7

Naya’s eyes which had been too stubborn and full of deadly, cold looks now contained something different. They glinted, with fresh tears coming out, not out of pain and anger from the torture Kael had brought her, but because of something else. 

In those eyes, what Kael saw was one word: hate.  

But rather than towards Kael, it felt more directed towards herself. 

Did she hate the people around her? Did she hate that her companions were taken and about to be punished? Or perhaps, she hated herself for failing her mission? 

“Reject me,” Naya said, her voice anything but frightened. 

In this world where alphas were the only ones who could ‘reject’ their mates, a beta like Naya could never run away from fate. At least, not that easily. But if Kael rejected her like other full-blooded alphas do to their fated beta mates, it would be much easier. 

Naya had a mission to fulfill. And even if everyone on her team died because of it, she no longer cared. She made a promise to her father. She was the one who would kill the royal heir and bring his head back home as proof. Nobody could and would stop her, not even her mate. 

“Why would I do that?” Kael suddenly said, making Naya’s thoughts come to a halt. 

She froze. Then she looked up, feeling goosebumps all over her body as she watched the sides of Kael’s lips slowly tug up into a smile. It resembled the crescent moon outside through the window, shining brightly alongside his deep, green eyes that glinted in the dark. 

“I told you, didn’t I?” he said, leaning down until his face was inches apart from Naya, his hot breath hitting her neck. “You’re mine now. I don’t care about your mission. I’ll fill you up with my seed you will forget that damn mission of yours.” 

He pulled away slightly, enough to trace Naya’s lips with his calloused fingers. “Beg all you want but I will not reject you or let you go. You’re my possession, Naya, from here on and until your last breath.” 

** 

Border Main Tower 

“Aren’t you being too casual on that rogue?” Jed opened as soon as he entered the quarters with Kael. 

“What’s there to worry about?” Kael asked as he sat down, sighing as he shut his eyes and leaned his back on the massive chair. 

Jed followed and stopped, standing by his side. “She’s carrying a lethal weapon! One second missed and she might have really hurt you! She’s too dangerous. She needs to be restrained, perhaps it’s better to bring her to the dungeon.” 

Kael remained silent, his eyes closed. 

“It’s where the other rogues were being held captive. Why do we need to keep her up here?” Jed’s voice started to rise, his frustration evident. “Alpha Prince—” 

“Are you done?” Kael asked. 

Jed was stunned. 

Kael slowly opened his eyes. He coldly looked at Jed. “You were missing when the attack happened in this border. Tell me, Jed. Is there something I need to investigate here aside from those trespassing rogues?” 

Jed went stiff. He looked at Kael as if he had seen a ghost. Cold sweat appeared on his face as he slowly looked down and clenched his hands. “Everything I do is for your sake,” he muttered through gritted teeth. He looked back up at Kael and stated with a stubborn, serious expression, “I won’t let you die. I made a promise to my parents I won’t let you die.” 

Kael uninterestedly stared at him. Then he sighed and took his gaze away, “I see. If that’s the case, then I guess I don’t have a choice but to forgive you. Get out. I want to be alone.” 

Jed went silent. Then he also sighed and kept his head low, “I’ll head out so you can take your rest. Let’s discuss this matter again later once you’ve rested.” 

The door opened and closed. Jed walked out, passing by guards who all looked startled. He didn’t spare a single glance at them as he walked straight. 

The guards who were left couldn’t help but feel weirded out. Ever since Alpha Prince Kael and his beta from the West Wood Pack came to supervise this border, guarding the area became incredibly different than before. It was just as everyone said – Prince Kael was a madman. His moods changed quite too quickly and he carried that smile all the time – that deranged, evil smile which made people wonder what he was thinking and feeling about. 

Even his beta wasn’t far from it. More and more, they were beginning to believe that perhaps the rumors were true. 

Everyone and everything that kept close to Kael would, sooner or later, become deranged as he was. Like a curse, it kept spreading. 

“A delivery for Alpha Prince Kael!” A man shouted from the distance as he pushed the gates open and a cart containing different man-made weapons entered. 

The guards quickly flocked around the cart, the head chief inspecting the boxes one by one. 

“This is the first time I’ve seen such a weapon. Did Alpha Prince Kael really make this?” one of the guards asked while staring at one of the weapons. It was a spear, only it had other items around it that made it look like a glider, the only difference was it was covered by silver thorns and blades that appeared to be made of cemented rocks, thus the slightly heavier weight. 

“Don’t touch that! It’s poisoned!” the old delivery man, Old Dane, exclaimed. “And yes, it’s created by the prince himself. Well, someone else designed it but Alpha Prince was the one who thought of the items needed and assembled it himself. Why are you asking anyway? Are you the newly recruited beta guards? Where are the more knowledgeable guards who were here last time?”  

The young guard gasped in surprise, “It’s really made by Prince Kael?!” Then he glanced at the tower miles away from them, uttering lowly with a cringing face. “But isn’t he a madman?” 

Old Dane glared at the youngster who didn’t look older than twenty. “How dare you speak rudely about Alpha Prince? Well, I can see your uniform. You came from another pack, huh? Is that why you’re talking sh*t about Prince Kael?” 

“I didn’t mean to speak ill about him! I just heard the rumors. This isn’t about me coming from another pack, come on, you must have heard the rumors too,” the young guard defensively said.  

Old Dane sneered and cleared his throat. “Well, it’s true that he has a strange behavior. That’s how he always is, but you can’t talk like that. You don’t know anything about Prince Kael. Also, it doesn’t matter if you’re a new recruit or not, you can’t easily talk down about a full-blood like that or your head will be flying off to the lake.” 

Horror filled the young guard’s eyes. “That lake has a monster!” 

“Shut up, you damn low-rank beta!” 

At the same time, a woman appeared carrying a basket, interrupting the commotion. She kept her head low, a servant collar around her neck decorated evidently. “Good evening, sirs. My name is Poppy. I came to deliver food for Alpha Prince Kael’s new slave. May I know where she is, please?” 

“You came from Alpha Prince Kael’s pack house?” one of the guards asked.  

Poppy kept her head down and nodded, “Yes.” 

The guards all looked at each other. One of them nodded, “Okay, then. Follow me this way.” 

Poppy bowed down. “Thank you, Sir.” 

As they began to walk, she slightly tilted her chin up, her eyes flashing a mysterious glint.