ARES' POV
As I watched them laugh together in the garden last night, my hands clenched the tumbler but as he put his hands on MY Akira, the glass shattered in my hand. I didn't flinch as the shards of glass pierced into my skin.
I knew I was a dick with the way I was treating Akira, and putting her in the dungeon and seeing the broken look in her eyes almost made me change my mind. But once I decided to let her go just like the way I did during the Annual ball, then the rumours already speculating would worsen.
I downed another glass of scotch in one gulp as I reflected on the first time I saw her. Right at the edge of the fountain, her red hair had initially drawn me and I was standing in this same position but it was her blue eyes – blue little orbs which looked like they could look into my soul– that drew me in.
My cock hardened when I remembered how she looked on the day of the Annual ball. Her dress was short and the pale skin that was shown to every man-made me wanted to kill every single person who had laid their eyes on her. She was walking sex on the legs and she was all mine.
My eyes followed her as she moved to the apple tree, two other maids were in front of her but my eyes were glued on Akira.
The door to my office was pushed open and I already knew how it was.
"She's beautiful." The voice belonged to my beta. Czar.
I hummed at his comment, watching as my mate giggled at something her friend said.
We both watched as the girls spoke to each other, it might seem like they were all getting comfortable here but I could see the tension in Akira. She was hungry for freedom. She yearned for it.
I was tempted to use my enhanced sense of hearing to listen to what they were saying that had her smiling brightly but I respected their privacy and instead watch their movement.
"I suggest you stake your claim on her before someone else does." Czar's words were calmly spoken.
I knew what he meant, my nostrils flared as I watched Akira wave to a male. The same male she laughed with last night. I shoved my free hand in my pants pocket to avoid punching the smirk off Czar's face.
I turned to look at the man beside me. Although a few inches shorter than me, Czar was huge. We were both standing above six feet and thanks to being a Lycan, I was 6'4 and above seven feet when I transformed into a Lycan.
Czar and I have been best friends ever since we were kids and ever since our cocks grew above 7 inches, women were never a problem. Czar and I have almost the same sexual fantasies – but mine was darker, filthier– and we have both engaged in multiple threesomes and whatnot. But Akira was off-limits and he had to know that.
"I'm not sharing this one." My voice was gruff as I spoke and I watched as the bastard smirked.
"I know." He looked at the blonde beside Akira. "I've got my eyes on someone else."
I nodded my head. Ever since Czar lost his mate to a rogue attack a few years ago, he had become distant. He turned to a shadow of himself but as he at the blonde below I could see that familiar spark in his eyes.
He walked to sit on the chair across from my desk. "What do you do now?"
Broadening my stance, I turned to look down at Akira as I spoke. "I don't know." My shrug was nonchalant but inside, my emotions were at war. "But I'm keeping her."
Czar barked out a laugh. "She's your mate, Ares. You're not supposed to keep her as a bird."
I quirked my eyebrows. "If I remember correctly, she's mine to do whatever I please with. Not yours."
He looked at me for a while before raising his hands in surrender. "I get it."
He got up to walk to the bar in the corner of my office. I watched as he brings a bottle of Dalmore 64 Trinitas, one of the strongest and most expensive bottle of scotch I own, and his tumbler.
He refilled my tumbler before pouring it into his. We both downed the alcohol in one gulp, while Czar scrunched his face as the alcohol burned his throat, I maintained a straight face. Alcohol did not affect wolves but Czar had immense joy in making it seem like it did.
As a Lycan, alcohol had never been something to be scared of. Although werewolves had a limit on the amount of their intake of alcohol, just like humans, Lycans didn't. Our immune system was strong as fuck.
"The fucking bloodsuckers are closing in on us." I pursed my lip as he went on. "Salvatore knows she's here."
My face was neutral but inside? I was a raging bull.
"We can't let him know she's here." My response was firm.
Czar hummed as he drummed his fingers on the surface of my desk. "How do you plan on staking your claim then?"
I released my tightly clenched hand and shrugged. "I don't plan on it."
I couldn't publicly tell everyone that Akira was my mate. And I didn't need to explain to Czar why.
The look on my face shut his next words and he cleared his throat before running his hand through his blonde hair. "We had a rogue attack last night, but this was different. Rivalry rogues attacked each other close to our territory on the east."
My heart thrummed hard as I remember Akira being outside late last night. But as I looked behind me to find her still standing beside her friends, I breathed out.
"Status?"
Czar perched himself on the edge of my desk. "One of the guards on the border was attacked while trying to know what happened." He paused. "With wolfsbane."
Fuck. The rogues knew better than to mess up on my territory. And how the fuck did they get their hands on wolfsbane? My veins pulsed with the need to shed blood. The need to kill every rogue who dared to step on my land. Rip them out, limb by fucking limb.
"Is he dead?"
Czar shook his head. "No. They barely missed his heart though." He slammed his fist on the surface of the desk. "The fucking bastards, they know better than to mess with us. I wonder who instigated the attacks."
I walked to the front of my desk and sat down. "We don't attack them. I want to know the cause of the recent attacks."
"Of course." Czar nodded as he dragged the sleeves of his dress shirt to his elbows. "I have a feeling it's related to Akira. But what I don't understand is why they are after her? And with the news of Salvatore and his men roaming about? I think the attacks are related to him."
I knew Czar was right. Ever since the night of the Annual ball where I had blatantly refused to punish Akira, there had been rumours of me fucking her. Of course, the villagers and pack members know I fucked a lot of ladies, they try to keep my business out of their mouths but I knew this was different. It was different because Akira was human.
I had a gut feeling that Salvatore was planning an attack meant for Akira. I couldn't shake the feeling off and with the recent attacks on my pack territory? This was new.
"Arrange for a meeting with the Alpha of the Crustpack in three days. I would like to know what his rogues were doing in my territory."
Czar nodded once again before proceeding to walk to the window. "I'll be going to the Red Room tonight."
The Red Room was a club I owned. It was a special club for more intense... sexual fantasies. Certain sexual desires are frowned upon by society and I was getting sick and tired of using my playroom for different ladies so I came up with a club.
It was a prestige club – expensive in all sense– right in the middle of the city. A lot of prestigious people all have memberships in my club but none of them knew what I was, what Czar and I were. Membership was hard to get, although expensive, it only goes out to certain people.
The offer was tempting. It had been days since I sunk my cock into a tight wet cunt and I was yearning to do it again, but this time I had a particular female in mind.
I knew I wasn't going to be balls deep inside Akira soon, so instead of shaking my head, I nodded and stood up.
"Let's go."