Chapter 4

Stefan 

Meeting my Mate had been the best of distractions; however, I had a goal, and in it, Alice did not fit as my Luna, so finding out she was a half-breed served perfectly to publicly reject her.

I hated half-breeds because they represented the impurity of our race. We had been through so much, and staying above ground was a priority, so maintaining purity was vital to not losing ourselves. But it was hard to hate her, especially after having tasted her in full. It was so much of an aftertaste of her that Dilon, my wolf, was applying the law of ice to me for keeping him away from his mate.

I had promised Dilon that the rejection would not be for life and that after using Circe in my conquest plans, I could have his little wolf. At that time, I was more interested in setting a precedent for this in my pack so that people would understand how radical I was with my rules. So, I started changing certain rules.

I had a goal, and I needed everyone to serve me perfectly.

"From now on, all Elite men will be in charge of security, as well as training and logistics for military personnel," I told the guards, and the whispers were not long in coming. "You can accept it or not, but if you don't, you are well within your rights to leave the Southern Pack; we don't want troublemakers here. I am the new Alpha, so my word is law."

"Yes, sir," they all said in unison, but I noticed their expressions.

"I don't care what my father did or didn't do; I'm different, and I don't get carried away by sentimentality. From now on, the rules are clear. Respect the elite; anyone who breaks the laws is going to have to pay for it."

The minimal change seemed to be shaking them to their foundations.

"They must comply as well as enforce the rules. Whoever makes a good part of this, rest assured they will be rewarded; otherwise, they are going to face serious consequences."

No one said anything else; there wasn't much to say, so they dispersed.

"Sir, I have news of the half-breed," one of my men muttered privately.

I got up and went outside with him so no one would hear. Alice had become my secret, so that's why I wanted to keep an eye on her movements; the fact that I hadn't exiled her was part of it all. I didn't want him associated with me, but I didn't want her away, so I was going to find a way to manipulate her into waiting for me while she became my lover in the shadows.

"What about her?"

"She hasn't slept in her family's hut; she hasn't been there, but I placed her at the home of one of her father's former Betas. This man's daughter is her only friend, so she has taken refuge there. They say she has been ill as a result of the rejection, but this morning she went out to look for work in the other surrounding villages."

I nodded and knew what I had to do to get her in the palm of my hand.

"Okay, I want you to take me to her, so let's just say I'll tour the area before the official presentation to the whole pack."

With that, we left the training center and hopped in the car until we hit the farthest town, where the crop was being given. It was easy to understand why Alice wanted to drive away; what I didn't expect was to see her walking with a man who was looking longingly at her.

"Who the hell is that bastard?" I asked as I studied his movements.

"He's the son of the Beta; he's the brother of the half-breed's friend; he's also good friends with her. Some say he likes her, but no one has ever seen him make a move before. Also, he's one of the last perimeter guards that were annexed before you arrived. His name is Teo."

The information felt like boiling lava; it was so much that when I saw them embrace, I didn't hesitate to get off and move closer. When she squeezed him hard, I lost my shit and Dilon took command of my body quickly. The beast was jealous, so I pulled them apart as I grabbed Teo's neck and threw him furiously.

"No, Stefan!" shouted Alice, and I ignored her.

Teo's jerk stood up, wanting to challenge me, and Dilon growled right away. My claws came out with ease, then he came at me with a furious scream, and before he touched me, I ripped him hard and knocked him to the ground. It was easy for me to hit him, and when I saw how weak he was, I realized that his training was bullshit.

"Stop it!" shouted Alice as I went straight to finish my play and suddenly got in the way. "Teo hasn't done anything wrong; please, for pity's sake, don't kill him."

That made me see her because she was smart; she had smelled my intentions, and I could tell she was crying.

Her face was burdened with big, dark circles under her eyes; she looked sad and had a dull glow. Dilon immediately began to stress at seeing her like this, while I wanted to beat her so that she would learn to never challenge me again.

"She challenged me, so the least she deserves is death." I spat, and she completely ignored me. I just walked over to Teo to try to pick him up, but the jerk was unconscious. "This is a warning, Alice; if I see anyone else come near you or touch you, I'm going to kill them."

Whether I wanted it or not, she would always be mine, but she didn't seem to understand. She just looked at me with surprise, then tha. turned to pure hatred, and she growled, which made Dilon upset inside me.

