The Rejected Alpha (Book 1 of the Rejected Series)

Chapter 72

The Puppetmaster bit back a small smirk while he slowly nodded. He didn't say a word while he looked at me and then looked at the Viper, trying to see if there were any differences or similarities between the two of us.

"S-" Mindy was about to say but stopped when the Puppetmaster raised his hand to silence her. She scowled and narrowed her eyes while she waited for him to finish his inspection, not finishing her sentence.

I held back an eye roll and scowled, pressing my lips into a thin line. I didn't say a word while I waited for the Puppetmaster to finish his observation, hoping that it would end soon because I wanted to get everything done and get on with my life.

Finally the Puppetmaster cleared his throat while he tucked his head closer to his chest. "Unfortunately, I would prefer not to answer that question, Beta," he said with a small apologetic smile on his face that looked very fake. "You may call me Shara, though," he said before he cleared his throat and shifted on his feet.

"And why is it that you give her some name for her to call you, but not me, Love?" the Viper asked while "she" pouted and cocked "her" head while we looked at "her" with an equal scowl on our faces.

The Viper looked between us with a small smile on "her" face before "she" looked at the Puppetmaster, Shara. "I mean, I have met you first." "She" licked her lips and stood taller. "Shara," "she" said, "her" voice barely above a whisper, testing it out, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes and scowl.

The Puppetmaster smirked and tucked his head closer to his chest while he looked at the Viper. "That is because I did not want you to use your... sources on me, Dear," he said, and I held back an eye roll while I scowled. "I-"

"And, what about mine, Shara?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question, interrupting him, and he looked at me with an annoyed scowl on his face. I bit back a small smirk and tucked my head closer to my chest while I stared at him with something in my eyes that he didn't like but didn't comment on. "I mean, aren't you worried about me using mine?"

"Hmph." He cleared his throat and stood taller, tucking his head closer to his chest while he studied me. "Your sources are not that important, Sweetie," he said with a small smile on his face, and I scoffed a laugh and rolled my eyes while I scowled.

"Oh, please," I said while I shifted in my seat, trying to get as comfortable as I could with ropes tied to my wrists and legs. "I have many sources, Shara, most of which I have made during my time as a King's Guard," I said before I shrugged and grimaced, even though a small smirk was on my face. "Some of them are dangerous while others are not."

"More dangerous than me?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

"I don't know yet," I replied while I shrugged with another small grimace on my face. "I haven't dealt with you that much, so I do not know if they are more dangerous than you or not." I cleared my throat and sat up as tall as I could with my legs and hands tied. "However, I can assure you that some of them are more dangerous than the Viper." I glanced at "her" before I looked at him with a small sarcastic smile on my face.

"And have you been in contact with the Viper before today, Beta?" Shara asked while he raised the eyebrow higher. "You are a King's Guard, are you not?" He tried to use my title against me, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes and scowl.

"I am," I confirmed and nodded, "and I already told you that." I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat, wanting to put one leg over another, but I couldn't. "However, the King and my commander have not wanted me to be in contact with her due to her... certain type of lifestyle..." I looked the Viper up and down before I looked at Shara, biting back a small smirk.

"And why would you listen to them?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question. "Or are you hiding something..?" He looked me up and down with something in his eye that I did not like.

I bit back a small snort and held back an eye roll while I pressed my lips into a thin line. "Because the king has adopted me," I replied coldly. "What else would I be hiding?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

"You being the Viper, and this one is a fake," Mindy said, interrupting Shara from saying a word. She covered her mouth and looked at him with wide eyes while Shara stared at her with an annoyed look in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Sir," she said from behind her hand. "I did not mean to do that."

"Hmph." I bit back a smirk before I turned my attention back to Shara. "Now, why am I captured and tied up?" I asked and raised the eyebrow higher, changing the subject. "Is it because you wanted to prove a point to Miss Mindy over here that I am not the Viper, or is it something else?"

Shara looked at me and smirked, not giving Mindy the time of day. His deep dark eyes turned a darker color while he took a step toward me. "Oh, it is something else, Beta," he said and sneered while he took another step toward me, narrowing his eyes and sneering.

I stayed silent and stayed tense while I stared at him. I didn't look at the Viper while I watched him, trusting that the Viper would not intervene with whatever Shara wanted to do, even though I knew that it was killing "her."

And it wasn't just killing "her" but my group as well...

I could feel the tension of my comrades through the earpiece that we wore, and I knew that they were talking to each other about this without having me listening in because they knew that I would tell them not to do whatever they were planning.

"Do not engage, or else I will remove the earpiece and never put it back in," I warned, wanting to bare my teeth in warning but didn't while I watched Shara because I did not trust him at all.

"Do not make that threat, or else I will have the king order you to come back to be a part of the King's Guard again," Anthony said, and I had a feeling that he narrowed his eyes and scowled.

I didn't say a word nor move a muscle while Shara stopped right in front of me and leaned toward me until there was only a few inches between us. I lifted my chin and stared at him with a defiant look in my eyes that he didn't like but didn't comment on.

Shara sneered and narrowed his eyes further while he looked at me. Anger and power filled his eyes while he stared at me, and I again could tell how dangerous he was, no matter how much I didn't like it. "And it is something that you will have no control over whatsoever. Is that understood?"