ARES:
“So, are you going to tell me why you’re here?”
We stood there sizing one another up for seemed like an eternity. I wasn’t one for these kinds of things. Situations like this truly did annoy me.
“Or should I just kill you now?” It was the form of a question but whether he agreed with it or not, in the end, I’d do what I felt necessary to protect Valene. Or what I wanted to do.
His response was what I had expected it to be, nevertheless. A smirk. He was amused by question. Though I could tell that he knew not to underestimate my seemingly easygoing tone.
“No need for threats or plays for dominance, alpha,” said the young man. He glanced up at window where Valene was still playing her cell. Then he looked at me; he knew that I was becoming impatient with him. I didn’t like how concentrated he was on her.
When he noticed that I was watcvhing him watch her, he showed no regret for getting caught in his action. In fact, he seemed quite…content with the fact tha I noticed his silent obsession. It was as if he was saying, without words, ‘you already know how I feel about her. I’m not going to hide it because you’re here now.’
“You’re getting a bit too comfortable doing that,” I told him. “I am beginning to think that I am being too lenient on you.”
It was only then that Tobias backed away from me, hands up in the air with a gesture of resignation.
“As I said before, alpha,” he attempted to reassure me.. “There’s no need for a show of force. I already know the deal.”
“The deal being that she belongs to me you mean.” I responded as bluntly as needed. Sure, I could sense that he was saying that he was well aware that she was off limits, but since he did not wish to say it, I thought I’d oblige him.
Tobias seemed to think that what I had said was amusing. I noticed that he laughed off a lot of things. I was beginning to think at that point that it was a coping mechanism.
“Vale belongs to no one, alpha. You know as well as I that she can’t be tamed.”
“I’m afraid that I have to disagree with you there, kid,” I said to him. “Then again, I do not expect a once-human to completely understand the full grasp of inhuman kind and all the faculties of our kind. Or the rules in general.”
“You’re right.” Tobias seemed to agree with me. He then continued on to clarify. “I know very little about this…new lifestyle. Though…seems to me, that there are hardly any rules to follow in the first place,” he added.
Was that a dig? What did he mean by that? “Elaborate,” I said.
“You take what you want, you kill who you want, and eat who you want. You enslave and rule uncheck-even take over other packs if and when you deem fit. You treat humans like…far less than-”
“That is because they are,” I said without hesitation, as it was true. “You’re weaker in almost every sense of the word. In comparison to our kind, you are the cattle for our use. It is not personal, it is life. Just as you use, and take livestock to own as pets or devour as a meal. Horses that you tame to ride for pleasure and transportation, down to the animals that you experiment on for the benefit of humankind. It all goes back to the food chain. Humans are no longer at the top as you would wish. You cannot defend yourselves against us-”
“Valene could,” he said.
“She is the exception, not the rule.”
Silence followed for a split second before he said, “I could.”
I could not disagree with the kid. I had heard things about this young Tobias character. Though his father did not make it a habit of placing Tobias in harm’s way if he could help it, the young man, in his human form, was just as formidable as Vale. Though I’d wager she could put him down as quickly as she could anyone else.
“Again, the exception,” I finally replied. “Not the rule.”
On this he could not argue. No matter how much it hurt him to hear, he knew that I was telling the truth.
“We may be weaker in some ways,” he said. “But so are you.”
On this, I would not disagree as it was as true as what I had said about humankind. To that remark, I simply smirked.
“Of course,” I replied. “We all have weaknesses-every species on this earth has a predator. In the right circumstance, everyone is prey to another, because everyone and everything on this earth as a weakness. Does not change the reality of your-apologies, a human’s place on the foodchain. Would you agree?”
“Would it really matter if I didn’t agree?”
He understood. I shook my head, “No. Facts are facts.”
“Does not negate the fact that humankind skids through this world without rules.” he stood by this opinion, and I could not convince him otherwise if he wasn’t taught them.
“There are…rules,” I corrected him. “Your death as well as your
existence only one of a few that has already been broken.”
“And Valene?” he asked me.
