Alpha Hades
"Did you have a look around here yet?" My Beta, Damon, asks as he makes his way into the cabin we share for the time being.
I open one eye and cover my face, groaning in pain. We arrived a week ago to participate in the first round of negotiations with the old Alpha, and I haven't left the cabin since.
My ribs ache, and I still have to change the bandages over one of my shoulders. Fortunately, the old Alpha didn't notice how badly injured I am. The old fart wouldn't hesitate to send out his assassins and finish the job Duke couldn't.
Damon jumps into my bed, and I instantly hiss. "Holy shit, you couldn't be less gentle, could you? As for your question, I'm pretty sure it's clear I haven't left the cabin." I try to get up but fail.
I can see concern cross my best friend's face, but he knows better than to bring it up.
When it comes to me, I prefer to keep my pain and worries to myself- others shouldn't see me in moments of weakness. He's the only person who has ever seen me break, and I'll do anything to keep it that way.
Who would follow a leader who's barely holding everything together? My people rely on me, and I have a reputation to live up to.
"Nerves?" Damon chuckles. He's not the best actor. Even when Damon tries to hide his worries behind a mask of amusement- everyone can see it.
I could question him, but I'd rather leave this conversation aside and try to get out of bed again.
This time, my attempts pay off, and I finally sit up.
After a moment of silence, I remember Damon asked me something, so I throw him a questioning look.
He chuckles again, "The wedding."
Groaning, I throw my legs over the edge of the bed and stand up. I still have a few hours before the ceremony starts, so I can't exhaust myself, but I should work on walking around like nothing's bothering me. If any of those bastards notice something wrong with me, I'm as good as dead.
I try to stretch my muscles, but the pain in my shoulder reminds me of itself as another agonised hiss leaves my lips. Damon's instantly at my side, supporting my weight.
He takes one look at my shirt and instantly looks away. That's another thing I love about my Beta- he avoids reminding me of injuries or scars. If there's blood oozing from my wounds, he'll remind me to change the bandages, not fuck my mind about the severity of the issue, especially when we're out on a mission.
"We need to change those bandages before you bleed all over the place." He helps me move towards the cabin's tiny bathroom. I swear to God, old Alpha didn't consider my size when he assigned the small living spaces to my men and me. As soon as I get comfortable, sitting on the edge of the bathtub, Damon grabs the first aid kit and helps me take off my shirt. Ever so slowly, he removes the bandages and focuses on cleaning the wound. "I got a black suit for the wedding, so they won't notice anything before the official part ends, even if you bleed through those. Once you exchange vows and rings, it's done. Don't stress out, brother; you got this in your pocket."
I understand that Damon is doing his best to assure me this is a good idea, but all I can do is snicker at his words.
My eyes fall on the small, black box I left on the sink. Why did I take it with me? Why did I consider I might need it in the first place? Dropping the thoughts, I shake my head and chuckle, "I couldn't give two shits about the wedding; it's a business transaction, nothing more, nothing less."
Damon hums and tosses the blood-soaked bandages into the trash can under the sink. His gaze lingers on the box for a mere second, but that's enough for me to see that he caught me. "I see. Yet, you agreed anyway, even though this territory isn't a part of our plan." He points out the obvious.
The safest option is to stick with the excuse I've been using to reassure myself for the past week. "It's not that, but since I was invited to come here and decide how they can escape the dangers of war, I did some research. We overlooked how perfect this place is for us to work on our next move- there's a tiny, barely noticeable part of the border that crosses the border of that asshole Dash. If we invade from here, they won't see us coming." I look up at Damon, just to make sure he's listening. Once he nods, I keep going, "Besides, the wedding is supposed to be a secret affair, and unless they want their whole pack slaughtered like pigs, they'll keep their mouths shut."
A wide, bright smile spreads across my lips as the mere view comes to mind. Many call me a psychotic murderer, and perhaps I am, for there is nothing I enjoy more than the taste of war.
I nearly lose myself in thoughts before Damon's voice brings me back to reality. "On the bright note, I heard your future husband is a sight for sore eyes. I didn't think of you as one of my team, though."
Damn it, out of all the topics he might poke, he had to pry on this one. Who cares how good looking the young Alpha of Silver Moons is? Not me, definitely not me. I couldn't care less if he'd look like that damn bell man Quasimodo or whatever he was. Yet, since Damon had to bring this up, no excuse of mine will make him stop talking, so I better get over this conversation before we have to start getting ready.
"Your team?" I raise an eyebrow.
"Yeah, gay. My team."
Another groan escapes my lips. I hate it when people try to place everyone under something they've accepted for themselves instead of letting others live the way they want. "Since when do I need a label? I've never thought of myself as anything but, you know, me. Straight, gay, bisexual or whatever- it doesn't matter. I am me, and if I fancy someone, I just do." Shrugging turns out to be a bad idea because as soon as I do, one of the stitches rips open and more blood flows down my chest.
