Filed To Story: Claimed by the Alpha I Hate Book Read Free
Annoying pinpricks danced behind my eyes as I looked at Alpha Nolan. He was determined to lead this mission even though he had no obligation to my family. He could have just sent a team of men to do the job for him, but he knew I’d insist on coming along. He was willing to go so far to get my brother, willing to fight for his life. I felt the same as I thought about Breyona and Mason, how there was no hesitation when I asked for their help. I gathered up my strength and forced the tears away, giving the
Vampire a hard look.
“If you know what we’re here for, then you know how far I am willing to go to get him back.” My voice came out steady and strong, conveying none of the that currently boiled in my stomach.
There was no reason to continue playing nice. I wasn’t needlessly trying to start a fight, but it was better to get straight to the point. Whether they had time to prepare or not, they knew what we came for.
I refused to let myself think of Tristan, determined to ignore the fluttering in my stomach at the thought of seeing him. Since the scarlet mark on my shoulder had healed, I felt the pull to Tristan much stronger than before. That small part of me hoped Tristan would be here tonight. Maya growled in frustration, hating the scarlet mark that brought nothing but torment.
“A fight would be pointless, unnecessary bloodshed.” The dark-haired Vampire shrugged, his emerald eyes flashing with amusement. He leaned forward, his cold eyes staring into my own. “I’m sure we can come to an agreement.”
Alpha Nolan caught on without needing an explanation, but I could feel the growl that had been building in his chest. Attacking the Vampire would do us no good, at least not at the moment. The fight had yet to begun and Sean was nowhere in sight.
“What do you want for him?” My voice was hard and cold, but even I couldn’t hide the interest that lingered in my gaze. As though he knew I were hooked, a serpentine smile formed on his face.
“That can be discussed.” The Vampire smiled, the strange expression lighting up his face.
“Do you even have him?” Alpha Nolan’s voice matched my own, cold and patient.
“Stay for the fight, Alpha Nolan. You’ll see soon enough.” The Vampire’s eyes hardened as they flickered to Alpha Nolan. “My friend will be over to discuss our terms.”
In a fluid and graceful movement, the Vampire stood and left the two of us alone. Alpha Nolan’s eyes met my own, and I swore we were thinking the same thing.
‘An agreement?’ Breyona frowned, her voice concerned as she spoke through the mind-link.
‘Sounds kind of sketchy.’ Carter’s voice ran through my mind, followed by Mason and Wade’s approval.
‘There will be no agreement.’ Alpha Nolan’s voice was hard, leaving no room for negotiation. ‘We will bide our time, and wait until they bring out Sean. Once I call for a distraction, we’ll grab Sean and fight our way out.’
‘We may have to leave out the side door. If we do, we’ll circle around front and meet you there.’ I chimed in, earning a glance of approval from Alpha Nolan.
Ignoring how close the two of us were seated and the heat that crept along my skin, I turned my eyes to the fighting ring. It seemed the fights were about to begin, all wandering eyes turning to the spectacle in the center of the room. Two men were pushed forward, each looking pissed and disheveled. Hatred and acceptance burned in their eyes, protesting yet succ*mbing to their fate.
There was little hesitation before the two men leaped at one another. While one was built large, the other had rippling muscles. They leaped at one another, the muscular guy taking the bigger one to the ground. Interested chatter broke out among the people watching. Burning disgust had risen in my throat, directed towards the Vampire’s enjoyment at the fight.
“Hello, beautiful.” A voice called out, that small bit of my soul reaching out to touch.
Tristan strolled over to the couch Alpha Nolan and I sat on. His blonde hair was light like snow, his eyes the lightest shade of blue. He was nicely dressed, wearing black slacks and a black button-down shirt.
The top buttons on his shirt were undone, giving a glimpse of his hard chest. I was equally attracted and disgusted, my own emotions a boiling mess in my head. Alpha Nolan stiffened beside me, feeling my inner turmoil through the mind-link.
Tristan’s eyes danced as he looked me over only to harden as they met Alpha Nolan’s eyes. With little care for the fight going on before us, Tristan took a seat beside the two of us. I was keenly aware
Tristan had chosen to sit next to me, as close as he could get without hassle. Some small part of me cooed, ‘he won’t hurt me.’
‘Are you alright?’ Alpha Nolan sent over the mind-link, unable to hide the hostility and concern in his tone. ‘Keep him out of your head. It’s your mind, kick him out if he tries.’
‘I can handle this.’ I reassured him, collecting my scattered thoughts. I focused on Maya, latching onto that side of myself with all of my strength.