“Her as well,” I replied. He seemed surprised by this response. I realized then that he had an idea of me that was not true. “It seems that you have a misconception of me,” I said. “You think that Vale is my weakness. That I will not speak negatively of her because to speak negatively of her is to mean that I cannot love her unconditionally.” I shook my head. “That is farthest from the truth. Pointing out her flaws and helping her to fix them is what makes us stronger as one. I’d expect her to do the same. So, the girl is immature, she’s erratic, and has a very quick temper. And above all else, her death and her existence was something that should never have happened. A law was broken. Her being my mate does not change those things about her.”
“So you’re saying, you know that Vale has flaws,”
“That’s what makes her perfect to me,” I replied. “But I am sure that that is not why you are here. Naturally, your boss has a tight schedule, I assume and I am positive that by now he starting to wonder where you are.”
Mentioning this boss was an obvious sore subject. He chuckled, but I could tell that it was one without amusement and instead one of hidden anguish. Despite this, however, it responded with cool and collected tone.
“He does care very little about anything outside of what he deems extremely important.”
As he said this, I noticed him glance prolongedly up at Vale’s dimly lit window again. At this point, I became a bit more…eager to get down to the bottom of why Tobias was here.
“Listen,” I finally said. “The only reason that you are not dead right now is because despite my title as alpha I do hold your father in high regard.
Tobias repeated what I had said under his breath.
“Yes, your father,” I reiterated. “He cares for your safety a great deal, he and your brother. They made me swear not to bring any harm to you without cause. Otherwise you’d probably be dead by now. Even in spite of my personal reservations.”
“You talk as if it would be that easy…to dispatch me, I mean.”
“You’re procrastinating,” I said. “Prolonging this situation…I’m becoming impatient, kid.” He glanced up at her window again. “You look at that window again, and I will see to it that you never look at another soul in your life.”
Tobias’s eyes widened for a moment and then he scoffed. “You were right,” he finally said. “I did not come here for small talk, though I did enjoy the banter a bit.”
“What is it that you came for?” I asked him.
“I came…to check on her,” he said. “Make sure that she’s okay.”
“Why?”
“Because…I…” he couldn’t seem to finish his sentence. He became frustrated, forlorn. There was a lot on his mind. There was something that he wanted to say and yet…it seemed…that he could not say it.
Where his eyes studied the ground for a moment, he finally faced me again with a small smile. “I…I’m glad that I ran into you,” he said. “I need to know…”
“Know what.”
“That…come hell or high water you will make sure that she’s okay…that he doesn’t…” once again, he couldn’t finish his sentence. “She’s…good…alpha Ares…too good for this world. Too good for you, honestly,” he looked at me when he said this. He wanted me to know that he wasn’t afraid to insult me to my face. I wasn’t mad. He was right.
“I know.”
He sighed. “I know my father and brother will hesitate if it comes down to me or her. Even the alpha may…maybe even Vale’s mother. I know…you won’t,” he said to me.
“You’re right,” I said, though…deep down, neither I nor Baine was sure that he was.
Unfortunately, the boy was quite likeable.
“Something’s gonna happen soon,” he said to me. “She’s obviously not in a good headspace…make sure she’s okay.”
“I will.”
“Swear it.”
“Do I really have to?” We both knew that I didn’t.
With a harsh exhale, Tobias turned his back on me and started to walk away. I watched him closely and then he paused. “I…I really did enjoy this conversation, alpha. I…I needed it.”
“Hmph, well, maybe next time…I’ll fill you in a little on the rules of the trade. You are inhuman now.”
I could hear him chuckle dryly from afar. He nodded and then disappeared into the night.
After he was gone, I turned my gaze back to my true mate’s window. I was profoundly concerned about Valene; I swore to myself that I’d save her from whatever she was going through.
Nevertheless, I knew that she while she was going through something, but Vale would want to know if Tobias came around. I wouldn’t be surprised if she already did know.
I’d tell her later. Now, however, another misfortune had taken place at that moment. I was suddenly concerned about Tobias. I was suddenly thinking of ways…to save him as well.