Filed To Story: Claimed by the Alpha I Hate Book Read Free
‘I cannot hear you, but that isn’t necessary.’ The man shook his head, his eyes never once leaving the blazing fire. ‘You’re a smart girl, I’m sure you’ve figured out who I am to you.’
For once, I was thankful I couldn’t speak. I hadn’t been rendered speechless before, but I was now.
There were a million questions flitting through my head, yet none of them seemed to break through the surface.
‘The Shadows are your birthright, Daisy. They are my gift to you.’ My Father voice came out strong, his words had an uncomfortable chill to them. ‘I felt you call out to them just a few hours ago. As you have learned, they demand a price for their work. The steeper your request, the higher the price.’
As he said the last sentence, his head snapped over to me. His eyes were locked on my own, as if he could see me standing in the room. My mouth was open in shock, my body frozen in place.
‘You can deny what you are, but sooner or later you will find your way to me. By force or free-will, you will find your way to me.’ My Father’s voice was hard. I looked into eyes identical to my own, searching for some form of light within them. Instead of light, I found shadows.
‘Together we will eradicate our enemies. You will take your rightful place at my side.’ My Father spoke with conviction, as if it was all set-in stone. ‘It is what you were created for.’
‘No.’ I shook my head, uncaring if he could hear me or not. ‘I won’tI won’t betray my family, my pack.’
‘Embrace your other half, Daisy. Look into the past and remember.’
‘No!’ Frustration and fear bubbled within me, the desperate scream tearing through my throat. I didn’t want to be here anymore, I wanted to be safe in bed with Alpha Nolan. I could have gone my entire life without seeing that, without experiencing it.
I felt myself fly backwards; torn from the place I had stood. My entire body was surrounded by the icy frost, my skin stinging as it tore me away from my Father.
I was back at the packhouse, my toes wiggling over the dewy grass. The shadows against the forest line looked and felt normal. The icy waves that lapped at my skin ceased. I would’ve thought I was awake if it weren’t for my translucent skin. I felt myself being lifted upwards, as if a string were tied around my waist. I was thrown into the bedroom, catching a glimpse of Alpha Nolan’s sleeping form.
I sat up from bed, my heart hammering in my chest. A thin layer of sweat clung to my skin. While my skin was coated in sweat, I felt like a block of ice. My teeth gnashed together, fighting the urge to shiver.
Sunlight streamed through the curtain’s, battering my eyes from the intensity.
I had woken in bed alone, the spot where Alpha Nolan had been was still warm. His scent swirled around me, settling my frantic heart.
A note sat on his pillow, one different to the many I had received. While my heart still thundered at the sight of the note, it was for a different reason.
I peeled open the paper and looked down at Alpha Nolan’s handwriting.
I had to leave early, but figured you’d need the rest. Don’t be late for training today, Daisy.
Nolan
My heart continued its frantic pace as my eyes traced over Alpha Nolan’s name. Part of me wondered if I could get away with calling him ‘Nolan’ now. While I fully planned on testing that theory out, I had other things on my mind.
The chill that surrounded me followed as I walked into the bathroom. My eyes had light circles around them, proving I had little sleep.
As much as I wanted to write last night off as a hyper-realistic dream, I knew the truth. My Father had used the shadows to bring me to him. Part of me wondered why he had only brought my soul, not my body.
‘As you have learned, they demand a price for their work. The steeper your request, the higher the price.’
His voice twisted and spun in my head, igniting my sense of unease. Perhaps he couldn’t pay the price.
What would they have asked for? Their just shadows.
‘Shadows that feed on blood.’ Maya murmured sleepily, bristling against the chill that followed me.
Maya hadn’t been there with me last night. It was though the shadows had left her behind. At least one of us managed to get some sleep.
‘Do you have any idea what happened last night?’ I laughed humorlessly.
‘Your thoughts are all over the place, but I can make some sense of them.’ Maya grunted, obviously unhappy with what had happened. ‘There has to be a way to keep him from doing that again. I don’t like being separated from you.’
‘I don’t like it either.’ I shook my head, my eyes locked on my own reflection.
The scarlet mark stood out brightly on my porcelain skin. It was no longer irritated and looked to be fully healed. The part of me longing for Tristan twitched as I pictured him in my mind.
I felt like I was being pulled in a thousand different directions. I was being pulled towards Alpha Nolan,
Tristan, Maya, and my Father. I felt as though there were little of me left, not enough to keep for myself.
The scarlet mark on my skin tingled invitingly, a sensation I was determined to ignore. I ran out of the bathroom and grabbed my cellphone, pulling up the calendar and counting the days in haste.
“One weekone week and this stupid mark will be gone.” I repeated the phrase over and over, until the tingle of the scarlet mark faded from mind.
‘And what if it doesn’t?’ Maya frowned, ‘What if Tristan is our mate?’
‘He can’t be.’ I shook my head, ‘Our mate isn’t a Vampire.’
‘I hate it just as much as you but look at the facts.’ Maya grimaced, wincing against her own voice.
‘Tristan called your Father ‘my Lord’, which could only mean one thing.’
‘I know what it means.’ I snapped, harsher than I meant. I toned my voice down, feeling guilty for taking my frustration out on Maya. “I know what it meansI just don’t want to think about it quite yet.’
‘Whether you want to think about it or not, the truth is right in front of you.’ Maya frowned, “The sooner we accept the possibilities, the easier it’ll be.’
‘I don’t think it’ll be easier at all.’ I frowned as Maya went silent in my mind.
I brushed my teeth and threw on some workout clothes, then headed down to the kitchens. I grabbed myself something light to eat, my stomach much to sensitive for anything heavier.
Walking to the training building had taken a total of three minutes. People were already entering the building, a few lingering outsides in small clu*ters.
“Hey, Daisy!” An annoyingly familiar voice called out.
Ethan strolled up to me, his hair meticulously styled on his head. Why he felt the need to style his hair before training was beyond me. Ethan’s cocky aura followed him as did his overwhelming cologne.
“Ethan.” I nodded; my lips pressed in a thin line. It seems every time Ethan felt the need to speak with me, it always ended in anger. Ethan needed practice in thinking before he spoke more than I did.
‘There’s something we can agree on.’ Maya grunted in approval, ‘On the bright side, we might get to throat punch him again.’
‘That is a definite bright side.’ I nodded appreciatively.
“I shouldn’t be saying this, because you did punch me in the throat.” Ethan smirked, flashing what he thought was a dazzling smile. “But you fought good yesterday.”
“Thanks.” I nodded, my gaze flickering down to his healed throat. I hadn’t hit him hard enough to cause lasting damage, hard enough to cause a good bit of pain.