Alpha Nathan
"And who gave you the rights to question my actions?" I turned to Alpha King Benjamin, glaring, with his hands tucked into his pant pockets casually, his eyes distant, his jaw mulling.
"How about we start with the basics," he replied evenly, his voice calm but filled with quiet authority. "Your lack of courtesy, your disregard for respect, especially toward age, and your inability to understand boundaries. Once we settle that, then we can move on to the other reasons why you wouldn't dare question me."
His tone alone was enough to grate against my nerves.
"You speak of age and respect?" I shot back, my voice deliberately rough, edged with defiance. "And yet you parade around, inserting yourself into matters and affairs that are far beyond your own place?"
That struck something.
I saw it immediately, the shift. His expression darkened, his gaze dropping onto me with a weight that could suffocate lesser wolves.
"Maybe you should learn something as simple as ethics," I continued, refusing to back down. "That way, you might finally understand how to treat those beneath your age with the same level of respect you demand so effortlessly."
Alpha Benjamin's entire demeanor hardened. He stepped closer, stopping just beside me. He didn't tower over me, not here, not tonight. The moon had also blessed my lineage with height, dominance, and unmatched strength. And despite being ten years younger than him, I stood level with him… perhaps even slightly taller.
A fact he did not like. He knew the rules just as I did, and probably didn't want me slipping any control, here in this submit.
The air around us tightened, thick with tension. Maxwell stirred within me, pushing forward until her thoughts dragged into my mind, and I pulled away.
"Fuck," I muttered under my breath, breaking away from him and heading straight toward the counter.
The moment I stepped inside, the shift was instant. Workers froze. Some trembled. A few of the weaker alphas lingered at the edges, those who hadn't been strong enough to join the hunt.
They bowed as I approached.
I grabbed two bottles of water, my movements quick but deliberate, then reached for a sealed snack from the stand. I had considered asking for something proper, rice, anything substantial, but my instincts rejected the idea instantly.
Something wasn't right.
Not after Alpha Benjamin's interruption.
A quiet unease settled deep in my gut. I didn't trust any of it. I didn't trust him.
And I wasn't about to take chances.
Even if I told myself I felt nothing for her… no connection, no pull toward the bond… that didn't mean I could ignore her suffering. Watching her like that, doing nothing, it would only make things worse.
When I stepped out of the cafeteria, I noticed the manager still lingering on the first floor, stiff and watchful. And Benjamin…
His lips curled into a faint, knowing smirk before he turned away.
That alone unsettled me more than it should have.
I returned to my manor without delay.
The moment I entered the room, my chest tightened.
She lay exactly where I had left her, on the bed, unmoving. Her eyes were shut, her arms resting limply at her sides, her entire body looking fragile… too fragile.
I crossed the distance quickly, setting the water and snacks aside. Maxwell surged forward again, alert and guarded as he focused on the girl.
Her body temperature was too high.
'I'm afraid she's developing a fever. She needs urgent care.'
'Why now?' I questioned internally, frustration building in my thoughts. 'Why would it escalate at a time like this?'
"Try lifting her," Maxwell urged. "Give her water. It might help her stabilize, even a little."
"Easy, Max," I warned under my breath.
Running a hand through my hair, I exhaled sharply before leaning down.
I slowly and carefully lifted her into my arms, securing her with one arm wrapped around her, and the other gripping the cap of water to uncork it. I kept my movements controlled, deliberate, limiting contact as much as possible, telling myself I was only doing this because I had no options.
I told myself it meant nothing.
That this was necessity… not instinct.
Her head fell against my chest, her weight light, almost too light. Her skin burned against mine, the heat of her fever seeping through instantly.
Her face was flushed deeply, her lips soft and slightly parted, tinted with a natural redness that drew my attention far too easily.
Too dangerously.
Maxwell stirred at once.
And then it hit… That sharp, electric surge that ran through both of us the moment her skin brushed mine.
I inhaled sharply, forcing myself back into control. Slowly, I tilted her head, prying her lips open just enough.
She responded weakly.
I poured small drops of water into her mouth, careful not to overwhelm her. Each swallow came with a faint whimper.
The sound too jarring, and Maxwell wanted to strangle the entire world for daring to keep her in such condition.
She managed to drink nearly an entire bottle, but it barely helped.
Her body remained limp.
Unresponsive.
I pressed my hand to her forehead again.
Still hot.
Still burning, though perhaps… slightly less than before.
"Can you eat something?" I asked quietly, and she nodded faintly, slowly lifting her head. I was just lowered a little to pick up the snack pack, and in that attempt, her lips… goddess… brushed slightly over mine, sparking a certain kind of feeling I told myself wasn't just real.
Those rounded hazel eyes remained fixed on me, and my breath, it hitched, the world around us drawing into nothingness.
Maxwell stirred, jumped excitedly, willing me to kiss her, to let the contact linger with the moment. But just as her eyes fluttered slightly, she muttered, "thank you," and slowly withdrew from the contact with a gasp, as though she had just finally realized the position we were in.
I could feel her heartbeat resonating with mine, and then what this contact was doing to us.
I remembered eight, years ago, watching those flushed lips that had grown far too alluring and full now. I had imagined getting closer to her then, and wondered what serious things we could have done with each other.
"Silly distractions," I muttered faintly to myself, grounding myself out of these fantasies as I helped her take the snacks.
She took a few bites, and I watched her swallow with pain, and it didn't sit well. I might not have wanted her as a mate or anything of the sort, but I'm of the motive that she is mine, in my manor, and can't still feel pain.
"You just have to try to eat more calmly and easily, that way you don't irritate your throat," I said to her, as she nodded slowly.
Taking a few more bites, I watched her chew slowly, like I had suggested, and she swallowed them down with more ease. Her breath growing even with each passing minute.
"Are you alright?" I asked her, and she didn't respond immediately, her hazel eyes never leaving me, and I noticed they were fluttering closed again.
'I don't think she's okay. She needs a clinic. Her temperature is still high,' Maxwell advised, and I checked her forehead, they were still burning slightly.
'Why not we give her a little time to rest, that way her body would stabilize back?' I suggested.
'I doubt that possibility, and you wouldn't want her to remain with this fever longer than expected,' Maxwell stated, but I turned to behold the lady curled up in my chest, half asleep, half awake.
Something in me stirred, something intense that I had no meaning to feel. But it was there, like a quiet, steady hum beneath my skin… growing stronger with every passing second.
It was something I wasn't ready to name.
Something I wasn't ready to accept