Instead of picturing my library, I tried a different approach. A set of iron doors sat in the front of my mind, impenetrable and unmovable. Layers upon layers of iron and steel blocking what lie within.
Tristan’s seafoam eyes met my own, a smile playing on his lips. A dull prickling sensation formed at the base of my skull, irritating and incessant. I swore I could feel his fingers grazing against the door in my mind, stroking it lightly as he willed it to cave in.
After giving myself a k****r headache, I felt Tristan leave my mind. I had held the door firmly, but not without consequence. As though I had run a marathon, my head was throbbing and my limbs weak.
Rather than letting my exhaustion show, I leaned closer into Alpha Nolan, propping some of my weight against him. Tristan watched the action, his light eyes flaring at the sight. Maya grumbled smugly, practically screaming her hatred for Tristan.
I didn’t have to look to know Alpha Nolan had a smug expression on his face, aimed directly at Tristan.
After an irritated snarl, Tristan turned his intense gaze to me. His blue eyes burned into my own, calling out to the small shard of me that longed for him. I turned my head away from his own, determined to chase away the trail of heat his eyes left along my skin.
I wanted to cringe as I watched the brutality of the fight. The muscular guy had blood falling from his chin, spitting it across the floor as he fought for his life. The bigger man held more strength, clearly a werewolf from the looks of it. A silver bracelet seared into his wrist, silencing his wolf and keeping him from shifting. Silver against the flesh will b**n and nullify your wolf, but will not take away your strength or speed. Silver in the bloodstream will destroy us from within, almost a certain d***h unless treated right away.
A sour look formed on my face as I watched the human and werewolf fight. I found it unfair how the werewolf still had his strength and speed, using it to brutalize the human. The human had speed on his side, much like myself. His speed was what kept him alive so far.
“Are you not enjoying the fight, beautiful?” Tristan asked, his face impassive while his eyes burned.
“A werewolf against a human?” I scoffed, ignoring my thundering traitorous heart. “He’s clearly stronger and faster, it’s not a fair fight.”
“It isn’t, is it?” Tristan mused, a playful smile playing at the edges of lips. “I have quite a bit of money placed on this fight. Let’s even the odds, shall we?”
Tristan waved his hand and the Vampire we had spoken to earlier came to his side. The Vampire with raven hair and emerald eyes smiled at me, a smile that bore too much intimacy and familiarity for my comfort. Without a word, Tristan pulled a wad of bills from his pocked and placed it in the man’s hand.
“Let’s see if a human is smarter than a wolf.” Tristan smiled, his eyes gazing down to where his mark sat covered.
I kept my eyes on the fight, resisting the urge to steal a glance at Tristan. I had almost missed it when a small shard of silver was thrown into the fighting ring. Large enough to pierce a beating heart if need be. Time seemed to slow, the seconds ticking by as my heart rate sky rocketed. The two men locked eyes, a wave of understanding between the two. Both scrambled for the dagger, for a clean way out of the fight.
The human was faster, diving to the floor with the dagger in hand. The werewolf’s moves were rushed now, more frantic than they were before. The human had the upper hand, using the werewolf’s impulsive blows against him.
In just a second, it was all over.
The human had rolled to the ground, dodging the werewolf’s lunge. The silver blade met flesh, sinking into the werewolf’s chest with a sickening thud. I swore I could hear his last heartbeats; swore I could see the light leave his eyes as he clattered to the floor.
I felt sick to my stomach, ready to dispel the champagne I had drank tonight. My skin felt sticky, slick with nervous sweat. How anyone could find this entertaining was beyond me. Betting on life and d***h made my insides feel rotten, but renewed my strength and purpose.
“Who did you bet on?” I found myself asking. I almost flinched with surprise, noting how calm my voice had sounded.
“The human.” Tristan smirked, his eyes flickering with amusement.
“I want to see Sean first.” I frowned, my eyes flickering to the mess in the fighting ring.
“Of course.” Tristan’s velvety voice caressed my skin, but did nothing to erase the disgust burning in my stomach.
The fighting ring was cleaned quickly, not a trace of blood lingered on the white floor. Some people in the small crowd grimaced or mumbled angrily over the loss of their money. It was unnerving how these people could watch such brutality.
My heart leaped in my stomach as two more men were pushed onto the stage. Sean’s face came into view, looking haggard yet defiant. One of his eyes had been blackened and looked to be slowly healing. His lip was split, a thick line of blood running down the center. From the angry glint in his eye,
Sean had not been broken by these Vampires.
“What’s your price?” I spoke without thinking, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. My heart thundered in my chest at the sight of Sean. His skin was pale from lack of sunlight, the hair on his head d***y and unruly. “What do you want for him?”
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?