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“I think you know exactly what I mean. A world walker would make a fine mate for an Alpha.”
The words slipped out of his mouth as easily as water flowed through the forests. I stepped back, as though I had been hit. I blinked and wondered if I had heard him correctly.
“M-mate?” I stammered.
“It is only right that such power should be shared, combined with the might of an Alpha, our children would be unstoppable. It would lead to a new generation of world walkers, a generation that could spread our might through the universe and give rise to a new age of dominance. There are worlds like yours that have never been conquered. We could make up for the mistakes of the ones who left before, and to those worlds that have been conquered, well, we can bring them into the fold and show them a way back to Orestes.”
“And I’m supposed to just go along with this? I’m supposed to bear your children and then watch you all leave for new worlds, and what happens to me?”
“You can do as you wish, once you have fulfilled your purpose.”
“Oh, so you think my purpose is just to have children? You’ve got some arrogance, Axanar. I’m not here for you. I’m not here to fulfill whatever crazy desires you have. I’m my own person and I get to decide what I do with my body. As soon as I learn how to use my powers, I’m going to leave.”
“You will do as I say because I am the Alpha,” Axanar said, his voice filled with anger. He stepped towards me and grabbed my arm. His strength was so intimidating, his height filled my vision, and his eyes burned with intent. I screamed as I wrested myself free of him, using my loose arm to strike him. I shifted my paw and extended my claws, leaving him with a deep gash upon his cheek.
“Don’t you dare put your hands on me again. You are not permitted to touch me. I’m not your mate. I’m not anything to you. I don’t have to do what you say, and I’m certainly not going to help you conquer all these different worlds. You can keep your food and your gown, and you can shove it up your ass. I’m done with this. I’m done with you. You think you’re this great Alpha who leads the great pride? Well, none of you have hunted like I hunted today. None of you have walked through worlds. I’ve got a feeling I’m better than you, and I bet that really eats you up inside, doesn’t it? I bet you hate knowing that there’s something I can do that you can’t, that you never will be able to do. The thought of having your children makes me sick,” I spat the words out and then turned away from the throne room. I strode out towards the corridor, and he chased me to the door, calling out to me that if I dared think about going anywhere other than back to my cell then he would make me regret ever coming to this place in the first place.
I didn’t have anywhere else to go, so I did go back to my cell, where I slumped against the wall and slammed my fists against the ground. I had run away from the Night Fangs, but at least they would have just killed me. Axanar wanted to breed me, to use me for my power and then toss me aside like an empty shell. There was nothing in this world for me, nothing at all, and I wished that I was dead.
Chapter Fifteen
Axanar
I watched her leave and then returned into my throne room. I swept aside the plates of food, sending the meat and the plates clattering to the ground. Pain stung on the side of my face and drops of blood trickled down over my lips. The metallic taste swam over my tongue, and I leaned against the window, glaring at the world outside. What gall she had to deny me my right as Alpha. She was maddening, and yet, somehow, this only made me think more deeply about her. There were few people who had ever stood up to me as she did. The ones who had done so before were dead.
What a curious woman she was.
Volkan entered the throne room some time after this.
“I was told there was a disturbance here,” he said.
I grunted. “You could call it that.”
“I assume that things did not go well with Kara?”
“That woman is impossible. I don’t know what kind of pride she came from in her world, but she does not respect the chain of command here. I am the Alpha, and she should know that her duty is to bow to me.”
“I’m not sure she’s ever bowed to anyone,” Volkan muttered. He then softened his voice as he approached. “It’s important that we remember she is not like the lions in our pride. She has never seen this world before, and now she has been removed from the only home she’s ever know. She has tried to get back, but the way is lost to her. She has been unable to find her parents, unable to avenge the death of her pride, it’s no wonder that she sees us as the enemy when we are holding her captive.”
“If we didn’t hold her there, she would only try and escape again.”
“But we’re not going to make any progress. Perhaps you could try and show her a little more freedom.”
“I have already sent her on a hunt. What more freedom can she need?”
“You goaded her into the hunt, and it was a test to see whether she could earn a place here. She earned that place. You have thrown her back into her cell immediately, so what does that say about the hunt? Give her a chance to prove herself, to unleash this anger inside her. Perhaps, if she sees more of this world, she might find that she likes it and would be more willing to do all the things you require of her.”
I turned to face him and arched an eyebrow. “It is rare that I hear you speak with such passion, Volkan. I don’t believe I’ve ever known you to disagree with me this much.”
Volkan frowned and seemed to battle with his own feelings. “I just feel that she has been through a lot, and she is a world walker. We should do all we can to make her feel welcome and make her feel comfortable so that she can tap into her power and lead us to these other worlds. I can see that she has already tried to fight you,” he looked at the wounds on my cheek.
I touched them with my fingers. They were sensitive to the touch, and when I drew my fingers back, I saw the scarlet stains on my fingertips.
“She seemed unwilling to do what I wanted her to do.”
“You told her you wanted to mate with her, didn’t you,” Volkan said. It was more of a statement than a question, as the evidence of her answer marked my face.
“I thought she would have seen it as an honor. To mate with the Alpha is something that all women crave.”
