Captive Of The Alpha
Chapter 31

Nebraska seemed to walk at her own pace and literally did. Sara at her side was leading her down one of the many wings of the mansion she didn’t know. She seemed more nervous than she was herself.

-Calm down Nebraska, you calm down,” her hands were sweaty and trembling slightly, not a good sign.

They stopped in front of a huge oak door inlaid with metal and copper. The sound of it opening made both she-wolves’ skin crawl. Hades appeared with a serious and tense countenance, until he changed at the sight of the omega.

Her slender body, with her curves restored, sheathed in that silver dress, looked beautiful. Her face looked younger but did not lose seriousness due to the hairstyle that kept her locks elegantly tied up.

The dark circles under her eyes that used to make up her face had disappeared and her lips looked appetizing. She swallowed her tongue remembering when he had told her she wasn’t beautiful. Not that she was the greatest beauty in the world, but her qualities alone made her desirable.

He swallowed hard and closed his eyes, regaining control and avoiding wanting to hug her right there and then. Now was not the time.

-Sara, thank you, you can come back.” No one was allowed to enter the council chamber apart from official members and invited guests. To do so was a violation, even if it was for an emergency. The place was blessed by dozens of wolf generations, and desecrating it was severely punishable.

The alpha placed his hand on her lower back feeling several knots that he caressed absently trying to soothe her, feeling the warmth of her body through the fabric, and directed her to the centre of the room too spacious for those present. He indicated her seat and she reciprocated, her back still stiff.

The circle of very ostentatious chairs where Nebraska was seated consisted of seven, each seated a wolf. Hades was in the one next to her and that, in a very small way, gave her relief, she knew how to defend herself but not from so many wolves. The light was dim, maybe for them it wasn’t a problem, she knew that was a way to intimidate, for her it was a problem, she needed as much light as possible if she wanted to define something. That put her at an even greater disadvantage. She just had to stand firm and not break, that could cost her her life.

-So this is the omega that was leading the grey pack before Rudoc did his thing,” a voice echoed off the walls and made her bristle, that’s what the dress was for, not to show any sign of weakness.

Hades tightened his grip on the handrest of his chair. His tone was not the most reliable.

Layan Steimer, a wolf 130 years his senior and strong enough to stand up to him and make him sweat. He had known him long before, recognised his strength but did not accept his methods. For some years now the wolf had changed and he hated everything but himself, the death of his sister had scarred him deeply and the others paid the consequences. He just hoped that this time he wouldn’t turn things black, something he was sure he would do.

Start talking, you have a lot of explaining to do, you know the law, I expect a concise answer,” the large, fair-skinned, reddish-haired man spoke again, stroking his chin. If Nebraska could see him she would know he was accusing her with his two dark blue orbs.

-After the death of the last alpha,” he began to speak with his head held high without focusing on anything, “my father took over the command until his passing. Some of them asked me to take control for the time being and that’s what I did, I couldn’t leave my family to their fate. I used what my father had taught me to keep the herd afloat.

-Why didn’t you ask the rest of us for help?

-We did not know the course of events that had gone before and we were afraid of what might happen.

-Fear?” one of the wolves present let out a laugh of irony, “that’s the stupidest excuse I’ve ever heard, why didn’t your husband take the mandate? he’s not an omega, he’s already got alpha genes”.

The members didn’t accept Rudoc as an alpha because he didn’t have the necessary qualities, and I didn’t trust him either.

-He was your husband.” Layan interrupted again.

Nebraska closed her eyes and swallowed dryly without losing control.

-I didn’t marry him out of my own free will, I was just a cub and he was forced on me. I was close to the pack leaders for many years and I knew the protocol, I couldn’t give the title of alpha to someone who barely knew about it-” “That doesn’t exonerate you.

-That doesn’t exonerate you of your crimes, you are an omega, you can’t take over the leadership no matter the situation, besides, now I’m left to wonder, what if you acted together with your husband to achieve your goals,” a young wolf spoke and Nebraska dug her nails into the tender skin of her hands.

Through gritted teeth and controlling the urge to attack him, she replied.

-Help him? Do you think I would cooperate with the person who destroyed and murdered my family, locked me up, raped me and separated me from my children,” his voice sounded icy and full of resentment, “He used me and I was naïve enough not to realise it, that’s the only thing I regret.

A silence pervaded the room. Hades at her side looked at her and couldn’t understand how she could stand so firm after suffering so much.

Layan settled back in his seat and smiled cynically.

-Whatever you’ve been through, you still have to take your punishment, and that applies to your children as well.

Nebraska lost the slight colour from her face.

-What have they got to do with all this? Her voice trembled, her barriers were crumbling.

-They lived in ignorance, but they were part of Rudoc’s family and did nothing to prevent the suffering of the herd members.” Where she was getting these arguments from was beyond Nebraska’s comprehension.

She shook her head.

-They are puppies, they had no magnitude or knowledge of what was happening.” By now her hands were bleeding and she could barely sit still in her chair.

She saw them shaking their heads not accepting her statement. Hades just looked at her helplessly, even though he was on her side, he was part of the Council and could only refute in her favour when it was time for sentencing.

-In that case I will take their punishment.

Some commented among themselves.

-And if I don’t want to,” Layan flashed an overbearing smile.

Those words, those simple words made him lose control, the tone used told him that no matter what he did they would not hear it.

His entire body shuddered and before Layan could react he was on the ground with a dark brown wolf on top of him baring its fangs.

“Don’t you dare touch my pups.”

He could only hear those words in his mind before the animal’s body collapsed on top of him.