You're upsetting Selene; don't threaten them, Dilon demanded, but I ignored him.

"Take this fool home; he is formally no longer part of the guardians," I told my men.

Alice glared at me with hatred and then walked away as fast as she could.

Go after her, or they will hate us for the rest of our lives, Dilon shouted in desperation.

I shook my head and went back to the car. I asked them to take me home, so half an hour later I was climbing the stairs to go take a shower when I got Circe in my bed. She was waiting for me naked, with the intention of having some effect on me.

"I was told you worked hard today, so I came to reward you."

"I'm not in the mood today."

She stood up briskly, pulled on a silk robe, and denied.

"I'm going to guess your mood is because of the half-breed you turned down," she said with annoyance. "I hope the ceremony is soon, because I'm not that patient. I want the mark, or my father will be furious."

She hurried out. and I let her outburst pass.

I swear to the Goddess, if you brand that bitch, I will never come out or help you, Dilon spat and I ignored him.

I showered quickly, took a good nap, then went to my study and waited for news from Dalia, the sorceress with whom I had made a fruitful alliance. I put the mirror on and lit the necessary candles to call her. She appeared immediately; she was covered with a veil, but her red-eyed gaze said it all.

"I want you here for the ascension date," I commanded her in a direct manner without preamble. "I want you to have the containment and dominion spell ready."

"I will go, but I need you to set up permission to be able to cross the lands and get there in as much time as possible, right now I'm not popular with other packs," she said and I nodded.

"I will give you everything, even immunity, and make you a formal ally and advisor to my Council, but I want to have you here as soon as possible. There's a lot to do and clean up before we start the campaign."

As she was about to say something to me, I felt the connection signal I had formed with the Elite, and one of the men stationed at the border spoke up.

Sir, I'm sorry to disturb you, but I was told to inform you the moment a half-breed tries to leave the territory. She wishes to leave, but we are holding her at the eastern border while we check her belongings, he said, and I stood up at once.

"What's going on?"

"My mate intends to leave."

"You have a mate?" asked Dalia with surprise. "If so, then the reading you were given is correct. Don't let it go; if necessary, you have to keep it; it will be useful for the future."

I understood perfectly what he was referring to, so I wasted no time and let Dilon, who was desperate, take control, and we went all the way across the territory to the border. When we arrived, everyone lowered their heads in respect, then one of my men gave me a change of clothes, and I entered the control compound. Alice was there, and it was easy to read her intentions.

"Leave us alone."

Everyone came out, and she saw me with a frown.

"Why are you here?" She asked with some temper, and I realized it must be a consequence of her she-wolf, one I didn't like at all. "There is no reason to keep me here; you rejected me; I don't fit in with the new pack rules, and it's obvious I have no business being here, so I have to get as far away from you as I can."

His words were a blow to my obsessive side, and every fiber in me was amused by how I would make him pay for the insult.

"You are not leaving; I will not allow it. You will stay where I tell you and how I tell you," I told her in a lethal tone of voice that she promptly ignored and stood up to confront me.

"I'm going to leave because being around you is hurting me, and I don't want that," she said sincerely.

"You're going to live sheltered, away from interaction with the pack, and you're going to do what I tell you," I replied gently before grabbing her by the back of the neck and pulling her roughly closer to me. "You are mine, Horror, and, in the meantime, you will be my mistress."

"No," she spat in horror, and she shoved me away.

As I approached, she slapped me, then anger rose in my head, and I slapped her back with great force.

"You are going to do what I order you to do because I own you."

She looked at me with surprise, then tried to run, but I didn't let her. Without much thought, I put her over my knees and gave her a good spanking, then stripped her naked and made her mine as she screamed in pain. I was going to mark her with my seed, and I was going to make her understand that she could not escape from me. Then I sedated her, and with my men, I took her to the dungeons below the mansion, and there I chained her up so she would understand the lesson.

When she woke up, I looked her in the eyes so that she would understand perfectly what I was saying.

"From now on, you are my slave, and you are going to be my entertainment for the rest of your life."

I kissed her furiously and felt the salty tears. It was at that moment that my wolf decided to leave me, but that didn't matter because Dalia would come and I would control everything, starting and ending with Alice.