried, was she okay? I assumed Elena was just taking some time for herself.
As the evening wore on, I began to feel a growing sense of unease. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. I hadn't even heard a single sound from her room.
It wasn't until I caught a faint scent of her blood mixed with her vanilla scent coming from the maid quarters when I was passing the hallway that my wolf instincts went into high gear.
With a growl, I went up to Edwina's room , my eyes blazing with anger. "Where is she, Edwina?"
Her smile faltered, and she took a step back, "I-I don't know what you're talking about, Lucian."
My anger boiled over, and I stormed out of the room, heading downstairs to follow the scent of Lena's distress. I found her locked in a room, bruised, lying on stomach, naked. Cane bruises on her back and neck.
My heart heavy with regret and concern, I rushed to her side, “Lena, Elena, what the fuck happened to you, who did this to you? I had no idea..."
I looked up at the door and found Edwina, standing in the doorway, my wolf instincts screamed for justice. "You will pay for this, Edwina.” I growled in anger. I picked Elena up, and took her to my floor, rushed to Lucas and told him to call my personal doctor.
While the doctor was treating Elena, I went to Edwina's room and found her there, kneeling at the center of the room, crying, and pieces of her hair on the floor. She had reduced the length of her hair.
“That's not enough, Edwina. I want you to pay for what you did in the most painful way ever”, I said to her. I ordered the guards to take her downstairs and whip her too.
I couldn't believe what she did to Elena, out of jealousy. I didn't know Edwina could be so wicked and desperate. I went back to check on Elena, to make sure she was okay, I had been trying so hard not to blame myself.
Her soft cries as they treated her hurt me so bad, it was my fault she was going through all this, should I have taken her with me? Or should I just come out with the truth that she's my mate. I had to protect her by all means.
I was so close to ripping Edwina's heart out, very close. Lucas walked to me and said, “ you have to claim her as your mate or mark her, or she will never get respect from your people”. I looked at him, “I can't, at least not yet”.