Chapter 3 Lurline

"Let's get one thing straight. I have only one woman in my life, and that is Ramona, and no one else. " His voice was more brutal than the winter's gravest wind and sharper than any sword to my chest. "You mean nothing to me, Lurline Reign. Absolutely nothing!" He made sure to enunciate every word, which echoed within the walls of my head, murdering me. "I have a few rules on how I run my pack. Everyone must abide by them, and that includes you. If you abide by these rules, your stay in my pack will be bearable, comfortable, and livable enough." His voice was so deep and so smooth, with a faint accent. I could easily listen to it all day, even though he sounds so ruthlessly cold.

I didn't speak. I couldn't trust my own voice not to betray me. Instead, I listened to him, like an obedient little wolf.

"Firstly," he began, "you speak only when spoken to.

Secondly, you are not allowed to step out of your chambers without my permission.

Thirdly, you are only allowed in my office when called upon and never allowed in my chambers, ever.

Fourthly, you are not allowed to step out of the castle without my permission either.

And lastly, stay out of Thea's way. That's a warning, Sheila. " He hissed with so much hatred that I winced at the intensity.

"Flouting these rules will only earn you excruciating punishment." He concluded without any emotion.

I could only stare in utter disbelief at his words. Without hesitation, he turned his back to me, heading to the door.

"W-Why?" I asked breathlessly, in pain and tears. "Why Hadrianus? I am your mate." No matter how hard I thought about it, I couldn't think of a plausible reason why he despised me so much. He stopped moving for a minute and turned to face me. In a flash, Hadrianus was before me, his large hand on me, but not the way I would have wanted it. His firm grip squeezed my neck, slamming my back against the merciless wall.

"H-h-hadrianus?" I choked, unable to breathe, while my hands fell on his.

"I warned you, it's Alpha to you." His hold tightened, and I was gasping for air.

"Please... you are hurting me," I could barely hear my voice, staring into his eyes, which were glowing a streak of bright yellow, or golden. But he didn't let go.

My hands clung to his tightly, pleadingly. I could feel the tingling sparks that erupted at the mere contact. "Please, Alpha," I whispered, a tear rolling down my eyes.

Reluctantly, he let go, dropping me on the floor. I clutched onto my neck, swallowing as much air as I could in tears.

"You will spend the rest of the night here, serving your punishment." He stared down at me like I meant absolutely nothing. Casting one last glance at me, Hadrianus stormed out of the dungeon, leaving me in a dark and cold space by myself again.

I curled up on the floor, shedding tears. After a while, the wooden door squeaked open, and a plate of food was tossed inside. I finished my food, waiting in silence. These were the worst hours of my life, being locked up by my own mate. I slept for some time, even though my body seemed very much alive the whole time. It was a sleep full of my usual nightmares, which made me wake up scared all the time.

The wooden door opened again, allowing a ray of sunlight into the room, accompanied by a familiar face. The young woman I met outside the castle.

"Hello, do you remember me? I am---"

"Kira," I said, recalling her name. She gave a small smile.

"The Alpha asked me to take you to your chamber."

I stood up on my feet, quietly, without saying a word. Kira led me out of the dungeon.

I was finally escorted to what looked like my own chamber. Kira locked the door, looking at me thoughtfully. "Oh, my lady, why did you pick a fight with Ramona? Didn't the Alpha tell you?"

"About his lover? No." I shook my head, truthfully.

She sent me a pitiful look. "Well, that's it. Thea is like the Alpha's most favorite person in the Castle,"

I felt a pain in my chest.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I just wanted you to know that he cares deeply about her."

I could barely form a word.

"I'll run you a warm bath, my lady, and after that send someone to fetch some food for you. Meanwhile, if you need anything, just let me know, my lady. " She hurried past me, but I stopped her, holding her hand.

"Thank you. And please, call me Lurline."

She smiled. "Alright, Lurline."

She went to the lavatory, and in a few minutes, she was out. She was about to say something when a knock came at the door.

A young lady strutted in. She looked younger than me, with black hair that framed her heart-shaped face perfectly.

"Ah, this is Trisha, and she'll be serving you," kira informed me.

The young girl smiled, bowing her head in respect. "At your service, my lady."

"Please just call me Lurline," I said, feeling uncomfortable with formalities.

She smiled, glancing at kira. "If that's okay, my lad-" She paused. "Lurline,"

"By the way, the Elders are here," Trisha said in haste, turning to Kira.

The Elders? As in the Council of Elders? Every Alpha in the south was a part of the Council, including the Alpha of the nightrider Pack, Hadrianus, my mate. The Council was a circle that consisted of several supernatural kinds, each having a representative within the Council. The Council Elders are the oldest wolves and represent our kind in the Council.

"Third-person pov"

Hadrianus was training with some warriors at the training field on the east side border of the pack, which was a distance away from the witches' quarters within the pack. He stomped his feet into the ground, gesturing the warriors to charge at him, and one after the other, they lunged at Hadrianus.

His eyes gleamed brightly, indicating his wolf, Hevel, was sharing partial control with him. In a flash, one by one, Hadrianus pounded on them and thrashed them against the dusty earth. Alan was behind him. His claws were extended, almost on Hadrianus , but he caught him just in time, pinning him to the ground as well. That was close. No one had been that close to gutting him whenever they trained. Hadrianus knew part of the reason was that he was distracted, and he hated every bit of it.