"So, you are into the young Alpha, huh?"
"What do you mean? I've never met or seen the guy." Lies. Goddamn lies- I've seen him more than a few times, and he looks too good to be true even from a distance.
"And what's the diamond ring for?"
ZenoI'm ready. I think.The big day is here, the milestone for the whole pack and my father: for everyone but me. Today, I'll be trapped in a loveless marriage with another man.Not that I've ever thought about marrying a man, but the thought of my partner's gender doesn't bother me as much as the thought of who I'm marrying.In our society, it's relatively common for same-sex partners to tie the knot. What isn't so common is getting married to a soulless, heartless killer who wanted to slaughter your entire pack unless you agreed to marry him.At the end of the day, my odds were between this man and a possible war, so I had to choose the least d
Alpha Hades We chose to stand behind the gathering crowd. I don't want to let anyone know who I am until the time is right. Damon stands next to me and watches as the wolves arrive to take their places.He nudges me and leans closer, "Are you sure this is the right thing to do? We discussed the deal, and you never told the old Alpha you would think on the day of the ceremony. The Rogue Alpha signed the papers, my friend; we can't back out of this without losing our honour."I scan the crowd once more and let a low groan pass my lips. I don't see the old fool among the guests nor the young Alpha. Have they decided to blow the deal before I've fully made up my mind?Damon
Zeno "My name is Nero Hades, and you, Alpha, look like you're mine."His words echo in my mind again and again. The longer I look at him, the more I feel like my head is spinning. Especially with the tone in which he said the word "mine". He said it so loudly and with so much emphasis that I'm sure even our neighbours heard him.Even though we're literally in the spotlight, and I'm sure my pack members don't want to miss out on the drama, his men slowly lead everyone to their seats.Never, not in a million years, did I think I'd be thankful for the Rogue Alpha's men around me.Wait, he can't be the Rogue Alpha now that we
Alpha HadesAh, if only I could put his facial expression in words. The best comparison I can think of to how the Old Alpha Silver looks now is a child who had a chance to grab and taste a lemon for the first time in his life.Someone's not happy about giving his son away. No one asked him for such a deal; it was his idea, not mine.Yet now, while his pretty little son stands in front of me and I hold his hands, the old bastard keeps throwing me death stares.I wonder how he'll react when he finds out I'm taking his precious son away from this territory. Arranged marriage or not, I can't let anyone put my almost-husband in danger.I grin at the older Silver when Zeno, I believe th
ZenoI should listen to my father; every part of me almost cries out that I should. But I can't.An adult Alpha wouldn't allow a friend, or a pack member, to support his weight unless something was seriously wrong with him. I won't mention it; I'm sure Nero has a reason to hide his possible injuries.Fake marriage or not, the man in front of me is my husband, and I promised to stay by his side for better or worse, and that's exactly what I intend to do.This whole spectacle wasn't my idea, it was my father's, and he should know that I'm supposed to stand by my husband's side so that everyone believes we have feelings for each other.Isn't deciding for me whom
Alpha HadesThank the Goddess, I didn't have to chase my bratty wife around the damn pack.It's amusing how I understand that my spouse is a man and I should call him my husband, but I can't restrain myself from thinking of Zeno as my wife, let alone addressing him by anything other than that.But to be fair, I didn't expect him to be like this.When old Silver Alpha came up with the deal, I was sure I was getting involved with a spoiled brat, but Zeno proved to be anything but that.Yes, he's a bit bratty, but that's something I can put aside as an Alpha trait- the constant need to defy everyone and prove his superiority.
Zeno"Damon, you have thirty seconds to close that door," Nero growls, his eyes still fixed on my face.Here I was, thinking Nero's friend saved my ass, but it seems my husband won't let anyone free me from his grip.I gulp and try to get off him, but Nero growls even louder and tightens his hold on me.The friend, Damon, doesn't move from the spot. I glance at him, hoping I look as desperate for help as ever, which I probably do because his gaze holds pity. Great, even one of Nero's men pities my position. I can't drop any lower than that."Five," Nero snarls, turning his attention to Damon.
Alpha HadesDid I come off too strong? Perhaps, but then again, he's an Alpha and should be able to take my shit with ease.Now that I think about it, maybe, just maybe, I'm wrong.What if there really is more to Zeno than meets the eye?One of those hidden things must be connected to the medicine he mentioned earlier. What kind of crap does he have to take if he doesn't want to die? How severe is the disease? What in the world could be fatal to an Alpha? Unless it's another shifter, I've never heard of a disease that could take down an Alpha werewolf.Then comes his unique appearance. Only a blind man wouldn't notice how handsome the Silver Alpha is, b