The Alpha King

Harper/Adonis

As soon as we stepped foot out of Adonis's room, his whole demeanor changed. His arms wrapped tighter around me tighter protectively. His warm face turned stone cold. 

The maid dusting the paintings in the hallway glanced at us, her eyes widening at the sight of me in his arms. 

"Where's Jameson?" I asked. I watched as Adonis's jaw tightened and his eyes darkened. "Did I do something wrong?" I looked at him, a little scared. Though I know for a fact that he probably wouldn't hurt me, seeing him like this scared me. 

He took a deep breath and shook his head tightly. "He's trying to suppress an attack on the western border."

An attack? On the Alpha King's border? Who would do that without being high or mentally ill? Or just flat out stupid? "Who? And how's that going?"

"Believe it or not, it's the rogues," Adonis said. 

Oh. Rogue attacks were a common thing. Though nobody but rogues themselves knew why they attacked packs, they always happened. And they were freakin' annoying. 

"So it's... handled?" I questioned quietly. 

Adonis shook his head. "Something's different. We're not sure what it is, but they're more organized... powerful, even. I'm sorry, darling. I don't want to worry you with this. But... If you want to know, just ask okay?"

I nodded at him. "Where are we going?" He was taking us up another flight of stairs. 

"My mother's kitchen." I gulped thickly. Oh, Moon Goddess. "Don't worry love, she isn't there... I don't think."

That's reassuring, said a tiny voice in my mind. Dang, my consciousness is going crazy. 

He carried me into a hallway and brought to to a large door. One of his hands left my body and pushed the door open. 

Inside was the most beautiful kitchen I had ever seen. Beautiful because it was stuffed with food. I never remember being a big eater. In fact, I hardly ate before I came to the pack house. 

"Adonis?" 

"Yes, darling?" Adonis set me down on the counter. I noticed that as soon as we walked through the door into the empty kitchen, his warm personality settled back on his face. I watched as he ruffled through some cabinets until he pulled out pancake mix. 

"I'm not too hungry. I only want a small one... please. And if that's okay," I said. Adonis glanced at me, a question in his gaze but his mouth remained shut. 

"Are you sure?" Was all he asked. I gave him a nod. 

"Can I help?" 

"Of course, darling." He walked over to a large refrigerator and pulled out some chocolate chips. "Would you like to add these to your pancakes?"

I squealed in delight. "We should add vanilla and cinnamon too," I said. I watched him pour water and the chocolate chips into the bowl. "Can I stir?" 

Adonis handed me the bowl and the whisk as he went digging for vanilla and cinnamon. A few seconds later he let out a triumphant yell. "I found them--"

The door swung open with a loud bang. I jumped and lost my grip on the bowl. It went flying, before hitting the counter and crashing down on the floor. The bowl shattered and the broken glass mixed in with the batter. 

Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. I just broke one of his bowls. Oh Goddess, he was going to be mad. 

***

ADONIS

I watched as the bowl went flying, and then shattered. I looked at my mate to make a joke, but then stopped when I saw the look on her face. She was panicked, her entire body trembling with fear. 

I was too shocked to do anything. 

Harper was struggling to breath, the air coming out of her lungs in short, terrified burst. "I-I'm s-sorry. I d-din't mean to! I'll clean it u-up! I'm s-sorry! I'm so s-stupid! S-so clumsy," Harper choked out. Tears begun streaming down her face as she knelt to start picking up the shards. 

'Fuck.' Hades paced in my mind. 'Stop standing there like a fucking idiot and stop her! She's gonna-'

Harper let out a heartbreaking wail as she cut her hands on the glass. My heart stopped in fear. I picked her up off of the floor and fucking ran. I ran to my room and slammed the door shut and immediately carried her to the bathroom. 

"I-I'm sorry!" She cried. Her hand held her injured one to her chest. I watched in fear as the blood dripped from her palm. 

"Dammit!" I cursed. I grabbed the first aid kit from the counter. "Can I see your hand?" I held out my palm for her. She gently placed her hand in mine. "This is going to hurt."

I stuck it under the sink and gently cleaned it. She whimpered a little. I patted her hand lightly with a towel, and Harper winced a little with the contact on the cut. I examined it for a second. It was longer, a little deep, and thick. 

I applied an ointment meant for cuts before placing a cloth over it. Then, I wrapped her hand. 

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"All I'm sorry about is that I didn't help you sooner. And that we need to put some food in your belly," I told her. She ducked her head in shame. I put my finger under her chin and tilted her head so she was looking me in the eye. "Don't look away from me. I want to see you. At all times.  I don't care if you're embarrassed, scared, ashamed, or sad, I want to see you."

'You tell her!' Hades cheered. 'Yas!' Goddess my wolf was a dumbass. 

Harper blushed furiously. 

"I'm sorry for breaking your bowl. I-I didn't mean too," she whispered. "I probably shouldn't be here, around all these expensive things. I'm so stupid. So freakin' clumsy," she muttered. I don't think I was supposed to hear that, but I did. 

And it made me angry. It was those monster, the Cocks that made her think like this. That she was worthless. That she was stupid and clumsy when she was the exact opposite of that. But those fucking Cocks manipulated her into believing that she was those things. 

It's a good thing they were fucking dead.

'Should'a made it last longer, though,' Hades commented gravely. 

He was right. Anything that happened to Harper should've been put back on them tenfold. I should have tortured them for days on end, stopping for a few days at a time, making them think it was over, and then continued. They deserved it, after everything they did too Harper. Though I don't know the full extent of it, I do know that they did some messed up shit to her. 

I fucking saw a cigarette burn mark on her back a week and a half ago. Goddess knows that they should have rotted to death.

"Listen, Harper. You are an amazing woman. You are beautiful, and kind, and selfless. You are not worthless and you never, ever will be. You are perfect. Perfect for me," I told her. 

She looked up at me, sadness covering her face like a mask. "How can you believe that? They always told me I was--"

"Then don't fucking believe them. Goddess, you are the best person in the world. Harper, I don't like liars. I hate lying. Every word that comes out of my mouth when I speak to you is the fucking truth." 

I picked her up by the waist and set her down in front of me. Goddess she was fucking tiny compared to me. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into my chest. Her small arms wrapped around my body and I sighed in content. This is what I wanted the rest of my life to be like; her in my arms. 

'You tell her," Hades cheered.

She looked at me with puppy dog eyes. "Now, are you hungry?"

Harper shook her head. "I just wanna sleep."

I furrowed my brows in concern. "You sure, ba-- darling? Cause we can always go eat pancakes?"

"No, it's okay. I'm tired," she confessed. 

And so, I carried her to the bed, plopped her down, and then laid on top of her.