Alpha Kael

~Jada

There weren’t many options for me to consider.

I could either grab his wrist and snap it, hoping immortal bones are as fragile and mortal bones. Or I could let him get away with it, since he’s greed, and he gets everything he wants. Or, I could tell Kael what he is up to, and watch him deal with the wrath or an immortal, who also happens to be a sin.

Instead, I grab at his hand before it can move any further up my thigh. Digging my fingernails into his skin as hard as I can, I watch Cian’s reaction. He simply looks at me, smiling subtly.

Sinful’s eyes seem to wander, noticing the commotion on this end of the table. “Is everything okay there brother.”

“Don’t touch me,” I snap at Cian.

“Come on brother, just because we don’t have mates who want us doesn’t mean we get to play around with others,” Sinful mutters, smiling as he takes a sip of water. Cian finally pulls his hand away from my thigh, thankfully. I was close to lashing out and doing more than just digging fingernails into his skin.

“I’m glad you don’t have a mate, you don’t deserve one,” I growl at him, feeling physically disgusted by his touch. He may have the exterior of the typically attractive Immortal, but it doesn’t faze me to any degree.

Kael leans across the table, the tension and anger coming from him seems to be cutting through the air. “Don’t touch my mate again, or I’ll kill you.”

“I dare you to, Alpha.”

Sinful slams his fist down on the table so suddenly, it makes us all startle, including Cian. Sitting back in my chair, I fold my arms over my chest. Kael still glares threateningly at Cian still, but doesn’t say anymore. I can practically feel how much he is fuming from beside me, however, he knows he isn’t going to get any information out of Sinful like this.

“We do have mates, Sinful. Yours just doesn’t like you very much, and mine doesn’t know she’s not just my mate, but also an Alpha’s,” Cian says with a smile suggesting he is hiding something solemn underneath.

“It’s surprisingly how love isn’t just handed to those who are cruel,” Kael says softly, pushing on something that is clearly sensitive to these immortals.

I can’t blame him.

“I wouldn’t say being cruel has anything to do with it. I’m sure she will chose me over him,” Cian says confidently. I’m curious about what is going on between Cian in his mate, however, I don’t pry anymore. I don’t want him to thank I have any interest in him at all. He’s disgusting, and I hope his mate does the right thing and chooses her other mate over him.

Sinful clears his throat, concentrating his attention on Kael, rather than his talkative brother. “Anyways, I assume you would like to talk about your mother, since this is what this dinner is about.”

“As long as your brother doesn’t touch my mate again,” Kael mutters. I don’t mention anything about my plans to snap his wrist apart.

Who knows how they would react to that.

“Ignore Cian, he’s just bored,” Sinful says, his gaze flickering to me. He’s clearly enjoying seeing Kael so bothered. Those violet eyes might hide a lot, but they don’t hide that. He’s a cunning man, which I’m about to see come to fruition in front of me. He’s double crossed Kael, I can just sense it. “Now, to the point.”

“Yes, the point,” Kael seethes, fidgeting with the silverware in his hand. I breathe in deeply, running my hand up and down his back, feeling the tension beneath my fingertips. If this weren’t Sinful’s home with all this power, my mate would attack him.

I can feel it.

“The point is, our deal is no longer worth anything to me,” Sinful explains, leaning back in his seat. “I found one that treats me better.”

“I was going to give you my Pack,” Kael exasperates. His Pack? The Pack I was born in? I can hardly register what he was saying for a moment, trying to understand why he would want to give away his own Pack to an Immortal like Sinful. I would hate to know what Sinful would be like as a leader. This Pack is plagued by tyranny as it is.

Sinful tilts his head from side to side, considering this. “Yes, and your mother also offered me her Pack. And no offense to you, but the people are more… impressionable, and would make a better group to lead.”

“You mean manipulate,” I cut in, to which Sinful only chuckles at. He shrugs at me, disregarding what I was saying.

I shouldn’t expect anything else.

“What do you mean my mother’s Pack? There is no others,” Kael comments, as if trying to convince himself of that fact. A frown flutters over Sinful’s face for only a fleeting moment, the first sense of a real emotion I’ve ever seen on him. It doesn’t make me feel any further inclination to trust him.

“Well don’t you know? Your mother has a flourishing Pack between the Independence Pack mountains and the Love Pack. Small, maybe, but it will grow. And if I’m right about it, it’s going to take over all of yours soon enough,” Sinful says confidently, waving his fork back and forth.

Kael leans forward across the table, Sinful not even flinching. “And why might you think a small Pack could even touch the ones that have existed for many years.

Sinful’s smile is somehow feline. Cunning.

“All you Alpha’s are love sick. Immortals would lead your Pack’s much better than you would, I can assure you of that,” Sinful says, finally revealing his overall plan. My entire body goes cold at the idea of mortals being led by immortals. Nothing would be fair. Everyone would be slaved.

“All this because your mate doesn’t want to be with you,” Kael mutters, pushing back from the table. His chair screeches loudly against the wooden floor, making Sinful wince. “Have you ever stopped to consider why that might be?”

Sinful sighs deeply, remaining on his seat. “This isn’t the time to be bringing up my mate, Kael. I think you should keep your eyes on your mother.”

Kael touched a soft spot, clearly.

“Take us back, I’m done with this dinner. There is nothing you can say to me to stop me from seeing my mother,” Kael exclaims, grabbing my hand to pull me up from the chair. Cian watches us silently, secretly enjoying the show he has a first row seat to. Sinful doesn’t look so impressed.

I barely had the chance to blink, as Sinful suddenly disappears into thin air, leaving behind a mix of purple smoke a dark shadows. Then, I feel him appear behind me in a rush of cold air. I don’t have a chance to move before he grabs me, pulling me from Kael’s reach.

“Now, this is fairly simple,” Sinful says over my shoulder. I can feel him pressing against me, making me shudder. “Is it your mother, or your mate?”

Silence consumes the room.

Kael looks dumbfounded for a moment, looking at me blankly. All of a sudden, I’m not so confident on how much I mean to him. I’ve known him for hardly long, and he only just found out we are mates. He’s been looking for his mother since it’s happened. It means more to him then his Pack, so I have to mean less to him than his mother.

“Come on Kael, I hope you chose your mother, despite my deal with her,” Sinful says delightedly, pulling the hair back out of my face with his spare hand. “I think having this beauty as my prize would be just as good.”

“Give her back to me,” Kael growls, taking a step forward, but Sinful only tutts, pulling me back another few steps. He could transport us away at any moment.

“Just tell me what you want, Alpha.”

I look at Kael, unsure of what he is going to say, or what he is going to do. He stares at us both impassively, and for a moment, I’m not sure he is even feeling anything. My heartbeats, as I pray he will pick me over his mother. Yet at the same time, I don’t want him to give up on finding her, when she means so much to him.

“Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it?” Kael mutters, staring at Sinful, rather than me. Is it obvious? I don’t seen how it’s obvious. Sinful doesn’t either, as he keeps clinging to me, refusing to let me go for even a moment. I hate that he’s touching me right now.

“You’ll have to be more clear. I’m winning either way,” Sinful murmurs. I can almost hear the smile on his voice.

Kael straightens. “Give me my mate. Nothing means more to me.”