Chapter 14

Conroy looked at Erick with wide eyes as he struggled to breathe. He tried to lift his chin and turn his neck toward Erick, trying to bear his submission to him.

However, as he did, Erick's nails sharpened to claws as he dug them into Conroy's neck, threatening to tear open his arteries and causing Conroy to twitch in pain.

"I have no reason to accept your submission, Conroy Delaney," Erick's voice was almost in a whisper, his lips twitched with his words, "Neither yours nor Marco's."

When Erick tightened his grip and started to pierce his arteries, Conroy tried to grasp at his hand on his throat, but he was losing strength and soon blood, his eyes starting to roll to the back of his head.

~*~*~*~

Jessica snapped out of her daze when the male got off of her. She sat up and watched in sheer terror as the male—Erick—hurled Conroy and punched Marco in his rage using the same speed he used on her. Shaking her head from the rest of the stars she saw, Jessica scrabbled back as she pulled herself to stand against the wall.

However, she couldn't move from that spot. She couldn't run at all as she watched Erick run up to Conroy and slam him into the wall, embedding him inside it as he choked him. Her eyes shakily looked at Adeline and Keric, her lips dry and trembling—not even a sound was able to escape them.

"Why..? Why?!" Jessica thought as she looked back and forth from Erick to them, "Why...are the Alphas just standing there?!"

Her body shook against the wall, her legs a fierce combination of weak and stiff.

"Erick!" Adeline shouted, her monotone voice holding an underlying emotion of panic, Keric behind her as they finally ran to him, "Stop! You don't want your...your mate to see this do you?! What do you think she's feeling watching this?!"

"...Mate...?" The thought tried to register in Jessica's mind, but her state of being kept her in too much shock to react.

"She'd thank me!!" Erick barked out at her, his voice full of anger, his grip getting tighter.

"No! She wouldn't!" Adeline told him, still trying to calm him down, "She's scared of you, Erick!"

Jessica watched as his tense body started to relax at her words. Erick glanced over his shoulder and looked at her.

"Let him go, Alpha. Please," Adeline spoke softer, "Your...mate doesn't need to see this."

"W-w-w...wait," Jessica's thought froze in her mind before her eyes widened even further, the words Adeline spoke finally brought enough strength with it to break through her shock as she processed the words, "Al...Alpha...?! He's the Alpha?!?!"

~/~/~/~

Erick looked at his mate, fear drenched all over her face, causing his wolf to whine inside of him. He turned back toward Conroy, a low growl in his chest as he watched Conroy's eyes start to flutter shut, blood running down his neck; the artery pumping furiously with blood it was going to lose.

He wanted him to die, but the look on his mate's face repeated in his head like a nightmare. He never wanted her to look at him like that, especially now that he finally sees her. With one last snarl, he retracted his claws and let Conroy drop to the floor; blood pouring out of his neck as he breathed deeply, coughing.

"...Why is she hurt?" Erick asked, looking down at Conroy who was too weak to get up, but he was able to reach for his neck to stop further blood from leaving him.

"Yesterday we were making runs through the surrounding towns," Keric replied, his nose twitching at the smell of blood, "Conroy, Marco, Emmanuel, and myself. When were arrived in Jackson, we scented a lone wolf."

Erick growled, showing he was still on the danger line, and wanted him to get to the point, "Why is she hurt, Keric?"

"She ran from us. Marco caught up with her first and...tackled her to the ground. She tried to get away and Conroy..." Keric cleared his throat, "slammed her into a tree and choked her."

Erick growled in rage and enmity, staring at Conroy with death-dealing eyes as Keric continued, "I intervened and Marco grabbed her arm to get her to come along with us back to the den."

Erick turned his head at Keric and glared at him, his elongated teeth bared at him, his hands in fists he wanted to beat the shit out of him as well, "Why did you allow her to be hurt, Keric?"

Keric averted his eyes and kept his voice leveled to not upset him further, "We did not know that she, a lone wolf, was your mate. Otherwise, it would have never happened, my Alpha."

Erick turned his head sharply at Adeline, who let out a small gulp and averted her eyes as he did, "Why was she not sent to the Infirmary after being admitted in?"

"...They were bruises," Adeline answered, voice somewhat on the softer side, "I'd figure that she'd heal—"

"Bullshit!" Erick barked, "Otherwise she would have healed before I got back!"

"My sincerest apologies, my Alpha," She replied, her eyes still averted, "I swear it will never happen again."

In the silence, Erick started to calm down, though he was still fighting the urge to hurt Keric. He wouldn't dare touch Adeline. His father had taught—rather instilled—him that females were never to be harmed or hurt by males no matter what the case. As much as he wanted to, he wasn't going to start now.

"...What is her name?" Erick finally asked in the silence, calm enough to regain some of his senses.

"Jessica, my Alpha," Keric replied, "Of the Méraudin pack."

"The dead pack in Northeast Quebec?" Erick asked, looking back at him in slight surprise.

"The last known survivor, sir," Keric nodded.

Erick took in a breath and slowly let it out, "...Jessica." Her name itself calmed him down even further.

"Erick," Adeline spoke softly and slightly hesitant.

"What?" He looked at her, rage no longer held in his eyes, but he was still annoyed with her.

"There is also something you should know," Adeline spoke hesitantly still, "...She's an Omega."

Erick's eyes turned to that of confusion as he angled his head as if to rehear her, "...What?"

"She's an Omega, my Alpha," Adeline repeated.

Erick didn't believe what she said as he looked up at the ceiling in silence.

"An Omega? My mate?" He thought, "It couldn't be possible...unless—" He took a deep breath as he thought about this before looking back at Adeline.

"That doesn't matter," Erick replied.

Adeline's eyes filled with shock and disbelief, "What?"

Erick's eyes narrowed at her, his upper lip twitched in aggravation, "I have no reason to explain myself to you, Adeline. That. Doesn't. Matter. Now get out of my sight."

Realizing her mistake in spiking his mood, she nodded. Adeline looked at Keric, "...Keric, could you have others come and put Conroy and Marco—"

"No. He can't," Erick interrupted her coldly and looked at Keric, "You will have a few of the lower ranks clean up and fix the mess, then order a new coffee table and carpet. Now."

"Yes sir," Keric bowed and left, disregarding his sister's order entirely.

Erick glared at Adeline as his voice came out cruel and hard, "Your place does not include commanding my betas when I'm here, Adeline. And as for Conroy and Marco, leave them. They'll heal."

Adeline gulped once more and nodded, leaving him as she headed upstairs to her room, knowing better not to question or talk back to him at all.

Once Adeline was out of sight, Erick felt relief that he was finally alone with her; he turned back to face his mate, Jessica.

He stopped when he turned around. Disbelief and renewed frustration filled his face.

Where did she run off to now?!